This weekend’s LGFA games at a glance

By Jackie Cahill

THE stage is set – and it’s time for the 2025 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Championships to get underway.

A total of seven games – three in the Junior grade and four at Intermediate level – are pencilled in for next Sunday, June 1.

The LGFA will live-stream the Intermediate all-Ulster clash between Monaghan and Cavan at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones.

That tie has a 1.30pm throw-in time and you can watch the action unfold on the LGFA’s Facebook Page and YouTube channel.

TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship

Group A:

Derry v Sligo; Owenbeg, 2pm
Group A is the five-team group in the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship and will be hotly contested.

Sligo won comfortably when they met Derry in the group stages last year and the Connacht outfit will look for another positive result.

In Division 4 of the Lidl NFL, Sligo had just four points to spare over Derry when the sides met in February.

That most recent form guide suggests that this could be a closer game than many anticipate – and Derry showed some good form when running Antrim close in the recent Ulster Final.

Derry: T Cassidy; C Dillon, G Brewster, J Corr; O McEvoy, S Hargan, B Donnelly; L Brewester, A Crozier (capt.); K Hargan, A Ni Lochlainn, A Martin; A McAlister, C Donnelly, J Slevin.

Sligo: E McGuire; A Molloy, C Dunne, J Creegan; C King, T Doddy, T Breheny; S Regan (capt.), C Walsh; A McDaniel, E Kelleher, S Feeney; L Duffy, L Normanly, N Brennan.

Kilkenny v Limerick; John Locke Park, 1pm
Limerick were left heartbroken at the semi-final stage last year.

The Shannonsiders lost out by just two points to eventual champions Fermanagh in a cracking last four tie played in Longford.

Limerick will target another big championship campaign and their recent form has been good, with a two-point victory over Clare retaining the Munster Senior B title.

They’ll expect to get off to a winning start in the All-Ireland series against a Kilkenny side that struggled in the Leinster Junior Championship.

Kilkenny: K Fitzpatrick; E Stewart, A Galwey, L Brett; S Mooney, R Crowley, J O’Keefe (capt.); R Crowley, S Smith; D Tervit-Kruger, K Purcell, C Moore; E Devoy, L McDowell, C Mooney.

Limerick: C Bateman; R Browne, Y Lee (capt.), J McGuire; L Ryan, A O’Sullivan, E Woulfe; E Kennedy, D Murphy; K O’Leary, R Delee, A Morrissey; G Keane, C Mee, E Crowe.

Group B:

Longford v Antrim; Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 2pm
Longford will be hoping for some consistency in the All-Ireland series, after missing out on a Leinster Final appearance.

Antrim, meanwhile, were busy collecting more silverware in the form of the TG4 Ulster Junior crown, adding to last month’s Lidl NFL Division 4 title win.

Antrim were TG4 All-Ireland Junior champions as recently as 2022 – and the Saffrons will feel confident of launching another strong push for the West County Hotel Cup.

But they’ll take nothing for granted in Group B, which also contains Carlow and London.

Longford: A Cooney; G Kenny, L Keegan, A Brady; C McCormack, E O’Brien (capt.), E Duggan; S Gallagher, A O’Brien; S Hagan, K Crawford, E O’Reilly; K Burke, C Lohan, L McGuire.

Antrim: A Devlin; N McIntosh, M Blaney, M Mulholland; S O’Neill, C Brown, C McKenna; A Mulholland, Á Tubridy; T Mellon, O Dahunsi, A Kelly; B Devlin (capt.), L Agnew, M O’Neill.

TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship

Group 1

Laois v Roscommon; Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, 2pm
Laois were winners of this competition in 2022 and after suffering relegation last year, the O’Moore County will be anxious to bounce back to the Senior grade at the first attempt.

Laois lost to Kildare in a nerve-jangling Senior Championship relegation play-off and now the challenge is to prove that they can be among the contenders at Intermediate level.

Roscommon are another side that can produce good football on any given day – and the Connacht side are potential dark horses in this competition.

Sunday’s clash in Portlaoise should provide conclusive evidence about the long-term prospect of both teams, with Laois looking to recover quickly following their Leinster final loss against Westmeath.

Laois: E Barry; S Farrelly, F McEvoy, G Lalor; A Gorman, A Moore, A Moran (capt.); F Dooley, J Moore; S Havill, C Burke, C Crowley; E Galvin, L Walsh, M Nerney.

Roscommon: C O’Reilly; M Kelly, S Wynne, R Brady; M McKeon, N Feeney, R Lennon; E Irwin, N Watson; S McGuinness, A Curran, L Mannion; A Hanly, E Thompson, C Lennon.

Group 2

Westmeath v Down; Ballynacargy GAA, 2pm
Westmeath were impressive against Laois in the TG4 Leinster Final – running out six-point winners.

That might not be the last piece of silverware that the Lake County pick up this year, as they’re one of the leading contenders for the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate title.

Westmeath won this title last in 2021 and will be eager to make a big impression again.

Sunday’s opponents are Down, who are reeling from a heavy TG4 Ulster final defeat to Cavan.

Westmeath: A Temple; L McCartan, S Murphy, F Coyle (capt.); C Gonoud, L Power, S Buckley; V Carr, A Roche; L McCartan, S Dillon, T Dillon; G Byrne, A Jones, C Kilmurray.

Down: C Byrne; A Greene, C McCreanor, N McClory; C Mulvenna (capt.), A Brogan, E Sands; M Doherty, A Laverty; E Fitzpatrick, L Duffy, A Smyth; N King, N Rice, E Hicks.

Group 3
Monaghan v Cavan, St Tiernach’s Park, Clones, 1.30pm
Monaghan and Cavan will go at it again after producing a brilliant TG4 Ulster Championship semi-final.

Cavan won by 2-15 to 3-8 on the day but they had to come from five points down at half-time to win by four.

Aisling Gilsenan was in superb form on the day for Cavan, registering 1-7, and she’s just one of a number of players that Monaghan will have to keep an eye on.

Cavan, the Ulster champions, will feel confident as they head for Clones but Monaghan won’t fear them and it’s set up for another potential classic.

Monaghan: O Kelly; C Brennan, S Brady, A Loughman; G Hanratty, J Duffy, A Garland (capt.); A Burns, N Flannigan; L Garland, C Treanor, L Connolly; E Sherry, A Clarke, S Corley.

Cavan: E Baugh; L Crowe, S Kelly, E Corcoran; M Sheridan, S Lynch (capt.), S Greene; M Fitzpatrick, E Brady; C Charters, L McVeety, C Dolan; N Keenaghan, A Sheridan, A Gilsenan.

Group 4

Clare v Offaly; Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, Ennis, 2pm
Having lost out narrowly to Kildare in the 2023 TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate quarter-final, Clare exited the competition at the quarter-final stage last year.

Tyrone won by just a single point against the Banner County – before going on to contest the final against winners Leitrim at Croke Park.

Clare find themselves in Group 4 alongside Offaly, who they defeated in the 2024 Championship, and Wexford.

The Banner County will hope to claim one of the two qualifying positions on offer and this is a crucial game in that context.

Clare: A Lenihan; C Byrne, G Harvey (capt.), R Doohan; S Melican, J Doohan, E Burke; T Collins, R Martin; M Downes, C Moloney, L Conway; E McNamara, E Hanrahan, L Shanahan.

Offaly: L Dunne; N Buckley, N Glackin, J Maher; A Grehan, K Flynn, A Phelan; A Watkins, D Hannon; M Byrne, M Mann, S McGuinness; E Hand, A Stafford, S Doyle.