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Division 2 next season

Armagh
Cavan
Roscommon
Kildare
Fermanagh
Laois
Westmeath or Louth
Clare

A lot of Division 2 die hards in that group throw in Meath and you probably have the counties ranked 8 to 16 in no particular order.  All capable of beating each other.  Just missing Down who'd be another Division 2 regular.

I'd say over the last 10 years Kildare and Laois has spent the longest in Div 2. Going by the boards.ie ranking table.

9th Roscommon
10th Kildare
11th Cavan
12th Fermanagh
13th Armagh
14th Laois
15th Clare
18th Westmeath or 23rd Louth

I presume it's Kerry to win pulling up?

I hope not but yeah probably Kerry by 5 or 6.

Mayo could do it

Of course they could, after all they beat Kerry in Tralee last week and held them to a mere 0-11 while doing so. If its another wet and windy day for this match it should suit a more physical Mayo outfit.

I think that's a bit unfair on Mayo thinking that the wet and windy conditions suited Mayo more and Kerry would have beaten us on a dry sod. We cleaned Kerry out in midfield and ran through their fullback line that night and if we can manage the same next Sunday on a dry calm pitch we will win again but I just don't see Kerry being dominated as much in the middle third the next day.
Kerry never back down from the physical battles in games against us just watch the 2014 games or the league game from 2018 to see how well they can mix it with us!

It was Mayo's physical presence in the middle eight that allowed them to dictate the game in Tralee and poor weather doesn't suit lighter teams. In 2014 Kerry had a more physical and experienced team to mix it and 2018 game a midfield pairing of i think J Gibbons, B Moran was poor that night.

The worse the weather is the lower the score does be in games. Mayo while dominated large portions of that game in Tralee they still created less scoring chances than Kerry. The goal was obviously the key score and it was shocking defending by Kerry if they defend like that in Croke Park Mayo will have a excellent chance of winning.

I presume it's Kerry to win pulling up?

I hope not but yeah probably Kerry by 5 or 6.

Mayo could do it

Of course they could, after all they beat Kerry in Tralee last week and held them to a mere 0-11 while doing so. If its another wet and windy day for this match it should suit a more physical Mayo outfit.

Results this afternoon. Wins for the two finalists.

Leitrim 1-20 Waterford 2-9 
Derry 3-21 Wexford 4-16

Mayo team for Sunday as they seek to reach the NFL final. Six changes from last weekend

David Clarke - Ballina Stephenites
2. Stephen Coen - Hollymount/Carramore
3. Brendan Harrison - Aghamore
4. Eoin O'Donoghue - Belmullet
5. Paddy Durcan - Castlebar Mitchels
6. Michael Plunkett - Ballintubber
7. James McCormack - Claremorris
8. Matthew Ruane - Breaffy
9. Aidan O'Shea - Breaffy
10. Fergal Boland - Aghamore
11. Jason Doherty - Burrishoole
12. Diarmuid O'Connor - Ballintubber(C)
13. Kevin McLoughlin - Knockmore
14. Darren Coen - Hollymount/Carramore
15. Conor Diskin - Claremorris

Looks like no one has told Kerry that they are more or less into the final already. Probably the strongest team they have picked so far this year which is good news for Monaghan and not so good for Roscommon.

Shane Ryan - Rathmore
Peter Crowley - Laune Rangers
Jack Sherwood   - Firies
Graham O'Sullivan - Piarsaigh na Dromoda
Gavin Crowley - Templenoe
Paul Murphy - Rathmore
Tom O'Sullivan   - Dingle
Jack Barry   - Na Gaeil
Diarmuid O'Connor - Na Gaeil
Dara Moynihan   - Spa Killarney
Sean O'Shea   - Kenmare
Stephen O'Brien   - Kenmare
Kevin McCarthy   - Kilcummin
Tommy Walsh   - Kerins O'Rahillys
David Clifford   - Fossa

I believe championship prices have been increased and that will need a re-think also. There is a good chance they will go back to 2018 prices for the league next year IMO. I think we all know the increase came at a time when the Pairc ui chaoimh bill needs to be paid but allowing attendance figures to decrease for their best run competition is poor business sense.

