Ian O'Riordan previews all the GAA weekend action from around the country
(All games 2.30pm unless stated)
Today
National Hurling League (Round Two)
Division Three B
Tyrone v Cavan, Carrickmore
Both teams lost their opening games last weekend, but Tyrone look in far better shape after scoring 3-12 against Fermanagh, whereas Cavan only managed 0-6 against Longford.
Tomorrow
National Hurling League (Round Two)
Division One A
Cork v Waterford, Páirc Uí Rinn
Some said the Waterford captaincy would just put extra pressure on Paul Flynn, but that certainly didn't show last Sunday when he hit 1-6 in a hard-fought win over Wexford. He's probably not at his fittest yet either, so the reality is it's likely to be a big year for Flynn.
Tomorrow's meeting with the All-Ireland champions throws up enough recent rivalry to guarantee the match of the day. Neither team will want to lose. Waterford come into it a little better off, with John Mullane and Eoin Kelly also showing up well against Wexford, while Ballygunner forward Shane O'Sullivan - in fine form with UCC - has earned his chance in the forward line.
Cork looked unseasonably competitive against Offaly last week while earning a draw, and John Allen has added a little more bite to his team by calling back Tom Kenny and Brian Murphy, while also giving Conor Cusack - younger brother of goalkeeper Donal Óg - a first start at corner forward. Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and the O'Connor twins are still absent, but with places on this Cork side at a premium the desire to impress should help them secure the win.
Wexford v Clare, Wexford Park
It's hard to know how much of Clare's demolition job on Down last Sunday had to do with the recent rumblings surrounding the present and former managements, but 5-21 is an impressive score. Anthony Daly is without forward Andrew Quinn, who sustained a knee injury last Sunday and in an ironic twist to the recent controversies has still ended up on the treatment table of Ger Hartmann.
Fergal Lynch takes his place in the forward line, but Niall Gilligan and Seán McMahon are still ruled out with shoulder injuries.
Wexford welcome back Darragh Ryan to their defence to boost their cause, yet manager Séamus Murphy is still caught badly with injuries. Teenager PJ Nolan is called into the forward line and, while they'll probably improve on the 0-13 scored against Waterford, it's likely they'll still fall short against Clare's artillery.
Down v Offaly, Ballycran, 1.30pm
Down's campaign was always going to be about survival, and their heavy defeat to Clare last Sunday doesn't bode well. Manager John Crossey is hopeful the return of the Ballygalget players will lift spirits, and it is important they show themselves to be a little more competitive against Offaly. But that's not going to be easy.
Offaly were well worth their draw against Cork last Sunday, leading for most of the first half and then clawing Cork back in the end with points from Brian Carroll and Joe Bergin. Manager John McIntyre has had his team back training since November and work is starting to show, especially with such a spread of scorers last Sunday.
It would be just like Offaly to lose this one after playing so well against Cork last Sunday, but given Down's current form that's unlikely to happen.
Division One B
Tipperary v Kilkenny, Semple Stadium
It was inevitable Tipperary's performances wouldn't end on the field once Babs Keating returned as manager. That was the case after last Sunday's draw with Limerick, which saw Keating start preaching afterwards about things being totally different come the championship, and something about Galway being everyone's favourite for the All-Ireland.
Inside, Keating must have been reasonably happy with what he saw. Conor O'Mahony definitely looks the part at centre back, Séamus Butler hit 1-7 and team captain Ger "Redser" O'Grady also looks to be settling down well. Former footballers Liam England and Niall Curren are replaced by Damien McGrath and Ken Dunne and the feeling is Tipperary will step up a little more from last Sunday.
Of course, they'll need to. Kilkenny don't do league matches at anything less than full speed, and that showed with their 1-26 total against Laois last Sunday. Brian Cody welcomes back the James Stephens contingent, including new captain Jackie Tyrrell, but it's the younger crew of Richie Power and Michael Rice who can lead them to another win.
