1. High-flying Cavan and Antrim in very different places
Cavan are on the brink of promotion from the third tier, themselves and Derry the only teams with 100% records across the four football league divisions.
Mickey Graham’s side travel to Belfast today, back-to-back advancements the non-negotiable for the 2022 Division 4 champions. Boosted by the return of Dara McVeety and emergence of young stars like Paddy Lynch, the Breffni county are enjoying an upward trajectory once more.
Their next opponents, Antrim, are in a very different place, struggling in the lower half of the table after a 4-27 to 0-8 hammering to Westmeath last time out. Up to that point, Andy McEntee’s side had fallen short to Offaly, Down and Fermanagh, their sole win coming against Tipperary. The Saffron really need to disrupt Cavan’s run but bouncing back from a 31-point thrashing is a huge ask in itself.
2. Football secondary after tough week for Offaly and Tipperary
The late Liam Kearns will be on everyone’s minds as Offaly and Tipperary meet elsewhere in Division 3. Faithful manager Kearns died suddenly last weekend.
The 61-year-old Kerry native also had links to Tipp, managing the Premier county to an All-Ireland semi-final appearance in 2016. This should have been a homecoming of sorts at Semple Stadium, but will instead be a sombre, emotionally-charged occasion. Football will feel secondary after a difficult few days.
On the pitch, this is a crucial penultimate round game for both sides. Offaly are still in with an outside shout of promotion, while Tipperary really need to add to their sole point if they are to avoid yo-yoing back down to Division 4.
3. Can Kerry continue their winning home form?
Kerry line out at home Tralee later this evening, their recent form interesting to assess. Jack O’Connor’s All-Ireland and league champions have won all of their home games and lost their away matches so far this campaign.
They were beaten by Tyrone in Omagh last time out, also losing to Donegal and Mayo on the road, but held off Monaghan and Armagh at Fitzgerald Stadium and Austin Stack Park respectively.
The latter stages tonight’s meeting with Roscommon. Davy Burke’s side are hoping to avoid a third successive defeat, having fallen to Monaghan and Mayo after their promising start. The Rossies remain second in the table, with Kerry fifth. The Kingdom, level on points with the Farney and Tyrone and one ahead of bottom side Donegal, could really do with another home win to ease relegation concerns.
4. Galway and Armagh renew acquaintances
Galway and Armagh come together again, this time in the league after producing the most spellbinding game of last summer’s championship. It was a quarter-final that pulsed with drama, Galway advancing and now setting out again for a new season as All-Ireland finalists, Armagh aiming to turn the tables.
In theory both teams are not safe from relegation, in reality they will be looking up and considering a higher finish. The winner here will be vaulted into contention for a league final spot, Galway currently third and Armagh in fourth. Reaching the decider may be tricky for Armagh with their championship opener on 9 April, Galway begin in Connacht on 23 April.
5. Meath need to arrest the slide
Colm O’Rourke saw his league reign in charge of Meath begin in a dazzling fashion. They swept past Cork and Clare in their opening two matches, clinically registering seven goals across those meetings with Munster opponents. Since then their form has deserted them.
Losing to divisional pace-setters Derry was not a surprise but they failed to fashion a win against Louth and Limerick, two freshly-promoted teams. The Louth game saw them falter late on and against Limerick a sluggish start proved costly. They seek to arrest the slide at Páirc Tailteann today, the arrival of Dublin will ignite interest in the fixture.
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