All-Ireland SFC Weekend Preview: The Road to Sam Maguire Continues
Four more matches take place on Sunday in the All-Ireland Football Championship. Automatic quarter-final places are up for grabs in the three Round 2A matches taking place. Meanwhile, in the Round 2B matches, we could see Dublin dumped out of the competition with defeat in Cavan.
Sunday Accum – Armagh, Galway, Cavan & Tyrone @ 8.25/1
– This Weekend’s GAA Fixtures & TV/Streaming Guide.
Round 2A: Louth v Armagh, 1.00pm
- Venue: Páirc Grattan, Inniskeen
- Referee: Conor Lane
- TV/Streaming: RTE/RTE Player
Louth had a massive win against Dublin last time in Croke Park but they will really be put to the test here against an Armagh side who have been imperious this season so far. Fomer Armagh and Crossmaglen goalkeeper Paul Hearty is the goalkeeping coach for Louth so will that give them a little insight that they might need.
James Maguire who plays his club football in Co.Monaghan found the net twice for Louth in Croke Park and if he can get his hands on ball in midfield then he could be one of the main creators for the Wee County. As ever much of the play will be through Sam Mulroy and even though he was quiet last time his place ball prowess is always dangerous.
Armagh have pace and power all over the field and if the likes of Oisin Conaty and co and awarded too much space then there will only be one result. Benches will likely prove key also and Armagh may have the experience edge there with the likes of Rory Grugan available.
Verdict: Louth 1-17 Armagh 2-19
Best Bet: Winning Margin Armagh 4-6 (7/2)
Round 2A: Galway v Westmeath, 2.00pm
- Venue: Pearse Stadium, Salthill
- Referee: Brendan Griffin
- TV/Streaming: GAA+
This could be one of ties of the round as both Galway and Westmeath are unlikely to hold back here.
Galway impressed against Kildare while Westmeath had to dig deep and see off Cavan after extra time. Galway had there forwards in red hot form, Rob Finnerty (1-09), Matthew Tierney (1-00) and Shane Walsh (0-06) all had the shooting boots on and contributed in the thirteen-point win.
Westmeath have players who can cause an issue or two, Brandon Kelly has had a good time of it of late and the impact off the bench from John Heslin may help them also.
This game may not go as the market suggests, and you could see Westmeath stay with Galway down the stretch.
Verdict: Galway 2-17 Westmeath 1-18
Best Bet: Winning Margin Galway 1-3 (4/1)
Round 2B: Cavan v Dublin, 2.00pm
- Venue: Kingspan Breffni, Cavan
- Referee: Liam Devenney
As mentioned above Cavan put in a spirited performance in pushing Leinster Champions Westmeath all the way to extra time and that could stand them in good stead here.
Paddy Lynch (1-04) and Tiarnan Madden (0-04) top scored against the Lake County and home advantage could also be key to Cavan giving Dublin a game here. The running power of Emmanuel Shehu and the presence off the bench of Dara McVeety gave Cavan a foothold that they were unable to hold onto.
Dublin left several gaps against Louth and were punished and if they can sort things defensively here then they have attackers to create plenty for them. Con O’Callaghan (1-03) and Cormac Costello (0-08) created problems for the Louth defence early on but didn’t have the same impact in the second half.
A winner takes all game here will pile even more pressure on a Dublin side that need to perform. This is where Cavan can put the foot down early and cause a shock of seismic proportion.
Verdict: Cavan 2-17 Dublin 1-17
Best Bet: Cavan (5/2)
Round 2A: Tyrone v Mayo, 3.30pm
- Venue: O’Neills Healy Park, Omagh
- Referee: Brendan Cawley
Tyrone came out the right side of the result against Roscommon and they face another Connacht side here in Mayo who went to Clones and impressed early against Monaghan but were forced to hang on in the end.
Eoin McElholm top scored with (1-03) and he is a player who has moved into the senior team and adapted well to the way Tyrone want to play. Tyrone will watch the second half of the Mayo v Monaghan game with some keen eyes as gaps opened quite a bit and Monaghan created numerous goal chances.
Kobe McDonald (1-04) and Ryan O’Donoghue (0-08) impressed against the Farney and if they get their hands on ball here then you are likely to see a similar result. Experience off the bench for Mayo could also be key, Paddy Durcan and Aidan O’Shea had an impact last time and could be good to call on late on here.
Verdict: Tyrone 2-16 Mayo 1-17
Best Bet: Winning Margin Tyrone 1-3 (333/100)
Sunday’s GAA ACCA
- Armagh
- Galway
- Cavan
- Tyrone
- ODDS: 8.25/1
