Ladies previews: All Ireland quarter-final pairings to be decided
July 27, 2018
Breaking new ground: Top inter-county stars took in the breath-taking scenery at Mullaghmeen Forest in county Westmeath, to launch the revamped 2018 TG4 All-Ireland championships. TG4 have announced a four-year extension of their sponsorship of the Ladies Football championships, with the new deal set to last until the conclusion of the 2022 season. 17 Ladies Football championship games will be broadcast this summer exclusively live on TG4, with the senior and intermediate championships to be played on a new, round-robin basis. Pictured are, from left, Rebecca Carr of Louth, Karen Guthrie of Donegal, Neamh Woods of Tyrone, Niamh McEvoy of Dublin, Cathy Mee of Limerick, Áine McDonagh of Galway, Melissa Duggan of Cork, and Laurie Ryan, of Clare at Mullaghmeen Forest, Co. Westmeath. Photo by Seb Daly / Sportsfile.
Compiled by Jackie Cahill
THE TG4 All-Ireland senior and intermediate quarter-final pairings will be decided over the weekend.
The pick of the bunch in the senior championship this weekend for many is the meeting of Dublin and Mayo at Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon on Saturday, with the Sky Blues looking to repeat last September's final victory over Mayo at Croke Park.
The counties also met in the recent Lidl NFL Division 1 final - with Dublin coming out on top again.
That game is LIVE on TG4 at 1pm, while the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel will stream the Donegal-Kerry fixture LIVE at 3pm, followed by a deferred TG4 screening at7pm.
There's also a double-header down for decision at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe, with Westmeath facing off against Connacht champions Galway, before Munster standard-bearers Cork tackle an Armagh hoping to make the last eight.
Seven of the eight quarter-finalists have already been confirmed, with Armagh or Monaghan to join Dublin, Cork, Galway, Donegal, Westmeath, Kerry and Mayo in the knockout stages.
There are five games down for decision in the intermediate championship, with three fixtures on the junior championship agenda.
TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship 2018
Saturday 28th July 2018
TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship - Group 4 - Round 3 - Live on TG4
Mayo v Dublin, 1.00pm, Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon, (M Farrelly, Cavan)
The latest instalment of an intense recent rivalry will be played out on Saturday at Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon (LIVE TG4, 1pm).
The sides met in the 2017 TG4 All-Ireland final at Croke Park, in front of a record 46,286 attendance, before locking horns again in May's Lidl NFL Division 1 final.
Dublin won both of those clashes, and also edged the Westerners under lights in Castlebar during the group stages of the League campaign.
Dublin boss Mick Bohan has made three changes to the side that accounted for Cavan last weekend, as Sinéad Goldrick, Leah Caffrey and Lyndsey Davey replace Muireann Uí Scanaill, Oonagh Whyte and Laura McGinley, who went off injured at half-time after netting two goals against the Breffni ladies.
Mayo manager Peter Leahy has opted for the same starting 15 that accounted for Cavan in round 1.
The winners of this tie will top Group 4 and face off against the second placed team from Group 1 in the quarter-finals, either Kerry or Donegal.
Bohan's team includes 14 of the 15 players who started last September's All-Ireland final - with Siobhán McGrath the sole change in place of Rachel Ruddy.
Dublin: C Trant; M Byrne, S Finnegan, L Caffrey; S Goldrick, N Collins, O Carey; S McGrath, L Magee; L Davey, N McEvoy, C Rowe; N Owens, N Healy, S Aherne.
Mayo: S Murphy; E Lowther, N O'Malley, D Caldwell; R Kearns, C McManamon, K Sullivan; N Moran, D Finn; S Mulvihill, F Doherty, S Cafferky; N Kelly, S Rowe, G Kelly.
TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship - Group 1 - Round 3 - Live on Spórt TG4 YouTube, deferred showing on TG4 at 7pm.
Kerry v Donegal, 3.00pm, Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon, (G Carmody, Roscommon)
DONEGAL and Kerry are both safely through to the TG4 All-Ireland quarter-finals and this fixture will decide who tops Group 1.
