1. Kildare looking to catch fire
After a league run that saw Kildare suffer seven losses from seven outings, their last-gasp victory against Wicklow saw them find water water in the desert. The drama of Jack Sargent’s late fisted effort was a fitting way for Glenn Ryan’s side to win having lost Kevin Flynn to a red card and Daniel Flynn to injury. If they defeat Louth it will turn their season around by ensuring a ticket to Sam Maguire football and a place in the Leinster final.
But there were lowpoints of that quarter-final performance. They fumbled a four-point lead in the second half, and gifted a goal-scoring opportunity to Wicklow, which ended with Eoin Doyle receiving a black card for a professional foul. Oisín McGraynor’s resultant penalty levelled the tie heading into injury-time and Matt Nolan could even have won it for Oisín McConville’s side had his long-range kick into an empty goal not drifted wide.
Those deficiencies will be focused on this week in preparation for a Louth team who have retained their Division 2 status, put four goals past Wexford in their quarter-final win and also contested last year’s decider.
2. Movement in Tyrone panel
It took extra-time and the width of a post that kept out a late Cavan goal attempt, but Tyrone are still alive in the Ulster championship. They don’t have much time to savour the relief of that win though. A familiar foe in the shape of Jim McGuinness awaits in this weekend’s semi-final.
Another chapter in the Tyrone-Donegal rivalry beckons but the faces have changed. Tyrone will front up to that challenge with a team that includes nine players who made their championship debuts last week. Goalscorer Liam Gray is among the newcomers.
Conall Devlin, also made his bow along with Aodhan Donaghy, Ben Cullen, Ciarán Daly, Conor Cush, Lorcan McGarrity, Nathan McCarron and Tiarnan Quinn complete the set.
Between them all, they scored 1-3.
Brian Dooher’s side did welcome experienced defender Mattie Donnelly back to the fold after a lengthy recovery from a broken tibia and posterior ligament injury. But they’re missing some key campaigners including Donnelly’s brother Richie who is on hiatus this year.
“It’s going to be all hands on deck with both medical teams this week,” he told The 42 this week. “Neither team will be putting on boots until Wednesday or Thursday and a large part of it will be recovery and getting moving again. Whichever has the best system in place to recover and refocus will be coming up trumps.”
3. Offaly’s turn for a crack at Dublin
For the first time since 2007, Offaly and Dublin will collide in the Leinster football championship. It was a five-point defeat for the Faithful in that semi-final. The Dublin they met in 2007 was in the middle of a provincial five-in-a-row run, but the Blue machine that will roll into Croke Park on Sunday are chasing a 14th consecutive title this year.
All available evidence would suggest that another Dublin win is on the cards, but Offaly have All-Ireland U20 winners who are coming of age at senior level. In their victory over Laois — Offaly’s championship win in Portaoise since 1978 — their U20 victors from 2021 were particularly prominent.
Lee Pearson scored one point from corner-back while attacker Jack Bryant finished with three points. John Furlong started at wing-back and Cormac Egan, who is a more regular sight in the forwards, has been reinvented as a defender for Offaly. That switch appears to be producing benefits, offering him more space to exploit with his speed.
Dublin will be an entirely different prospect, but it also presents an opportunity for these young stars to measure up against the giants of the province.
4. Down must be wary of goal-hungry Armagh
For the second year in-a-row, Armagh and Down will cross swords in the semi-finals of the Ulster championship. The 2023 edition featured four goals, and all four were planted in the Down net.
The first two goals were scored before the 26th minute in a three-minute spell to fire Kieran McGeeney’s side into a commanding lead. Andrew Murnin and Shane McPartlan both netted, while Ciaran Mackin and Rian O’Neill later struck to complete the four-goal blitz.
Armagh rattled nine goals in their Division 2 run this which ended in promotion to the top flight and added another three in their Ulster opener against Fermanagh. Down, who laboured to a four-point win over Antrim in the previous round, will need to be wired in to Armagh’s instinct for ripping defences apart when the sides meet at Clones on Saturday.
5. The knock-on effect on Sam Maguire competition
The hunt for spots in the All-Ireland championship is still ongoing and the outcome of games this weekend will help shape the line-up of teams in this year’s race.
As it stands, six counties are battling for three places as Westmeath, Cork, and the provincial semi-finalists Down, Kildare, Louth and Offaly, all aim put their names in the hat. Down, Kildare and Offaly must all win this weekend in order to punch their Sam Maguire ticket. If one of those counties succeed, Westmeath will lose out and compete in the Tailteann Cup.
If Louth lose to Kildare, and either Down or Offaly win, then Louth will divert to the Tailteann Cup. Cork will drop to the Tailteann Cup in the event of Offaly and Down both winning their semi-finals. While the other four teams try to affect the course of their future, Westmeath and Cork must wait it out to discover their fate.
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