TODAY
Leinster Senior Football Championship round one
Wicklow v Kildare
(Netwatch Cullen Park, 7pm)
WICKLOW manager John Evans has said that if they play to their potential they can trouble Kildare but the Lilywhites should be on their toes following their shock loss to Carlow in their Leinster opener last year. Paul McLoughlin (shoulder), Gearoid Murphy (shoulder), Mark Fitzsimons (broken hand) and Fintan O’Shea (shoulder) are all doubts for the Garden county so this should be a comfortable win for Cian O’Neill’s side.
Odds: Wicklow: 10/1 D: 25/1 Kildare: 1/25
Verdict: Kildare
Munster Senior Football Championship quarter-finals
Tipperary v Limerick
(Semple Stadium, 7pm)
TIPPERARY have managed to get a raft of players back who were injured during the early stages of the League, including star forward Michael Quinlivan who got minutes towards the backend of their Division Two campaign. Conor Sweeney picked up the slack in his absence as he managed 2-30 in seven games. Only London finished lower than Limerick in the National League and expectations are low. Manager Billy Lee has handed debuts to Colm McSweeney and Adrian Enright.
Odds: H: 1/25 D: 25/1 A: 10/1
Verdict: Tipperary
Clare v Waterford
(Cusack Park, 7pm)
CLARE may be one of the most improved teams in the country but they should at least face some resistance from a Waterford side that has also made good strides in recent times. Last year’s Qualifier win over Wexford was only their second ever and their first since 2011. They followed it up with a positive Division Four campaign this year as they won three of their last four games. Look out for goalkeeper Darren Mulhearne who could be in the matchday squad for Waterford. The 46-year-old was called into the panel by Benji Whelan last week.
Odds: H: 1/25 D: 25/1 A: 10/1
Verdict: Clare
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Kilkenny v Dublin
(Nowlan Park, 7pm, live on Sky Sports Arena)
DUBLIN enjoyed a fine League campaign as they shocked Tipperary in the quarter-final before losing narrowly to eventual champions Limerick the next time out. Manager Mattie Kenny won’t have a full panel against the Cats though as Mark Schutte and Paul Winters are out for the next few months while Fionntán Mac Gib, Cian O'Callaghan and John Hetherton will miss out tonight. The match in Nowlan Park will mark the start of Brian Cody’s 21st Championship campaign in charge of Kilkenny.
Odds: H: 1/2 D: 9/1 A: 21/10
Verdict: Kilkenny
Joe McDonagh Cup round one
Antrim v Kerry
(Dunloy, 5pm)
ANTRIM may have ended up in a relegation play-off last year but they did win their first two Joe McDonagh Cup games. A similar fast start against Kerry and Neal Peden’s side will surely be able to stay away from trouble. Kerry manager Fintan O’Connor believes his side are favourites for relegation but there should be little between all five sides and a good away win here would set them up well.
Odds: H: 8/11 D: 8/1 A: 11/8
Verdict: Antrim
Offaly v Laois
(Bord Na Mona O'Connor Park, 7pm)
OFFALY hurling is at a low point and their relegation from Division 1B just confirmed the fact. A return to Club Championship action between League and Championship may have been the perfect tonic for Kevin Martin’s players. Laois could smell blood here and are fit to record a famous win at O’Connor Park.
Odds: H: 10/11 D: 8/1 A: 11/10
Verdict: Laois
Christy Ring Cup group one round one
Down v Derry
(Portaferry, 3pm)
DERRY’S dual players will be on football duty this weekend but they can still call on top players like Sean Cassidy, Brian Og McGilligan and Cormac O’Doherty, who has recovered from injury. Down boss Ronan Sheehan knows that a lot of the county’s top players are not committing for one reason or another but he was able to get a tune out of his side in the League and home advantage may sway it their way.
Odds: H: 11/10 D: 8/1 A: 10/11
Verdict: Down
Nicky Rackard Cup group one round one
Armagh v Monaghan
(Athletic Grounds, 7pm)
ARMAGH tanked Monaghan in the League but the Farney were without their Castleblayney contingent such as Peter Treanor and Fergal Rafter. Their presence should ensure a tighter contest but Padraig O’Connor’s side should still have too much.
Odds: H: 1/5 D: 14/1 A: 7/2
Verdict: Armagh
Nicky Rackard Cup group two round one
Louth v Sligo
(Dowdallshill, 3pm)
SLIGO earned promotion from Division 3A while Louth avoided relegation to that division by the skin of their teeth so a close affair is expected. Former Armagh dual player Paul McCormack is over the Wee county and preparations for Championship are understood to have been very positive.
Odds: H: 4/7 D: 9/1 A: 6/4
Verdict: Louth
TOMORROW
Ulster Senior Football Championship preliminary round
Tyrone v Derry
(Healy Park, 4pm, deferred on BBC2)
THE Ulster Championship is expected to start with a whimper rather than a bang but Derry do come into the game on the back of eight straight victories, albeit in Division Four. Their last two matches with Tyrone in Ulster have resulted in 11-point defeats so Damian McErlain’s first priority will be to tighten up at the back. Even if they do that, it won’t be enough to stop the Reds Hands who are set to give Championship debuts to Ben McDonnell and Brian Kennedy.