With Dublin or Mayo potential quarter-final opponents, Donegal and Kerry will be eager to top their pool and potentially avoid reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin in the last eight.
Donegal and Kerry have both made one change each to the starting teams that lined out in their respective victories over Tipperary.
Donegal beat the Premier County by three points last weekend, as Geraldine McLaughlin weighed in with a dozen white flags, and manager Maxi Curran has drafted in Emer Gallagher in place of Anna Maria McGlynn.
Kerry boss Eddie Sheehy has opted for Emma Dineen ahead of Sophie Lynch in the Kerry half-forward line.
Donegal: L Gallagher; T Doherty, N McLaughlin, D Foley; T McCafferty, C Hegarty, E Gallagher; K Herron, A McDonnell; K Guthrie, N Hegarty, SJ McDonald; G McLaughlin, Y Bonner, E Ward.
Kerry: L Fitzgerald; L Coughlan, S Murphy, E Lynch; D Kearney, A Desmond, A O'Connell; L Scanlon, A Brosnan; E Dineen, L Ni Mhuircheartaigh, A Foley; A Murphy, E O'Leary, S Houlihan.
TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship - Group 3 - Round 3
Westmeath v Galway, 2.00pm, Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, Galway, (K Corcoran, Mayo)
Galway and Westmeath are also safely through to the TG4 All-Ireland quarter-finals - and this tie will determine who finishes on top of Group 3.
The winners of this game will face either Mayo or Dublin in the last eight - depending on who finishes second from Group 4.
Westmeath have had a fortnight off after edging past Waterford by just a single point in their opening group game.
Manager Stephen Maxwell has opted for an unchanged starting 15 which includes Leanne Slevin, match-winner against the Déise and scorer of five pointed frees in that game.
Galway boss Stephen Glennon has also opted for an unchanged team following last weekend's 16-point defeat of Waterford.
The Connacht champions are one of the leading contenders for All-Ireland glory in September and football in the county is currently riding the crest of a wave, following recent national titles for the Minor A and U16 A teams.
Galway: L Murphy; F Cooney, S Lynch, S Burke; E Flaherty, N Ward, C Cooney; L Ward, A Davoren; O Divilly, T Leonard, A McDonagh; M Seoighe, R Leonard, L Coen.
Westmeath: K Walsh; L Power, R Dillon, N Feery; F Coyle, J Rogers, C Clarke McMahon; K McDermott, M A Foley; F Claffey, L Slevin, A Dolan; A Connolly, L McCartan, L Walsh.
TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship - Group 2 - Round 3
Cork v Armagh, 3.45pm, Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, Galway, (G Chapman, Sligo)
Armagh's TG4 All-Ireland quarter-final fate is in their own hands.
Even a defeat by 15 points would take the Orchard County through to the last eight on scoring difference, after Cork beat Monaghan by 16 last weekend.
Armagh drew with Monaghan in their opening fixture and are in a good position to make the quarter-finals, provided they avoid a big defeat.
After knocking 7-7 past Monaghan last weekend, Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald has announced an unchanged starting line-up.
Once again, Fitzgerald has two excellent attacking options to call off the bench in Eimear Scally and Saoirse Noonan.
Scally impressed when introduced in the Monaghan clash and Noonan scored two goals when called upon.
That was the second championship game in succession that Noonan had rattled the opposition net in a substitute's role.
The former underage star goaled twice in the Munster final victory over Kerry, her senior debut, and repeated that feat last weekend.
Armagh have made two changes to their starting line-up, with Aimee Mackin, who's been carrying an injury, named to start ahead of Megan Sheridan.
Mackin's sister Blaithin drops to the bench, as Kelly Mallon earns a start.
Armagh: C O'Hare; S Marley, C Morgan, S Reel; M Tennyson, T Grimes, M McGuinness; C McCambridge, C O'Hanlon; M Moriarty, F McKenna, L McConville; A Mackin, A McCoy, K Mallon.
Cork: M O'Brien; C Collins, R Phelan, M Duggan; M O'Callaghan, S Kelly, E Spillane; A Hutchings, H Looney; C O'Sullivan, L Coppinger, O Farmer; A O'Sullivan, D O'Sullivan, O Finn.
TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Championship 2018
Sunday 29th July 2018
TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Championship - Group 1 - Round 3
Sligo v Laois, 2.00pm, Kinnegad, Westmeath, (D McEnery, Westmeath)
Laois and Sligo are already through to the quarter-finals, with the counties meeting to determine top spot in Group 1.
Both teams have defeated Longford to book their spots in the knockout stages, with Laois particularly impressive in their dismantling of the Midlanders.
Sligo bounced back from their Connacht final loss against Roscommon to beat Longford and assure progress.
TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Championship - Group 3 - Round 3
Down v Kildare, 3.45pm, Kinnegad, Westmeath, (J Devlin, Galway)
Kildare and Down meet in a fixture which will decide who gets sucked into a relegation fight.
Both teams cannot make the quarter-finals after losing out to Wexford and Clare, who have both qualified.
Kildare have been the more competitive in their two games, with Down anchored to the bottom of the table with a -33 score difference.
TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Championship - Group 2 - Round 3
Tyrone v Offaly, 2.00pm, Mullahoran, Cavan, (K McKeever, Armagh)
Tyrone are one of the leading contenders for TG4 All-Ireland intermediate glory after losing last year's final against Tipperary.
The Red Hands showed good form against Wicklow first time out and will now aim to finish on top of the table by seeing off the challenge of Offaly.
The Leinster county must win to make the quarter-finals and if they do, all three teams would be level on three points and the top two sides decided by score difference.
TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Championship - Group 4 - Round 3
Roscommon v Fermanagh, 3.45pm, Mullahoran, Cavan, (S McLoughlin, Donegal)
Roscommon claimed the Connacht title against Sligo and followed that up with an impressive victory over Meath in the All-Ireland series.
That win effectively secured a spot in the quarter-finals as Fermanagh must win this remaining group game by a cricket score to advance.
The Erne County, last year's junior champions, have a -45 score difference compared to Roscommon's +6, following a big loss at the hands of Meath.
TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Championship - Group 3 - Round 3
Clare v Wexford, 2.00pm, Cahir, Tipperary, (E Moran, Kerry)
Clare and Wexford will both harbour hopes of making a big impact in the All-Ireland series.
And in the only four-team group in the round-robin stages, they've made it through to the quarter-finals with a round to spare.
This is a straight head-to-head shootout for top spot in Group 3.
TG4 All Ireland Junior Championship 2018
Saturday 28th July
TG4 All Ireland Junior Championship - Round 2 Group 1
Louth (H) v Kilkenny, 2.00pm, Stabannon Parnells, (D Kearns, Down)
Two of the favourites for the TG4 All-Ireland junior crown, Louth and London, both find themselves in Group 2 of the competition.
And Louth can assure progress by seeing off the challenge of Kilkenny on Saturday.
The Wee County enjoyed an opening round victory over Antrim and will now look to make it two from two.
TG4 All Ireland Junior Championship - Round 2 Group 2
Derry (H) v Limerick, 2.00pm, St. Trea's GAC, Ballymaguigan, (D Callaghan)
After losing out by just a single point to Carlow in their opening group fixture, 2017 runners-up Derry face a must-win tussle with Limerick, who are playing their opening game in the All-Ireland series.
Defeat would send the Oak Leafers crashing out of the competition, and leave Carlow and Limerick through to the semi-finals.
Limerick, under the management of John Ryan, will hope to make their debut outing in the All-Ireland series a winning one, and secure a last-four slot.
Sunday 29th July 2018
TG4 All Ireland Junior Championship - Round 2 Group A
Antrim (H) v London, 12.30pm, Musgrave Park, Belfast (D Love, Fermanagh)
Antrim must win against London to keep alive their hopes of making the TG4 All-Ireland junior semi-finals.
After enjoying a big win on their visit to Kilkenny in round 1, London can make the semi-finals with on their journey to Musgrave Park in Belfast.
The Exiles lost at the semi-final stage last year but are many people's fancy to go all the way in 2018.
Follow our live match tracker this weekend for minute-by-minute coverage of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship semi-finals.
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