This weekend's previews
Tomorrow
(2.30pm unless stated)
NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE
Division One A
Waterford v Antrim, Dungarvan- The extraordinary decision to deny Antrim an early start overshadows this fixture. The Ulster champions have been feeling hard done by on a number of fronts and the refusal to acknowledge this vast journey can do little to ease that sense of persecution.
Antrim may have been disappointing against Dublin, but have beaten the other three 2007 Leinster semi-finalists, Wexford, Kilkenny and Offaly in recent weeks.
Waterford welcome Ken McGrath back for his first start of the season. They too might have beaten Wexford were it not for some mad finishing, but they've been hurling for a few weeks since and should win their first points on the field.
Dublin v Cork, Parnell Park- Cork mark their re-emergence with a few debutants. Eoin Cadogan's decision to declare for the hurlers has caused some angst amongst the big ball community, many of whom feel the All-Ireland under-21 winner should have been playing for the footballers last year.
Brian Corry and Patrick Horgan are still under-21, but get a run in the forwards. Dublin aren't full strength with club-tied Ronan Fallon the most significant absentee given his form in last year's NHL. Dublin got eventually steam-rolled in the qualifier meeting last summer and the belief here is that any handicap presented by the visitors' long lay-off doesn't really cover that discrepancy.
Wexford v Kilkenny, Wexford Park- This fixture is casting a long shadow. Although Wexford remain the only county to have beaten Kilkenny in the Leinster championship this decade, the past 12 months saw a sequence of awful beatings handed out.
This season had a heartening start with the hard-fought win in Waterford and, despite the talk afterwards of the dangers of travelling to Antrim, few present in Walsh Park expected the trip north to end in such disaster.
Kilkenny haven't had much testing game time after their opener against Cork was scrapped and the easy win over Dublin. Last week's challenge against Clare was highlighted by Richie Power's 2-6 in poor conditions. And the displays by Eoin Reid and John Dalton in WIT's Fitzgibbon win was further encouragement for Kilkenny. No paradigm shift on the horizon in this relationship.
Division One B
Limerick v Clare, Gaelic Grounds- Richie Bennis names a fairly strong Limerick team with 11 of last September's All-Ireland side starting.
Andrew O'Shaughnessy is named despite a broken toe - not that it prevented him running up a good score for GMIT in last week's Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final - and All Star Brian Murray returns to goal.
Clare slugged it out with Kilkenny in a challenge last week and Michael McNamara's embryonic side will take heart from that. Niall Gilligan played well in a full-forward line that accounted for all but a point of the team's total, but the full-back line was porous, giving away three goals.
There's a chance here for Clare, given Limerick's slowly reassembling challenge.
Galway v Tipperary, Pearse Stadium- Tipp have been the good news story to date this season, playing with zest and purpose.
Tomorrow's selection springs one surprise with wing back/centerfielder Hugh Maloney named at centre forward, apparently after a prolific display on Conor O'Mahony in a training match. This results in Ryan O'Dwyer being moved from the 40, where he was very effective against Limerick, to the wing where he mightn't be so well suited.
Ger Loughnane names a strong side. Like Eoin Kelly for Tipperary, Ger Farragher is marking a return to form and hitting the dead balls with digital precision, averaging a dozen points a match in the process. Ger Mahon continues on the wing for all the promise of his appearances at full back last summer.
This has the makings of a great match with Tipperary's steadier form giving them the advantage.
Laois v Offaly, Portlaoise- From a 17-point defeat against Tipp to drawing with Galway, Offaly registered major improvement between the first and second rounds.
Damien Fox gave youth its head in last weekend's Walsh Shield success against Westmeath, but he will be more concerned by the league thrashings to date from Clare and Limerick. Offaly are still short the Birr players, but Johnny Dooley's team have enough firepower to maintain the ongoing ascendancy over the neighbours.
Division Two A
Mayo v Westmeath, Castlebar - After a pointless couple of matches, Mayo are unlikely to get off the mark against the divisional leaders.
