Leinster Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final

Saturday, April 12 | Cedral St. Conleth’s Park | 7:00pm

Teams announced Friday – Live GAA scores on Irishscores.com

Saturday night lights in Newbridge will see Kildare take on Westmeath, with both sides opening their Leinster Championship campaigns. The Lilywhites finished top of Division 3 this spring but fell to Offaly in the final, while Westmeath’s form has plummeted since their Division 3 title last year, leading to relegation from Division 2.

These sides last met in 2022 when Kildare edged a high-scoring semi-final, and recent history is on the home side’s side. Westmeath haven’t beaten Kildare in the championship since 2016, and their seven-game winless streak across league and championship this season doesn’t bode well.

Glenn Ryan will demand a response from his Kildare charges after a stinging league final defeat. Daniel Flynn and Kevin Feely will be central to their hopes. Westmeath, meanwhile, need a spark. John Heslin remains a key figure, and their midfield battle will be crucial to containing Kildare’s runners.

The winners will face either Laois or Louth in the semi-finals.

Team News

Line-ups will be revealed on Friday. Visit Irishscores.com and follow official county social channels for updates.

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Meath wing-forward Shaun Leonard wriggled into space to fire over the winning point in the final minutes of the game to give his county a first minor football crown since 1992.

Tyrone’s strong start was not maintained and the Leinster champions fought back to take the minor crown after a huge battle in Croke Park.

Several wides cost the Ulster champions as they failed to pull away from Cathal O Bric’s side.

The teams were tied eight times throughout the biggest match on the minor football calendar before Leonard sealed the win for the Royals.

Tyrone captain Cormac Devlin found the net in the eighth minute to give his side a four-point lead.

However, O Bric’s side responded well and the two teams were level at 1-04 just six minutes after Devlin’s opening goal.

Meath had the lead after the first half – a slender one-point margin in their favour.

The Royals increased their lead to three after substitute Conor Owens had tied things up at 1-08 a piece.

Oisin O Murchu scored his final point of the game in that stretch to bring his total to 1-02 in the game – the most of any Meath player.

Owens was involved in the final Tyrone stretch of point-scoring alongside Ruairi McHugh and Ronan Cassidy but the sub could not help his side force extra time after Leonard’s winning strike.

Meath ended a 29-year-wait for a minor football title while the 11-year wait for the Red Hand will go on.

Gerard Donnelly’s side scored 53 points en route to this year’s final and won the Ulster final by seven points.

Their semi-final win over Cork saw the side outscore the Munster champions by 14 to book a date with Meath.

They came in as favourites but Meath had other plans.

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Kyle Hayes is in at left half-back after his stunning goal at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the 2021 Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.

The Kildimo-Pallaskenry player started his run from the halfway line and finished off an electrifying move by firing the ball past Barry Hogan into the Tipperary net.

Cian Lynch joins him in the side, taking his place as the right-sided midfielder.

His performance on Sunday against Tipperary was fantastic and he composed the Limerick orchestra perfectly, leading the side’s second-half revival to secure a dominant win over their Munster rivals.

Dan McCormack did well against Lynch at times but could not contain the Limerick talisman who earned the Man of the Match in the Munster final.

Peter Casey and Seamus Flanagan are the other two Limerick GAA players that make the XV.

The pair were firing on all cylinders and were lethal when they got a hold of the sliotar.

Peter Casey tallied up five points for his side while Seamus Flanagan got three and nabbed a goal too, pouncing on a loose ball after Hogan denied Limerick’s Aaron Gillane.

Leinster Champions Kilkenny and Brian Lohan’s Clare have two players on the side each after their wins at the weekend.

Wexford GAA also have two players in the side following their All-Ireland exit at the hands of Clare.

Dublin, Waterford, Laois, Tipperary and Westmeath all have one player on the side.

