Good afternoon, and welcome to the Irish Times live GAA blog from this afternoon’s sixth round of the Allianz Football League. The schedule of games as below –
NFL Division 1
Mayo 2-19 Derry 1-17 (full-time)
Donegel 0-19 Tyrone 0-25 (full-time)
NFL Division 2
Cork 1-23 Louth 0-18 (full-time)
Monaghan 1-29 Meath 1-20 (full-time)
Cavan 0-22 Roscommon 0-20 (full-time)
NFL Division 3
Sligo 1-18 Antrim 1-15 (full-time)
Offaly 2-17 Kildare 0-17 (full-time)
NFL Division 4
Wicklow 3-15 Limerick 1-21 (full-time)
Hard not to think Donegal were not trying too hard to win this...
Next Sunday’s final round of the Allianz Football League –
Division 1: Armagh v Derry, Box-It Athletic Grounds, Armagh 3.45pm; Galway v Kerry, Pearse Stadium, Salthill 3.45pm; Tyrone v Dublin, O’Neills Healy Park, Omagh 3.45pm; Mayo v Donegal, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 3.45pm
Division 2: Cavan v Cork, Kingspan Breffni, Cavan 1.30pm; Louth v Meath, Inniskeen 1.30pm; Monaghan v Down, St. Tiernach’s Park, Clones 1.30pm; Westmeath v Roscommon, TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar 1.30pm
Division 3: Clare v Offaly, Cusack Park, Ennis 2pm; Fermanagh v Laois, Brewster Park, Enniskillen 2pm; Kildare v Antrim, Cedral St. Conleth’s, Newbridge 2pm; Sligo v Leitrim, Markievicz Park, Sligo 2pm
Division 4: Limerick v Waterford, Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale 1pm; London v Carlow, McGovern Park, Ruislip 1pm; Longford v Wexford, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park 1pm; Tipperary v Wicklow, FBD Semple Stadium, Thurles 1pm
The updated Allianz Football League tables after Round 6 - still so much to play for.
Division One P W D L Dif Pts
Galway 6 3 2 1 17 8
Dublin 6 4 0 2 8 8
Donegal 6 4 0 2 4 8
Mayo 6 3 1 2 -3 7
Kerry 6 3 0 3 11 6
Tyrone 6 2 1 3 1 5
Armagh 6 2 1 3 -9 5
Derry 6 0 1 5 -29 1
Division Two P W D L Dif Pts
Monaghan 6 5 0 1 33 10
Roscommon 6 4 0 2 19 8
Meath 6 4 0 2 10 8
Cavan 6 4 0 2 -4 8
Cork 6 3 0 3 -9 6
Louth 6 2 0 4 -19 4
Down 6 2 0 4 -11 4
Westmeath 6 0 0 6 -19 0
Division Three P W D L Dif Pts
Offaly 6 5 0 1 37 10
Clare 6 4 0 2 16 8
Kildare 6 4 0 2 48 8
Fermanagh 6 3 1 2 -14 7
Laois 6 3 0 3 11 6
Sligo 6 2 1 3 -15 5
Antrim 6 2 0 4 -5 4
Leitrim 6 0 0 6 -77 0
Division Four P W D L Dif Pts
Wexford 6 6 0 0 53 12
Limerick 6 3 2 1 20 8
Wicklow 6 3 1 2 7 7
Carlow 6 2 1 3 1 5
Tipperary 6 2 1 3 -3 5
Longford 6 2 1 3 -19 5
London 6 2 0 4 -29 4
Waterford 6 1 0 5 -3 2
FULL-TIME: Donegal 0-19 Tyrone 0-25: Another point from Darren McCurry seals the Tyrone victory and keeps alive their hopes of avoiding relegation going into next Sunday’s final round, while Donegal’s apathy towards making the league final was clear for all to see in Letterkenny, the last word going to Eoin McHugh with their last point.
Donegal 0-17 Tyrone 0-24: Donegal miss another goal chance, which rebounds back out off the post, and they follow that up with three wides in succession and time starts to run out with four minutes to play.
Donegal 0-17 Tyrone 0-24: Jamie Brennan squanders a fine goal chance for Donegal set up by Michael Murphy, and Tyrone hit back with two quick points and a edging towards the win on 58 minutes.
Donegal 0-16 Tyrone 0-22: Set up Michael Murphy, Mark Curran gets one back for Donegal on 53 minutes, keeping the game very much alive. Niall Morgan however gets another free back for Tyrone, a two-pointer, his second of the day.
