SATURDAY 14 MARCH
Allianz FL Division 1
Kerry v Mayo, Austin Stack Park, 4pm
Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 7pm
Allianz FL Division 2
Louth v Derry, DEFY Páirc Mhuire, Ardee, 3pm
Cork v Kildare, Páirc Uà Rinn, 5pm
Meath v Tyrone, Croke Park, 5pm
Allianz FL Division 3
Fermanagh v Laois, Brewster Park, 6pm
Allianz FL Division 4
Carlow v London, Netwatch Cullen Park, 6pm
SUNDAY 15 MARCH
Allianz FL Division 1
Roscommon v Donegal, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 1.30pm
Monaghan v Galway, Grattan Park, Inniskeen, 3.45pm
Allianz FL Division 2
Offaly v Cavan, Glenisk O’Connor Park, 2pm
Allianz FL Division 3
Clare v Wexford, Zimmer Biomet Páirc ChÃosóg
Sligo v Down, Markievicz Park, 2pm
Westmeath v Limerick, TEG Cusack Park, 2pm
Allianz FL Division 4
Waterford v Antrim, Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field, 1pm
Leitrim v Longford, Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm
Wicklow v Tipperary, Echelon Park, Aughrim, 2pm
ONLINE
Follow a live blog on all matches on the RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport.
TV
Saturday sees live coverage of Kerry-Mayo on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 3.45pm, followed by Dublin-Armagh on TG4 from 6.45pm. A live double-header on TG4 on Sunday features Roscommon-Donegal and Monaghan-Galway.
Highlights and reaction to all the weekend’s action on Allianz League Sunday, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, 9.35pm.
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: It will start off mainly dry with bright or sunny spells, the best of these in the east. Scattered showers will extend eastwards through the morning. They’ll continue through the afternoon and will gradually die out in the evening. Cloud will increase in the west. Highest temperatures of 7-9C with light to moderate west to southwest breezes.
Sunday: Any remaining rain in the east will clear. It will be a cool, breezy day with sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, some turning wintry with a chance of hail or sleet, mainly in the north. Afternoon highs of 5-10C in fresh to strong westerly winds. On Sunday night, showers will gradually ease, becoming largely confined to Ulster with skies clearing elsewhere. Lowest temperatures of 1-5C with moderate to fresh and gusty westerly winds. For more go to met.ie.
David and Kobe sharing the same stage
Much focus will be on events at the Aviva Stadium as a Triple Crown and who knows, maybe a Six Nations Championship, is there to be won. But in another corner of the country, many eyes will be honed in on the ‘David & Kobe Show’ in Tralee. It’s an additional plot in Kerry-Mayo storyline that more often than not is a ratings winner.
From Maurice Fitzgerald’s virtuoso turn in the 1997 All-Ireland final to Aidan O’Shea sticking limpet-like to Kieran Donaghy two decades later and a lot more in between. The arrival of Kobe McDonald is sure to take things in a new direction.
Lee Keegan: Plenty at stake at both ends of the table
But we will only get to see the prodigious teenager in the green and red for a few months. The AFL beckons, so the remainder of the league and however far Mayo travel in the championship will be the extent of McDonald’s guest appearance. We won’t call it a cameo.
Introduced as a sub against Monaghan, the Crossmolina youngster showed his intent by scoring 1-04. His goal, an execution so sweetly struck, deserving of whatever superlative you like: ‘That’s one for the scrapbook’.
Kobe McDonald has been unleashed with telling effect
When called on against Armagh, there was less flashiness, but more of the orchestration. A tighter game required such as Mayo held on for the two points.
Andy Moran’s men now head south to take on a Kerry side who have quietly gone about their business in Division 1 so far. And the star man for them remains David Clifford; Gaelic football’s star man, a player that can scale even greater heights. A frightening prospect for the rest.
But will it be the case of the Fossa maestro sharing equal billing with McDonald at Austin Stack Park? All hinging of course on how many minutes the latter will see.
David Clifford after the finding the net against Monaghan a fortnight ago
Many are seeing this clash as a de facto top-tier semi-final. Both, you suspect, would not mind gracing the decider again. The Kingdom looking to hold on to their title, while Moran’s side strive for another meaningful match in advance of a likely Connacht semi with Roscommon.
And what of Mayo under the new regime?
Well, they are scoring more freely, and are also seeing the value in going for two-pointers. They have a midfield partnership in Bob Tuohy and David McBrien that are combining well and Cian McHale’s ability up top is further enhancing their showings this spring.
Mayo going well in the new era of ‘Moranball’, aside from the defeat to Donegal. Another big test awaits. Another opportunity for Kobe to have us searching for another appropriate superlative.
