FOUR ROUNDS IN and the landscape of the Division 1 Allianz Football league is starting to take shape.
The fate of the teams in the top table is slowly becoming clearer as relegation battles and title charges heat up at the halfway point. Newcomers Derry are the only unbeaten side left in Division 1, while Roscommon, Galway and Monaghan have picked up just one win each.
With only three games left to play for each team, let’s assess the current position of each team starting with the current leaders all the way down to the teams who are most at risk of the drop to Division 2.
1. Derry
Four wins from four is certainly the ideal start to the Mickey Harte era in Derry. Last year’s Division 2 finalists have perhaps surpassed expectations with how well they’ve managed the transition to the top tier, but their position has been well earned.
A first-round win over Kerry sent them on their way as the Glen contingent rejoined the fold just one week after their All-Ireland final victory to make the trip to Tralee. Shane McGuigan, who has carried his scintillating 2023 form into this season, sealed their win that night with a late point.
Hitting 1-21 so far, McGuigan is one of seven different goal-scorers for Derry in Division 1. Conor Glass is also on the list along with defenders Conor McCluskey, Conor Doherty, Padraig McGrogan and Eoin McEvoy.
Another league crown is within their grasp in 2024.
2. Dublin
The All-Ireland champions stumbled through the first two rounds of the league, but have climbed up to second on the table after back-to-back wins in their last two outings. They’re now one of four teams on four points, meaning every result is crucial for the remaining rounds.
Dublin were stunned in their league opener by a Monaghan side who were without a raft of their big game performers. But goals from Jack McCarron, Stephen O’Hanlon and Ciarán McNulty proved the difference on the night. Mayo kept Dublin winless after two rounds in MacHale Park. Dessie Farrell’s side finally got off the mark with a seven-point win over Roscommon while Con O’Callaghan produced a masterclass last Saturday evening to leave Kerry smarting on the return to the Kingdom.
Among the other regulars in the team, Brian Fenton has also played a vital role in steering Dublin back to winning ways. The experienced Stephen Cluxton is yet to feature in 2024, but David O’Hanlon’s fast kickouts has made him a solid choice between the sticks.
With Mick Fitzsimons also not back in the squad yet, Kilmacud Crokes defender Theo Clancy has been availing of the opportunity to impress by restricting David Clifford to just two points from play last Saturday night.
3. Mayo
The reigning Division 1 champions are also on two wins from four games. Goals in either half from Eoghan McLaughlin and Cillian O’Connor sealed their Round 1 battle with Galway before earning that big result against Dublin thanks to a late point from Fergal Boland.
After being dropped from the squad last year, Boland has reminded manager Kevin McStay why he’s worth his place in the team with a tally of nine points from four games.
They were on course for a draw in Tralee after battling back from three points down, but a superb late point from David Clifford condemned Mayo to their first league defeat in Round 3. They slipped again in Healy Park on Saturday evening. A Cillian O’Connor penalty helped push them into a three-point lead at half-time, but their challenge faded after the restart as Tyrone pressed for victory.
Mayo have Roscommon, Derry and Monaghan left to face in the league but will go into those games with some injury concerns to deal with. Midfielder Diarmuid O’Connor picked up what looked like a concerning muscle injury against Tyrone, while Paddy Durcan is also out at the moment.
4. Tyrone
Based on their second-half surge against Mayo, Tyrone are showing an improvement in form, and could be potential league final candidates if they can sustain it. Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry have been scorching defenders to typify the urgency in their play at the moment.
The pair combined for 1-12 in that win over Mayo. Tyrone opened their Division 1 march with a win over Roscommon which they achieved despite the loss of Conn Kilpatrick to a red card. They lost that reunion battle with Mickey Harte when they travelled to Celtic Park and failed to rebuild momentum when they were edged out by Galway.
Tyrone have suffered some big losses in personnel for the 2024 season. All-Ireland winners Ronan McNamee and Niall Sludden have both retired while joint-manager Fergal Logan has been forced to step away due to health issues.
But with that win over Mayo packed away, Tyrone have built some momentum which they will need to utilise when they take a trip to Killarney for a meeting with Kerry this weekend.
5. Kerry
Speaking of which, the last of the four teams on four points are last year’s All-Ireland finalists. After that opening round defeat to Derry, Jack O’Connor’s side settled into the competition with a nine-point win over Monaghan. By that stage, the Clifford brothers Paudie and David were back in rotation and both came on to score a combined 1-2 in the second half.
They hit nine points between them against Mayo where David’s composure ensured back-to-back wins for the Kingdom. However, Kerry were uncharacteristically flat against Dublin at the weekend.
O’Connor assured that the 3-18 to 1-14 loss wasn’t “fatal” but his players may have needed an IV line after full-time. A big response is required when Tyrone come to visit this weekend.
6. Roscommon
Roscommon are in in a delicate position at the moment: one point off second-placed Dublin and one point ahead of relegation danger. Last weekend’s result against Monaghan was their first win of the competition. They also played out a draw against neighbours Galway which keeps their noses slightly in front at this remove.
There have been some encouraging signs in their campaign thus far, including the performances of Enda and Donie Smith as well as Daire Cregg who scored five points against Monaghan to build on his Sigerson Cup form with defeated finalists UCD.
Similar to Derry, Roscommon had their St Brigid’s crew to reintegrate into the squad after the All-Ireland club final: Brian Stack, Shane Cunnane, Robbie Dolan and Ruaidhri Fallon have all been rewarded with game time between the Dublin and Monaghan games. Ben O’Carroll is a big loss up front as he is sidelined with injury.
Another provincial derby awaits Roscommon this weekend as they take on Mayo in MacHale Park where a win would be vital to ensuring their survival in Division 1.
7. Galway
A side troubled by injuries, Galway are keeping company with Roscommon on three points from a possible eight.
Shane Walsh and Damien Comer are currently unavailable for selection and their absence is showing as Galway have been struggling to catch fire in attack. Seán Kelly is still finding his feet after a recent spell of injury woe while Cillian McDaid, Liam Silke and Jack Glynn have also been in the Galway infirmary.
Their win over Tyrone was hard fought but Pádraic Joyce will be disappointed with their performances against Mayo and Derry. They face Monaghan in Clones this weekend before two difficult assignments against Dublin and Kerry to see out their campaign.
8. Monaghan
Another team struggling with injuries, Monaghan are in trouble in Division 1. They’ve been going to battle without some of their key performers including Conor McManus, Kieran Hughes [retirement] and Darren Hughes. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Rory Beggan is away at the minute hoping to plot a path to the NFL. Fintan Kelly and Shane Carey have also announced their retirements while Conor Boyle has stepped away this year.
That impressive win over Dublin is the only result to their credit at the moment. Kerry, Derry and Roscommon had no such problem when they squared off with Vinny Corey’s charges, Monaghan conceding a total of 72 points in those games, including seven goals. The scoring margin of those losses is also noteworthy. There were nine points off Kerry at full-time, 13 against Derry and 12 against Roscommon.
Monaghan were in a similar hole last year but managed to avoid the fall into Division 2 with some last-day heroics. They’ll need a result against the Tribesmen this weekend to repeat that trick.
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