GAA.ie Hurling Team Of The Week

Alan Nolan (Dublin); Rory Hayes (Clare), Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny), Shane Reck (Wexford); Calum Lyons (Waterford), James Maher (Kilkenny), Kyle Hayes (Limerick); Cian Lynch (Limerick), Paddy Purcell (Laois); Ryan Taylor (Clare), Jason Forde (Tipperary), Robbie Greville (Westmeath); Peter Casey (Limerick), Seamus Flanagan (Limerick), Cathal Dunbar (Wexford).

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Following the hurling action at the weekend, the draw was made, which saw Kilkenny and Limerick win the Leinster and Munster provincial titles respectively.

All sides involved in the draw were knocked out of their provincial championships at the quarter-final and semi-final stages.

The draw took place on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.

Two of the sides were in action at the weekend in the first round of the qualifiers, with Cork and Galway starting their journey through the backdoor in round two after losses to eventual Munster champions Limerick and Dublin – the pair were awarded a bye for round one.

Brian Lohan’s Clare progressed to the second round after beating Wexford in a match-up against rival Bainisteoir Davy Fitzgerald at Semple Stadium.

Clare’s squad showed their worth and the Banner had another game in recent history that did not showcase an overreliance on the Championship’s top scorer Tony Kelly.

Cathal Malone, David Reidy, Ryan Taylor and Aidan McCarthy all chipped in with scores throughout the game and Clare’s bench also provided 1-02 for the side.

They will face a Cork side who have been inconsistent in 2021, and with five wins from their last six games, Brian Lohan’s men will be confident of progression.

Waterford earned a date with Galway and a repeat of the 2017 All-Ireland final after a five-point win over preliminary round winners Laois.

Waterford’s fortunes have been up-and-down this season with Liam Cahill and his players struggling to get the side back into the vein of form that saw them reach the All-Ireland final last year.

Galway will play their first game after a shock loss to Mattie Kenny’s Dublin hurlers and will want to bounce back from their defeat.

The Déise will have to be on their A-game to earn a date in the All-Ireland quarter-finals with either Dublin or Tipperary.

All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round Two

Clare v Cork 4:30pm Gaelic Grounds – Sky Sports

Waterford v Galway 2pm – Semple Stadium – Sky Sports

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Click for live score commentary

Dublin GAA remembers Bloody Sunday this week, 100 years on @DubCityCouncil‘s Historian-in-residence Cormac Moore talks us through that fateful day on DubsTV’s “Bloody Sunday”.

Watch in full https://t.co/cRF0mqgCaP#B100dySunday pic.twitter.com/50gvsiAVYS

— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) November 18, 2020

A few weeks ago, Dublin vs Meath saw the reigning champions claim a four-point win in the league. On that occasion, Dublin came out on top of a high-scoring encounter. However, Meath showed that they have the tools to hurt Dessie Farrell’s team. Direct runs from deep proved hard for Dublin to deal with and resulted in plenty of frees within scoring distance.

Last weekend, the same direct running style saved the Royals when they looked down against Kildare. Meath managed just four points in the first-half as opposed to Kildare’s eleven. As the sides took the field for the second part of the contest, things were looking desolate for Meath. But, they soon showed the hunger and drive that saw them compete with some of the best in Division 1 of the League.

Jordan Morris and Matthew Costello both found the net just minutes after the restart. The two goals were excellent examples of how hard running and moving the ball quickly can open up defences. That brought the deficit back to a point. Then, when Cillian O’Sullivan scored Meath’s third goal in the 45th minute after a turnover high up the pitch, Meath never looked back. Joey Wallace and Jason Scully added two more majors before full time. This came just a week after they netted seven against Wicklow.

On the other hand, it was just the two goals for Dublin as they swatted aside the challenge of Laois. The Dubs don’t need goals in the same way other teams do though as their 23 points would have likely been enough to win a game in itself.

In truth, Dublin were slow to get going as uncharacteristic errors peppered the first quarter. For example, Paddy Small hit a hat-trick of wides, James McCarthy was dispossessed twice, and Cluxton sent a kick-out over the sideline. Then, they found their rhythm and Sean Bugler’s 24th minute goal justified his continued selection at wing-forward.

