All-Ireland SFC Weekend Preview: The Road to Sam Maguire Continues
Round one of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship continues this weekend with four matches taking place.
– GAA Fixtures & TV Guide This Weekend: May 30–31 2026
Westmeath vs Cavan
- Venue: TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar
- Date & Time: Saturday, May 20, 5pm
- TV: GAA+
Westmeath, fresh from landing a Leinster title at Croke Park on Sunday, May 17, will face off against Cavan in the opening round of the All-Ireland Series. Westmeath went toe to toe with Dublin and came out on top after extra time. Some of the scores that Westmeath posted through the Leinster Championship were incredible: 5-25 against Longford, 4-18 against Meath, 2-21 against Kildare, and 2-28 against Dublin.
Cavan were on the end of a seven-point defeat to Monaghan, where they were outbattled and outfought early in the game. You would expect this to be a bridge too far for Cavan and it should be another impressive win for the Lake County. Tickets for this game sold out in five minutes on May 19, suggesting that the hype in Westmeath is real.
Verdict
Westmeath should be much shorter in my eyes than what they are, and have too much pace and power in the forward line for Cavan. Jack Duncan and Brandon Kelly showed their ability at Croke Park, and the main talking point was John Heslin, who came off the bench and landed 0-03. Westmeath to win easily enough in the end.
Selection: Westmeath (-1), EVS
Armagh vs Derry
- Venue: BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh
- Date & Time: Saturday, May 20, 7:15pm
- TV: GAA+
Armagh face off against Ulster rivals Derry in a game that has the makings of being a classic.
Armagh arrive as Ulster Champions and will be looking to avoid a potential banana skin fixture here. Oisin Conaty was instrumental in the Orchard County’s success in the Ulster Final; he was awarded too much time and space by Monaghan defenders and capitalised. Rory Grugan showed his experience off the bench and was joined by the likes of Aidan Forker and Barry McCambridge towards the end of extra-time.
Derry will be looking to bounce back from the defeat to Monaghan, where they looked like they would win up until the dying embers, when Jack McCarron pointed to force extra-time, Rory Beggan would ultimately kick the decisive point, and Derry were left shellshocked. Derry has plenty of players who could cause Armagh problems. The front three of Niall Loughlin, Shane McGuigan, and Lachlann Murray have pace and nous to get vital scores.
Verdict
Armagh have been taken to extra time by Tyrone and Monaghan this year, and they could face a similar fate here. Derry will look to get off to a flying start, and if they can stay with Armagh down the stretch, then I could see them forcing a draw late on.
Selection: Draw @ 15/2
Dublin vs Louth
- Venue: Croke Park
- Date & Time: Sunday, May 31, 2:30pm
- TV: GAA+
A repeat of the Leinster Semi-Final where Dublin shut off all avenues for Louth and ran out comfortable ten-point winners in the end. This game should be much different, though.
Dublin looked lacklustre in the defeat to Westmeath in the Leinster Final, and Dean Rock and the backroom team will have work to do to get them back up to speed ahead of another clash with the Wee County.
Dublin were lucky to get over the line in their opening game down in Aughrim and then caught Louth a little on the hop and dominated from pillar to post. They simply ran out of ideas in extra time against Westmeath, and it will be quite interesting to see what Dublin will turn up.
Louth simply can’t be as poor as they were last time out, as Gavin Devlin’s team never got going and kicked 13 wides across the guts of seventy minutes plus. They also had four efforts that dropped short in the second half, and the likes of Sam Mulroy, Ryan Burns, and Ciarán Downey were kept relatively quiet.
Louth went 22 minutes without a score in the second half, alongside another 15-minute scoreless spell in the first half. They have had time to get over that disappointment, and a return to Croke Park will look to yield a positive result for them.
Verdict
A case of nobody knows exactly what will happen in this game, but if Louth show up and produce what they can, then I can see them getting back into their stride and putting Dublin firmly to the sword.
Selection: Louth (13/8)
Monaghan vs Mayo
- Venue: St. Tiernach’s Park, Clones
- Date & Time: Sunday, May 31, 4pm
- TV: RTE 2
Monaghan went down on the sword in the 70 minutes at a soggy St Tiernach’s Park in the Ulster Final. They won’t want a repeat of what happened in the league against Mayo, where they were dominated all over the field and ultimately were defeated by 19 points, 2-30 to 2-11. The league campaign looks to have gone out of the minds of many of the Monaghan players as they have shown in performances against Cavan, Derry, and also against Armagh.
This will be another test for them, and the bench will likely prove to be key, also. Jack McCarron and Ryan McAnespie showed what they can do off the bench in the Ulster Final, and the return of Gary Mohan could be a catalyst, too. They will be without Darragh McElearney due to his late red card against Armagh, so a shuffle of the defence will be needed.
Mayo haven’t had a game since April 26 and like a lot of counties who exited the provincial championship early, the main question is how ready will they be. They went to Ruislip to face London and came away from that with a convincing victory, and arrived to Castlebar full of confidence to face Roscommon.
The first half for Mayo went like clockwork, and Andy Moran’s side led by three at the break, 1-11 to 1-08. The second half wasn’t as successful, though, as they completely lost their way and Roscommon blitzed them. Defensive frailties have no doubt been worked on, and this will be a tough game for them to come into after such a long break.
Verdict
Monaghan will want to keep the momentum going from the Ulster Final, and even though extra time proved too much for them in the end, they will want revenge, no doubt, for the league defeat to Mayo.
Stephen O’Hanlon, Conor McCarthy, and Andrew Woods will all be key for the Farney, and if they have their shooting boots on, then Mayo could be in for a tough day at the office.
Selection: Monaghan (6/4)
