Allianz Football League Round 6: All You Need to Know

SATURDAY, 15 MARCH

Division 1

Kerry v Armagh, Austin Stack Park, 5.30pm

Dublin v Galway, Croke Park, 7.30pm

Division 2

Down v Westmeath, Páirc Esler, 6pm

Division 3

Laois v Clare, Laois Hire O'Moore Park, 6pm

Division 4

Carlow v Longford, Netwatch Cullen Park, 5.30pm

Wexford v Tipperary, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 6.30pm

Waterford v London, Fraher Field, 7pm

SUNDAY, 16 MARCH

Division 1

Derry v Mayo, Celtic Park, 1.30pm

Donegal v Tyrone, O’Donnell Park, 3.30pm

Division 2

Cork v Louth, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2pm

Meath v Monaghan, Páirc Tailteann, 2pm

Roscommon v Cavan, King & Moffat Dr Hyde Park, 2pm

Division 3

Antrim v Sligo, Corrigan Park, 2pm

Leitrim v Fermanagh, Ballinamore, 2pm

Offaly v Kildare, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm

Division 4

Wicklow v Limerick, Echelon Park, 2pm

ONLINE

Live blogs each day on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News app.

RADIO

Live commentaries and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport.

TV

Live coverage of Kerry v Armagh on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 5pm on Saturday evening while TG4 will show Dublin’s clash with Galway from 7.15pm.

On Sunday, TG4 will be at Celtic Park for Derry v Mayo (1pm) before heading to Letterkenny for Donegal against Tyrone (3.20pm). The derby duel between Meath and Monaghan will be on the TG4 app from 2pm, and deferred on TV from 5.20pm.

Highlights and reaction to all the weekend's action on Allianz League Sunday, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, from 9.30pm.

WEATHER

Saturday: Mainly dry with just isolated showers and spells of sunshine, though patchy cloud will build in the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees in a light northeast or variable breeze.

Sunday: It will be another mostly dry day on Sunday with a mix of cloud and spells of sunshine. The best of the sunshine is likely in the east and northeast of the country. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees in light northeast to east winds.

For more, visit met.ie.

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Elbows out for penultimate round

Round 5 may have been moving day, but it’s only after this weekend’s action when we’ll really know who is in the relegation quagmire or chasing a Croke Park spot ahead of the final round of games.

GAA APPROVES ALL FRC CHANGES

Only one team – Division 4 side Wexford – can boast 10 points from a possible 10, so the jostling and moving should be intense as teams attempt to also adapt to the new rule tweaks.

Division 1: Safety’s fine, you can keep Croke Park

The GAA betting community was in giddy form earlier this week as Tyrone were priced at evens for their trip to Donegal (they’ve come in since then).

A price too good to turn down, they cried, given the fact that Donegal will be actively trying to lose the game apparently.

Such shenanigans won’t be present at O’Donnell Park, but there is simply no denying that the two teams will be approaching this match differently.

Jim McGuinness has made it abundantly clear since their Round 3 win over Armagh that given they were practically safe, they would be doing whatever was best for them ahead of their 6 April Ulster opener against Derry. Indeed, that looked evident as they trailed the Oakleafers for the majority of their last clash before turning on the afterburners to turn things around to claim their latest win.

Nobody will be risked and intensity levels won’t be at their highest and that can open the door for a Tyrone side with just three points to their name. The need here is all with Malachy O’Rourke’s side, and unlike Ballybofey, Letterkenny hasn’t exactly been a fortress for Donegal since their 2007 return even if they’ve improved in recent seasons.

Meanwhile, the RTÉ cameras will be in Tralee where a huge away support is expected in a match that carries a fair bit of significance with Kerry on four points and Armagh just a point better off.

A loss and Kerry may be seriously in danger of Division 2 football for the first time since 2002. Tomorrow’s opponents were alongside them in the second tier that season and won their first All-Ireland a few months later. Last season they were also in Division 2 and won their second-ever Sam. Maybe Armagh fans should be chasing relegation.

David Clifford didn't have much attacking help in Castlebar last time out

They’re unlikely to get much joy down in Kerry with their last win in the Kingdom coming in 2012 with Aidan Forker starting. The Armagh captain is not included in the matchday squad here though, nor is Rian O’Neill whose involvement this season appears less and less likely.

