Saturday
Allianz Hurling League
Division 1A
Limerick v Galway, TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, 7.30pm (Live, TG4) – Limerick’s first defeat, last week against neighbours Clare, will presumably buck them up for this. John Kiely has certainly made changes, restoring a clutch of star players – Kyle Hayes, Seán Finn, Tom Morrissey and Will O’Donoghue – to the starting 15. Amid the talk of Limerick’s new faces, the most consistently impressive has been Aidan O’Connor, who also starts. Galway have re-established an even keel after the opening-day calamity against Tipp but they were far from sparkling a week ago, as even by Wexford’s standards they left a lot behind – 14 wides to six. Galway persevered after a below-par display which is all a manager can ask for. Verdict: Limerick
Division 1B
Dublin v Carlow, Parnell Park, Dublin, 6pm – Dublin have been making a habit out of getting beaten late in the day and with the defeats of the past two weeks coming against their main rivals for promotion, they don’t look likely Division 1A tenants next season. Unlike their hosts, Carlow are unbeaten in the league but should have bested Antrim last week to add to their impressive CV this season. This will be a test and Dublin can get back on board – even if it’s a bit late now. Verdict: Dublin
Division 2: Derry v Meath, Celtic Park, 4pm; Kildare v Tyrone, Cedral St. Conleth’s, Newbridge 3pm.
Division 3: Roscommon v Cavan, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park 2pm; London v Sligo, McGovern Park, Ruislip 1pm.
Division 4: Monaghan v Lancashire, Inniskeen; Fermanagh v Leitrim, Brewster Park, Enniskillen; Louth v Longford, Páirc Naomh Bríd, Dowdallshill (all 2pm).
Allianz Football League
Division Four
Wexford v Wicklow, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 6pm – Wexford are on the cusp of promotion with two matches to go in the division. A win here will put them three ahead of Limerick and four ahead of Wicklow with the latter two counties to play each other next weekend. John Hegarty’s team have the tightest defence, with an average concession just over 0-11, but Wicklow also have good form as the highest average scorers but haven’t been quite as impressive as the home team. Verdict: Wexford
Sunday
Allianz Hurling League
Division 1A
Kilkenny v Tipperary, UPMC Nowlan Park, Kilkenny 1.15pm (Live, TG4) – The previous decade’s most familiar of league opponents, the counties arrive in a slightly different place. Tipp with typical Liam Cahill early-season energy have blazed a trail to the top of the table while showcasing young talent and radiating a punky attitude as they go. Whether the diesel runs out by next month remains to be seen but they are buoyant. Kilkenny have been treading water, beating who they should beat and not anyone else. They were uncharacteristically wasteful in Cork. Derek Lyng has been trying to reassemble his best team from the recovery wards and they must be aware that the shadow of relegation is in the neighbourhood with just a game against Limerick left. This represents a good opportunity to burst Tipp’s bubble and float themselves up the table but have they got the wherewithal? Verdict: Tipperary
Clare v Cork, Cusack Park, Zimmer Biomet Cusack Park, 3.15pm (Live, TG4) – One of the liveliest rivalries over league and championship has swung Clare’s way in recent times, culminating in last summer’s All-Ireland win. For this they are in dire need of the points. Last week’s belated signs of life got them up and running but they need to keep winning to maintain their chances of staying in the top division. They survived an intense match by league standards in Limerick and looked in much better form. Youngsters Seán Rynne and Jack O’Neill acquitted themselves particularly well. Cork had to pedal fast to beat Kilkenny and have been struggling to find a convincing rhythm even though last week brought lustrous displays from rookie Diarmuid Healy, taking 1-5 on his debut, and All Star Rob Downey. They’ll be focused for this but maybe Clare have found their inner Houdini. Verdict: Clare
Division 1B
Antrim v Laois, Ballycastle 1pm (Live, TG4 app, deferred) – As the county’s footballers gear up for the latest “or nowhere” campaign, Antrim’s hurlers appeared to be dicing with plague during the week but David Fitzgerald dismissed claims that his team were looking for a postponement. They could do with the points to put distance between themselves and their opponents, who have matches in hand and for whom a win would mean survival in the division. Verdict: Antrim
Westmeath v Waterford, TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar 2pm – Westmeath have been better than their position, chained to the bottom of the table, suggests but losing even narrowly on a constant basis isn’t good for morale. Leaders Waterford have shrugged off the poor start to get into something resembling their stride, clipping Dublin late last week. Verdict: Waterford
Division 2: Kerry v Down, Austin Stack Park, Tralee 1pm.
Division 3: Armagh v Mayo, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh 1pm.
Allianz Football League
Division Three
Sligo v Clare, Markievicz Park, Sligo 1.30pm – Clare catapulted themselves into the promotion frame by inflicting a first defeat on Kildare thanks to a great finish by Keelan Sexton. They still have to play the other two teams currently above them, Laois and Offaly, but that sharpens the opportunity. Sligo, who came into the season quietly fancied, have spluttered to defeats against the top three. They’ll do well to avoid another setback. Verdict: Clare
