The west is very much awake in the 2023 Allianz Football League, with Roscommon, Mayo and Galway filling the top three positions in Division 1 while Sligo and Leitrim are in second and third places in Division 4.
Between them they have lost only three of 15 games.
Roscommon are the only team on full points after three rounds in Division 1, followed by Mayo on four and Galway on three. Armagh are also on three points but Galway have a slightly better scoring difference.
Dublin and Derry are both on full points in Division 2, as are Cavan in Division 3 and Laois in Division 4.
Galway travel to Donegal this Sunday (26th February) in Division 1. Throw-in at O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny is 12.30pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM.
==
DIVISION 1: ROSSIES BID TO TAKE UNBEATEN RUN TO TWELVE
Saturday: Kerry v Armagh, Tralee, 5.0; Mayo v Tyrone, Castlebar.
Sunday: Donegal v Galway, Letterkenny 12.30; Monaghan v Roscommon, Clones, 2.30
Roscommon really are enjoying a special Allianz League run. Unbeaten since losing a Division 1 play-off to Armagh in June 2021, they have since won promotion from Division 2 as champions (2022) and powered to the top of Division 1 this season with three wins.
It takes their unbeaten League run 11 games, during which they have beaten Galway (three times), Cork, Meath, Down, Offaly, Tyrone, Armagh and drawn with Clare and Derry.
The quest to take it to twelve will continue in Clones on Sunday, when they meet Monaghan, who picked up their first points with a win over Donegal last Sunday. It will be the first League clash between Monaghan and Roscommon since 2019 when the Connacht men won a Division 1 tie by two points.
Mayo moved into second place on the table after an impressive win over Kerry in Castlebar in Round 3 and will have home advantage again when they line up against Tyrone in Round 4 on Saturday.
Tyrone (two defeats, one win so far) beat Mayo in their last two League meetings in 2022 and 2020 and also beat them in the 2021 All-Ireland final. It leaves Mayo seeking their first win over the Ulstermen since the 2019 League. Tyrone lost for the second time in three games last Sunday, going down by three points to Galway.
The Tribesmen (three points) travel to Letterkenny to take on Donegal (two points). Galway beat Donegal by a point in their last two League meetings in 2020 and 2018.
Armagh (three points) lost their unbeaten tag when going down to Roscommon and now face the long trip to Tralee to take on Kerry (two points). The Kingdom beat Armagh by three points in last year’s League.
==
ALLIANZ LEAGUE SNIPPETS
- Five counties are on full points after three rounds: Roscommon (Division 1), Derry, Dublin (Division 2), Cavan (Division 3), Laois (Division 4). Mayo are also unbeaten but dropped two points in draws with Galway and Armagh.
- Limerick (Division 2), Tipperary, Longford (Division 3) and Waterford (Division 4) are the only counties still waiting on their first points.
- It was a good weekend for home teams in Round 3, with 12 of them winning, while there were four away wins. Of the 48 games played in the first three round 26 were home wins, 18 were away successes and four were drawn.
- This is the first time since 2018 that Kerry have taken only two points from their first three games.
- Longford have made their worst start to the League for a decade losing all three games (Division 3). There were in Division 2 in 2013. It’s Limerick’s worst start since 2017 and Tipperary’s worst start since 2012.
TOP SCORERS
DIVISION 1
- Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo)......1-16 (12 frees, 1 mark)
- Darren McCurry (Tyrone).........0-15 (10 frees, 1 mark)
- Rian O’Neill (Armagh)..............0-14 (10 frees, 3’45s’, 1 mark)
- Conor McCarthy (Monaghan)..1-8 (0-6 frees, 1-0 pen)
- Darragh Roche (Kerry)..............1-7 (0-1 free)
- Matthew Tierney (Galway)........1-7 (0-3 frees)
- James Carr (Mayo).......................2-4 (0-M free)
- Diarmuid Murtagh (Roscommon)....1-7 (0-3 frees)
==
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2023: RESULTS & FIXTURES
DIVISION 1
- Round 1: Mayo 1-11 Galway 2-8; Donegal 0-13 Kerry 1-9; Roscommon 3-11 Tyrone 1-12; Armagh 1-14 Monaghan 1-12.
- Round 2: Kerry 3-16 Monaghan 0-14; Roscommon 0-9 Galway 0-8; Tyrone 0-16 Donegal 0-8; Armagh 0-17 Mayo 0-17.
- Round 3: Mayo 2-14 Kerry 1-10; Galway 0-16 Tyrone 0-13; Monaghan 1-20 Donegal 0-15; Roscommon 1-12 Armagh 0-12.
- Round 4: February 25: Kerry v Armagh; Mayo v Tyrone; February 26: Donegal v Galway; Monaghan v Roscommon.
- Round 5: March 4: Armagh v Donegal: March 5: Galway v Monaghan; Tyrone v Kerry; Roscommon v Mayo.
- Round 6: March 18: Armagh v Galway; Kerry v Roscommon; March 19: Monaghan v Tyrone; Donegal v Mayo.
- Round 7: March 26: Galway v Kerry; Roscommon v Donegal; Tyrone v Armagh; Mayo v Monaghan.
