It will be East v West in the Allianz Football League Division 1 final on Sunday week when Dublin play Galway in Croke Park at 4.0. They last met in a League final in 1967 when Galway won by two points in the ‘home’ decider.
Last Sunday’s clash between the counties finished level (0-13 each) in Pearse Stadium, providing the ideal backdrop to their re-match in the final. Dublin will be bidding to win the title for the fifth time in six seasons while Galway last won the title in 1981.
First though, there’s a busy programme ahead next Sunday which features Round 7 games in all four Allianz Football League divisions.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1: ONLY ONE REMAINING ISSUE TO BE DECIDED
Sunday (3.0): Dublin v Monaghan, Croke Park; Kildare v Galway, Newbridge; Tyrone v Kerry, Omagh; Donegal v Mayo, Ballybofey.
WHAT’S DECIDED: Dublin and Galway will meet in the Allianz Football League Division 1 final on Sunday week. Kildare will be relegated to Division 2.
WHAT’S TO BE DECIDED? The losers of Donegal v Mayo will be relegated. A draw would be enough for Mayo to survive as they have four points, two ahead of Donegal. If Donegal win they will stay up, having won the head-to-head clash with Mayo.
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It’s unusual to have most of the key issues settled ahead of the last round. It leaves Donegal v Mayo as the most important game in the Division next Sunday as they both battle to avoid the drop. Mayo have not been in Division 2 since 1997 while Donegal’s last season there was in 2014. Donegal’s only win in this year’s Allianz Football League so far was against Kildare while Mayo’s two wins were against Kildare and Monaghan. Mayo beat Donegal by two points in last year’s Allianz Football League.
It’s second against last in Newbridge where Kildare, who have lost all six games, host Galway, who have booked a place in the final for the first time since 2006 after winning five and drawing one. Galway beat Kildare twice in last year’s Allianz Football League (Division 2), winning the group game by 0-14 to 0-13 and the final by 0-20 to 0-16.
Dublin and Monaghan also met twice last year, with Jim Gavin’s men winning both games. They won the an Allianz Football League Division 1 clash by 2-15 to 1-15 and the All-Ireland quarter-final by 1-19 to 0-12. Monaghan’s last win over Dublin was in the 2006 Allianz Football League.
Kerry and Tyrone (both on six points) will be trying to ensure they finish in the top half of the table when they meet in Omagh. Kerry won last year’s meeting of both sides in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League clash by 1-21 to 2-11.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2: ROSCOMMON, CAVAN AND TIPPERARY IN RACE FOR PROMOTION PLACES
Sunday (3.0): Roscommon v Cork, Dr. Hyde Park; Meath v Down, Pairc Tailteann, Navan; Cavan v Tipperary, Kingspan Breffni Park; Clare v Louth, Cusack Park, Ennis.
Roscommon and Cavan, both of whom dropped out of Division 1 at the end of last season, and Tipperary, who came up from Division 3 this year are in contention for the promotion places. Roscommon and Cavan are both on nine points from six games while Tipperary are on seven points from five games (their game with Down was postponed last weekend).
They play Cavan in Kingspan Breffni on Sunday, where the home side will be guaranteed promotion if they win. Tipperary beat Cavan (2-15 to 0-18) in last year’s All-Ireland qualifiers.
A Roscommon win over Cork would see them promoted. The counties last met in the 2016 Allianz Football League (Div 1) when Roscommon won on the remarkable score-line of 4-25 to 3-10 in Pairc Ui Rinn.
Meath (3 pts) and Down (4pts) both have relegation concerns, which makes the result of their game in Navan very important. Down beat Meath by two points in last year’s Allianz Football League. Both will still have one game to play after next Sunday (Down v Tipperary, Meath v Louth).
