Compiled by Jackie Cahill
THE 2024 TG4 All-Ireland Championships continue over the coming weekend, with 12 key fixtures across the Junior, Intermediate and Senior grades.
Some of the big guns at Senior level can seal quarter-final slots, while the last eight in the Intermediate series will be fully confirmed.
The Intermediate Championship quarter-final draw will be conducted on Monday morning, with the table-toppers in each group assured of a home tie in the knockout phase.
All four Senior championship games, meanwhile, are down for decision on Saturday.
Cork v Galway and Kerry v Waterford are the live TG4 games, while Mayo v Kildare and Tipperary v Armagh will be available to view on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.
The Intermediate and Junior Championship ties are fixed for Sunday, with the pivotal Group 2 Intermediate clash between Offaly and Monaghan scheduled for live coverage on the LGFA Facebook Page and YouTube channel.
There are four games also down for decision at Junior level.
2pm unless stated
Saturday June 15
TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship
Group 1 – Tipperary v Armagh; FBD Semple Stadium, 5.30pm – Live on Spórt TG4 YouTube
Armagh make the trip to Tipperary knowing that victory will guarantee a home quarter-final.
The Orchard County got the better of Meath by a single point in a cracking game at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds last Saturday and are in pole position in Group 1.
Tipperary will be hoping to make life difficult for the hosts and this is their first outing since losing out narrowly to Cork in the round-robin stages of the Munster Championship.
The Premier County make just one change in personnel from that fixture, with Clara English coming in to replace Katelyn Downey.
Armagh, meanwhile, make two changes to the team that saw off Meath, with Caroline O’Hanlon coming in for Blaithín Mackin at midfield, while Niamh Reel replaces Eve Lavery in the full-forward line.
Tipperary: L Fitzpatrick; E Kelly, L Spillane, E Cronin; C O’Dwyer, M Curley (capt.), S English; L Morrissey, A.R. Kennedy; C English, A Moloney, E Morrissey; M Creedon, A McGuigan, E McCarthy.
Armagh: A Carr; G Ferguson, C McCambridge (capt.), R Mulligan; C Towe, L McConville, D Coleman; N Coleman, C O’Hanlon; E Druse, A McCoy, S Quigley; N Reel, N Henderson, K Mallon.
Group 2 – Kerry v Waterford; Fitzgerald Stadium, 3pm – Live on TG4
Kerry, the 2022 and 2023 runners-up, opened their All-Ireland campaign with a draw against Donegal last Sunday.
The Kingdom go into this clash with Waterford, then, knowing that victory is a must if they’re to progress to the knock-out stages.
Waterford’s last competitive outing was against Kerry in the Munster Championship, a game they lost by just a point.
Déise boss Pat Sullivan has made six changes to the team that lined out on that occasion.
Kate McGrath, Alannah McNulty, Clodagh Carroll, Annie Fitzgerald, Molly Comerford and Mairead O’Brien all come into the starting team, with Aoibhe Waring, Eve Power, Aine O’Neill, Ellen Bolger, Caragh McCarthy and Lucie O’Shea dropping out.
Kerry, meanwhile, have included Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, who’s made cameo appearances off the bench in recent games, to start, with Katie Brosnan listed on the bench.
Kerry: C Butler; E Lynch, K Cronin, C Murphy; A O’Connell, D Kearney, A Dillane; M O’Connell, L Scanlon; N Carmody (capt.), L Ní Mhuircheartaigh, A Galvin; N Ní Chonchúir, E Dineen, D O’Leary.
Waterford: E O’Brien; C Murray, H Power, K McGrath; N Power, A Murray, A McNulty; K Hogan (capt.), E Murray; C Carroll, A Fitzgerald, M Comerford; K Murray, L McGregor, M O’Brien.
Group 3 – Cork v Galway; MTU Cork, 1pm – Live on TG4
Galway won by six points when the sides met in the 2023 Championship.
These are two teams who suffered relegation from Division 1 of the Lidl National League (Cork won when the sides met in the group stages back in January) but their championship form to date has been encouraging.
Galway wrestled back the Connacht crown from Mayo while Cork were competitive in the Munster Final against Kerry, particularly in the first half.
Cork were also impressive against Laois last weekend and they go into this one knowing that a win will hand them a home quarter-final.
Galway’s last competitive outing was that provincial final success and there are three changes to the team that lined out against Mayo, with Emilie Gavin, Aoife Ni Cheallaigh and Niamh Divilly coming in for Charlotte Cooney, Chellene Trill and Shauna Hynes.
Cork, meanwhile, have just one change to their starting team, with Shauna Cronin replacing Ava McAuliffe.
Cork: S Murphy; M Duggan, S Kelly, A Ryan; S McGoldrick, A Healy, D Kiely; M O’Callaghan (capt.), A O’Mahony; E Cleary, L O’Mahony, A McDonagh; S Cronin, K Quirke, R Leahy.
Galway: D Gower; M Jordan, S Ní Loingsigh, E Gavin; K Geraghty, N Ward, A Ni Cheallaigh; M Glynn, A Davoren (capt.); O Divilly, L Ward, N Divilly; E Reaney, L Coen, R Leonard.
