{"id":438121,"date":"2026-05-08T04:33:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T04:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/438121\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T04:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T04:33:14","slug":"all-you-need-to-know-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/438121\/","title":{"rendered":"All you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

SATURDAY<\/p>\n

Leinster SHC
Kildare v Galway, Cedral St Conleth’s Park, 3.30pm
Wexford v Dublin, Chadwick’s Wexford Park, 4pm (LIVE ON RT\u00c92)<\/p>\n

Munster SHC
Waterford v Cork, Azzurri Walsh Park, 6pm<\/p>\n

Joe McDonagh Cup
Down v Carlow, McKenna Park, 1pm
Westmeath v Laois, TEG Cusack Park, 5pm<\/p>\n

Christy Ring Cup
Kerry v Wicklow, Austin Stack Park, 1pm
Meath v Derry, St Loman’s, 1pm
Donegal v Roscommon, O’Donnell Park, 7pm<\/p>\n

Nicky Rackard Cup
Armagh v Louth, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 2pm
Mayo v Sligo, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 2pm
Tyrone v Fermanagh, Tyrone GAA Centre of Excellence, 2pm<\/p>\n

Lory Meagher Cup
Monaghan v Lancashire, Inniskeen, 1pm
Cavan v Longford, Kingspan Breffni, 2pm
Leitrim v Warwickshire, P\u00e1irc Sean MacDiarmada, 2pm<\/p>\n

SUNDAY<\/p>\n

Leinster SHC
Offaly v Kilkenny, Glenisk O’Connor Park, 3pm<\/p>\n

Joe McDonagh Cup
London v Antrim, McGovern Park, 1pm<\/p>\n

ONLINE <\/p>\n

Follow a live blog on all matches on the RT\u00c9 News app and on rte.ie\/sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TV<\/p>\n

The Leinster SHC clash between Wexford and Dublin will be screened live on RT\u00c92 and RT\u00c9 Player on Saturday, with coverage commencing on 3.30pm.<\/p>\n

GAA+ have live coverage of Kildare-Galway (3pm throw-in) from Newbridge and Waterford-Cork (6pm throw-in) from Walsh Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Highlights and reaction to all the weekend’s action on The Saturday Game (9.30pm) and The Sunday Game (9.30pm) on RT\u00c92 and RT\u00c9 Player.<\/p>\n

RADIO<\/p>\n

Live commentaries and updates on RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport as well as Sp\u00f3rt an tSathairn and Sp\u00f3rt an Lae on RT\u00c9 Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta.<\/p>\n

WEATHER<\/p>\n

Saturday: There is uncertainty in the forecast for Saturday but current indications suggest dry weather with sunny spells for many areas but with cloudier conditions with the chance of a shower in southern areas. Breezy with a moderate to fresh northerly wind and highest temperatures of 9 to 14 degrees.<\/p>\n

Sunday: Plenty of dry weather for the morning with sunny spells. Cloud will increase from the north through the day with the possibility of isolated showers. Highest temperatures of 10 to 14 degrees. For more, visit met.ie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

LEINSTER: Wexford and Dublin under pressure to deliver in grudge match<\/p>\n

Wexford’s display against Kilkenny ended up reinforcing the downbeat narrative that was pervasive in the early rounds of the league.<\/p>\n

They hadn’t pulled up any trees in 2025, losing away to Dublin and Galway before winning an entirely irrelevant game against Kilkenny to conclude their season. This campaign, they were further weakened by the absence of Rory O’Connor, among others. The year was pegged as a write-off even before the alarmingly narrow wins over Antrim and Down.<\/p>\n

Performances improved in the back end of the league, sparking hopes that they might raise more of a gallop come championship. The events of Nowlan Park suggested that the initial assessment was correct.<\/p>\n

Their Plan A tactic of lumping the ball into Lee Chin at every possible opportunity yielded little reward. All too often, Mikey Carey succeeded in preventing Chin from gaining possession and the Kilkenny supporting defenders were invariably on hand to sweep up the loose ball.<\/p>\n

\"21
\nDublin and Wexford players square up after their league meeting in Croke Park<\/p>\n

That Wexford persisted with this approach as long as they did suggested they hadn’t much faith in the alternatives.<\/p>\n

