TODAY
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifying round 3B
Tipperary v Armagh (Semple Stadium, 5pm)
THOSE expecting late Armagh changes should keep in mind that Kieran McGeeney didn’t make any last-minute switches in last weekend’s chaotic 1-12 to 1-7 win over Westmeath in Mullingar.
If that again proves the case, then McGeeney will have his strongest championship bench since taking charge with Stefan Campbell, Ethan Rafferty, Ciaran McKeever and Oisin O’Neill all good players to bring in.
The Orchard county have been forced into one change with a hamstring injury ruling out Aaron McKay. Mark Shields will take his place.
Tipperary produced a storming second half to dump out Cavan last week and Philip Austin, introduced at the break, has been rewarded with a starting spot after his impressive cameo. Liam Kearns will also hand a Championship debut to Willie Connors in defence.
The Premier county have dumped out both Cavan and Derry over the last 12 months, and they could make it an Ulster hat-trick against Armagh.
Odds: Tipperary: 5/6 D: 15/2 Armagh: 13/10
Verdict: Tipperary
Carlow v Monaghan (Netwatch Cullen Park, 7pm)
THE fact that Carlow have three Championship wins under the belt (Wexford, London, Leitrim) ensures that the season has already been a success for manager Turlough O’Brien, but there is no chance that he doesn’t believe that they can add a fourth name to the list.
They did miss a lot against Leitrim last time out, especially in the first half, but O’Brien will hope that the return of Brendan Murphy will see the standard rise across the board.
Monaghan faced a potential banana skin away to Wexford in their last game but they left with a crushing 19-point win.
The gap should be closer here, but it’s hard to look past Malachy O’Rourke’s side earning another win on the road.
Kieran Duffy (1-1), Conor McCarthy (0-4) and Darren Freeman (0-3) all starred from the bench against Wexford, but that’s where they are again, if the team starts as named.
Darren Hughes is also another option to call on and the Oriel county look primed to reach the last 12.
Odds: Carlow: 9/1 D: 20/1 Monaghan: 1/16
Verdict: Monaghan
TOMORROW
Ulster Senior Football Championship final Down v Tyrone (St Tiernach’s Park, 2pm)
WILL the great Down adventure come to a halt against a ruthless Tyrone side or does Eamonn Burns’s side still have one rabbit up its sleeve?
Given the domination of the Red Hands, Donegal and Monaghan in recent years, there is a novel feel to this Clones clash.
It’s often said that the third quarter is the Championship quarter, but the first and last are set to be the crucial ones here.
Down started brilliantly against Armagh but were sluggish against Monaghan – a repeat of the latter and this game could be over before the interval.
It’s imperative that they remain in the contest for as long as possible. In reality, they will need a lead going into the final stages because Mickey Harte has a bench that is the envy of 30-odd counties.
In Harte’s ideal plan, they will keep their opponents at arm’s length for 50 minutes before he sends on the reserves to finish the job.
It’s Down task to ensure that those substitutes are needed to retrieve the situation rather than to see the game home. No matter how you analyse it, it’s hard to see a shock here.
Down have been very competitive with Tyrone in recent Championship clashes, replays excluded, but they always have been unable to finish the job. They shouldn’t even get that close here.
Odds: Down: 5/1 Draw: 11/1 Tyrone: 2/11
Verdict: Tyrone
Leinster Senior Football Championship final: Dublin v Kildare (Croke Park, 4pm)
DUBLIN and Leinster Championship games don’t usually create a buzz, but there has been so much drama surrounding the reigning All-Ireland champions that there is huge interest in this fixture.
Firstly there was the Diarmuid Connolly fiasco which saw the St Vincent’s man eventually banned for 12 weeks before Jim Gavin went on a bizarre rant against the media for their part in the matter.
It’s brought a sharp focus to the county’s pursuit of a third Sam Maguire on the trot, but for now there is the small matter of the Delaney Cup.
Gavin, of course, has yet to experience defeat in this competition and the 31-point hammering of Westmeath in the semi-final was their biggest win in his time in charge.
For the sake of the province, a competitive final is badly needed. Cian O’Neill’s Kildare side do look by far and away the second best team in Leinster, so if they can’t get within 10 points then the gap is probably wider than ever.
Laois and Meath have been swatted aside and the Lilywhites will bring a confidence, and a massive support, to Croke Park.
As game as they might be though, it should be seven titles on the trot for Dublin.
Odds: Dublin: 1/14 D: 20/1 Kildare: 9/1
Verdict: Dublin
