Dublin’s pursuit of a fourth successive Allianz Football League Division 1 title is going very much to plan as they have ensured themselves of a semi-final place with two rounds to go.
By Seán O’Brien
Picture credit: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE
Having won all five games, Dublin are on ten points, two ahead of Roscommon and four ahead of Kerry and Donegal. Cork and Monaghan are both on four points so, irrespective of how results go in the final two rounds, neither can catch Jim Gavin’s men. Dublin’s remaining games are at home to Donegal on Saturday week and away to Roscommon on April 3rd.
Down, who have lost all five games, still have a mathematical chance of surviving in Division 1 but would need to win their remaining two games against Cork and Mayo and have other results go very much their way. Down were promoted from Division 2 this year but have found life in the top tier very tough, unlike Roscommon, who also came up this year. O’Donnell and McStay’s men lost their first game to Monaghan but have since beaten Kerry, Cork, Down and Donegal, leaving them in second place and with a great chance of making the semi-finals. They play Mayo and Dublin in the last two games.
Tyrone need just one more point from their remaining two games against Armagh and Fermanagh to guarantee a return to Division 1 at the first attempt. They have won all five Division 2 games, leaving them four points clear of Cavan and Galway, with Derry a further point back.
Armagh, who were promoted from Division 3 last year, are in real danger of slipping back down. They are on three points with Meath and Laois but have an inferior scoring difference to the Leinster duo. Kildare’s winning run in Division 3 came to an end against Sligo on Sunday but they still lead the way on eight points, two ahead of Clare, Longford, Tipperary and Offaly, making it a very tight promotion race. Limerick (1 point) and Westmeath (3 points) are in the drop zone.
Antrim are well-primed for promotion from Division 4, having won all five games. It leaves them two points ahead of Wexford and Louth.
Allianz Football League Results and Fixtures
Allianz Football League Division 1
Round 1: Dublin 2-14 Kerry 0-14: Donegal 3-15 Down 0-7; Cork 1-18 Mayo 0-12; Monaghan 2-10 Roscommon 1-9.
Round 2: Dublin 0-9 Mayo 0-7; Roscommon 0-14 Kerry 1-10; Donegal 2-14 Cork 1-7; Monaghan 0-13 Down 0-11.
Round 3: Dublin 1-14 Monaghan 0-16; Roscommon 4-25 Cork 3-10; Donegal 1-14 Mayo 1-12; Kerry 0-22 Down 0-6.
Round 4: Dublin 2-14 Cork 2-10; Roscommon 1-12 Down 0-6; Kerry 1-13 Donegal 1-8; Mayo 2-11 Monaghan 1-12.
Round 5: Dublin 1-15 Down 1-7 ; Cork 1-20 Monaghan 1-13; Kerry 2-13 Mayo 0-14; Roscommon 1-19 Donegal 0-17.
Round 6: Mar 26: Dublin v Donegal; Mar 27: Cork v Down; Monaghan v Kerry; Roscommon v Mayo.
Round 7: Apr 3: Kerry v Cork; Mayo v Down; Monaghan v Donegal; Roscommon v Dublin.
Semi-Finals: Apr 10: 1 v 4; 2 v 3.
Final: Apr 24
Allianz Football League Division 2
Round 1: Meath 1-10 Armagh 0-8; Tyrone 0-10 Cavan 0-8; Galway 3-12 Laois 1-10; Derry 3-13 Fermanagh 1-9.
Round 2: Laois 1-13 Armagh 0-15; Derry 1-12 Cavan 1-11; Tyrone 1-11 Galway 1-9; Fermanagh 0-10 Meath 0-6.
Round 3: Armagh 1-10 Fermanagh 0-12; Galway 1-18 Derry 2-12; Cavan 1-20 Meath 1-13; Tyrone1-14 Laois 0-14.
Round 4: Cavan 3-18 Armagh 0-10; Tyrone 2-15 Derry 0-12; Galway 0-15 Meath 1-12; Fermanagh 1-17 Laois 0-10.
Round 5: Cavan 1-12 Fermanagh 0-9; Laois 1-22 Derry 5-10; Armagh 1-15 Galway 1-15; Tyrone 1-17 Meath 1-11.
Round 6: Mar 26: Tyrone v Armagh; Mar 27: Cavan v Laois; Galway v Fermanagh; Derry v Meath.
Round 7: Apr 3: Armagh v Derry; Cavan v Galway; Fermanagh v Tyrone; Laois v Meath.
Final: Apr 24: 1 v 2
Allianz Football League Division 3
Round 1: Clare 1-11 Sligo 0-7; Limerick 1-12 Tipperary 2-9; Offaly 0-12 Longford 0-10; Kildare 2-9 Westmeath 0-11.
Round 2: Kildare 1-12 Offaly 1-8; Longford 0-13 Limerick 1-8; Sligo 1-11 Westmeath 1-10; Tipperary 2-7 Clare 1-7.
Round 3: Kildare 2-11 Longford 0-10; Offaly 1-13 Sligo 0-14; Westmeath 0-11 Tipperary 1-8; Clare 1-14 Limerick 0-11.
Round 4: Tipperary 2-11 Offaly 0-12; Clare 1-18 Westmeath 0-10; Kildare 1-11 Limerick 1-10; Longford 1-17 Sligo 2-9.
Round 5: Westmeath 3-14 Limerick 0-7; Sligo 2-15 Kildare 2-14; Longford 1-17 Tipperary1-11; Offaly 0-15 Clare 1-11.
Round 6: Mar 27: Clare v Longford; Sligo v Limerick; Westmeath v Offaly; Tipperary v Kildare.
Round 7: Apr 3: Kildare v Clare; Limerick v Offaly; Longford v Westmeath; Sligo v Tipperary.
Allianz Football League Division 4
Round 1: Louth 2-9 London 0-9; Antrim 1-12 Carlow 0-10; Wexford 0-14 Leitrim 1-10; Wicklow 0-13 Waterford 1-8.
Round 2: Carlow 4-4 London 1-11; Antrim 1-8 Wexford 0-7; Louth 1-10 Waterford 1-9; Wicklow 0-10 Leitrim 1-6
Round 3: Wexford 4-20 London 1-6; Antrim 2-14 Leitrim 0-10; Waterford 3-15 Carlow 0-15; Louth 0-15 Wicklow 1-2.
Round 4: Wexford 0-12 Waterford 0-11; Leitrim 0-16 Louth 2-9; Antrim 1-11 London 0-11; Carlow 0-17 Wicklow 0-14.
Round 5: Leitrim 1-16 London 1-11; Antrim 1-16 Waterford 0-6; Louth 2-17 Carlow 1-7; Wexford 4-23 Wicklow 3-14.
Round 6: Mar 27: Waterford v London; Leitrim v Carlow; Louth v Wexford; Wicklow v Antrim.
Round 7: Apr 3: Antrim v Louth; London v Wicklow; Waterford v Leitrim; Wexford v Carlow.