They were fortunate to only trail by four at half-time and the floodgates truly opened after half-time, with Liam Moore, Cian Kenny, Mossy Keoghan and TJ Reid slipping home goals.<\/p>\n

Keith Rossiter admitted afterwards that they’d to “get off the deck” rather than “off the ropes” and said “the execution of what we were trying to do wasn’t acceptable.”<\/p>\n

Still, their games against Dublin are invariably competitive and they are at home. Two years ago, they had the same fixture more or less won only to concede two injury-time goals.<\/p>\n

The league game in Croke Park in February was fairly spicy, with both managers treating each other to simultaneous hairdryer treatment as tension rose in the final quarter.<\/p>\n

The Dubs were reduced to 13 men going down the stretch and it appeared that Wexford, after all their travails, were going to nick a win in a game which was perceived as a promotion shootout. In the dying seconds, Chin dropped a long-range free short and the Dubs worked a late, late equalising score, converted by Chris Crummey.<\/p>\n

LEINSTER SHC TABLE<\/p>\n

\"LEINSTER<\/p>\n

Dublin’s score difference was insurmountably superior so the draw was akin to a win in the context of the promotion race. There was more pushing and shoving after full-time.<\/p>\n

It was a continuation of a trend of tempestuous league matches between the pair. A league game in 2020 between the sides produced 16 cards and 55 frees, with referee Johnny Murphy recently branding both teams “a disgrace” when recalling the match to the Irish Times’ Denis Walsh.<\/p>\n

The Dubs have had the edge in this match-up in the 2020s. They won by a point and two points respectively in 2022 and 2023 – though in the former, Wexford beat them to third place after upsetting Kilkenny in the last round.<\/p>\n

Niall \u00d3 Ceallach\u00e1in’s side won by four points in their clash in Parnell Park last summer, thanks to a brace of goals from John ‘Hedgo’ Hetherton and a controversial phantom goal when the umpires deemed that Sean Currie’s half-saved penalty had crossed the goal-line. Replays indicated Mark Fanning stopped it on the line.<\/p>\n

On form, Dublin should be favourites, though they have had issues in winning the games they’re supposed to win.<\/p>\n

\"21
\nNiall \u00d3 Ceallach\u00e1in and Keith Rossiter exchange opinions during the February league match<\/p>\n

Historically, it’s been regarded as being akin to a third-place play-off – except that appears less clear-cut this year given Offaly’s welcome competitiveness so far and Kilkenny’s greater-than-usual vulnerability.<\/p>\n

Offaly host KK in the only top tier game on Sunday. For two and a half decades, the match-up has usually been a turkey shoot, save for the 2013 Leinster championship match.<\/p>\n

There is more intrigue around the match this year for the above reasons. Offaly’s squad was stretched thin in their punishing 1A campaign and they unsurprisingly lost all six matches, with Fitzgibbon-related wear and tear costing them players.<\/p>\n

Against Dublin, they were seconds away from taking their biggest championship scalp since Limerick in 2008. Adam Screeney, who’d hit 1-09, left the field furious they’d missed the win rather than heartened by the draw. Charlie Mitchell, who missed the league, made a sensational return, scoring 1-03 from play and earning the Man of the Match award.<\/p>\n

‘I always got a sense that [Offaly] were a little too deferential to Kilkenny’ #RTEGAA<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/4mtzRryBtM<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Y0yxJIRAio<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 RT\u00c9 GAA (@RTEgaa) May 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Some of the angst that was evident in Kilkenny following the heavy loss in Salthill has eased in the wake of the Wexford victory, notwithstanding the limitations of the opposition.<\/p>\n

TJ Reid, who reclaimed his spot as the top scorer in championship history from Patrick Horgan (Hoggie won’t get to fire back this time), suggested after the Wexford game that Kilkenny hadn’t been as bad in Galway as the scoreline indicated, noting a series of missed goal chances in either half.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of a handsome victory, he probably found a more receptive audience for this take. Kilkenny haven’t lost to Offaly in the championship since the 1998 All-Ireland final, when a flu-ridden Brian Whelehan ran riot when relocated to full-forward. Regardless of their improvement, Offaly are unlikely to end that run of defeats this Sunday.<\/p>\n