Likewise, Ciarán Kilkenny continues to perform at the top of his game. A personal 1-4 tally looked effortless. Brian Fenton looked as dangerous as ever. He scored four points that could have easily included a goal. Furthermore, Cormac Costello stole the headlines despite only playing 25 minutes. Seven points from him is surely enough for Dessie Farrell to finally consider putting Costello in from the start. However, Costello could be his own worst enemy by proving himself as an impact sub over and over again.

Meath may have the tools to threaten Dublin but there’s little doubt they will need to continue their goal-scoring run to do so. 12 goals in 2 games is a promising trend to carry into such an encounter, but they need to be equally as tigerish in defence. Farrell won’t underestimate Andy McEntee’s team and his instructions will be for his players to come out firing. The first 20 minutes of this game will be played at breakneck speed. The other fifty will give us a demonstration of the gap between Dublin and the chasing Leinster pack.

The Royal County last won Leinster in 2010 after that controversial final against Louth. Since then, they have lost to Dublin in four finals.

The Leinster Final is live on RTÉ on Saturday.

Dublin are 1/20 with Paddy Power. Meath are 9/1 and a draw is 25/1.

Prediction: Dublin.

Team News

Dublin : Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Jonny Cooper, Eoin Murchan; James McCarthy, John Small, Robert McDaid; Brian Fenton, Tom Lahiff; Niall Scully, Ciaran Kilkenny, Sean Bugler; Paddy Small, Con O’Callaghan, Dean Rock

Meath: Marcus Brennan; Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, David Toner; Donal Keogan, Shane McEntee, Matthew Costello; Bryan Menton, Ronan Jones; Cillian O’Sullivan, Bryan McMahon, Ronan Ryan; Jordan Morris, Shane Walsh, Thomas O’Reilly.

Subs: Andrew Colgan, Eamon Wallace, Cathal Hickey, Eoin Harkin, Brian Conlon, Ethan Devine, Joey Wallace, Jason Scully, James Conlon, Donal Lenihan, Darragh Campion.

Leinster Football Final: Dublin vs Meath, Saturday, 21st November, 19:00 (Croke Park).

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Live score commentary from Meath v Kildare

Last weekend, Kildare hit 0-20 to beat the challenge of Offaly. Despite their impressive scoreline, the Lilywhites were never comfortably ahead. A total of 14 wides is a very wasteful statistic and Jack O’Connor will be sure that his team rectify their efficiency in front of goal before this semi-final.

O’Connor put faith in his young guns and they rewarded him with a strong performance. Darragh Kirwan was dangerous in the forward line alongside Jimmy Hyland and the returning Daniel Flynn. In midfield, Aaron Masterson made an impressive debut by controlling the middle third.

Perhaps most impressively, Shea Ryan won his battle at full-back against Offaly’s danger man Niall McNamee. A clean sheet for Kildare is a great confidence booster, especially in the midst of knock-out Championship. But, Offaly had goal chances and O’Connor will know that Meath can threaten Mark Donnellan’s goal.

Kildare have all the tools to launch an attack on the Leinster Championship. But, they need to use them to full effect to reach their potential. The game against the royals could be exactly what they need as they will be punished for not performing.

Meath make their mark

Meath are here after beating Wicklow emphatically. On paper, the game was a mismatch and Meath proved it by turning the screw on their Division 4 opponents.

Despite being relegated from Division 1 after earning just one point on the final day, Meath were impressive against some top tier opposition. For example, they hit 0-19 against Dublin in the first game back after lockdown. Then, they showed some steel to steal a late draw with Monaghan.

As a result, Meath entered the Championship with optimism and Andy McEntee’s team proved their worth last Sunday. It was a successful Championship debut for Jordan Morris. The U-20 player scored 3-4 (two goals from the penalty spot) in an all-round impressive performance. In addition, McEntee avoided any injuries by running his bench in the final 20 minutes. Last year’s Leinster finalists never let up. To illustrate, they scored 4 goals in the final 15 minutes.

This prolific attitude in front of goal is exactly what could see them past Kildare.

Whatever team emerges victorious on Sunday will go into the Leinster final well prepared for what comes next.