Group 4 – Mayo v Kildare; Ballina Stephenites, 2pm – Live on Spórt TG4 YouTube
Mayo were well beaten by Dublin last weekend and will need swift improvement for a do or die clash with Kildare.
The Lilywhites, meanwhile, are heading into the All-Ireland series hoping to absorb Leinster Championship lessons, as they suffered defeats to Dublin and Meath.
Kildare did finish the provincial campaign on a high, however, with victory over Laois.
Manager Diane O’Hora welcomes back a host of key names as she makes nine changes in personnel.
Fiona Troute, Aoife Clifford, Lara Gilbert, Ruth Sargent, captain Grace Clifford, Claire Sullivan, Neasa Dooley, Ellen Dowling and Niamh Farrelly are all named to start, with Aine Mernagh, Laoise Lenehan, Mia Doherty, Ellie O’Toole, Aoife Kilkenny, Elaine Keogh, Sarah Munnelly, Erin Brereton Foley and Holly Tyrrell, who netted twice against Laois, dropping out.
Mayo have opted for changes too after the Dublin defeat, with Fionnuala McLaughlin and Sinéad Cafferky coming in for Ciara Needham and Fiona McHale.
Mayo: L Brennan; S Lally (capt.), N O’Malley, K Sullivan; É Ronayne, C Durkan, D Caldwell; A Geraghty, E Murray; F McLaughlin, A Gough, S Cafferky; A Staunton, M Cannon, L Cafferky.
Kildare: A Dunlea; F Troute, A Clifford, A Reynolds; L Gilbert, R Sargent, L Murtagh; G Clifford (capt.), C Sullivan; T Duggan, N Dooley, L Doran; E Dowling, A Rattigan, N Farrelly.
Sunday June 16
TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship
Group 1 – Westmeath v Cavan; TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar
With Down already through to the quarter-finals as table-toppers, Westmeath and Cavan will battle it out for the other last-eight slot on offer.
Cavan may have been relegated from Division 2 of the Lidl NFL and they’ve found the going tough in the Championship but Westmeath won’t need reminding that the Breffni ladies turned them over in the League in Mullingar.
Westmeath fared better against Down, losing by two points, while Cavan finished seven points adrift of the Ulster champions in the recent group games.
Should Westmeath and Cavan draw, criteria will come into play to determine who makes it through to the quarter-finals.
In the first instance, the team progressing is the team that registers the highest number of points (scores converted over the bar) in the tie, with scoring difference (Westmeath -2 and Cavan -7) coming into play if they still can’t be separated.
Westmeath: L McCormack (capt.); L McCartan, K Boyce-Jordan, L Power; C Kelly, F Coyle, R Dillon; C Kilmurray, T Dillon; A Ruane, L Slevin, A Jones, M Monaghan; S Dillon, K Hegarty, A Donlon.
Cavan: E Baugh, N Briody, Á Brady (capt.), N Smith; K Tuipulotu, R Dolan, C Charters; A Cahill, R Gilsenan; Z Fay, C Brady, A Wharton; E Longair, R McLoughlin, S Levingstone.
Group 2 – Offaly v Monaghan; Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore, 3.30pm – Live on LGFA Facebook and YouTube
Clare, last year’s beaten finalists, have swept into the quarter-finals again with two wins from two.
Now, the question is who will join them from Group 2 in the last eight?
Offaly and Monaghan go head to head at Glenisk O’Connor Park on Sunday to provide the answer.
On all known form, there won’t be much to separate the sides. Monaghan conceded 6-6 to Clare but they also scored 1-13, ending up on the wrong end of an eight-point defeat.
Offaly, meanwhile, lost out by nine points against the Banner County last weekend.
Should Offaly and Monaghan draw, the team progressing is the team that registers the highest number of points (scores converted over the bar) in the tie, with scoring difference (Monaghan -8 and Offaly -9) coming into play if they still can’t be separated.
Offaly: C Sheridan; A Grehan, M Mann, N Buckley; N Farrelly, E Maher, R Ennis; E McEvoy (capt.), M Rouse; K Farrelly, C Lynam, A Gavin Mangan; M Byrne, E Hand, R Cockram.
Monaghan: Ó Kelly; A Bannigan, N Cogan, K Nolan; A Garland, M Monaghan, Á Loughman; J Duffy, E Carolan; S Tierney, É Sherry, C Treanor; L Maguire, C McBride, L Garland.
Group 3 – Antrim v Wexford; Musgrave Park, Belfast, 1pm
By virtue of their big win over Antrim last weekend, Roscommon are through to the quarter-finals and Wexford are fancied to join them.
A win or draw for Wexford will see them seal a home quarter-final but an Antrim victory would leave three teams locked together on three points in the Group 3 standings.
For Antrim to make it through, however, they need to produce an exceptional display as their scoring difference is -22, with Wexford sitting on +3.
Roscommon are currently on +19 and would likely finish on top if Antrim beat Wexford.
