Ulster teams eye league glory this weekend

Compiled by Jackie Cahill

THE scene is set for the 2025 Lidl National League Finals – with eight counties targeting national silverware.

There’s a Division 1 and 2 Final double-header at Croke Park on Saturday, as Cork take on Galway in the Division 2 decider (3pm), followed by the Division 1 showpiece between Armagh and Kerry, a repeat of last year’s final, at 5pm. Both games are live on TG4.

On Sunday, attention switches to the Divisions 3 and 4 finals. Cavan take on Wexford in the Division 3 final in Drogheda at 2pm, as Ulster rivals Antrim and Fermanagh go head to head in Division 4 at 3pm. Both games will be live-streamed on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.

Saturday

Lidl National Football League – Division 2 Final
Cork v Galway; Croke Park, 3pm – Live on TG4

JUST like Saturday’s Division 1 decider at Croke Park, there’s a familiar feel to the pairing for the Lidl National League Division 2 Final.

Cork and Galway are teams that know plenty about each other, having met in Round 2 of the group phase.

That game resulted in a 2-8 to 0-12 win for Galway, in what was the first competitive meeting between the sides since the 2024 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final.

Galway won that one, before falling to Kerry in the Final, after Cork had beaten Galway in the round-robin phase of the Championship.

Those 2024 Championship tussles came on the back of a desperately disappointing League campaign for both counties last year, when they were relegated from Division 1.

Cork and Galway were favourites to make an instant return to the top flight, however, and so it proved.

Galway won seven from seven to top the table, with Cork winning six of their seven games (a sole blip coming at the hands of Galway).

Having contested a TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final last year, Galway will be pleased to get back to Croke Park so quickly and have the chance to savour a winning feeling here.

The goal at the start of the League campaign for both of Saturday’s finalists will have been promotion and the chance to capture a trophy now is a lovely bonus.

Championship may be just around the corner but Cork and Galway will give it everything as they chase the win.

Cork are the proud holders of 12 Division 1 titles but they’ve also won the Division 2 crown on three occasions – 2003, 1992 and 1988.

On Saturday, Galway go in search of their third Division 2 title win, following previous successes in 2014 and 2002.

With the potential to provide some real clues as to the Championship prospects of both counties, this Division 2 Final should be a really interesting game.

Galway’s will be desperate to atone for last year’s TG4 All-Ireland SFC Final loss to Kerry, while Cork’s ultimate goal is to get back to a first Senior Final since 2020.

Going into the Championship with a major national title would be a real boost – and that’s the opportunity that presents itself.

Two talented teams with huge potential are ready to put on a show at Croke Park.

The old saying is that familiarity breeds contempt but, in this case, it will almost certainly breed entertainment, too.

Cork: S Murphy; D Kiniry, S Kelly, M Duggan; E O’Shea, S Leahy (capt.), R Corkery; A Corcoran, A Healy; A O’Mahony, L O’Mahony, E Cleary; H Looney, L Coppinger, K Quirke.

Galway: D Gower; M Jordan, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty (capt.); H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; O Divilly, S Hynes, A Davoren; L Noone, R Leonard, K Slevin.

Lidl National Football League – Division 1 Final

Armagh v Kerry; Croke Park, 5pm – Live on TG4
FOR the third time in four seasons, Armagh and Kerry meet in a Lidl National League Final at Croke Park.

The score is currently tied at one apiece, following victory for Kerry in the 2022 Division 2 decider and for Armagh in last year’s Division 1 showpiece.

The fact that Armagh and Kerry were contesting a Division 1 Final just two years after meeting in a second tier decider represented clear evidence of the rapid progress of both sides.

Indeed, Kerry appeared in successive TG4 All-Ireland Senior Finals in 2022, 2023 and 2024, finally getting their hands on the coveted national silverware last year.

And their 2024 Championship semi-final opponents were Armagh at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore, with the Kingdom prevailing by 1-8 to 0-7 in a tense, low-scoring affair.

Bearing in mind that Armagh were Lidl NFL Division 1 holders and Kerry TG4 All-Ireland Senior champions ahead of the new season, the sides were pitted together in the opening round of the opening round of the 2025 National League campaign.

