Big Final Round Of Allianz Football League Games In Store This Weekend

Wed, 23rd March 2022

The final round of divisional games in the Allianz Football League this weekend promises to be one of the most exciting for many years with most of the big decisions still to be reached.

There will, no doubt, be many twists and turns on Sunday afternoon as the drama unfolds at the various venues before final pairings, promotion and relegation places are settled.

Kerry are through to the Division 1 final; Galway will be promoted from Division 2 where Down will be relegated. Everything else is up for grabs.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1

Sunday (1.45): Donegal v Armagh, Letterkenny; Kerry v Tyrone, Fitzgerald Stadium; Mayo v Kildare, Avant Money Sean Mac Diarmada; Monaghan v Dublin, Clones.

Kerry (11pts) are through to the final but it’s extremely tight elsewhere, with only three points separating the other seven teams. It offers a lengthy list of possibilities in the concluding round of what has been a fascinating campaign. Mayo or Armagh (7pts each) are best placed to join Kerry in the final, while Kildare, Donegal, Tyrone (5pts each), Dublin, Monaghan (4pts each) are in danger of relegation.

If Mayo and Armagh both win, Mayo will qualify for the final, having won the head-to-head clash with Kieran McGeeney’s men. However, if both lose, Kildare, Donegal and Tyrone could all be in contention for a place in the final.

The losers of Monaghan v Dublin will be relegated. Even the winners aren’t guaranteed safety as Kildare, Donegal and Tyrone are a point ahead of them going into the final round.

Armagh and Donegal drew in last year’s Allianz League. Kerry beat Tyrone by 16 points in last year’s League semi-final but the Ulstermen avenged that defeat in the All-Ireland semi-final, winning by a point in extra-time. Monaghan and Dublin drew in their last League clash two years ago while Mayo beat Kildare by seven points in their last League meeting in 2018.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2

Sunday (2.0): Down v Clare, Newry; Meath v Derry, Pairc Tailteann; Offaly v Cork, Bord na Mona O’Connor Park; Roscommon v Galway, Dr. Hyde Park.

Galway (12 pts) are already guaranteed promotion and will be joined by Roscommon (10pts) or Derry (9pts).

Roscommon host Galway while Derry travel to Navan to take on mid-table Meath (6pts), who aren’t in the promotion race while being free of relegation worries.

Galway beat Roscommon by six points in last year’s Allianz League (Div 1) and by five points in the Connacht championship. Derry and Meath last met in the League in 2017 when the Royals won by 15 points.

Down (one point) cannot avoid relegation and will be joined by the losers of Offaly v Cork (3pts each). Technically, Clare (4pts) are still in the relegation mix as a draw between Offaly and Cork would take them to four points. Clare would remain on four points if they lost to Down but have a much better scoring difference (-7) than Cork (-27) and Offaly (-34) so they would have to lose very heavily on Sunday to be relegated.

Clare beat Down by two points in their last League clash in 2018 while Cork beat Offaly by seven points in their last League meeting (Div 3) two years ago.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3

Sunday (2.0): Antrim v Westmeath, Corrigan Park; Laois v Longford, MW Hire O’Moore Park; Limerick v Fermanagh, TUS Gaelic Grounds; Wicklow v Louth, Aughrim.

Mickey Harte’s first season as Louth manager last year yielded promotion from Division 4 and they are now poised to move up another notch. Leading Division 3 on nine points, a win or draw against Wicklow would see them promoted. Louth beat Wicklow by ten points in their last League meeting in 2016.

Limerick (8pts) will be promoted if they beat Fermanagh but a defeat would open the way for Antrim or Westmeath (7 pts each), who meet in Corrigan Park. Fermanagh beat Limerick by nine points in their last League clash in 2015.

Two from Longford, Wicklow (3pts each) and Laois (5pts) will be relegated. Laois play Longford in what will be the first League clash between the counties since 2019 when the O’Moore men won by two points.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4

Saturday: Tipperary v London, FBD Semple Stadium, 7.0

Sunday (1.0): Carlow v Wexford, Netwatch Cullen Park; Cavan v Waterford, Kingspan Breffni; Sligo v Leitrim, Markievicz Park.