Roscommon v Kerry, Athleague- Kerry will be marginally favoured to make the journey worthwhile.
Wicklow v Kildare, Arklow- On paper the most competitive fixture in the division and a strong possibility of a third away victory.
Division Two B
London v Carlow, Ruislip, 1pm- Carlow to consolidate their unbeaten start against the bottom side.
Meath v Down, Páirc Tailteann - With Gareth Johnson back from holidays and a couple of challenge wins under their belt Down are favoured to take the points against John Andrews's team.
Armagh v Derry, Keady - Away win.
Division Three
Louth v Sligo, Dundalk; Tyrone v Longford, Omagh; Bye: Donegal
Division Four
South Down v Cavan, Ballela; Fermanagh v Leitrim, Tempo; Bye: Monaghan.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Division Three (refixture)
Leitrim v Fermanagh, Carrick-on-Shannon - It's been a miserable campaign to date for Leitrim whereas the visitors have been impressive when they get to play - starting their season after two postponements with a good win over Longford. Still, burdened by injuries the home side will rise for a match against their neighbours but the points look destined for the road.
COLLEGES FINALS
Leinster Colleges SH A Final
CBS Kilkenny v Dublin Colleges, Dr Cullen Park, today, 2pm- Maybe the biggest tribute to the success of the Dublin Colleges experiment is the rising discontent at its continuation.
Nonetheless, one provincial and one All-Ireland title are hardly evidence of unfair domination. This afternoon's opponents have had a bit of a grip on Dublin in recent years, defeating them at this stage two years ago and last year eliminating them in the quarter-finals, a match in which the Dublin Colleges managed 20 wides. Although it took Paul Guinan's goal in injury-time to beat Castlecomer, CBS still have about half of the side that contested last year's All-Ireland, whereas the challengers are mostly a new cohort.
The prolific Conor Clinton is out of the Dublin side with a shoulder injury, but their path to the final has been sufficiently impressive - beating St Kieran's and Good Counsel - to suggest a second provincial title for the combined team.
Harty Cup (Munster Colleges SH)
De La Salle Waterford v Thurles CBS, Cashel, today, 3pm -All-Ireland champions De La Salle return to the Harty final with two-thirds of last year's team and the chance to become the first school from the county to win two Harty Cups.
Thurles CBS gave the holders a big rattle last year, but De La Salle are having a formidable season in defence of their trophies and haven't conceded a goal since autumn and just one point from play in the past four matches.
Thurles have seven players from Tipperary's minor All-Ireland success of last year, but have an alarming habit of going on the blink for lengthy periods. Thurles have their advocates, but it's likely that De La Salle's joint captains, Philip Mahoney and Noel Connors, will have a hand each on the trophy by tea-time.
Leinster VS SH A Final
Borris VS v Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown, Nowlan Park, today, 1pm- Borris hope to add to what has been a phenomenal year for the school, which won the junior provincial title last month and is now the first Carlow team to reach the senior final.
Johnstown will, however, be tough opposition.
Leinster Colleges SF A Final
Fransiscan College Gormanston v Athlone CC, Pearse Park, Longford, tomorrow, 2pm- From the start of the competition, Athlone CC have been one of the favourites and boast four Westmeath minors as they try and win their inaugural title in what is the college's first final.
One of those county players, Robert Kenny hit 1-3 as they overcame St Mary's Edenderry on the semi-finals and they should prove too strong for Gormanston despite the latter's battling display in edging out Good Counsel in their semi-final.
Connacht Colleges SF A Final
St Colman's Claremorris v St Jarlath's Tuam, Ballinrobe, tomorrow, 3pm- Jarlath's return to the final with 10 of the players who won the title last year before losing out to eventual Hogan Cup winners Omagh CBS. Of those, Colin Forde, Tomás Fahey and Conor Doherty have All-Ireland minor medals from Galway's triumph last September.
St Colman's had to battle to the final, but Jarlath's will be expected to emulate their win of 12 months ago over another Mayo school, St Gerald's.
... - SEÁN MORAN