Both sides were naturally rusty at the start of the year but Armagh turned on the style at Austin Stack Parke in Tralee in the second half, outscoring Kerry by 3-6 to 0-6 to claim a 3-11 to 1-13 victory.

An intriguing rivalry has developed between Sunday’s opponents in recent times and these are two sides that will be live contenders for the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship title.

They could well meet again during the summer and, if they do, that will be another game to savour.

Armagh will hope that brilliant forward Aimee Mackin, who has yet to feature this year, will return from injury during the Championship season but the Orchard County have coped well in her absence.

There has been a healthy spread of scorers throughout the campaign to date, with Niamh Reel leading the way with 0-27.

Blaithín Mackin (2-6), Niamh Henderson (3-3) and Eve Lavery (0-12) have also been prominent up front, as Armagh won five games on the spin to claim a spot in the Final, before defeats to Waterford and Meath followed in Rounds 6 and 7 respectively.

The manner of the Waterford loss, by ten points, will have concerned the Armagh camp but there may have been an element of taking the foot off the gas towards the end of the group phase.

In seven games, Armagh have racked up 12-84, or a scoring average of just over 17 points per game.

In contrast, Kerry’s average scoring return per game is slightly lower, at just under 15 points per game.

There’s a stand-out attacker in the Kingdom ranks this season, with Síofra O’Shea accounting for 5-26 of Kerry’s 13-65 tally.

Danielle O’Leary (4-7) has also contributed strongly but Kerry will need more forwards to step up as they move towards the summer, and without Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, who retired from inter-county duty after landing a coveted TG4 All-Ireland Senior medal last year.

On Sunday, Kerry will target a 13th Division 1 title, which would take them one clear of Munster rivals Cork at the top of the roll of honour, as Armagh aim to retain the top flight silverware they won for the first time last year.

In team news, Armagh make three changes to the side that lost out to Meath in Round 7 of the group stages.

That setback marked a second successive defeat for Armagh – and they’ll be eager to avoid a hat-trick.

Anna Carr returns in goal in place of Brianna Mathers, while there are starts for Cait Towe and Niamh Reel, who replace Grace Ferguson and Kelly Mallon.

Kerry lost to Dublin in their last outing but they had a much-changed team on show.

There are seven changes in personnel for the final, as Róisín Rahilly, Deirdre Kearney, Aoife Dillane, captain Anna Galvin, last year’s skipper Niamh Carmody, free-scoring O’Shea and Jaydn Lucey return to the starting line-up.

Fay O’Donoghue, Kayla O’Connor, Ciara McCarthy, Niamh Quinn, Leah Boyle, Jess Gill and Julia Curtin all started against Dublin but are named on the bench for the visit to GAA HQ.

Armagh: A Carr; M Ferguson, C McCambridge (capt.), L Kenny; L McConville, C Towe, R Mulligan; N Coleman, C O’Hanlon; E Druse, B Mackin, E Lavery; N Reel, A McCoy, N Henderson.

Kerry: M.E. Bolger; R Rahilly, D Kearney, E Lynch; A O’Connell, K Cronin, A Dillane; M O’Connell, A Galvin (capt.); C Evans, N Ní Chonchúir, N Carmody; D O’Leary, S O’Shea, J Lucey.

Sunday

Lidl National Football League – Division 3 Final

Cavan v Wexford; Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda, 2pm – Live on TG4 YouTube

THESE are good times for Cavan Ladies Football.

Rising young stars from the Breffni County were crowned ZuCar All-Ireland U18 A and U16 champions in 2024, while U16 A glory was also annexed in 2023.

Last year, Cavan also contested an All-Ireland U14 Platinum Final while, more recently, Bailieborough Community School were crowned Lidl All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools champions on the double, in the Junior C and Senior C grades, while Loreto College appeared in a Senior A Final.

The future is extremely bright for Cavan but the present isn’t too bad either.

At the Integral GAA Grounds in Drogheda on Sunday, the chance to capture Lidl National League Division 3 silverware presents itself.

The primary objective for Cavan has already been achieved, with promotion back to Division 2 secured at the first attempt, following relegation last year.