Jack O’Connor will be demanding a reaction after their meek finale against Mayo where their overreliance on David Clifford was all too evident. With the Fossa man dropping a few short, nobody stepped into the breach.

They’ll have no Seán O’Shea for this one as a knee injury continues to keep him out so others really have to step up more to help Clifford.

Like Donegal, Galway are out in championship action a week after the league final and with a 10,000km round trip to factor in too, but New York shouldn’t provide the same test in Connacht that Derry will up in Ulster.

Pádraic Joyce’s side are the only unbeaten team in the top flight and owe a lot of that to Shane Walsh’s grá for the new arc with 15 two-pointers racked up already. Against Tyrone last time out, he was brilliantly shackled by Niall Devlin but the Kilmacud man still stole the headlines with a levelling two-point free at the death.

Walsh looks in immense shape but their game with Dublin may be a mental rather than a physical battle as he returns to HQ for the first time since last July’s All-Ireland final loss to Armagh. The Tribe star had a nightmare that day, all told, so the chance to rip it up back at the same venue might just be a way to finally get it out of his system.

Galway are unlikely to care too much about missing out on the league final, but are probably warmer to the idea than most. If Dublin play like they did for 40 minutes against Armagh, they should tear the hosts apart.

Dessie Farrell left the Athletic Grounds that night knowing he had serious issues, even if there was a real improvement in the final third of the game.

There’s no doubting that high up the list is the goalkeeper position, and with Stephen Cluxton’s shadow looming large, it’s been hard for Gavin Sheridan or Evan Comerford to grasp the nettle. Two years ago, Cluxton made his return in Round 7, and while we don’t know the extent of the injury he carried into the new season, maybe we’ll see him soon.

Dessie Farrell would have been shocked at what he saw at the Athletic Grounds

With one point from five games, Derry’s predicament is obvious as they welcome a rejuvenated Mayo to Celtic Park.

Paddy Tally’s side is shorn of real defensive experience with Brendan Rodgers and Gareth McKinless out and Conor McCluskey and Eoin McEvoy also expected to miss the game.

Mayo come off the back of a draw in Armagh – a game they should have won – and a stirring win over Kerry where the Castlebar crowd came alive in the closing moments to help their side over the line.

With five points, Kevin McStay’s side still aren’t safe by any means, but given the first few weeks of the league, they’ll travel with more life in them and will be confident of continuing their unbeaten run against Ulster sides this season with Donegal yet to come.

Donnacha McHugh, who performed really well on David Clifford, will be tasked with keeping quiet the always loud Shane McGuigan and given Mayo have the lowest scoring tally in the top flight alongside Tyrone, they may need some defensive steel to get through this.

Division 2: A two-tier tier two

After five rounds of the league, four teams have promotion ambitions and four teams are out to avoid the drop, and even the Tailteann Cup.

CORK IN DANGER AS TAILTEANN CUP COMES INTO FOCUS

Starting with the drama at the bottom, Down (two points) host Westmeath (zero) in a battle of two sides that really should have a few more on the board.

Conor Laverty can point to a few contentious calls going against them, such as Meath’s Ronan Jones kicking a two-pointer clearly inside the arc while the Mourne County were convinced that Pat Havern had an effort wrongly ruled out that would have earned a draw against Cavan.

"That's not going to be accepted…" - Cora Staunton feels that there will be further scrutiny on rules implementation after Meath gained an extra point when Ronan Jones was award a two-pointer when he was clearly inside the arc. pic.twitter.com/BGAHKANywF — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) February 16, 2025

For Westmeath, look no further than their buzzer-beater goal concession against the Royals, a moment that probably forced through the latest hooter changes.

A loss here and Dermot McCabe’s side are down; the hosts aren’t in the same position just yet, but a loss would leave them needing Cork to lose their final games and for them to beat Monaghan.

Cork will hope to avoid such an eventuality but they’ll need to be sharp against a Louth side that edged them out in the All-Ireland series last year in Inniskeen.

The Rebels are down serious numbers this year but they have still come in for some stiff criticism, notably from RTÉ’s Lee Keegan.

