GAA Weekend Preview: All to play for in final round of football

The final round of football League action sets this weekend up very nicely, with it all still to play for.

Derry must avoid defeat to make it to the Division 1 decider, while Dublin and Kerry will have to win and hope Derry lose to have some sort of a chance of making the decider.

Tyrone are still not without a chance either. If they defeat Dublin and Galway beat Kerry, they will make the decider, while if the Dubs and Derry prevail, they will meet in Sunday week’s final.

Monaghan v Mayo is a dead rubber as Mayo are unable to reach the final and Monaghan have been relegated.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s key football fixtures.

Derry v Roscommon

Celtic Park
Sunday March 24th @ 1.45pm

Derry’s place in the League final is all but secured but Mickey Harte’s men will most likely want to guarantee their spot in the final with a win here.

Roscommon are not without hope of retaining their place in the topflight either, as a win in Celtic Park coupled with Kerry defeating Galway will retain their Division 1 status for 2025, but this is a tough ask.

Derry, who are 2/5 favourites, have impressed in the League, winning five from six, and have some serious talent at their disposal which is causing opposition teams incredible headaches.

Shane McGuigan is in the form of his life at present – he scored 1-6 away at Mayo last week – while Conor McCluskey, Garreth McKinless and Conor Glass constantly driving forward from deep sets a serious platform on which they can build their attack.

Roscommon, who go to Celtic Park as 5/2 outsiders, are slowly but surely coming back to full strength after having a difficult injury spell. But Derry’s form has been solid in this League, and this looks a tall order for the Rossies, who have just one win from six games.

Taking Derry in the -3 handicap at Evens looks a smart play here.

Dublin v Tyrone

Croke Park
Sunday March 24th @ 1.45pm

This has the potential to be a humdinger of a game the way these teams are currently playing.

Dublin, who are 2/9 favourites, are on a four match winning run, while Darragh Canavan’s brilliance in recent week has kept Tyrone in with a fighting chance of reaching Sunday week’s final.

The full forward was excellent in last Saturday’s win over Monaghan, scoring 1-6, including a wonder goal after a pass, in contention for pass of the season already, from goalkeeper Niall Morgan.

Tyrone, 4/1 outsiders, bring plenty of fluency in attack and Croke Park should suit the likes of Canavan, Darren McCurry and Kieran McGeary, but Dublin are tough to crack in HQ.

Sean Bugler, man of the match against Galway last week, Brian Fenton and Con O’Callaghan, who scored 0-9 in that win, have been in inspired form of late for the Dubs, while their reserves are so strong with Paul Mannion, Colm Basquel and Jack McCaffrey among those ready to come in.

Tyrone have enough ammunition to trouble Dublin, but the Dubs scored 0-22 and kicked only one wide in that win over Galway in atrocious conditions last week, and in this vein of form, they look hard to oppose on home soil.

Kerry v Galway

Fitzgerald Stadium
Sunday March 24th @ 1.45pm (Live on TG4)

Victory at all costs is the message for both of these sides at opposite ends of the table. A Kerry victory will put them in contention for a League final place, while Galway must win to avoid a relegation scare, depending on Roscommon’s result in Derry.

The Kingdom, who are 1/4 favourites, have been solid throughout the League and the Clifford brothers continue to deliver in attack. David notched 0-6 in last week’s win in Roscommon while Paudie has been hugely influential throughout the League campaign.

Not also forgetting Sean O’Shea, who’s arguably been Kerry’s best forward throughout the League, scoring 1-26 across the six matches so far.

Injuries have been the biggest problem for Galway throughout this League campaign and they faded quite tamely in the second half against Dublin last week. They are 7/2 here to come away with a win, which looks a tall order.

The loss of Jason Foley is a slight worry for Kerry, but their form has been more or less solid in recent weeks and they should have enough for a depleted Galway side. Take them in the handicap, -4, at 10/11.