Standing in Cavan’s path as they look to claim the trophy is a formidable opponent.

Cavan won six of their seven Division 3 games to top the standings but that sole defeat came against Wexford.

Grace Donovan scored a goal midway through the second half which ultimately proved decisive as Wexford ran out 2-5 to 0-9 winners.

And so Wexford will have absolutely no fear of Cavan, despite their rising tide on numerous levels.

Wexford were promoted on merit and they’re in Sunday’s final on merit.

Going into their final group game against Laois, Wexford knew what they had to do – win.

It was a task they achieved comfortably, as a 3-9 to 0-10 victory sent the Slaneysiders to Division 2.

Wexford return to a Division 3 Final for the first time since 2022, when they lost out to Roscommon.

Prior to that, third-tier glory was achieved in 2018, when Caitriona Murray scored a famous hat-trick in the Final victory over Meath.

Wexford were also Division 3 winners back in 2004, and are aiming to win this competition for the third time.

Cavan return to a Division 3 Final for the first time since beating Waterford in 2010. That was the second Division 3 title win for Cavan in three seasons, as they were also winners in 2008 against Limerick.

Cavan needed a play-off to preserve TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate status in 2024 but their form to date this year indicates that they could be a much different Championship proposition in the weeks to come.

Wexford, too, will look to feature in the race for Intermediate Championship glory and this might not be the last time that Sunday’s opponents line up against each other in 2025.

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

Wexford: S Cloake; S McCarthy, M Byrne, A Tormey; C Banville, A Halligan, K English; C Donnelly, R Murphy (capt.); B McDonald, C Murray, O Byrne; A Neville, C Ní Nualláin, C Foxe.

Lidl National Football League – Division 4 Final

Antrim v Fermanagh; St. Tiernach’s Park Clones, 3pm – Live on TG4 YouTube
ANTRIM and Fermanagh are no strangers to contesting national Finals.

Two years ago, Antrim were crowned Lidl National League Division 4 winners, while Fermanagh’s last Division 4 title win was achieved in 2019, when they defeated Antrim in the Final.

2024 represented a sliding doors moment for both counties, however, as they moved in opposite directions in the Championship ranks.

Fermanagh’s TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship Final win against Louth secured Intermediate fare for the Erne County this year, while Antrim suffered relegation from the Intermediate grade.

Winners in 2022, Antrim will start as one of the strong contenders for Junior glory this year, while Fermanagh will look to consolidate at Intermediate level.

Before all of that, there’s national silverware at stake on Sunday.

Having gained promotion with semi-final victories over Leitrim and Sligo respectively, Antrim and Fermanagh can play with freedom in Sunday’s final.

For both counties, promotion will have come as a huge relief.

Antrim have bounced back to Division 3 at the first attempt, while Fermanagh atoned for last year’s semi-final loss to Carlow.

Antrim’s form so far this year has been scintillating. The Saffrons scorched through the group phase with seven wins from seven outings, with Fermanagh in second place with six wins out of seven.

Fermanagh’s only defeat came at the hands of Antrim and that was in a cracking game.

On the day, Antrim won by 3-10 to 3-9 and that type of result is in keeping with recent history between the sides.

This Division 4 Final will also revive memories of 2022, when the counties met in the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Final.

After a draw at Croke Park, Antrim prevailed in a replay at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh, on a day of sweltering weather conditions.

A number of players who lined out in those games are still in action for their counties and there’s huge talent on show on both sides.

For Antrim, captain Bronagh Devlin has been leading by example and her 2-3 was crucial in the semi-final victory over Leitrim.

On the Fermanagh side, Eimear Smyth has carried her magnificent 2024 form into 2025 and she led the way with 1-8 in the semi-final win against Sligo.

Both teams scored five goals (Antrim 5-12 and Fermanagh 5-8) in their semi-finals – and after sharing six goals when they met in the group phase, the scene is set for another high-scoring shoot-out between familiar foes.

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

Fermanagh: A Haren; E Murphy, C Clarke, E Keenan; N Boyle, C Murphy, C Bogue; S Feeley, M McGloin; B Smyth, C Martin, L Maguire; J Doonan, E Smyth, A McCabe.