This game is live on RTÉ News’ Channel.

Paddy Power expect Meath to win. They’re 8/11 as opposed to Kildare’s 11/8. A draw is far from unlikely and is priced at 15/2.

Prediction: Draw. This could be a high-scoring shootout in which a goal could prove to be a game winner. If it does go to extra time, Meath may just have that extra bit in the tank.

Facts and Figures

They last met in the championship three years ago when Kildare won a Leinster semi-final  by nine points. 

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP CLASHES 

2017: Kildare 2-16 Meath 0-13 (Leinster semi-final) 

2014: Meath 2-16 Kildare 0-17 (Leinster semi-final) 

2012: Meath 1-17 Kildare 1-11 (Leinster semi-final) 

2011: Kildare 0-16 Meath 0-10 (Leinster quarter-final) 

2010: Kildare 2-17 Meath 1-12 (All-Ireland quarter-final) 

*Meath are attempting to reach the Leinster final for a second successive year: Kildare were last there in 2017. 

*Meath, for whom Jordan Morris scored 3-4, beat Wicklow by 7-14 to 0-7 in the quarter final. Kildare beat Offaly by 0-20 to 0-16 in their quarter-final. 

*The last competitive clash between the counties was in the 2019 Allianz League when Meath won by a point.

Team news
Kildare – Mark Donnellan; Mark Dempsey, Shea Ryan, Darragh Malone; David Hyland, Con Kavanagh, Kevin Flynn; Kevin Feely, Aaron Masterson; Matty Byrne, Ben McCormack, Paddy Brophy; Daniel Flynn, Darragh Kirwan, Jimmy Hyland.

Meath Meath (Leinster SFC v Kildare): Marcus Brennan; Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, David Toner; Donal Keogan, Shane McEntee, Matthew Costello; Bryan Menton, Ronan Jones; Cillian O’Sullivan, Bryan McMahon, Ronan Ryan; Jordan Morris, Shane Walsh, Thomas O’Reilly.

Subs: Andrew Colgan, Eamon Wallace, Cathal Hickey, Eoin Harkin, Brian Conlon, Ethan Devine, Joey Wallace, Jason Scully, James Conlon, Donal Lenihan, Darragh Campion.

Leinster Championship Semi-Final: Meath vs Kildare, Sunday, 15th November, 13:00 (Croke Park).

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What a weekend of #GAA SFC action! Take a look at the highlights in this #GAANOW Football Weekend Round-Up. pic.twitter.com/VAZMtkJNIk

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Laois were the slower to get going against Longford. In fact, they left it until the last 20 minutes before really getting themselves into the game. At that stage, Longford were five points up. If it wasn’t for two great saves by Niall Corbet in the Laois goal at the start of the second half, the game could have been over.

But, sensing they were on their last chance, Laois came roaring back. Seven consecutive points turned the tables and sent them through but the win was far from convincing.

There was a great spread of scorers for Laois with nine different contributors to their  1-16 tally. But, Corbet was their best player between the sticks. He will need to be at the ready again on Sunday to keep out the Dubs.

Much of the talk about Dublin going into the Championship was about how the team would transition into the post-Gavin era. Seamlessly is the apparent answer. Dublin never really left third gear. Although there are some ponderings about their lack of a goal, it’s almost as if they just decided they didn’t need one.

After going 0-4 to 0-0 up, the Dubs set the tone. From Cluxton’s precise kick-outs to Rock’s accuracy with the dead ball, the blue machine was purring. The likes of Seán Bugler and Robbie McDaid were able to get themselves on the scoresheet and claim their spot in the team.

But, it was the ever-reliable Ciarán Kilkenny who stood out. The Castleknock man dictated play from 11 and scored 5 points of his own. In addition to this, he was more than willing to help out at the other end of the pitch, popping up in defence on more than one occasion.

The only complaint Farrell can have is losing Eoin Murchan to an apparent injury. However, the Dubs in reserve are more than just second-stringers. Whatever team Farrell chooses should be too much to Laois to handle.