Cavan and Tipperary, respective Ulster and Munster champions in 2020, were pre-season favourites to be promoted and with both at home in the final round they are well-placed to reach their first target of the season.

Cavan (10pts) host bottom-of-the-table Waterford (one point) while Tipperary (9 pts) host London. Tipp beat London by 12 points in their last League clash in 2014 while Cavan beat Waterford by a point in their last League meeting in 2011.

The battle for third place is between Connacht rivals, Sligo and Leitrim, both of whom are on eight points. Sligo beat Leitrim by seven points in last year’s League. Carlow beat Wexford by a point last year.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2022: RESULTS AND FIXTURES

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1

Round 1: Armagh 2-15 Dublin 1-13; Mayo 0-11 Donegal 0-11; Kildare 0-13 Kerry 1-10; Tyrone 0-9 Monaghan 0-9.

Round 2: Kerry 1-15 Dublin 0-11; Armagh 2-14 Tyrone 0-14; Donegal 2-11 Kildare 1-9; Mayo 2-10 Monaghan 1-11.

Round 3: Armagh 1-7 Monaghan 0-10; Mayo 2-11 Dublin 0-12: Kerry 1-13 Donegal 0-7; Tyrone 2-7 Kildare 0-12.

Round 4: Donegal 2-10 Tyrone 0-12; Kildare 1-12 Dublin 0-12; Mayo 0-15 Armagh 1-10; Kerry 3-14 Monaghan 1-12.

Round 5: Armagh 1-12 Kildare 0-10; Kerry 1-12 Mayo 0-14; Monaghan 1-12 Donegal 0-10; Dublin 0-13 Tyrone 0-8.

Round 6: Tyrone 0-11 Mayo 0-9; Kerry 1-13 Armagh 0-13; Kildare 0-24 Monaghan 1-12; Dublin 2-15 Donegal 2-11.

Round 7: Mar 27: Donegal v Armagh; Kerry v Tyrone; Mayo v Kildare; Monaghan v Dublin.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2

Round 1: Galway 1-14 Meath 0-6; Roscommon 1-13 Cork 0-10; Clare 1-13 Offaly 0-7; Derry 1-10 Down 0-6.

Round 2: Galway 1-12 Down 0-9; Cork 1-13 Clare 1-13; Roscommon 1-15 Meath 1-11; Derry 2-13 Offaly 0-7.

Round 3: Derry 1-13 Cork 0-7; Galway 2-17 Offaly 3-10; Meath 2-6 Down 2-6; Roscommon 0-9 Clare 0-9.

Round 4: Offaly 1-10 Meath 1-10; Galway 3-22 Cork 2-17; Roscommon 1-18 Down 0-10; Derry 2-13 Clare 0-10.

Round 5: Offaly 0-15 Down 0-14; Galway 2-8 Clare 1-5; Meath 1-18 Cork 1-10; Roscommon 0-12 Derry 0-12.

Round 6: Cork 1-16 Down 1-12; Galway 4-11 Derry 0-12; Meath 0-10 Clare 0-9; Roscommon 2-18 Offaly 0-14.

Round 7: Mar 27: Down v Clare; Meath v Derry; Offaly v Cork; Roscommon v Galway.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3

Round 1: Laois 3-9 Louth 1-10; Westmeath 1-16 Wicklow 2-8; Limerick 4-9 Longford 1-11; Antrim 1-14 Fermanagh 0-8.

Round 2: Limerick 2-9 Antrim 0-11; Westmeath 2-11 Laois 0-11; Longford 0-9 Louth 1-6; Wicklow 1-10 Fermanagh 2-7.

Round 3: Antrim 2-10 Wicklow 1-7; Louth 1-14 Limerick 1-12; Fermanagh 3-15 Laois 3-9; Longford 0-14 Westmeath 0-10.

Round 4: Limerick 1-13 Wicklow 1-9; Laois 1-8 Antrim 1-8; Fermanagh 3-11 Longford 1-10; Louth 1-15 Westmeath 1-13.

Round 5: Antrim 1-19 Longford 0-12; Louth 2-12 Fermanagh 0-14; Westmeath 1-12 Limerick 1-6; Laois 1-17 Wicklow 0-8.

