SATURDAY 31 JANUARY
Allianz FL Division 1
Armagh v Galway, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 5pm
Allianz FL Division 2
Derry v Tyrone, Celtic Park, 6pm,
Kildare v Offaly, Cedral St Conleth’s Park, 6pm
Allianz FL Division 3
Limerick v Down, Mick Neville Park, 2pm
Wexford v Laois, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 6pm
Allianz FL Division 4
Carlow v Wicklow, Netwatch Cullen Park, 6pm
SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY
Allianz FL Division 1
Donegal v Kerry, Father Tierney Park, Ballyshannon, 1.30pm
Mayo v Dublin, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 1.30pm
Roscommon v Monaghan, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 2pm
Allianz FL Division 2
Louth v Cork, Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda, 1.30pm
Cavan v Meath, Kingspan Breffni, 3.45pm
Allianz FL Division 3
Clare v Westmeath, Zimmer Biomet Páirc ChÃosóg, 2pm
Sligo v Fermanagh, Markievicz Park, 2pm
Allianz FL Division 4
Leitrim v Waterford, Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán, 1pm
Longford v London, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 1pm
Tipperary v Antrim, FBD Semple Stadium, 2pm
ONLINE
Follow a live blog on all matches on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport.
TV
Saturday sees Armagh v Galway live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 4.30pm. Derry v Tyrone live on GAA+ and BBC iPlayer .
Live coverage on Sunday has TG4 covering both Donegal v Kerry and Cavan v Meath.
Highlights and reaction to all the weekend’s action on Allianz League Sunday, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, 9.30pm.
RADIO
Live commentaries and updates on RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport as well as Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
WEATHER
Saturday: A cloudy start to the day with lingering patches of rain and drizzle. Any rain will slowly clear through the day with scattered showers and sunny spells following from the southwest. Highest temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees in light to moderate southwesterly or variable winds.
Sunday: The day will start off quite cloudy with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle. The rain will clear northeastwards through the day with sunny spells and isolated showers following. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees in light to moderate northwesterly winds. for more go to met.ie.
Heeding the effects of climate change
No doubt when the good people in Met Éireann tot up the amount of rainfall that fell in January, saying that it was “a wet month” will be no surprise. A lack of sunshine has also been evident.
Storm Chandra dumped a lot of rain on the eastern side of the country late Monday and into Tuesday, perhaps more than was predicted by those scanning the various charts in Glasnevin. We were also told that Chandra would deliver the wettest period this week, so hopefully there will be no disruption to the schedule across Saturday and Sunday.
My colleague Niall McCoy earlier this week wrote about the GAA’s war with the weather gods, where he spoke with a number of groundsmen who not only deal with the elements from the sky but also the recent trend of supporters entering a pitch en-masse after nearly every game.
Groundsmen at work at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar ahead of Westmeath v Cavan in last year’s football league
Now an effort can be made to keep over-exuberant fans off the pitch, however futile, but tending to a surface after a deluge is another matter.
Climate experts are predicting wetter winters alongside more atmospheric instability, hence more storms.
3G pitches are in use for training and some games across the country. There is a possibility that more and more inter-county games at this time of the year may be played on such surfaces. Come the summer time you would hope the natural grass is still the preferred option.
Last weekend saw 46 of the 47 games staged, with Waterford and Longford in Division 4 of the football league the only casualty. Let’s hope for a 100% staging over this weekend. In what is now a more condensed league, there is less wiggle room, just two weekends for football and hurling to be rescheduled.
Who gives a hoot? Many do, it would seem
Are we into the ‘more trouble than its worth’ scenario with the hooter bringing an end to games? The Football Review Committee did not think so, likewise the Central Council, when signing off on what was the initial way of calling time in this new footballing order. No more of teams playing to the hooter, positioning themselves for a score or belting the ball out of play.
In a split second on Sunday last, Kerry’s Tomás Kennedy rose highest before punching the ball over the bar for the Kingdom’s winning point against Roscommon. That buzzer-beater score on closer examination, by way of viewing multiple slow-mos, was just executed before the hooter sounded. A correct call by the referee then. Will other officials be just as eagle-eyed?
There was the expected ‘what if it happens in an All-Ireland final and the decision is the wrong one?’ More importantly, what if it happens in this weekend’s round of games? Or the weekend after?
Hooter blown on overly cautious football
In his column on these pages, Lee Keegan wondered if going back to the original rule of sorts was an attempt to solve a problem that didn’t really exist.
Thee hooter in place
And while we’re here, we’ll also mention the ‘hand-the-ball-back’ rule, no doubt a nod to Robbie Kelleher’s act of kindness towards Mikey Sheehy in 1978.