[how about cutting the costs]

How about making football attractive to watch and we might get 25% more people going to all  games?

how about cutting the costs
£19 in to watch Armagh at the weekend and stood on a gravel bank
not much comfort

Yes, exactly.

Wasn't it £14 last year? I thought that was too much. HQ are just taking the piss now.

Looking at the attendance figures this spring HQ will have no choice but to cut the cost of ticket prices for next year.

Games for this weekend. Two hurling semi finals live and one football game deferred.

Dublin v Limerick - Nowlan Park - 1.30pm

Galway v Waterford - Nowlan Park - 3.30pm

Tyrone v Galway - Healy Park - Deferred

Any word on what games TG4 are covering this weekend?

Tyrone away was always going to be a very tough place to get a result but they are flying at the moment making it even harder, still there's a great chance to get to another league final there and at the outset of the league who would have put money on Galway being in with a shout of that going into the last round?

Certainly not me, they've done really well in the circumstances in fairness to them. Be interesting to see how many or will any of the Corofin boys be togged next weekend, I think Jason Leonard could be a real addition to the panel. He's a real unsung hero of that Corofin team.

Doubtful that any of the Corofin lads will be available for next week, they are entitled to celebrate and given that it's not do or die in terms of staying up I don't know that there's any need to push them to get back for it. That said I would not have expected any of them to feature in the league at all this year and they did so we'll see.
Ian Burke and Liam Silke will start in the summer but Molloy simply has to be given a shot at the 5 jersey, he is absolute quality and I'll be shocked if he's not up to that top inter county standard. I would love to see Daithi Burke in there as well but he'll stick to the small ball unfortunately. Outside of Power who'll be the sub goalie I don't know if there will be anyone else in there, due to their extended club runs the likes of Leonard and Wall don't get the chance to impress in the league that someone else such as Ó Laoí has taken with both hands.

Corofin are an amazing club team, the best I've seen but it's still a big leap from club to county, there's a lot of wild talk about at the minute, I had to listen to someone in CP yesterday who assured all around him that Corofin would beat the county team, with all due respect to that opinion, in a hypothetical game that actually mattered, assuming all played to form, there's not a notion of it.

Who will drop out to allow Molloy to start in the half back line? At least one of O Donnell Bradshaw always starts on a Walsh team. Heaney and Kelly switch between half back and half forward. John Daly looks ahead in the pecking order and you have McDaid who could play the wing back role also.

At the moment the only Corofin players that look like certain starters for Galway this summer is Silke and Burke.

Well done to Dublin and Mayo on their fine away wins tonight. Between Kerry,Mayo,Galway,Tyrone for a place in the final now. Rare to see a Jim Gavin Dublin team not reach a final.

Mayo team. 3 changes Michael Plunkett, Conor Loftus & Kevin McLoughlin all coming into the team in place of Lee Keegan, Colm Boyle & Darren Coen

1. David Clarke - Ballina Stephenites
2. Chris Barrett - Belmullet
3. Brendan Harrison - Aghamore
4. Keith Higgins - Ballyhaunis
5. Stephen Coen - Hollymount/Carramore
6. Michael Plunkett - Ballintubber
7. Donal Vaughan - Castlebar Mitchels
8. Matthew Ruane - Breaffy
9. Aidan O'Shea - Breaffy
10. Fionn McDonagh - Westport
11. Conor Loftus - Crossmolina Deel Rovers
12. Diarmuid O'Connor - Ballintubber(C)
13. Kevin McLoughlin - Knockmore
14. Jason Doherty - Burrishoole
15. James Durcan - Castlebar Mitchels

Clifford,O Donoghue are 2 big additions on the Kerry bench.