Donegal 0-15 Tyrone 0-19: A two-pointer from Odhran Doherty has Donegal back to four points, after 48 minutes, the game back in the melting pot.
Donegal 0-13 Tyrone 0-18: Donegal haven’t given the chase, scoring three on the trot, starting with Jamie Brennan bursting forward to score another point from Donegal.
Donegal 0-10 Tyrone 0-17: A two-point free from Niall Morhan on 40 minutes, followed by a point from Brian Kennedy, and suddenly Tyrone are well in control. Donegal do hit back with a two-pointer of their own from McColgan on 42 minutes.
Donegal 0-8 Tyrone 0-13: A superb point from Michael Murphy is the first score of the second half, the attendance at O’Donnell Park announced as 8,410. Peter Harte however hits one back for Tyrone.
Just about to get back underway in Letterkenny...
HALF-TIME: Donegal 0-7 Tyrone 0-12: A Mark Bradley free puts Tyrone three points up again on 32 minutes, before a fisted point by Kieran McGeary and another from Ciaran Daly extends the lead to five right on half-time in Letterkenny. Tyrone have also hit seven wides to Donegal’s three.
Donegal 0-7 Tyrone 0-9: Another point from Jamie Brennan brings Donegal back to two points, with 29 minutes played in Letterkenny.
Donegal 0-5 Tyrone 0-7: Darragh Canavan, with his fourth score so far, edges Tyrone back in front, before Peter Teague extends the lead to two.
Donegal 0-5 Tyrone: 0-5: Anoher free from Michael Murphy levels it up again in Letterkenny after 21 minutes.
Division Three results: Antrim 1-15 Sligo 1-18, Offaly 2-17 Kildare 0-17
FULL-TIME: Meath 1-20 Monaghan 1-29: Another impressive win for Monaghan in Division Two, goalkeeper Rory Beggan as influential as ever, and they are now primed for a Division Two final.
FULL-TIME: Cork 1-23 Louth 0-18: Cork have kept alive their hopes of keeping a Sam Maguire place, as Louth lose out despite a late rally.
FULL-TIME: Cavan: 0-22 Roscommon : 0-20: Cavan hold on for a crucial victory, going level with Roscommon and very much still in the hunt for promotion.
FULL-TIME: Wicklow 3-15 Limerick 1-21: A couple of late scores from Limerick draws them level with Wicklow, giving Limerick the edge in the final sprint for promotion.
Donegal 0-2 Tyrone 0-2: A free from Michael Murphy after six minutes opens Donegal’s account, before Jamie Brennan levels it up.
Cavan: 0-20 Roscommon 0-18: A Cavan point, a free Cian Madden, and it’s still close at Dr Hyde Park, 25 minutes into the second half.
Donegal 0-0 Tyrone 0-1: Darragh Canavan, called late into the Tyrone team, gets the first score at O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny, after three minutes.
Meath 1-15 Monaghan 1-27: A Michael Bannigan point extends Monaghan’s lead with 25 minutes played in the second half.
The second Division One game between Donegal and Tyrone about to get underway at 3.30, some late changes on the Tyrone team.
OUT - Frank Burns, Seanie O’Donnell, Darren McCurry & Eoin McElholm IN - Joe Oguz, Mattie Donnelly, Peter Harte & Darragh Canavan
Offaly 2-16 Kildare 0-16: Offaly poised for a big win in Division Three, keeping the promotion race extremely tight.
Meath 1-12 Monaghan 1-25: Stephen O’Hanlon extends Monaghan’s advantage as they press on home.
FULL-TIME: Derry 1-17 Mayo 2-19: Conor Glass hits his third two-pointer for Derry with two minutes to go, but it’s too little, too late, as Derry are now facing the drop to Division Two, while Mayo are safe for another year, Eoghan McLaughlin scoring one more point at the death for Mayo.
Derry 1-15 Mayo 2-18: Aidan O’Shea is fouled close to goal on 67 minutes, and Mayo can like cruise in from here, Ryan O’Donoghue duly converting.
Meath 1-8 Monaghan 1-20: Back underway at Pairc Tailteann, and after two minutes Eoghan Frayne scores a goal for Meath after a ball across from Aaron Lynch.
Derry 1-15 Mayo 2-17: Shane McGuigan hits the side netting in a goal chance for Derry, on 62 minutes, and then Ethan Doherty scores an excellent point.
