GAA Weekend Preview: Dublin to continue strong home record

Another cracking round of National League football awaits this weekend as hurling takes a back seat.

All eyes will be on Tralee on Saturday night as Kerry host Mayo. The Dubs will be looking to finally get their season up and running as they host Roscommon at HQ, while Derry host Monaghan in an all Ulster affair.

Tyrone and Galway conclude the top tier action on Sunday in Omagh.

Dublin v Roscommon
Croke Park
Saturday 17th February @ 5pm

Life back in Division 1 hasn’t gone particularly well so far for Dublin and they will be hoping for a response when Roscommon visit Croke Park on Saturday evening.

Early defeats to Monaghan and Mayo leave Dublin at the foot of Division 1, and they perhaps should’ve come away from Castlebar with a point only for a late lapse in concentration to leave Fergal Boland free to kick the winner.

That is sure to leave a level of frustration among the camp, but the manner in which they dominated the game at times should stand to them this week.

Roscommon, who arrive as 9/2 outsiders, showed good battling qualities to hold on against Galway in the last round, but the adverse weather conditions played a big factor in that 0-9 all draw and there wasn’t a score for the last 14 minutes.

Dublin have conceded four goals in the opening two games which is an area Roscommon will have to exploit if they’re to come away from this with anything, but the Dubs rarely lose in Croke Park, and are 1/5 to win. The handicap at -5 looks the pick at EVS.

Kerry v Mayo
Austin Stack Park
17th February @ 7.30pm

Mayo certainly have their tails up after a bright start to 2024 with wins over Galway and Dublin, and are unlikely to fear Kerry in anyway as they head to Tralee on Saturday night.

The Kingdom, who are 4/11 favourites, rued plenty of missed chances against Derry on the opening weekend, but they responded with an emphatic win in Clones last time out, a game which saw David Clifford return.

Sean O’Shea was inspirational that day with 1-7, while Clifford’s appearance will send shivers down the spines of many, and this prolific attack is something Mayo, who are 11/4 outsiders, may struggle with.

But to their credit, they have curtailed two strong attacks in Galway and Dublin so far, not allowing the likes of Shane Walshe, Con O’Callaghan or Cormac Costello to have too big an impact on proceedings.

That sets this up for an intriguing clash, and looks hard to split. Take 15/2 on this one to be a draw.

Tyrone v Galway
Healy Park
Sunday 18th February @ 1.45pm

It’s been a mixed bag for both Tyrone and Galway in the League so far, and either side could do with a victory in Omagh on Sunday.

Tyrone’s opening day win over Roscommon was cancelled out by a six-point defeat to Derry in the last round, a game in which they failed to register a score for the first 23 minutes of the second half, inevitably leaving them too big a mountain to climb.

These patches must be eradicated at this level, but Galway’s performance against Roscommon didn’t set the world alight either in the last round, scoring just four points from play across 70 minutes.

The hosts are 4/5 to win, while Galway are 11/8. The manner in which Tyrone brushed aside Roscommon in Round 1 gives enough support to make them the selection here. But only just.