LET’S AVOID SLUDDEN DEATH Dub record on the line Kerry Eam for safety
Niall wary of final round Kerry clash in dogfight
Mayo Tyrone Tomorrow, Castlebar, 2pm
v NIALL Sludden wants Tyrone to nail down their Division One future at the first time of asking.
If things go against them in Castlebar tomorrow, they’ll still have another chance to secure top-flight status at home to Kerry in next week’s League finale, but why wait until then?
“It’s important that we don’t leave things until the Kerry game and go into that one requiring points,” Sludden said. “We’re going to have to go out in the next two games and prove ourselves.
“Things aren’t safe yet, but definitely we’re in a much better position now than was the case before Donegal (last Saturday night). It doesn’t matter how we get the wins as long as the points are secured but the work isn’t done yet. We have to go to Mayo and get another good result.” Kerry v Kildare, Austin Stack Park – eir sport 2
Cork v Clare, Pairc Ui Rinn – eir sport 1
Both Tyrone and the Westerners need another win to guarantee another season in Division One.
Mayo have a proud 20-year unbroken record in the top flight and are battling manfully to stay there - despite being without four of their six first choice defenders including injured trio Brendan Harrison, Donal Vaughan and Chris Barrett.
Keith Higgins will line out for the Mayo hurlers in the Division 2B final against Down tomorrow.
Mayo are said to be Tyrone’s bogey team stretching back to the 2004 All-ireland quarter-final, including more recent Croke Park exits for Mickey Harte’s (below) side against the same opponents in 2014 and 2016. The League has been a different story, however.
Tyrone have won on their last two NFL visits to Castlebar in 2013 and 2015, and won again in Omagh in 2014. Mayo did snatch an injury-time winner in Healy Park 12 months ago after Tyrone had kicked 15
Monaghan v Donegal, Clones
Mayo v Tyrone, Machale Park
Galway v Dublin, Salthill
Down v Tipperary, Pairc Esler
Louth v Meath, Gaelic wides, so this points to being another evenly-matched contest.
Sludden says: “It’s great to be playing a top four team in Kerry and a top two side in Mayo in our last two games coming up to the Championship.
“If you want to be going places then you’d want to be beating those teams and we’ll definitely be going down to Mayo on the back of a good win over Donegal.
“We’ll be going down there needing the win and it’s definitely going to be a big challenge considering their position among the top teams in the past few years, but sure these are the type of games you look forward to.”
Sludden scored a goal in the win over Donegal to ease Tyrone’s relegation worries a little, and he’s been in superb form all spring.
Asked if the system has been tweaked since the 12-point hammering by Dublin in last year’s Allireland semi-final, Sludden admitted: “There’s maybe more kick-passes now than before”.
Grounds
Roscommon v Cavan, Dr Hyde Park
Offaly v Sligo, O’connor Park
Longford v Westmeath, Pearse Park
Fermanagh v Armagh, Brewster Park
Derry v Wexford, Celtic Park, 1pm
Waterford v Leitrim, Fraher Field
Wicklow v Limerick, Aughrim
Antrim v Carlow, Ahoghill
Galway Dublin
Tomorrow, Pearse Stadium, 2pm
DUBLIN will look to end one of their longest winless streaks by beating Galway to book their place in the
League final for the sixth successive year.
Not since 2001 have Dublin beaten Galway, having lost two and drawn three of the five meetings since, all in the League, most recently in 2011 when Galway were last in Division One.
Of course, there’s the likelihood that the counties will meet again on April 1 with Galway already through to the League final and Dublin as good as, though they need a point from their closing two games to be absolutely sure.
That could take some of the sting out of this game.
Dublin will be without centre-back Cian O’sullivan tomorrow and possibly for the entire Leinster Championship after undergoing shoulder surgery this week.
Kerry Kildare
Tonight, Tralee, 7pm (eir sport)
v v KILDARE’S relegation has looked inevitable for some time now and Kerry will relish the opportunity to take on Division One’s basement boys after a series of defeats.
Having started with victories over Donegal and Mayo, Kerry have struggled since, with last Sunday’s 12-point drubbing against Dublin the nadir amid a third successive loss. Their chances of retaining their League title have vanished and they must be careful not to get dragged into a relegation scrap.
Kerry will be a different outfit come summer as Eamonn Fitzmaurice (inset) phases back in more experienced players, but privately he would have hoped his younger charges would have coped better than they have of late.