Derry 1-14 Mayo 2-17: Derry haven’t quite given up the chase, a two-pointer from Conor Glass reducing the gap to eight points, on 59 minutes, and he then hits another two-pointer a minute later. The lead is down to six.
Derry 1-10 Mayo 2-17: Reigning league champions Derry now look doomed to relegation as Mayo continue to dominate, Ryan O’Donoghue adding another point on 56 minutes, the lead now out to 10 points.
A commanding half-time lead for Cork in Division Two
Cavan: 0-9 Roscommon 0-11: Half-time at Dr Hyde Park, and despite squandering two goal chances, Cavan are still very much in touch.
Meath 0-8 Monaghan 1-20: Half time at Pairc Tailteann, and Monaghan have turned this into an exhibition.
Derry 1-10 Mayo 2-15: Derry are starting to drift out of contention here as Mayo continue to press on, 52 minutes gone at Celtic Park.
Cavan 0-9 Roscommon 0-10. A Roscommon point from Conor Hand edges them back in front approaching half time.
Half-Time: Cork 0-15 Louth 0-4: An excellent response to their relegation fears, as Cork put up the best first half of the league.
Meath 0-7, Monaghan 1-20: It’s all one-way traffic at Pairc Tailteann, as Monaghan pull well clear just before half-time.
Derry 1-10 Mayo 2-13: GOAL for Mayo on 42 minutes, deftly finished by Frank Irwin, with Matthew Ruane promptly adding another point, and the lead is up to six. Shane McGuigan misses another free for Derry.
Wicklow 1-6 Limerick 0-7: In Division Four, a goal by Padraig O’Toole gives Wicklow an early avantage, but Limerick levelled it up again, before a two-pointer from Kevin Quinn puts the home team back in front.
Derry 1-8 Mayo 1-12: Back underway for the second half at Celtic Park, and Ryan O’Donoghue extends Mayo’s lead to four points.
Meath 0-5 Monaghan 1-11: GOAL for Monaghan by Andrew Woods, and Meath look to be in trouble already, with Stephen O’Hanlon promptly adding another point for Monaghan.
Meath 0-5 Monaghan 0-10: A two-pointer by Jack McCarron puts Monagh five points up after 23 minutes.
Meath 0-4 Monaghan 0-5: Also in Division Two, Rory Beggan strikes over a two-pointer to put the visitors in front.
Cork 0-4 Louth 0-2: In the Division Two encounter, Louth score a two-pointer from a free to help claw back the early four-point advantage for Cork.
HALF-TIME: Derry 1-8 Mayo 1-11: It looked like Matthew Ruane had the last say for Mayo in the first half, but there was still time for Jordan Flynn to score a thundering goal, and give the visitors a three-point lead.
Derry 1-8 Mayo 0-10: Still only a point between them at Celtic Park, Fenton Kelly adding a point for Mayo on 32 minutes.
Three big games now underway in Division Two, with lots to fight for in the race for promotion, and against relegation. Read Sean Moran’s verdicts here -
Cork v Louth, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2pm – Given the Tailteann jeopardy, this division is the most interesting and this fixture the most interesting of the weekend. The counties met in last year’s championship with Louth reaching a quarter-final for the first time, effectively ruining Cork’s hitherto promising season. Both are now struggling to stay involved in the Sam Maguire. Cork are having desperate problems converting chances whereas Louth are missing a few players. They look more up for it than the home team but maybe John Cleary’s team can summon up a performance at home. Verdict: Cork
Meath v Monaghan, Páirc Tailteann, Navan, 2pm – At the other end of the table, this will effectively be a promotion play-off with the winners odds-on to rise. As Monaghan’s Micheál Bannigan noted, though, it wouldn’t be end of the world were they not to go up. The Ulster team are in development and this division has catered for that more comfortably than the to flight would. They’re not leading the way by accident and with Andy Moran coaching, are top scorers in the league but then again, their opponents are the second-most prolific team in the country. Meath also have Martin Corey coaching, a brother of former Monaghan manager Vinny and a member of his backroom team last year. He will have a reliable roadmap of the visitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Meath have put in a terrific run to recover from an opening day defeat but it may well end here. Verdict: Monaghan
Roscommon v Cavan, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 2pm – Roscommon opened the throttle down in Cork to keep pace after Meath had punctured their unbeaten record but Cavan have been on the revival trail themselves, showcasing work rate and a good turn of pace as well as Gearóid McKiernan’s quality up front. The home team, however, are by consensus the best in the division and look on course to maintain the extraordinary restlessness of rec restlessness of recent years by yo-yoing back to where they were last year. Verdict: Roscommon
That Derry goal again...
