Allianz National Football League preview: Key weekend in relegation battle

WHILE Cork and the other Division 2 strugglers brace themselves for a nerve-tingling series of relegation games, others in the section hold loftier notions, chiefly Galway and Derry with Roscommon in the picture, too.

Cork found out to their cost the difference between promotion chasers and those with survival at their core following a couple of resounding defeats by both.

Now, the pair bid to cement their positions as warm favourites to reach the promised land of Division 1 next season, something that would be familiar enough for the westerners.

For Derry, it would represent a remarkable achievement and complete an almost bizarre sequence that involved the Ulster county sliding through the divisions in a series of annual relegations before climbing the ladder in the opposite direction.

Galway and Derry are tied on eight points, a maximum return from their four of seven games in the section.

The Tribesmen host mid-table Clare at Tuam Stadium on Saturday and will expect to make it five-from-five, especially if the mercurial Shane Walsh reaches the level of performance shown against Cork, when scoring 2-7.

He was one of 10 scorers as Galway posted 3-22 with the range of finishers starting with right corner-back Kieran Molloy from Corofin and concluding with Dessie Conneely in the left corner.

It’s going to be a busy afternoon for the Banner defence in trying to minimise the damage Walsh, Robert Finnerty and Damien Comer could cause though the concession of 2-17 to Cork and 3-10 to Offaly last weekend suggests Clare might benefit at the other end.

The other promotion encounter promises to be a season-defining game for third-placed Roscommon, who are just a point behind on seven, because they face cock-a-hoop Derry at Dr Hyde Park.

Victory here would give the Connacht side a great chance of returning to the top tier once more though both the Rossies and Derry must engage Galway on the run-in.

There are a number of intriguing games in division 1, including the real prospect of All-Ireland champions Tyrone pushing their predecessors Dublin closer to the brink of relegation.

A fifth successive defeat would effectively seal the six-times Sam Maguire winners’ fate and leave the other spot resting between Kildare and Monaghan as well as ensuring Tyrone would avoid being sucked into any issues near the bottom of the table.

There are no such worries for Kerry and Mayo who top the table with seven points apiece and collide in Tralee tomorrow night in a game which won’t lack spice.

Not surprisingly Jack O’Connor’s side are all the rage to be crowned league champions with every chance of the Kingdom facing Mayo again in the final on the first Saturday in April though Ulster duo Armagh and Donegal await developments.

They’re in joint second place on five points each and will fancy their chances of keeping in touch against Kildare and Monaghan respectively at the weekend.

Munster rivals Limerick and Tipperary can smell promotion as the race approaches the finishing line.

The Shannonsiders sit at the summit of division 3 with six points, but it’s incredibly tight as three teams, Antrim, Fermanagh and Louth, are only a point behind with Westmeath a further point adrift.

The betting reflects the closeness of the battle with Limerick 5/2 favourites and they face Westmeath at the Gaelic Grounds tomorrow night.

It’s hard to imagine Cavan and Tipperary were provincial champions a couple of seasons ago because they meet in an important division 4 tie at Breffni Park on Sunday.

Cavan have eight points, three more than Tipp in third, with London second on six.

FIXTURES

TOMORROW:

NFL Division 1: Armagh v Kildare, Athletic Grounds, 6pm; Kerry v Mayo, Tralee, 7.30.

Division 2: Down v Offaly, Newry, 5pm.

Division 3: Antrim v Longford, Corrigan Park, 2.30; Limerick v Westmeath, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm; Fermanagh v Louth, Brewster Park, 7pm.

SUNDAY:

NFL Division 1: Donegal v Monaghan, Ballybofey, 1.45; Tyrone v Dublin, Omagh, 3.45.

Division 2: Roscommon v Derry, Dr Hyde Park, 2pm ; Meath v Cork, Pairc Tailteann, 2pm; Galway v Clare, Tuam Stadium, 2pm.

Division 3: Wicklow v Laois, Aughrim, 2pm.

Division 4: Sligo v London, Markievicz Park, 12 noon; Carlow v Leitrim, Cullen Park, 2pm; Wexford v Waterford, Wexford Park, 2pm; Cavan v Tipperary, Breffni Park, 2pm.