This semi-final is live on the RTÉ NEws Channel after Meath vs Kildare.

Dublin are a short 1/500. Meanwhile, Laois are 20/1 for an upset and a draw is 50/1.

Prediction: Dublin.

Team News

Dublin : Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Jonny Cooper, Eoin Murchan; James McCarthy, John Small, Robert McDaid; Brian Fenton, Tom Lahiff; Niall Scully, Ciaran Kilkenny, Sean Bugler; Paddy Small, Con O’Callaghan, Dean Rock

Leinster Championship Semi-Final: Dublin vs Laois, Sunday, 15th November, 15:30 (Croke Park).

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Live score commentary stream for Wicklow v Meath

Wicklow proved too good for Wexford last weekend. Previously, they had beaten their southern rivals by three points to win promotion from Division 4. Last Sunday, they were even more convincing and won by four.

This time around, they had just 0-2 after 27 minutes versus Wexford’s 0-6. However, they won the rest of the game by 2-7 to 0-5.

Davy Burke kept faith in his League team and made just one change. James Sheeran replaced Eoin Darcy.

Niall Donnelly’s goal on 34 minutes was crucial for Wicklow as it kept them in touch just before the break. But, Wexford stretched the lead to three points again and it wasn’t until the 54th minute that Wicklow finally hit the front.

Then, in the 57th minute, Wicklow capitalised on Wexford being down to 13 men and Conor Byrne raised their second green flag. Desperation followed from Wexford but Wicklow tagged on a couple of insurance points in injury time.

The two goals will be something Davy Burke wants his team to try and replicate this Sunday. Meath are a strong team and it’s likely that Wicklow will need to find the net once if they are to advance.

Could Meath be a Dark Horse?

Since the restart, Meath lost to Dublin and drew with Monaghan in the League. The latter was their only point in the League but that doesn’t necessarily reflect their performances. In fact, they pushed Dublin for 70 minutes in the first game back and often looked very dangerous going forward. Likewise, they looked beat against Monaghan but never gave up and a late Jordan Morris point sealed a draw.

The Royal county were finalists in Leinster last year but scored just 0-4 against the Dubs. After the League game two weeks ago they will take heart in the improved scoreline. Andy McEntee will be itching for another shot at the holders but first they must see off Wicklow.

Paddy Power expect Meath to advance. They have last year’s Super 8 contenders at 1/12. Wicklow are 7/1 and a draw is 16/1.

The game is live on GAAGo.

Prediction: Meath.

TEAM NEWS

Meath: Mark Brennan; Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, David Toner; Donal Keogan, Shane McEntee, Matthew Costello; Bryan Menton, Ronan Jones; Cillian O’Sullivan, Bryan McMahon, Ronan Ryan; Jordan Morris, Shane Walsh, Thomas O’Reilly.

Subs: Andrew Colgan, Gavin McCoy, Cathal Hickey, Eoin Harkin, Brian Conlon, Ethan Devine, Joey Wallace, Jason Scully, James Conlon, Donal Lenihan, Darragh Campion.

Wicklow : Mark Jackson; Patrick O’Keane, Jamie Snell, Eoin Murtagh; Andy Maher, Niall Donnelly, David Devereux; Padraig O’Toole, Dean Healy; Rory Finn, Mark Kenny, Darren Hayden; Eoin Darcy, Seanie Furlong, Gearoid Murphy

Leinster Football Championship Quarter-Final: Wicklow vs Meath, Sunday, November 8th, 13:30 (Aughrim). 

And with that our Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Quarter Final line up is set

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CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COMMENTARY FROM KILDARE v OFFALY

The saying of ‘goals win games’ rang true for Offaly in Tullamore on Sunday. Their three majors went a long way in seeing off a dogged Carlow team. Firstly, Niall McNamee and Jordan Hayes found the net in the first half when Offaly were finding points hard to come by. Carlow were never out of touch though as Offaly took a three-point lead into half-time.

Then, Bernard Allen made the lead six just before the second-half water break with a third well taken goal. Carlow had chances of their own but failed to gain any significant foothold to launch a comeback.

