SATURDAY 6 JUNE
Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final
Fermanagh v New York, Brewster Park, 3pm
Tailteann Cup round 3
London v Sligo, McGovern Park, 1pm
Leitrim v Wexford, Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm
Wicklow v Tipperary, Echelon Park, 5pm
Longford v Down, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 6pm
ONLINE
Follow a live score updates on all matches on the RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport.
TV
Highlights on The Sunday Game, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, from 9.30pm. Fermanagh v New York and Longford v New York can be streamed live on GAA+.
RADIO
Live updates on RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday Sport and Spórt an tSathairn on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
WEATHER
Saturday: After a wet or damp start, the rain will gradually clear northeastwards through the afternoon with some sunny spells following. However, some scattered showers will follow from the west later too. Highest temperatures of 13 to 18 degrees. Becoming breezy with moderate to fresh southwesterly winds developing.
Down embarking on another recovery mission
We’ve reached the crunch part of the Tailteann Cup season, the first of three weekends of action which will culminate in us knowing the second-tier competition finalists. Now in its fifth year, the Tailteann has proven to be a success with participants certainly buying into it. The prize of a Sam Maguire ticket for the winner also adds to the appeal.
So far Westmeath, Meath, Down and Kildare have climbed the Hogan Stand to collect the prize and while some will argue that that quartet are a cut above the Tailteann, you land where you land and in those years the victors simply did not make the top 16 after the identity of the provincial finalists were known.
Down captain Pierce Laverty lifting the Tailteann Cup in 2024
Down, who this year were promoted to Division 2, probably thought their position in the Sam Maguire was safe. That was until Westmeath, still in the third tier for 2027, accounted for Meath in Leinster, thus opening up possibilities for them.
And the Lake County are still on a roll: Leinster champions and now one win away from an All-Ireland quarter-final.
Conor Laverty’s Mournemen, in one of the performances of the year, took care of Donegal in Ulster. No fluke. Front-foot football rewarded. A week later they were out again, but this time in a stark reversal of fortune, Armagh ran riot. A reality check they did not expect. The season had turned into a salvage operation.
Could they win the Tailteann Cup again?
After easily accounting for Leitrim in Round 1, Down were thrown off course by Offaly’s footballing renaissance in the subsequent round. Yes goal chances were spurned at crucial junctures but the Down can have no complaints as the Faithful hit 1-03 without reply late on to run out eight-point winners.
And now the Ulster outfit are on the road again to face a Longford side who will feel good about themselves after a notable win away to Clare the last day.
As for Laverty & Co, this is a hurdle they did not expect to be jumping at this point.
Still the favourites, but Laverty’s charge are now on what appears is a rocky road to where they want to be come July.
New York’s port of call at Brewster
Saturday’s games feature a preliminary quarter-final, this provision allows for New York to enter the competition, with Fermanagh providing the opposition at Brewster Park. The Exiles were well beaten by Roscommon in Connacht, a game that was notable for Daire Cregg’s red card and subsequent suspension.
New York have had to wait eight weeks for this encounter. Not ideal against a Fermanagh side who have found form in this competition. Darragh McGurn was again in scoring form as the Erne County deservedly got the better of Wexford in Round 2A, with Stephen McGullion’s goals also putting a bit of gloss on the victory.
Darragh McGurn has been to the fore for the Ernesiders in recent games
After relegation to Division 4, Declan Bonner’s side will look to end the year on a high. Semi-finalists last year against Kildare, in a game where they were well below par, should be a further incentive to at least get back to Croke Park again.
And elsewhere…
The other remaining Round 3 ties present us with no definite favourite. London have home comforts and welcome Sligo to Ruislip. The Yeats County got the show back on track to some degree with their win in Waterford but will be disappointed with the concession of three goals.
Still minus key players, the side co-managed by Dessie Sloyan and Eamonn O’Hara (above), would normally be the fancy here on paper. But Sligo, after losing already to Division 4 pair Leitrim and Tipperary can’t be backed with any great degree of authority.
London, for their part, will be looking for much improvement after their loss to Laois in Round 2A.
Leitrim welcome Wexford to Carrick-on-Shannon. It was over two years ago in the league that a contentious penalty award swung things the way of the Connacht men in a vital Division 4 clash. Leitrim secured promotion at Wexford’s expense.
It’s unlikely that the latter are now using the heartache of that costly reverse as fuel this weekend but they’ll know that another close encounter is likely, this despite the Yellowbellies’ elevation to Division 2 in the spring and Leitrim’s lowly finish in Division 4.
Leitrim are seeking back-to-back Tailteann wins on home soil.
Stephen Poacher, since then, has got more than a tune from his charges. Galway will testify to that in the Connacht semi. And while Down subsequently proved too good in their Tailteann opener, Leitrim were more like themselves when coming good in the second half to get past Carlow – with Paul Honeyman leading the scoring charge.
That victory was achieved without the services of Barry McNulty, still sidelined with a foot injury. All of Leitrim are hoping that the Manorhamilton native will at least some minutes before the season is out.
Wexford spurned numerous chances against Fermanagh and will hope that their attack is more fluent out west.
Finally, Wicklow lay host to Tipperary in Aughrim. A case of a few near misses in the last year for the Garden County. The most galling was that loss to Dublin in the Leinster quarter-final. What might have been for Oisín McConville’s troops had they taken that scalp.
They probably would still have ended up in the Tailteann but what a box it would have ticked for McConville the manager. A deep run in the secondary competition is what’s required now and Wicklow will fancy lowering Tipp’s colours.
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