PADDY TALLY’S SIDE summoned an impressive nine-point fightback against Galway last weekend, but a draw was all they could manage when victory was within reach as John Daly blocked down Ethan Doherty.
While they are still winless, their display last weekend was an improvement on their opening-round defeat to Kerry. Leading by five points in the last seven minutes, they conceded three goals — five in total — to crash out by three. They’ve conceded the most amount of goals in Division 1, with eight attempts ending up in their net.
Saturday’s visit to Croke Park will be a repeat of last year’s league final where Derry conquered Dessie Farrell’s side after extra-time and penalties. But Dublin come into this game on the back of a big Kerry win, hitting four two-pointers in the second half. Derry must curtail their long-range shooting to boost their chances of a win, and avoid relegation trouble.
Kerry
The five goals they scored against Derry, plus the two other green flags against Donegal and Dublin makes them the leading goal-scorers in Division 1. Another positive for Jack O’Connor’s side is the return of David Clifford.
However, Kerry are still one win from three. After mastering the home straight against Derry, they stumbled against Donegal and Dublin. Squandering an 11-point lead against Dublin was particularly disappointing, as they also managed to score just three points in the second half.
Now they face two tough road trips to Tyrone and Mayo, starting with Omagh on Sunday afternoon. A battle between the teams ranked fourth and fifth on the table, both sides need a win to ease relegation concerns.
Kerry have some injury issues following the loss Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Tom O’Sullivan against Dublin. They’re also trying to reintegrate 11 players from the Dr Crokes [All-Ireland senior semi-final] and Austin Stacks [All-Ireland intermediate semi-final] clubs after long campaigns.
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Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Tyrone
Similar to Kerry, Tyrone made a winning start to the league against Derry. But life under new manager Malachy O’Rourke took a turn with an eight-point defeat to Armagh and a two-point loss to Mayo.
And while they were seven-point winners over Derry, their two goals were scored by defenders Peter Teague and Michael McKernan, who also finished as their top-scorer. None of their forwards have found the net yet. They also conceded 1-21 from play against Armagh, coming from 10 different scorers.
They’re still waiting on the return of their Errigal Ciarán contingent as Darragh and Ruairí Canvan were both concussed in the All-Ireland club final, while Peter Harte and Joe Oguz have yet to feature in the league. Should Sunday come too soon for that group, they could still have a key role to play against Galway, Donegal and Dublin.
Division 2
Westmeath captain Ronan Wallace. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Westmeath
Westmeath are rooted at the bottom of the second tier with zero points after three defeats in-a-row. They were unlucky not to earn something from their six-goal battle with Cork brothers Sam and Danny McCartan combined for four two-point scores.
Dermot McCabe’s side has scored five goals, and have scored a total of 71 points which is the fourth-highest in the Division behind Monaghan (83), Roscommon and Meath (75) and Cork (73). Captain Ronan Wallace has scored 2-4 so far while Luke Loughlin is thriving with the two-point rule, scoring six from outside the arc in first three games.
But the Division 3 champions are in danger of dropping straight back down having conceded 82 points. They’re still managing a transition following a change in management while John Heslin, James Dolan and Kevin Maguire have all retired. David Lynch and Andy McCormack have emigrated.
Cavan will be a stiff test after a big win over Louth.
Louth
After starting with a four-point win over Westmeath, Louth have slipped to fifth in the table with back-to-back losses.
The Roscommon meeting was an encouraging display where they came back from five points down at half-time, and six in the second half against a team who are currently second. Sam Mulroy and Ciarán Downey put over three two-pointers between them while debutant Val Leddy scored a goal off the bench after joining the panel just four weeks ago. Ger Brennan’s team have registered eight two-pointers overall from the first three rounds.
But the Leinster finalists unravelled against Cavan last weekend, conceding two soft goals and three altogether. There was also a penalty for Cavan which Niall McDonnell saved.
Along with Cavan and Down, Louth have two points on the board and will host Conor Laverty’s side this weekend. A tough trip to Cork is still waiting for Ger Brennan’s team along with home ties against Monaghan and Meath.
Division 3
Sligo
With zero points from three outings, Sligo are in relegation danger. They’ve let in just two goals but have also failed to raise a green flag.
Their opener against Offaly was error strewn, as they fumbled a two-point lead at half-time by conceding the next four points on the bounce while also hitting seven wides in the third quarter before losing by seven. Against Kildare, they rallied twice to make it a one-point game. But a combination of inaccuracy and a late Darragh Kirwan goal condemned them to defeat again by six. Laois overwhelmed them by nine points last weekend but Sligo missed two goal chances including a Liam Deignan effort that hit the woodwork.