Croke Park four-pointer
Kieran McGeeney has cut a somewhat frustrated figure in the past few weeks. Unhappiness with officials and scrapping for the ball around the middle, so bringing the term ‘piggery’ into the conversation, are just some of his beefs.
What about another description Kieran? Butchering.
Dolan: Armagh playing too safe in going with fisted score
And that’s what his troops have done a fair bit of in recent games, more so against Roscommon. Opportunities aplenty to draw or win a contest that had looked beyond them. They also just fell short against Mayo after clawing back a significant deficit. A total of two points on the league does not do justice to their efforts. They need a tangible return from their trip to Jones’s Road. A defeat will see them relegated. A win could guarantee safety.
Kieran McGeeney knows his side have to get something from their clash with Dublin
As for the Dubs, Ger Brennan’s risk-reward approach garnered maximum points from their visit to Roscommon. In truth they were never troubled, producing their best performance of the season by some distance. Without their talisman Con O’Callaghan, they didn’t kick their first wide until the 25th minute, by which time they were 14 points to the good.
Can Brennan’s men produce something similar for the first time at Croker this term? They’ll need to. Expectations of a tight game that will go to the wire are not far off the mark here.
Division 1 leaders Donegal head to Roscommon looking to seal their spot in the decider. New names Paul O’Hare, Kevin Muldoon and Conor McCahill (above) all saw more game time against Galway, and impressed. Jim McGuinness is building something with a firmer foundation than was the case after last year’s All-Ireland final. The manager will relish the opportunity of landing national silverware in spring time.
Galway take on Monaghan in Inniskeen, knowing that a draw could ultimately see them safe.
For the Farney, the trap door looms. Thoughts already turning to their provincial battle in April.
The Derry surge
Ever since their loss to Meath in the opening round, it’s a case of up, up and away for Derry, their rise well and truly brought to bare by the 1-31 they registered in devouring Cork on 1 March.
Ciaran Meenagh’s men always had a measure of control at Celtic Park, their dominance on both kick-outs proving the platform for a victory that took their scoring to a remarkable 3-56 from their last two home fixtures.
An unanswered 0-10 at the beginning of the second half left the Rebels in a tizzy and the hosts believing that an instant return to the top flight is inevitable.
They’ll expect a more testing examination of their credentials against a Louth outfit who aren’t quite out of the promotion race.
Elsewhere Meath open up the proceedings at Croke Park against Tyrone. The Royals were dominant against an out-of-sorts Kildare collective the last day. The Red Hand, minus Darragh Canavan, while showing mixed form so far, will offer a sterner test. Promotion, however, is out of reach for Malachy O’Rourke’s men. A pre-league prediction for many that never materialised.
Cork will look to get back on track against Kildare, though the tally conceded against Derry has put a big dent in their quest to be promoted.
The Lilies, perhaps still in that stage of blending in the experienced with the exciting Under-20s, will be happy to stay in the section. A win on Leeside would go a long to way to achieving that. No great confidence that such an outcome will materialise though.
And then we have the basement battle: Offaly v Cavan.
The Faithful have to win and even that may not be enough. Their Ulster opponents will target maximum points in their attempt to rise above Kildare in the table.
Who wants to go up with Down?
A look at the table and Down are as good as promoted. They head west to Sligo to seal the deal. A defeat for the hosts would leave them in real relegation bother.
Three counties: Wexford, Clare and Westmeath share second spot.
The Model County, after easily accounting for Sligo, have got themselves back in it. They now face a Clare side who seem to have rediscovered their groove after successive losses early on. This is the game of the weekend here.
Westmeath will fancy getting a maximum return at home to Limerick. The latter are in the drop-zone mire and will hope the side just above them – Sligo – stay on four points after this round.
Declan Bonner and Fermanagh have endured a horrid campaign. Division 4 will almost certainly be their port of call in 2027. Laois are the visitors to Enniskillen.
Carlow on the cusp
It’s simple! Beat London at Netwatch Cullen Park and Carlow are promoted. There were signs last year during the Tailteann Cup that something was stirring for Joe Murphy’s men and that promise has continued this spring.
Their loss to Longford their only blemish so far, with Murphy recently telling RTÉ Sport that there is a “bit more noise” around his team now.
And rightly so, with a divisional final at GAA HQ also dangling before the Carlow gaze.
Longford occupy second spot but won’t get anything easy away to Leitrim.
The clash of Wicklow v Tipperary could see one or both eliminated from the promotion stakes, depending on things fare in Carrick-on-Shannon.