Galway v Limerick, Pearse Stadium
Conor Hayes described last Sunday's shock defeat to Antrim as a "wake-up call", although it's still a little early in the year for the beaten All-Ireland finalists to start panicking. While the absence of the Portumna crew limits the options a little, Hayes will want to see more action up front.
Limerick scored two superb goals in last Sunday's draw with Tipperary, one by Andrew O'Shaughnessy and the other by Niall Moran. That was a game they had won until Tipperary scored 1-1 in injury-time, and there was no doubt they looked sharper than Tipperary over the 70 minutes. Galway are likely to improve on last week but Limerick can still grab the points.
Laois v Antrim, Portlaoise
It was a little ironic Antrim formally opted out of the Liam MacCarthy Cup the day after they'd beaten last season's losing All-Ireland finalists, but there is a feeling in the county now that they must endure some short-term loss for a long-term gain.
They definitely got the best out of themselves last Sunday, with Johnny McIntosh's late goal securing the win over Galway, and their performance did reflect the renewed commitment under new manager Jim McKernan.
Tomorrow's meeting has the added attraction of matching Antrim with a Laois team now led by their former manager, Dinny Cahill, who walked away last summer. Laois started out well against Kilkenny last Sunday, but fell apart later on, and certain members of the county board were quick to question Cahill's tactics.
Yet, Cahill knows his hurling and Laois should do enough to secure the points here, especially with Tipperary, Limerick and Galway to come.
Division Two A
Roscommon v Derry, Knockrockery
Derry contested strongly against Dublin last Sunday and could well have bagged the points had they not been wasteful in the first half. That form should handle Roscommon, who fell to Carlow last week.
Dublin v Wicklow, Parnell Park
It's been a long time since these two counties played a competitive hurling match and when they last did Dublin were expected to win. That hasn't changed and manager Tommy Naughton will be looking for another solid show from his young team as he looks to guide them back to the top division. Although Wicklow lost to Meath last Sunday, they scored 2-12 and won't be easily beaten.
Meath v Carlow, Navan
It's been a roller-coaster few years for Meath hurling but last Sunday's win over Wicklow suggested things are settling down. Carlow had a good win over Roscommon but home advantage should be enough to inspire Meath.
Division Two B
Kerry v Mayo, Tralee, 1.30pm
Kerry's three-point win over London suggested things are still slow moving on the hurling front down in the Kingdom, but the visitors were still the Rackard Cup holders. Mayo looked good against Kildare last week so this one will be equally hard to split, but Kerry can just about sneak it.
Kildare v Westmeath, Newbridge
Westmeath had a bye last weekend so this marks the first outing of the year for the Christy Ring champions. Kildare struggled against Mayo last Sunday, so Westmeath get the nod.
Division Three A
Monaghan v Leitrim, Monaghan Harps
Monaghan's first match was postponed last Sunday, while Leitrim drew with Louth - perhaps enough to give them the advantage here.
Louth v Donegal, Clan na Gael,Dundalk
The first game of the year for Donegal should end in their first defeat.
Division Three B
Longford v Armagh, Michael Fay Park
The home team look certainties based on their 3-14 score against Cavan.
Dr McKenna Cup Final
Tyrone v Monaghan, Casement, 2.30
The rest of the year, Mickey Harte might say, starts here. Two successive league defeats and the wrath of the CDC has brought the All-Ireland champions straight back to ground zero and a victory is far more necessary than Harte could ever have thought.
Gavlin Devlin and Philip Jordan both make their first starts of the season, while the presence of Stephen O'Neill and Brian McGuigan still presents the fear factor. Monaghan are equally weakened through injury and could well suffer a bit of Tyrone backlash.
Connacht SF League Final
Mayo v Galway, Tuam, 2pm
Galway are still without team captain Pádraic Joyce and the Salthill contingent so it's going to be another experimental afternoon for the Connacht champions.
Mayo, in contrast, are riding high after two league wins and should secure the first piece of western silverware for Mickey Moran.