Kildare will be hoping to make it to a Leinster final and challenge Dublin. Hence, Offaly may need to show such efficiency in front of goal again to advance.

Kildare manager Jack O’Connor will be grateful for avoiding the preliminary round in Leinster. Since football resumed, Kildare have beaten Cavan and Westmeath. Unfortunately for O’Connor’s team, poor results in the spring meant they came up short of promotion. However, the former Kerry manager will know that form is a crucial asset entering the Championship.

Losses to Dublin and Tyrone eliminated Kildare from the competition last year. Now, they are on the opposite side of the Leinster draw to the All-Ireland Champions. Two good performances will see them in a Leinster final. However, form is temporary and there is no doubt that the Lilywhites will have to battle to get there.

Offaly are 7/2 underdogs with Paddy Power despite their win last week. Kildare are 1/4 and a draw is 10/1.

The game is live on GAAGo.

Prediction: Kildare.

Team News

Offaly : Paddy Dunican; Declan Hogan, Eoin Rigney, Niall Darby; Eoin Carroll, Johnny Moloney, Joseph O’Connor; Aaron Leavy, Jordan Hayes; Peter Cunningham, Ruairi McNamee, Anton Sullivan; Bernard Allen, Niall McNamee, Cian Farrell.

Kildare : Mark Donnellan, Mark Dempsey, Shea Ryan, Darragh Malone; David Hyland, Con Kavanagh, Kevin Flynn; Kevin Feely, Aaron Masterson; Fergal Conway, Ben McCormack, Paddy Brophy;  Daniel Flynn, Darragh Kirwan, Jimmy Hyland.

Leinster Football Championship Quarter-Final: Kildare vs Offaly, Saturday, November 8th, 17:30 (O’Moore Park, Portlaoise).

And with that our Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Quarter Final line up is set

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It was a rude introduction to Winter Championship for Longford last Sunday. The conditions made handling and distribution challenging. As a result, neither team made any big moves in the opening half and Longford led by a single score at the interval with both teams finding the net.

The second half continued in the same way. It wasn’t until the closing ten minutes that Longford finally managed to open a gap. In that period they outscored Louth 0-3 to 0-1 and took a 2-point win.

Padraic Davis will be glad his team had a taste of tough winter football and came away unscathed. If the conditions are the same against Laois, the lessons they learned against Louth will stand to them.

Last year, Laois won at this stage of this competition and ended up coming close to being in the Super 8s. However, with no second chances this season they need to be flawless. A win here will likely set up a crack at Dublin which the players will surely relish.

In the League, a final day win against Fermanagh saw them retain their Division 2 status. Compared to Longford, they enter this game fresh after a week off from competitive action. In their last game, Laois found the net three times. If they can find such efficiency again, they will get through this game.

Laois are the favourites for this one. Paddy Power price them at 4/7. Meanwhile, Longford are 7/4 and a draw is 15/2.

GAAGo are showing the game live.

Prediction: Laois.

Team News

Laois : Niall Corbet; Trevor Collins, Mark Timmons, Brian Byrne; Eoin Buggie, Seamus Lacey, Robert Piggott; Daniel O’Reilly, John O’Loughlin; Gareth Dillon, Mark Barry, Eoin Lowry; Paul Kingston, Evan O’Carroll, Gary Walsh.

Subs: Alan Farrell, Ross Munnelly, Diarmuid Whelan, Michael Keogh, Sean O’Flynn, Shane Bolger, Patrick O’Sullivan, Brian Daly, David Seale, Denis Booth.

Longford: Paddy Colum, Patrick Fox, Andrew Farrell, Barry O’Farrell, Donal McElligott, Gary Rogers, Colm P Smith, Darren Gallagher, Kevin Diffley, Dessie Reynolds, Joseph Hagan, Daniel Mimmagh, Ryan Brady, Liam Connerton, Oran Kenny

Leinster Championship Quarter-Final: Longford vs Laois, Sunday, November 8th, 13:30 (Glennon Brothers Pearse Park).

And with that our Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Quarter Final line up is set

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