Louth, who have lost all five games, play Clare, whom they last met in the Allianz Football League in 2015. Louth won that game (Div 3) by 1-16 to 0-13.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3: ARMAGH SECURE PROMOTION AFTER TWO SEASONS
Sunday (3.0): Longford v Fermanagh, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park; Sligo v Derry, Markievicz Park; Westmeath v Offaly, TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar; (1.0) Wexford v Armagh, Innovate Wexford Park
Armagh (11 pts) are guaranteed to be promoted and will be joined by one from Longford (9 pts), Fermanagh (9 pts), and Westmeath (8 pts). Armagh spent two seasons in Division 3. The winners of Longford v Fermanagh will join them in Division 2 next year. If it’s a draw and Westmeath win, scoring difference will decide which of the trio are promoted. The odds are very much against Westmeath as they have a scoring difference of +1, while Longford are +27 and Fermanagh +18. That means that if Longford and Fermanagh draw and Westmeath don’t win, Longford will be promoted because of their superior scoring difference over Fermanagh.
Longford and Fermanagh last met in the 2014 Allianz Football League (Division 4) when the Leinster men won by a point, 1-15 to 2-11.
It’s top against bottom in Innovate Wexford Park where Armagh will attempt to complete the campaign without defeat while Wexford, who are on their way back to Division 4 after one season in Division 3, are still looking for their first point. The last Armagh-Wexford game was in 2015 (Division 3) when the Orchard county won by 2-13 to 1-8.
Derry and Sligo, currently fifth and sixth respectively meet in Markievicz Park in what will be their first Allianz Football League meeting since 2011 (Division 2) when Derry won.
Westmeath need to beat Offaly to have any chance of keeping their promotion hopes alive while Offaly need to win to have any chance of escaping from the relegation places. The sides drew in last year’s Leinster championship before Westmeath won the replay by 11 points.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4: CARLOW ON THEIR WAY TO DIVISION 3
Sunday: (1.0): London v Waterford, McGovern Park, Ruislip; Limerick v Antrim, Newcastlewest; Carlow v Laois, Netwatch Cullen Park. Leitrim v Wicklow, (3.0) Carrick-on-Shannon.
Carlow are in the happy position of having secured promotion with one round remaining. They can still have a major say on who joins them in Division 3 next year when they play Laois, who are vying with Antrim for the second promotion place. A Laois (10 points) win would ensure promotion but if they lost and Antrim (7 points) beat Limerick, it would all come down to the Laois-Antrim clash on the following weekend.
Carlow and Laois last met in 2015 when Laois won by 3-16 to 0-8 in the Leinster championship.
Antrim need to beat Limerick to have any chance of staying in the promotion hunt.
Wicklow, who are still looking for their first win of the campaign, take on Leitrim who beat them in last year’s Allianz Football League while Waterford will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s win over London.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2018: RESULTS AND FIXTURES
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1
Round 1: Dublin 2-17 Kildare 2-10; Galway 1-9 Tyrone 0-8; Kerry 2-18 Donegal 3-14; Mayo 0-13 Monaghan 0-12.
Round 2: Kerry 1-15 Mayo 2-9; Dublin 2-13 Tyrone 1-11; Monaghan 1-10 Kildare 0-12; Galway 1-12 Donegal 0-14.
Round 3: Dublin 0-20 Donegal 0-15; Galway 1-13 Mayo 0-11 Tyrone 1-16 Kildare 0-18; Monaghan 1-13 Kerry 0-14.
Round 4: Dublin 2-10 Mayo 0-12; Monaghan 0-15 Tyrone 0-14; Donegal 1-15 Kildare 3-7; Galway 1-14 Kerry 0-14.
Round 5: Dublin 2-17 Kerry 0-11; Tyrone 2-13 Donegal 1-10; Galway 0-17 Monaghan 1-10 Mayo 1-19 Kildare 1-12.
Round 6: Kerry 0-19 Kildare 0-14; Galway 0-13 Dublin 0-13; Tyrone 2-14 Mayo 0-8; Monaghan 1-16 Donegal 1-10.
Round 7: Mar 25: Donegal v Mayo; Dublin v Monaghan; Kildare v Galway; Tyrone v Kerry.