Kerry and Jack O’Connor were not pleased that Mike Breen got punished later on against the Rossies and so the ball was brought forward 50 metres for Diarmuid Murtagh to slot over a two-pointer. O’Connor hit out at a “grey area” in deciding whether or not the ball was actually handed back, adding that the rule is “going to cause a lot of bother”.
During the week, it was announced that the GAA, following on from the work of the FRC, are looking to establish a Gaelic Football Expert Advisory Group. The said group will have the remit to review rules if mounting evident is there that a change may be required.
Jimmy’s back
Unless you reside in Donegal, not much was heard from Jim McGuinness since last July’s All-Ireland final. Well, except if you were one of the hacks on the McKenna Cup beat
Much to mull over.
But Jim was heard again when, after his side had deservedly beat Dublin, he was asked about the zonal defence deployed against the Kingdom last July. Not overly happy at the line of questioning, the coach stuck to his guns, adding that “I only take counsel from people that have been there and done that.
Jim McGuinness is eyeing back-to-back league wins against Kerry
“If it’s an All-Ireland winning manager or a top coach, I’ll listen to them and I’ll listen to what they have to say. But I don’t listen to anybody outside of that because it doesn’t make sense.”
Perhaps not as hard-hitting as many made out, and if anything it only adds to what in McGuinness’s coaching manual will be different when things gets serious in the summer.
Michael Langan was the scorer-in-chief against the Dubs, with Shea Malone, who had a spell in the League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers, also catching the eye in the full-forward line.
Ballyshannon will host the rematch with Kerry. A Kingdom side, who had David Clifford and the imposing 19-year-old Tomás Kennedy to thank for that win over Roscommon.
The hosts can get some measure of revenge for what transpired on 27 July last.
Elsewhere in the top flight, Armagh, who shot the lights out against Monaghan, host Galway.
1-25 of the Orchard County’s 1-27 came from play – but no two-pointer to be had. Still, impressive shooting.
Galway, as is the way in recent seasons have begun with a few key names missing. That said, they had enough goal chances late on to do more than snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Mayo.
In spite of nearly throwing it away, Mayo boss Andy Moran will be pleased overall, taking much satisfaction from the orange flags being raised, something that was a rarity for the green and red in 2025.
Ryan O’Donoghue of Mayo (L) in action against Liam Silke of Galway in Salthill
He told RTÉ Sport: “It’s just about them having a belief in themselves to go and kick them.
“I think it’s a conversation they are having with themselves. Last year many games were left to a point or two and they began to realise this is part of the game. We just need to go after it.”
Dublin are the visitors to Castlebar. Ger Brennan’s side were second best at Croker last weekend. Four debutants in all, with Robert Shaw, Nathan Doran and Eoin Kennedy all making their league debuts on the half-back line.
Mayo to provide another stern test for Brennan’s mixing of the old and new.
Experts, pundits, armchair analysts have had their say. It would seem that Roscommon and Monaghan are set to make an instant return to the second tier. It goes without saying that it’s too early to say.
The Connacht side showed enough drive and purpose in Killarney to suggest they’ll be a handful. And while Monaghan got a trimming for Armagh, they still possess enough in attack to get things right.
Not quite a relegation four-pointer at the Hyde!
Do you remember the days?
It’s hard to think we’re coming up on 40 years since Cork and Meath had a rivalry that at times got a bit nasty. They met in four All-Ireland final and Sam was shared out equally. Red cards, however, took some of the gloss off things.
Both are now in the second tier and both would admit are there for too long. Meath’s trajectory went higher than expected in 2025. The only way is up. Division 1 the next port of call.
The returning Jack Flynn (above centre) excelled in midfield in the win against Derry, with Mathew Costello, Jordan Morris and James Conlon also contributing to what was a deserved win at their ‘spring home’ of Croke Park.
The Rebels dug deep in overcoming Cavan, coming from seven points down. Another returnee Steven Sherlock swung it late for the John Cleary’s side.
Cork now head to Louth and Meath are away in Cavan.
The clash of Derry and Tyrone is a fixture that is rarely short of spice. A win here for Ciarán Meenagh’s men would go some of the way to arresting a Derry slide that began almost wo years ago.
The other game in Division 2 sees Kildare host Offaly, with the Lilies boosted by the grit they showed in earning a point in Omagh last weekend.
And elsewhere
Limerick’s hosting of Down in Division 3 will be good test of how far Jimmy Lee’s side have come. The divisional favourites were pushed all the way by Clare in Round 1.
The Banner welcoming Westmeath to Ennis, on paper, is the standout game.
In Division 4, can Carlow, following their success on the road in Antrim, take down Wicklow, who needed a late, late two-pointer to edge out Leitrim.
Tipperary, who kept plugging away to earn a share of the spoils in London, could end Antrim’s promotion prospects early doors if they bag the points at Semple Stadium.