Hurling & Camogie

Your guide to this weekend's matches in the All-Ireland Intermediate & Junior Championships

Áine McAllister will be a key player in the Derry attack in their All-Ireland Intermediate Championship campaign
Áine McAllister will be a key player in the Derry attack in their All-Ireland Intermediate Championship campaign Áine McAllister will be a key player in the Derry attack in their All-Ireland Intermediate Championship campaign

Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Championship 


Saturday (3pm unless stated) 

Group Two

Derry v Wexford (Owenbeg, 1pm)

Antrim v Carlow (Ahoghill)

The two Ulster teams are in the same group and both start their campaign with home ties against teams that they are capable of beating. 

Derry have lost a few key players from the team that ran Antrim seniors close in the Ulster semi-final. That game was a spirited performance from the Oak Leaf, entering it as rank outsiders and then leading into the final few minutes. 

Their main problem was creating and then converting a goal chance. With the likes of Áine McAllister and Máiréad McNicholl around there will always be a flow of points, but they must get Aoife Shaw in to areas where she can make it hurt. 

Wexford have only won a single game during the league and had no competition at provincial level in recent weeks. If they have a similar panel to the league, Derry should win. 

Both Antrim and their opponents Carlow are coming into the championship with silverware already in the bag. Both were operating in Division Three. 

Carlow won 3A by beating Armagh by a single point in the final. Antrim were operating with other reserve teams in 3B and lost that final by a single point to Clare. However the Saffrons have since bounced back to beat Cavan in the Ulster Intermediate final last weekend. 

That is a timely boost as they step up a level. Home venue in their opening game is also a bonus, meaning that they could stand a good chance of reaching the knock-out stages if they take two points from Ahoghill. 

Verdict: Wins for Derry and Antrim 

Group One

Time and Venue TBC : Dublin v Kilkenny 

KILKENNY should win this game, despite having to travel to the capital. They reached the Division 2B league final and took Cork to a replay. By contrast Dublin failed to reach the Division 3B final after a huge turnover of players in the past year 

Verdict: Kilkenny 

Group Three

Westmeath v Kerry (NEG Cusack Park, 2pm)

Meath v Laois (Trim, 5pm)

THE surprise Division Two league champions, Kerry, have a difficult start to their championship campaign when they travel to Cusack Park Mullingar. 

Westmeath, despite a turnover of players recently, are still more experienced than Kerry. That didn’t actually show through the league game and the teams drew down in Fitzgerald stadium. Kerry though will be difficult enough to beat as the confidence-boost they got from winning close league games will stand to them. 

Meath lost the league final and Laois were relegated from the same group – yet there was just a point between them when they met in the opening round. Meath to win this one.  

Verdict: A win for Meath and the other game to finish level. 

Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship 


Saturday  

Group One

Wicklow v Cavan  (Avondale, 5pm) 

EVEN if there is a slight hangover from last weekend’s extra time defeat by Antrim in the Moy, this should be a comfortable victory for Cavan who were playing in Division Two of the league.  

Their opponents lost the Division Four semi-final. They have home advantage, but it won’t count for a lot. 

Verdict: Cavan win 

Group Two

Mayo v Armagh (Westport, 3pm)

Limerick v Offaly (Cappamore, 5pm)

ARMAGH must be fed up of losing finals at this stage. They play well throughout the competition and then fall flat on their faces on the big day. Most of those final losses have also been by a point or two. 

Single point losses to Carlow in the league final in April and then to Antrim in the Ulster Intermediate semi-final a fortnight ago will have hurt them. But individually and collectively they are better than a Mayo team beaten by Tyrone in the Division Four league final. 

Mayo will give them a few problems down in Westport, but Armagh should get another campaign off to a good start. 

Limerick easily beat Offaly in the league. Despite having promoted a couple of players to the senior squad, they should still win this game 

Verdict: Wins for Armagh and Limerick  


Group Three  

 Louth v Clare (Darver, 3pm)

Tyrone v Roscommon (Garvaghy, 5pm)

IT is D-Day for Tyrone. They will be very strong favourites to beat Louth in Round Three and will need a miracle to better Clare the next day out. So, qualification for the knock-out series hinges on getting a result in this home game. 

Roscommon put in creditable performances in the league against both Armagh and Carlow. They lost both, but won their other games very easily. A minor All-Ireland title and schools’ crowns in recent months will feed into this team and give them the youthful arrogance that Tyrone already had from a good league campaign. 

The Red Hands have quite a few in the 18-20 age-group who have experienced success at schools’ level with St Patrick’s Academy. It even included an All-Ireland senior title days before Covid struck in 2020. 

These girls need to use that experience to take Tyrone beyond Division Four and the Nancy Murray Cup. They are better than both these competitions, but it will take time to climb the Junior championship level. 

They need to make their mark in Garvaghy, otherwise another season will have passed them by. 

Verdict: Clare to win easily, Roscommon to edge the other game.