Final: Apr 1, Croke Park, 4.0
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 2
Round 1: Clare 1-12 Cavan 2-9; Tipperary 3-16 Cork 1-16; Down 1-14 Louth 0-11; Roscommon 2-12 Meath 2-12.
Round 2: Cavan 3-17 Louth 0-14; Cork 1-13 Down 0-10; Meath 0-21 Clare 0-7; Roscommon 1-17 Tipperary 3-9.
Round 3: Clare 0-11 Tipperary 0-11; Cork 2-11 Louth 0-10; Down 0-12 Roscommon 0-7; Cavan 2-14 Meath 1-12.
Round 4: Tipperary 2-15 Meath 1-10; Cavan 0-14 Cork 0-11; Clare 1-14 Down 1-12; Roscommon 1-21 Louth 0-12.
Round 5: Cavan 0-17 Down 0-14; Roscommon 2-19 Clare 2-12; Cork 2-16 Meath1-15; Tipperary 2-17 Louth 0-9.
Round 6: Clare 0-14 Cork 0-12; Roscommon 0-15 Cavan 0-13. Louth v Meath; Down v Tipperary – Postponed
Round 7: Mar 25: Cavan v Tipperary; Clare v Louth; Meath v Down; Roscommon v Cork.
Final: Apr 1 or Apr 7.
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3
Round 1: Armagh 2-17 Sligo 0-9; Westmeath 2-17 Derry 2-14; Fermanagh 3-7 Wexford 2-5; Longford 3-18 Offaly 1-13.
Round 2: Fermanagh 2-11 Offaly 1-6; Longford 1-13 Derry 1-6; Sligo 1-16 Wexford 1-13; Armagh 2-17 Westmeath 1-11.
Round 3: Armagh 1-11 Longford 1-10; Westmeath 0-16 Wexford 1-10; Derry 1-15 Offaly 0-13; Fermanagh 0-13 Sligo 0-8.
Round 4: Fermanagh 1-16 Derry 3-8; Longford 1-12 Wexford 0-9; Armagh 1-15 Offaly 1-9; Westmeath 0-20 Sligo 0-14.
Round 5: Armagh 1-15 Derry 0-14; Sligo 0-18 Longford 2-12; Westmeath 0-14 Fermanagh 1-9; Offaly 1-13 Wexford 1-10.
Round 6: Derry 2-20 Wexford 3-8; Fermanagh 0-7 Armagh 0-7: Longford 1-16 Westmeath 1-12; Offaly 0-8 Sligo 0-8.
Round 7: Mar 25: Longford v Fermanagh; Sligo v Derry; Westmeath v Offaly; Wexford v Armagh.
Final: Mar 31-Apr 1
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 4
Round 1: Carlow 2-14 London 2-9; Laois 2-12 Limerick 0-9; Antrim 0-15 Leitrim 0-5; Wicklow 0-12 Waterford 0-12.
Round 2: Laois 3-16 Leitrim 3-10; Carlow 2-11 Limerick 0-14; London 1-16 Wicklow 0-10; Antrim 2-12 Waterford 0-10.
Round 3: Laois 0-18 Waterford 1-11; Carlow 2-11 Leitrim 0-5; Antrim 0-12 Wicklow 0-12; London 2-8 Limerick 2-8.
Round 4: Carlow 2-12 Waterford 2-9; Leitrim 2-18 Limerick 1-9 Laois 1-16 Wicklow 0-10; Antrim 0-17 London 0-13.
Round 5: Carlow 1-17 Wicklow 0-12; Limerick 2-10 Waterford 2-9; Mar 31/Apr 1: London v Leitrim; Laois v Antrim;
Round 6: Laois 0-17 London 2-9; Carlow 1-12 Antrim 0-12; Waterford v Leitrim; Wicklow v Limerick.
Round 7: Mar 25: Carlow v Laois; Leitrim v Wicklow; Limerick v Antrim; London v Waterford.
Final: Mar 31-Apr 1 or April 7.