Derry 1-7 Mayo 0-9: A brief injury scare for Derry, replacement goalkeeper Neil McNicholl sustaining a knock to his shoulder, but he’s good to continue for now. Conor Glass adds another point for Derry.
Derry 1-6 Mayo 0-9: Derry are clearly up for this game, trying to keep alive some hope of relegation, but Mayo are staying in touch, Aidan O’Shea adding his first point on 25 minutes, before Ryan O’Donoghue levels it again.
Derry 1-4 Mayo 0-5: After a couple of uncharacteristic misses, Shane McGuigan puts Derry back in front with a fine point on 21 minutes, with McGurk adding another point to extend the lead.
It was confirmed this morning that Sunday’s AFL Division Three match between Leitrim and Fermanagh has been called off with the points awarded to the Ulster county. A shortage of players because of injury and imminent under-20 commitments was stated to be the reason by Leitrim GAA.
Read Sean Moran here https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2025/03/16/leitrm-forfeit-league-game-to-fermanagh-due-to-lack-of-players/
Derry 1-2 Mayo 0-5: Matthew Ruane adds another point for Mayo, on 15 minutes, after Derry lost goalkeeper Odhran Lynch to injury after 13 minutes, replaced by Neil McNicholl.
Derry 1-2 Mayo 0-4: It’s a free flowing start in sunny Celtic Park, Ryan O’Donoghue adding his second point for Mayo after 12 minutes.
Here’s how the football tables look after Saturday’s games -
RESULTS –
NFL Division 1
Dublin 2-19 Galway 2-13, Croke Park
Kerry 2-21 Armagh 0-17, Austin Stack Park, Tralee
NFL Division 2
Down 1-26 Westmeath 0-28, Páirc Esler, Newry
NFL Division 3
Laois 1-21 Clare 2-22, Laois Hire O’Moore Park
NFL Division 4
Waterford 1-19 London 2-11, Fraher Field, Dungarvan
Wexford 1-13 Tipperary 1-12, Chadwicks Wexford Park
Carlow 2-20 Longford 0-14, Netwatch Cullen Park
NHL Division 1A
Kilkenny 0-29 Limerick 0-20, UPMC Nowlan Park
NHL Division 1B
Laois 0-29 Carlow 2-26, Laois Hire O’Moore Park
NHL Division 2
Meath 2-30 Down 4-21, Trim
NFL HL Division 3
Cavan 2-15 Armagh 2-21, Kingspan Breffni, Cavan
NFL Div 1 P W D L Dif Pts
Galway 6 3 2 1 17 8
Donegal 5 4 0 1 10 8
Dublin 6 4 0 2 8 8
Kerry 6 3 0 3 11 6
Mayo 5 2 1 2 -8 5
Armagh 6 2 1 3 -9 5
Tyrone 5 1 1 3 -6 3
Derry 5 0 1 4 -24 1
NFL Div 2 P W D L Dif Pts
Monaghan 5 4 0 1 24 8
Roscommon 5 4 0 1 21 8
Meath 5 4 0 1 19 8
Cavan 5 3 0 2 -6 6
Louth 5 2 0 3 -11 4
Cork 5 2 0 3 -17 4
Down 6 2 0 4 -11 4
Westmeath 6 0 0 6 -19 0
NFL Div 3 P W D L Dif Pts
(Including Fermanagh walkover win against Leitrim)
Kildare 5 4 0 1 54 8
Offaly 5 4 0 1 31 8
Clare 6 4 0 2 16 8
Fermanagh 6 3 1 2 -15 7
Laois 6 3 0 3 11 6
Antrim 5 2 0 3 -2 4
Sligo 5 1 1 3 -18 3
Leitrim 6 0 0 5 -77 0
NFL Div 4 P W D L Dif Pts
Wexford 6 6 0 0 53 12
Limerick 5 3 1 1 20 7
Wicklow 5 3 0 2 7 6
Carlow 6 2 1 3 1 5
Tipperary 6 2 1 3 -3 5
Longford 6 2 1 3 -19 5
London 6 2 0 4 -29 4
Waterford 6 1 0 5 -3 2
Derry 1-0 Mayo 0-1: A goal for Derry after four minutes, beautifully finished by Patrick McGurk, has the home team in front, responding to an early point by Ryan O’Donoghue.