Clare, who have two wins, are up next but Sligo will feel more optimistic about their survival hopes in the final three outings. Fermanagh and Antrim are just above Tony McEntee’s men on two points each, while Leitrim are at the bottom of the table.
Steven Poacher [file photo]. Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
Leitrim
After earning promotion for 2025, Leitrim are facing a possible drop back down to Division 4. Similar to Sligo, they too have failed to score a goal and have also let in six.
They have a scoring difference of -59 and have managed just 0-10 (Clare), 0-6 (Laois) and 0-7 (Kildare). Their first two-pointer of the league didn’t arrive until the third round as Paul Honeyman scored a free outside the arc against Kildare.
Preserving their status must start with a win against Antrim this weekend but Leitrim are in the midst of a transitional period. Manager Steven Poacher was a late appointment in October following the unexpected loss of Mickey Graham. Poacher recently told the Leitrim Observer that developing this squad will be a “three-year project.”
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Division 4
Longford
Longford are in danger of falling out of the promotion race in Division 4 with just one point on the board. A late Matthew Carey two-point free rescued a draw against Limerick in Round 1 before conceding three goals against Tipperary in a game which they were unlucky not to win. Longford were leading by two points in the 67th minute, but were clipped by a free and a late Mark Russell two-pointer.
Mike Sloan’s side shipped another two goals in their third-round defeat to Wicklow as the pressure mounts ahead of Waterford’s trip to Pearse Park.
Longford lost veteran Mickey Quinn last July to retirement while long-serving midfielder Darren Gallagher is not available this year. But a win this weekend could lift them above London who they will be meeting in Round 5.
Waterford
Sitting just below Longford, Waterford are still without any points on the table. They were dominated by Carlow and Tipperary but a brave second-half performance against Oisín McConville’s Wicklow has been the highlight of their league so far.
Trailing by 3-14 to 0-11 after 53 minutes, Waterford roared back into the contest with four two-pointers and a Dylan Guiry injury-time goal to leave the gap at four just before full-time. Waterford have seven two-pointers so far, although they also have a scoring difference of -21.
Longford, who desperately need a win, won’t be an easy assignment this weekend and they also have to take on Wexford who are currently second on the table.
GAA football leagues - Which teams are under pressure to earn a win?
Division 1
Derry
PADDY TALLY’S SIDE summoned an impressive nine-point fightback against Galway last weekend, but a draw was all they could manage when victory was within reach as John Daly blocked down Ethan Doherty.
While they are still winless, their display last weekend was an improvement on their opening-round defeat to Kerry. Leading by five points in the last seven minutes, they conceded three goals — five in total — to crash out by three. They’ve conceded the most amount of goals in Division 1, with eight attempts ending up in their net.
Saturday’s visit to Croke Park will be a repeat of last year’s league final where Derry conquered Dessie Farrell’s side after extra-time and penalties. But Dublin come into this game on the back of a big Kerry win, hitting four two-pointers in the second half. Derry must curtail their long-range shooting to boost their chances of a win, and avoid relegation trouble.
Kerry
The five goals they scored against Derry, plus the two other green flags against Donegal and Dublin makes them the leading goal-scorers in Division 1. Another positive for Jack O’Connor’s side is the return of David Clifford.
However, Kerry are still one win from three. After mastering the home straight against Derry, they stumbled against Donegal and Dublin. Squandering an 11-point lead against Dublin was particularly disappointing, as they also managed to score just three points in the second half.
Now they face two tough road trips to Tyrone and Mayo, starting with Omagh on Sunday afternoon. A battle between the teams ranked fourth and fifth on the table, both sides need a win to ease relegation concerns.
Kerry have some injury issues following the loss Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Tom O’Sullivan against Dublin. They’re also trying to reintegrate 11 players from the Dr Crokes [All-Ireland senior semi-final] and Austin Stacks [All-Ireland intermediate semi-final] clubs after long campaigns.
Tyrone
Similar to Kerry, Tyrone made a winning start to the league against Derry. But life under new manager Malachy O’Rourke took a turn with an eight-point defeat to Armagh and a two-point loss to Mayo.
And while they were seven-point winners over Derry, their two goals were scored by defenders Peter Teague and Michael McKernan, who also finished as their top-scorer. None of their forwards have found the net yet. They also conceded 1-21 from play against Armagh, coming from 10 different scorers.
