SOME OF THE predictions are starting to come true in the Division 2 football league, but there’s also been some surprising developments.
Armagh and Donegal, promotion frontrunners from the jump, currently occupy first and second on the table, but some of the other hopefuls for Division 1 have fallen short of the expectations laid out for them.
Cork and Kildare are already battling to avoid relegation while Cavan have overcome losses in personnel to keep pace with the leaders. There’s more than just places in Division 1 for 2025 on offer, as teams are scrambling for a place the Sam Maguire competition too.
As we head towards the final three rounds of the league, let’s take a closer look at the condition of each side.
1. Armagh
Armagh are at the wheel in Division 2 with three wins and one draw to leave them on seven points out of a possible eight. That draw was against their Ulster rivals Donegal last weekend, where managers Kieran McGeeney and Jim McGuinness had some heated exchanges on the sideline.
Having come through that test, Armagh will certainly be happy with their campaign so far. They are the only team in all four Divisions yet to concede a goal and have had just 41 points scored against them.
Rory Grugan, Conor Turbitt and Oisin Conaty have been leading the charge for the Orchard county, hitting a combined 2-31 across the four games so far.
McGeeney’s side were victims of relegation last year but look set for an immediate return to the top table with Fermanagh, Cavan and Cork left to play.
2. Donegal
Donegal could have won that Armagh had they converted the three goal opportunities which included a saved penalty from Oisín Gallen. They were undone by the woodwork too. The return of Jim McGuinness along with experienced defender Ryan McHugh is a major boost to the county as they sit just behind Armagh on scoring difference on the table.
Patrick McBrearty continues to serve Donegal well with 1-17 so far. Midfielder Ciarán Thompson has also been prominent throughout the league, and a consistent scorer too. The same can be said for defender Daire Ó Baoill who top-scored in their win over Fermanagh with 2-3 from half-back.
Donegal should have no problem with closing the deal on promotion although they still have a tough test to face against Meath in the final round on 23 March.
3. Cavan
Cavan went into the league without some key players, but despite those losses, the Division 2 newcomers are just one point behind Armagh and Donegal on the table.
Losing Gearóid McKiernan, Conor Moynagh and their manager Raymond Galligan from selection was certainly a blow at the outset, but it is perhaps having a galvanising effect on the team. The narrow margin of their victories is part of that too. There was just four points separating the sides in their Round 1 win over Kildare. Cork and Louth were one-point victories and they were just one point off Donegal when they clashed in Round 2.
Their former goalkeeper Galligan has told the media that preserving their Division 2 status is the key objective for Cavan, but they now find themselves in the hunt for promotion. Paddy Lynch has been lively from frees and open play, kicking 32 points so far including a haul of 0-8 against Kildare.
Experienced campaigners including Killian Clarke and Pádraig Faulkner are still to the fore for Cavan along with Dara McVeety and Gerard Smith. But even if Cavan miss out on promotion [they still have Meath and Armagh left to play], they’re still in a great position to snag a place in the Sam Maguire competition.
4. Meath
As the reigning Tailteann Cup champions, Meath already have their Sam Maguire ticket stamped. But the league still has targets for them to chase. Carving out a path back to Division 1 is vital if they want to be a stronger contender for Dublin in the Leinster championship.
The Royals will also want to avoid the drop to Division 3 but that looks unlikely as they sit in fourth place, just two points off the top spot. They had a shaky start with a draw against Fermanagh and a 12-point beating at the hands of Armagh. But back-to-back wins over Louth and Kildare has restarted their engine.
The Louth result was especially impressive as they mustered a second-half rally to overturn a five-point deficit to win by two. Matthew Costello and Shane Walsh inspired that result with a combined 1-5. Eoghan Frayne also stood out with five points against Fermanagh.
Meath have to travel for a difficult assignment against Cavan this weekend, and Donegal still have to come in the final round at the end of March.
5. Fermanagh
Fermanagh are in something of a precarious spot at the midway point of the league. Sitting on fifth with three points, they’re one point clear of relegation trouble and two points off fourth place on the table.
Last year’s Division 3 champions opened their league a with a draw against Meath which included 1-1 from Seán Cassidy in the first half, and 1-2 in total. Their defence restricted Colm O’Rourke’s full-forward line to just one point that day as they made a promising start to life in Division 2.
Cassidy netted again against Kildare after an excellent team move which included five players. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Ross Bogue produced a vital save from a penalty late on to seal the win. Fermanagh were no match for Donegal in Round 3. They kept in touch for the first half, but Ó Baoill’s two goals killed off their challenge.
Division 2 leaders Armagh will be calling for a visit this weekend and their final outings against Louth and Cavan will be tricky hurdles to mount as well.
6. Louth
The burning question following Louth into this year’s league campaign was how they would cope without the services of manager Mickey Harte? Their initial response was encouraging as they ran Armagh close in the opening round, losing out by just one point and finishing the day with eight different scorers.
Goals from Ciarán Keenan and Ciarán Downey steered the Wee men to victory against Cork while experienced forward Sam Mulroy hit five points, including one ’45. Two more setbacks followed against Meath and Cavan, although they had eight scorers again in the second of those games.
However, they lost Ciarán Downey to a red card which resulted in Cavan building a six-point lead that pushed them to victory. Their quest for survival is about to get tougher as they prepare for a trip to Donegal this weekend.
7. Cork
Cork’s disappointing results have seen them go from promotion chasers to a side that is very much threatened by relegation. The Munster championship draw also puts them at risk of playing in the Tailteann Cup as they are on the same side as Kerry. That win over Fermanagh last week was a much needed shot in the arm but they have Kildare, Meath and Armagh still left to face in the league.
Their issues with winning kickouts featured in their one-point loss to Cavan. They were completely overwhelmed by Donegal, training by six points at half-time and eventually losing by double digits. Goals from Eoghan McSweeney and Chris Óg Jones were the only redeeming feature of the day.
They had eight different scorers against Louth but that wasn’t enough to prevent a two-point defeat. They managed well with the temporary loss of Brian Hurley to a black card, but the two Louth goals rocked them on their way to defeat. They’ve conceded 71 points so far and every result in their three remaining games is vital if they want to dodge relegation and perhaps be in with a shot of clinching a place in the top four.
8. Kildare
Rooted to the bottom of Division 2 is a Kildare side that is encountering problems both on and off the field. They’ve had four losses in four games, have yet to score a goal in the league, and have a scoring difference of -25. Manager Glenn Ryan has also been engaged in some controversy lately.
Following their 14-point defeat to Armagh, Ryan got into a testy exchange with a reporter from the Leinster Leader after he alleged that comments from Kildare chairman Mick Gorman at a recent county board meeting were misreported.
That was an undesirable backdrop to their clash with Meath where they lost important forwards Darragh Kirwan and Ben McCormack to injury on the way to a three-point loss. McCormack has a broken jaw while Kirwan is a doubt for their game against Cork this weekend.
Kildare’s fate is not sealed yet but a defeat to Cork would almost certainly indicate relegation for the Lilywhites.
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