Odds: H: 1/10 D: 14/1 A: 15/2
Verdict: Tyrone
Leinster Senior Football Championship first round
Wexford v Louth
(Innovate Wexford Park, 3pm)
THERE’S a feel-good factor in Louth right now even if they did just miss out on promotion from Division Three, and they’ll be keen to reinforce that with a win here. Manager Wayne Kierans returns to the sidelines after serving a suspension and he has said all year that there’s a real positive vibe in the camp. Wexford conceded 14 goals in their seven League games. Model boss Paul McLoughlin has no real injury concerns apart from Mark O’Neill.
Odds: H: 21/10 D: 15/2 A: 8/15
Verdict: Draw
Meath v Offaly
(Pairc Tailteann, 3pm)
JOHN Maughan’s Offaly may have needed a last-day intervention to avoid the drop to Division Four but they were generally competitive and with Niall McNamee set to start at full-forward tomorrow, they will hope to continue that trend. Meath were excellent in securing promotion from Division Two with the Royals last playing top flight football way back in 2006. Given that Dublin are on the other side of the draw, a Leinster final appearance is the target.
Odds: H: 1/12 D: 16/1 A: 8/1
Verdict: Meath
Connacht Senior Football Championship quarter-final
Roscommon v Leitrim
(Dr Hyde Park, 3.30pm)
LEITRIM were one of the feel-good stories of the Spring and with better shooting they really could have troubled Derry in the Division Four final. Veteran attacker Emlyn Mulligan had a poor outing at Croke Park that day and he has lost his place for this game. Roscommon boss Anthony Cunningham has handed a Championship debut to Kerry native Conor Cox who excelled during the League.
Odds: H: 1/10 D: 14/1 A: 15/2
Verdict: Roscommon
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship first round
Galway v Carlow
(Pearse Stadium, 3pm)
ONE of the shocks of the League came when Carlow forced a draw with Galway but there is absolutely no chance of the Tribesmen not winning here. They were understrength that day although they will be without Joe Canning who managed half of their 0-20 tally. This is a free hit for Colm Bonnar’s Carlow but that doesn’t mean that a heavy loss wouldn’t hurt them.
Odds: H: 1/200 D: 50/1 A: 25/1
Verdict: Galway
Munster Senior Hurling Championship first round
Waterford v Clare
(Walsh Park, 2pm, live on RTE2)
WALSH Park is likely to be a sell-out for this clash giving an extra boost to a fixture that barely needs it. It will be Waterford’s first home Championship game at the ground since 2003 and their performances in the League – where they lost to Limerick in the final – suggests that they can mark their return with a win. Goalkeeper Stephen Ryan and Cormac Murray will make their Championship debuts for the away side.
Odds: H: 1/1 D: 8/1 A: 11/10
Verdict: Waterford
Cork v Tipperary
(Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 4pm, live on RTE2)
Munster champions Cork get their defence underway in what is sure to be a blockbuster at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The recently redeveloped ground was in the headlines after the pitch cut up badly during the League but intensive work has taken place and it looks in pristine condition for this game. Tipp boss Liam Sheedy said midweek that even some of their own fans could question their workrate at times, a clear message to his players ahead of this contest.
Odds: H: 10/11 D: 8/1 A: 6/5
Verdict: Tipperary
Christy Ring Cup group one round one
Donegal v Wicklow
(O’Donnell Park, 1pm)
DECLAN Coulter’s injury is a huge blow to Donegal and manager Mickey McCann will look to other players to step up in his absence. Wicklow recorded a five-point win in Donegal earlier in the season and should come away with another victory.
Odds: H: 10/3 D: 11/1 A: 1/3
Verdict: Wicklow
Christy Ring Cup group two round one
Roscommon v Kildare
(Athleague, 12.45pm)
KILDARE played at a higher level than Roscommon in the League but the Connacht side do have an ability to go on real scoring bursts – as shown when they hit 10 points without reply against Armagh – but they may need a couple of purple patches to cause a shock here.
Odds: H: 5/1 D: 14/1 A: 1/8
Verdict: Kildare
Meath v London
(Pairc Tailteann, 1pm)
MEATH will welcome back captain Sean Geraghty after a four-month lay-off but James Toher has been ruled out this weekend. London lost all five games in the League but they did stay within six points of Meath.
Odds: H: 2/5 D: 11/1 A: 13/5
Verdict: Meath
Nicky Rackard Cup group one round one
Longford v Warwickshire
(Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 1pm)
WARWICKSHIRE finished their Division 2B campaign with five losses from five and a scoring difference of -80. Chris Brough’s side did play two divisions above Longford though so the first win of the season awaits.
Odds: H: 7/4 D: 9/1 A: 1/2
Verdict: Warwickshire
Nicky Rackard Cup group two round one
Tyrone v Mayo
(Healy Park, 2pm)
THE Tyrone hurlers should have a bigger than usual crowd as this is the curtain-raiser for the Tyrone-Derry Ulster game. Mattie Lennon has said that they are not over reliant on Damian Casey for scorers but he will still be the man they look to today.
Odds: H: 6/1 D: 14/1 A: 1/12
Verdict: Mayo