They’re still waiting on the return of their Errigal Ciarán contingent as Darragh and Ruairí Canvan were both concussed in the All-Ireland club final, while Peter Harte and Joe Oguz have yet to feature in the league. Should Sunday come too soon for that group, they could still have a key role to play against Galway, Donegal and Dublin.
Division 2
Westmeath
Westmeath are rooted at the bottom of the second tier with zero points after three defeats in-a-row. They were unlucky not to earn something from their six-goal battle with Cork brothers Sam and Danny McCartan combined for four two-point scores.
Dermot McCabe’s side has scored five goals, and have scored a total of 71 points which is the fourth-highest in the Division behind Monaghan (83), Roscommon and Meath (75) and Cork (73). Captain Ronan Wallace has scored 2-4 so far while Luke Loughlin is thriving with the two-point rule, scoring six from outside the arc in first three games.
But the Division 3 champions are in danger of dropping straight back down having conceded 82 points. They’re still managing a transition following a change in management while John Heslin, James Dolan and Kevin Maguire have all retired. David Lynch and Andy McCormack have emigrated.
Cavan will be a stiff test after a big win over Louth.
Louth
After starting with a four-point win over Westmeath, Louth have slipped to fifth in the table with back-to-back losses.
The Roscommon meeting was an encouraging display where they came back from five points down at half-time, and six in the second half against a team who are currently second. Sam Mulroy and Ciarán Downey put over three two-pointers between them while debutant Val Leddy scored a goal off the bench after joining the panel just four weeks ago. Ger Brennan’s team have registered eight two-pointers overall from the first three rounds.
But the Leinster finalists unravelled against Cavan last weekend, conceding two soft goals and three altogether. There was also a penalty for Cavan which Niall McDonnell saved.
Along with Cavan and Down, Louth have two points on the board and will host Conor Laverty’s side this weekend. A tough trip to Cork is still waiting for Ger Brennan’s team along with home ties against Monaghan and Meath.
Division 3
Sligo
With zero points from three outings, Sligo are in relegation danger. They’ve let in just two goals but have also failed to raise a green flag.
Their opener against Offaly was error strewn, as they fumbled a two-point lead at half-time by conceding the next four points on the bounce while also hitting seven wides in the third quarter before losing by seven. Against Kildare, they rallied twice to make it a one-point game. But a combination of inaccuracy and a late Darragh Kirwan goal condemned them to defeat again by six. Laois overwhelmed them by nine points last weekend but Sligo missed two goal chances including a Liam Deignan effort that hit the woodwork.
Clare, who have two wins, are up next but Sligo will feel more optimistic about their survival hopes in the final three outings. Fermanagh and Antrim are just above Tony McEntee’s men on two points each, while Leitrim are at the bottom of the table.
Leitrim
After earning promotion for 2025, Leitrim are facing a possible drop back down to Division 4. Similar to Sligo, they too have failed to score a goal and have also let in six.
They have a scoring difference of -59 and have managed just 0-10 (Clare), 0-6 (Laois) and 0-7 (Kildare). Their first two-pointer of the league didn’t arrive until the third round as Paul Honeyman scored a free outside the arc against Kildare.
Preserving their status must start with a win against Antrim this weekend but Leitrim are in the midst of a transitional period. Manager Steven Poacher was a late appointment in October following the unexpected loss of Mickey Graham. Poacher recently told the Leitrim Observer that developing this squad will be a “three-year project.”
Division 4
Longford
Longford are in danger of falling out of the promotion race in Division 4 with just one point on the board. A late Matthew Carey two-point free rescued a draw against Limerick in Round 1 before conceding three goals against Tipperary in a game which they were unlucky not to win. Longford were leading by two points in the 67th minute, but were clipped by a free and a late Mark Russell two-pointer.
Mike Sloan’s side shipped another two goals in their third-round defeat to Wicklow as the pressure mounts ahead of Waterford’s trip to Pearse Park.
Longford lost veteran Mickey Quinn last July to retirement while long-serving midfielder Darren Gallagher is not available this year. But a win this weekend could lift them above London who they will be meeting in Round 5.
Waterford
Sitting just below Longford, Waterford are still without any points on the table. They were dominated by Carlow and Tipperary but a brave second-half performance against Oisín McConville’s Wicklow has been the highlight of their league so far.
Trailing by 3-14 to 0-11 after 53 minutes, Waterford roared back into the contest with four two-pointers and a Dylan Guiry injury-time goal to leave the gap at four just before full-time. Waterford have seven two-pointers so far, although they also have a scoring difference of -21.
Longford, who desperately need a win, won’t be an easy assignment this weekend and they also have to take on Wexford who are currently second on the table.
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