The Wee County have been underwhelming thus far. Expected promotion chasers, they have only four points to their name and both of those wins – against Down and Westmeath – could have ended in defeat.

Local media have complained about a lack of access ahead of this game, so it seems like it’s heads down for Louth for the long trip south.

At the other end of the table, Meath and Monaghan meet in Navan with plenty on the line in one of the GAA’s spikiest rivalries despite operating in different provinces.

Conor Laverty's Down have experienced a series of near misses

Who can forget the Oriel fans’ pitch invasion at Croke Park in 2005 when Monaghan stole the Division 2 title in the final seconds? The Ulster side’s inferiority complex was understandable then, but they have operated at a higher level for the majority of the two decades since and new manager Gabriel Bannigan has them motoring well.

With 138 points scored, they are the league’s top scorers across all divisions with the likes of Davy Garland and Andrew Woods looking revitalised in attack. How Meath would love to blunt that knife.

Three wins in a row have left Cavan with an outside chance of a league final spot, but an away day in Roscommon might kill those hopes.

Jason McLoughlin has been superb at the back for the Breffni while the returning Gearoid McKiernan has really made a difference, as Down found out to their cost a fortnight ago.

After losing to Meath, Roscommon responded brilliantly in Cork with nine players getting on the scoresheet as they hammered the Rebels. Ben O’Carroll was in inspired form playing a bit deeper, and he can expect a blue and white McLoughlin-shaped shadow here.

Division 3: Promotion chasers set to clash

Nothing official yet in Division 3, but you can take it as read that Leitrim are down given their scoring difference and head-to-head situation. Steven Poacher will be aiming for another good performance when they host Fermanagh given their dramatic improvement against Offaly last time out.

Mickey Harte and Declan Kelly’s side got the job done though and a side tipped for relegation now know that a home win over Kildare will leave them on the brink of promotion with a game to spare.

The Lilywhites were given a reminder last time out against Clare that bouncing back isn’t a linear process. Having looked a cut above everyone for four rounds, they were caught out at the death by the Banner having shown good character to come back in the second half.

Darragh Kirwan and Kevin Flynn missed that loss with hamstring injuries and both are expected to miss out here too; Kirwan’s absence in particular may be keenly felt given how lively he has been.

Darragh Kirwan looks set to miss out for Kildare

Laois host Clare and given both are just two points off the top two, the winner here will have promotion in their eyeline.

The Banner will be stung by last week’s loss to struggling Sligo. The rescheduled game means that they missed out on the week’s break. Tired legs or sharpness retained? The result here will dictate that.

Corrigan Park has been in the headlines for weeks, but the Belfast venue hosts a massive match as the McEntees, Andy and Tony, try to find the win to save their respective counties' league seasons.

Antrim are on four points with Sligo a point behind after their win over Clare last weekend. With Leitrim to come and an expected win there, victory in Belfast would be a massive boost for the Yeats County.

This is a fixture that has almost always went the way of the hosts over the last decade, but the Saffrons are maybe distracted by off-field matters and Sligo can pounce.

Division 4: One spot taken, one to be filled

The first promoted team in the league this season are John Hegarty’s Wexford, and with visitors Tipperary left with essentially nothing to play for, this might not be the biggest blockbuster of the weekend.

Nevertheless, it’s a chance for Model fans to get out and support their side, who bounced back from last year’s disappointment when they missed out on promotion due to the head-to-head rule.

As it stands, Limerick are in second place and a fourth win in a row, away to Wicklow, would be huge for the Treaty County.

James Naughton has been in fine scoring form, but they face a Wicklow side that can move above them into second with victory. Oisín McConville has described it as a "50-50" game and it’s hard to disagree with that. Last year in Division 3, Wicklow won 0-09 to 0-08 and this could be another war of attrition.

James Naughton has been in fine scoring form for Limerick

After picking up three points in their first two games, Carlow have flat-lined and have lost their last three. The week off was a chance to reset and how they’d love to earn a derby win over a Longford side languishing in mid-table.

London, meanwhile, are in Waterford and Michael Maher’s side are aiming for a third win. They last reached that total in 2022 so there’s a nice carrot there.

Watch Kerry v Armagh in the Allianz Football League on Saturday from 5pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

Watch Allianz League Sunday from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates around the country on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1

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