Antrim: S Murphy; A Kelly, E Ferran, G McGroarty; G Shannon, C Brown (capt.), H Donaghy; A Mulholland, L Dahunsi; A Montague, C Taggart, C Logan; B Ni Cathail, A Taggart, E Rogers Duffy.
Wexford: S McCarthy; L Doyle, M Byrne, E Cullen; C Banville, A Halligan, S Harding Kenny; R Murphy (capt.), C Donnelly; R Hughes, K Kearney, A Cullen; C Roban, C Foxe, T Doyle.
Group 4 – Wicklow v Leitrim; Roundwood
Tyrone are safely through to the quarter-finals and this fixture will decide who takes the second spot from Group 4.
Leitrim, who just need a win or a draw to top the group, have already beaten Tyrone, while Wicklow lost by 0-5 to 3-11 against the Ulster outfit.
That would suggest that Leitrim will make the trip to Roundwood a winning one and progress to the last eight – and with a home quarter-final to look forward to.
For Wicklow to progress, they need to win and win big as their scoring difference is -15 compared to Wexford’s +1, while Tyrone are on +14.
Wicklow: E Griffin; M Corr, L Dunne, S Goetelen; N Caffrey, C Murphy, E Parke; A Gorman, S.J. Winders; S Evans, A Cullen, A Harmon; E O’Brien, N Cullen, N O’Brien.
Leitrim: M Monaghan; E Quigley, C Tyrrell, C Owens; S Reynolds, K Bruen, E Bruen; N Tighe, M Guckian (capt.); O Flynn, L O’Dowd, M Devaney; A Clancy, S Quinn, Á Redican.
TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship
Group A
Derry v Carlow; Owenbeg
Carlow make the trip to Owenbeg looking to continue their strong push for a last four place.
The Barrowsiders, beaten semi-finalists in each of the last three seasons, are two from two as they prepare to face Derry, whose game against Fermanagh was postponed last weekend.
Derry beat London in their opening fixture and a win for the Oak Leafers here would blow the group wide open – but Carlow are a form team right now.
Derry: E Conway; H Mullan, B Donnelly, J Corr (capt.); A Martin, C McGurk, M Devine; C O’Kane, O McGeough; Erin Doherty, D McKeever, L Casey; Emma Doherty, C Donnelly, L McGonagle.
Carlow: N Hanley; A Carroll, A Roche, S McCullagh; R Bermingham (capt.), N Murphy, N Forde; E Hayden, R Bailey; B Nolan, R Saywer, S Doyle; E Molloy, E Coogan, C Ní Shé.
Fermanagh v Sligo; Louis Leonard Memorial Park, Donagh
After the Derry game was postponed last weekend, Fermanagh will get their TG4 All-Ireland series underway with a home tie against Sligo.
Fermanagh, with stars like Blaithin Bogue and Eimear Smyth up front, should emerge as one of the leading contenders for All-Ireland glory.
They face a Sligo outfit smarting from an eight-point defeat to Carlow in Round 1.
Fermanagh: M Maguire; C Clarke, K Murphy, E Keenan; S McQuade (capt.), C Murphy, L Maguire; B Bannon, C-C Bogue; D Maguire, J Doonan, A McCabe; B Bogue, E Smyth, B Smyth.
Sligo: E McGuire; C King, C Dunne (capt.), S Curley; A Molloy, A Morrisroe, J Creegan; S Cunney, T Breheny; E Lavin, C Gilligan, J Lyons; L Duffy, S Regan, L Kelly.
Group B
Louth v Limerick; Stabannon Parnells, 1pm
It’s all to play for in Group B, with each of the four teams involved having played a game each.
This one features the top two sides right now, with Louth on top of the pile on scoring difference.
A win for either side here would put them in a brilliant position to advance. Limerick beat Longford in Round 1, as Louth got the better of Kilkenny.
Louth: R Lambe Fagan; C O’Reilly, E Murray, E Hand; H Lambe-Sally, L Byrne, C Nolan; A Halligan, Á Breen (capt.); M Duffy, A Russell, S Matthews; N Rice, K Flood, E Byrne.
Limerick: S Hennessy; J McGuire, Y Lee (capt.), R Browne; G Lee, L Coughlan, G Mullane; R Ambrose (capt.), M MacNamara; K O’Leary, D Murphy, C Mee; E Woulfe, I Kennelly, C McGrath.
Kilkenny v Longford; Erins Own GAA Club, Castlecomer, 3pm
Both sides will be looking to get off the mark here.
Longford will start as favourites on their visit to Castlecomer and a win here would have the Midlanders right in the mix for a top two finish.
Kilkenny lost out against Louth but, once again, there were encouraging signs in their performance.
Kilkenny: E Moran; A Ryan, S Smith, S Dunne; H Brennan, A Galwey, C Moore; K Comerford, R Roche; K Purcell, S Corcoran, R Roche; R Phelan, E Lawlor (capt.), S Kerr.
Longford: R McGrath; E Farrell, E O’Brien, G Kenny; L Shannon, O Nevin, C McCormack; S Gallagher, F Talabi; C Lohan, G Shannon, K McKeon; K Burke, N Brady, E Sheedy.