Round 6: Limerick 0-15 Laois 0-14; Wicklow 0-20 Longford 2-14; Louth 1-12 Antrim 1-8; Westmeath 1-9 Fermanagh 0-12.

Round 7: Mar 27: Antrim v Westmeath; Laois v Longford; Limerick v Fermanagh; Wicklow v Louth.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4

Round 1: London 2-11 Carlow 1-13; Cavan 0-12 Leitrim 0-8; Sligo 0-12 Wexford 0-10; Waterford 0-10 Tipperary 0-10.

Round 2: London 1-12 Waterford 2-8; Sligo 0-28 Carlow 0-5; Cavan 0-17 Wexford 1-8; Leitrim 2-16 Tipperary 2-8.

Round 3: Carlow 2-12 Waterford 2-8; London 2-5 Leitrim 0-9; Cavan 1-13 Sligo 0-10; Tipperary 4-4 Wexford 0-15.

Round 4: Tipperary 1-13 Sligo 1-9; Wexford 0-11 London 1-6; Cavan 0-19 Carlow 1-12; Leitrim 2-17 Waterford 1-13.

Round 5: Sligo 3-19 London 0-10; Leitrim 2-14 Carlow 1-10; Tipperary 1-11 Cavan 1-7; Wexford 0-15 Waterford 0-14.

Round 6: Cavan 1-15 London 2-11; Sligo 0-15 Waterford 1-11; Leitrim 3-9 Wexford 1-11; Tipperary 2-16 Carlow 0-11.

Round 7: Carlow v Wexford, Netwatch Cullen Park, 1.0; Cavan v Waterford, Kingspan Breffni, 6.0; Tipperary v London, FBD Semple Stadium, 7.0

March 27th: Sligo v Leitrim, Markievicz Park, 1.0

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE SHORTS

*Kerry’s excellent Allianz League form continues. They will top Division 1 and qualify for the final, having also reached last year’s final (v Dublin), which wasn’t played. They were crowned 2020 champions after topping the group- no final was played due to Covid. They also reached the 2019 final where they lost to Mayo.

*Armagh, who play Donegal on Sunday, are bidding to reach the Division 1 final for the first time since 2005 when they beat Wexford.

*Dublin and Monaghan, both on four points at the bottom of the Division 1 table, are in relegation trouble. Monaghan were last in Division 2 in 2014 while Dublin were last there in 2008.

*What will it take to avoid relegation from Division 1? Last year’s Allianz League didn’t have a seven-game programme because of Covid but in the previous four seasons the number of points required to stay in the top flight was as follows: 2020 – 6; 2019 – 4; 2018 – 5; 2017 – 5. In 2016, Down were well off the pace, finishing last with no points. Donegal, Mayo, Monaghan and Cork all finished on six points, with Cork relegated on scoring difference.

*Galway is the only county with a 100 per cent record after six rounds, having won all their games in Division 2. Kerry (Div 1) and Roscommon (Div 2) are the only other unbeaten teams. Kerry won five and drew one; Roscommon won four and drew two.

*Down (Div 2) and Waterford (Div 4) are the only counties without a win. Both have drawn once. Down are on their way back down to Division 3 after two seasons in Division 2

*Last Sunday (v Kerry) was the first time in six games that Armagh didn’t score a goal. Kerry have scored at least one goal in all six games. Tyrone scored two goals against Kildare but failed to find the net in any of their other six games.

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE TOP SCORERS

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1

Jimmy Hyland (Kildare)......2-27 (0-9 frees, 0-5 mark)

Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo)..1-29 (0-23 frees, 0-2 mark)

David Clifford (Kerry)..........4-18 (0-4 frees)

Rian O’Neill (Armagh).........1-21 (0-13 frees, 0-1 ‘45’, 0-1 mark)

Dean Rock (Dublin).............1-21 (0-18 frees, 1-0 pen)

Conor McManus (Monaghan)...1-21 (0-16 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 mark)

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2

Shane McGuigan (Derry)...... 1-27 (0-20 frees)

Steven Sherlock (Cork)..........1-27 (0-18 frees, 0-1 ‘45’)

Shane Walsh (Galway)... .......2-20 (0-13 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 mark)