The day beforehand, Galway head to Newbridge. Their Walsh Cup game was decided via coin toss, in favour of the westerners. This game will assuredly go ahead and the westerners are more or less certs to win, making it three from three.<\/p>\n

It’s the two teams’ first meeting in championship since 1980, a season which ended with the late Joe McDonagh belting out ‘The West’s Awake’ from the Hogan Stand.<\/p>\n

There has been a wide disparity between Kildare’s competitiveness in their home fixtures compared to their away matches. They made life awkward for Clare for long stages of their league encounter but this looks a bridge too far.<\/p>\n

MUNSTER: Must-win for Waterford as Cork arrive<\/p>\n

Waterford preserved their chance of emerging from the Munster SHC for the first time in round-robin era thanks to Kevin Mahony’s last-gasp equaliser 11 days ago.<\/p>\n

After an insipid first-half display, they rallied superbly in the second half. Having gotten two points ahead, they proceeded to allow Tipperary to regain the momentum – a common enough occurrence when a team noses in front after a comeback.<\/p>\n

With the game seemingly gone, they benefitted from Tipp’s poor game management in injury-time. Billy Nolan was allowed to bomb one last long ball into Stephen Bennett and we know the rest.<\/p>\n

\"26
\nWaterford manager Peter Queally<\/p>\n

Their final game is away to Limerick – a fixture they’ve never won in the current format. Limerick’s display last Sunday suggested it would be as tall an order as ever this year.<\/p>\n

That has increased the perception that nothing less than two points can suffice this Saturday.<\/p>\n

Bennett’s sensational form has earned him the Player of the Month award for April but there’s still only one point on the board.<\/p>\n

It’s the third Walsh Park encounter between the pair in this era. Cork won the first outing in 2022 when Waterford were reigning league champions.<\/p>\n

It was a result which turned the tide of the season for both teams, with Kieran Kingston’s side emerging from the province, while Waterford proceeded to implode, with Liam Cahill departing following the heavy loss in Ennis.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, Waterford won the Round 1 fixture between the sides at Walsh Park, the biggest victory over Davy Fitzgerald’s second stint in charge.<\/p>\n

MUNSTER SHC TABLE<\/p>\n

\"MUNSTER<\/p>\n

The hosts’ chances have been boosted by Cork’s injury problems.<\/p>\n

The Rebels look set fair for another Munster final appearance but the victory over Limerick came at a heavy cost. A day later, it was confirmed that Ciaran Joyce was gone for the season with an ACL injury.<\/p>\n

No sooner had Ben O’Connor hit upon an apparent solution to their full-back issue than they’re forced into a re-think. Rob Downey is also ruled out for six weeks with an ankle injury.<\/p>\n

O’Connor has turned to the veteran Damien Cahalane to plug the gap at full-back, while Tommy O’Connell has shifted into the half-back line, with Darragh Fitzgibbon starting at No. 9. Diarmuid Healy comes into the team at wing-forward.<\/p>\n

JOE MCDONAGH: Top two meet in Ballycran<\/p>\n

Down may be on a downer after their footballers’ disaster in Clones but their hurlers face into a top-of-the-table clash in McKenna Park.<\/p>\n

Carlow are understandably favourites to maintain their 100% record, Pat Bennett’s side having won two big games against Laois and Westmeath, putting them in a strong position to reach Croker.<\/p>\n

Davy Fitzgerald is secure in position for a while yet after all the controversy and mixed messaging last week. Antrim are still looking to avoid relegation rather than secure a final place at this stage, following successive losses. They head for Ruislip in the Sunday game to face the other team at the foot of the table.<\/p>\n

Westmeath host Laois on Saturday evening, Tommy Fitzgerald’s side heading to Mullingar in relatively buoyant mood having seen off Antrim the last time out.<\/p>\n

Watch Wexford v Dublin in the Leinster Hurling Championship on Saturday from 3.30pm on RT\u00c92 and RT\u00c9 Player. Follow our live blog on RT\u00c9.ie\/sport and RT\u00c9 News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RT\u00c9 Radio 1<\/p>\n

Watch The Saturday Game and The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RT\u00c92 and RT\u00c9 Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on the RT\u00c9 News app and on rte.ie\/sport<\/p>\n