Division One
- Tyrone 2-20 Dublin 1-14
- Armagh 4-24 Derry 1-15
- Galway 2-17 Kerry 3-23
- Mayo 1-18 Donegal 1-16
Division Two
- Cavan 0-19 Cork 0-21
- Louth 1-19 Meath 0-17
- Monaghan 2-17 Down 0-24
- Westmeath 1-19 Roscommon 2-16
Division Three
- Clare 2-14 Offaly 2-9
- Fermanagh 1-18 Laois 2-13
- Kildare 1-26 Antrim 1-15
- Sligo 0-32 Leitrim 0-10
Division Four
- Limerick 4-24 Waterford 1-17
- London 1-17 Carlow 1-18
- Longford 1-10 Wexford 2-18
- Tipperary 0-12 Wicklow 0-21
Armagh beat Derry to ensure their survival in Division One. An emphatic 15-point one too for good measure for the Orchard County.
[ Armagh ensure Division One survival with emphatic win over DerryOpens in new window ]
That’s all from us, good night!
And in Division Two, Roscommon and Monaghan join the elites again, with Louth saving themselves at the expense of Meath’s ambitions. Antrim and Leitrim are relegated.
[ Louth avoid the drop and deny Meath promotionOpens in new window ]
In Division Three, Kildare and Offaly have been promoted, with Antrim and Leitrim going the other direction. Clare are likely to look back on their campaign with frustration.
[ Clare beat Offaly but miss out on promotion on scoring differenceOpens in new window ]
Ok. Let’s stand back and take a closer look at things. In Division Four, Limerick and Wexford will meet in the final in Croke Park.
[ Division Four wrap: James Naughton hits 4-12 as Limerick secure promotionOpens in new window ]
Aaaand breathe...
Kerry saw it out against Galway in the end. And so, after all that, it’s Mayo on top of the table on nine points and no fewer than FOUR teams in joint second on eight points. Kerry go through to join them in the final on account of having a points difference of +19, compared to Galway (+9), Donegal (+2) and Dublin (-1). Hilariously, Mayo top the table despite having a negative points difference, which has to be the first time that’s happened - maybe in any sport ever.
At the other end of the table, there was nothing Tyrone could do given everything that was happening elsewhere. They go down on their head-to-head record against Armagh. Derry, meanwhile, look like a bit of a rabble just now.
Tyrone 2-20 Dublin 1-16
Armagh 4-24 Derry 1-15
Galway 2-19 Kerry 3-24
Mayo 1-18 Donegal 1-16
League final: Mayo and Kerry; Relegated: Derry and Tyrone
That’s it! Mayo win 1-18 to 1-16. They diced with relegation down the home stretch but they survived. Donegal could have won it but butchered a couple of goal chances late on. The other results all seem more or less in the bag so that’s probably the drama done for the day.
Tyrone 2-20 Dublin 1-16 (full-time)
Armagh 4-24 Derry 1-15 (full-time)
Galway 2-17 Kerry 3-24
Mayo 1-18 Donegal 1-16 (full-time)
And Ryan O’Donoghue is Mayo’s man when they need him. He buys a free to lift the seige, then wriggles through for his own point. The clock has turned 70 and as long as Donegal don’t get a goal from the next attack, Mayo will be in the league final.
Donegal aren’t playing like men who want to swerve the final, in fairness to them. Hugh McFadden has just rattled the crossbar! And from the scraps afterwards, Doharty swings over a point to leave just one between them! One minute to go!
Daire Ó Baoill steps up and it’s saved! Colm Reape gets down to his right to smother Ó Baoill’s effort and Mayo hold a two-point lead with just over three minutes to go. They’re still in the league final, as it stands. Kerry are eight points up with 10 minutes to go in Salthill. If both sides see it out, that’s the final.
Penalty to Donegal!
And Mattie Ruane pops up to land a beauty, putting Mayo back on top of the table! That all happened in a four-minute period. Mad.
As it stands: Mayo v Kerry in the league final, Armagh and Derry relegated
Michael Langan gets in behind the Mayo cover to swing over a point from the right and that’s them in the lead. Which means that’s Mayo in the relegation zone! They were in the final when this cup of tea was warm! But there’s Paul Towey with the equaliser! Seven minutes to go.
And now they’re level! Points from Aaron Doherty and Shane O’Dnnell mean that everything has changed again. Now it’s Donegal and Kerry who find themselves on top of the table. Mayo don’t want to get dragged into a points difference scenario with Armagh and Tyrone both running up big scores in their games. Just 15 minutes left in these games now.
Tyrone 1-15 Dublin 1-6
Armagh 4-20 Derry 0-12
Galway 2-13 Kerry 2-16
Mayo 1-14 Donegal 1-14
As it stands: Donegal play Galway league final; Tyrone and Derry relegated
Oddly enough, for such a compacted league, none of these games are especially close just now. Dublin haven’t raised a gallop at all since the break and trail by 11. Galway are inching their way back against Kerry but still trail by five, while Armagh are a cricket score ahead over Derry. The closest game is Mayo v Donegal, with the home side 1-13 to 1-10 ahead. If Donegal draw level, the go to the top of the table. If they go ahead, Mayo are suddenly in relegation trouble. So it really is the pivotal match of the whole league right now.
And there’s a fourth! Rory Grugan put Darragh McMullan away and the All-Ireland champions are rampant.
Tyrone 1-15 Dublin 1-4
Armagh 4-13 Derry 0-9
Galway 1-10 Kerry 2-14
Mayo 1-13 Donegal 1-8
Okay, here we go with the second halves. And Armagh have made the best possible start with three quick goals! Derry have collapsed here. There is definitely a world in which this comes down to points difference just over half an hour from now so Armagh will keep running up the score.
It really is hilariously tight. Kerry are genuinely in a position here where a league final and relegation are more or less equal possibilities.
Gordon Manning gets in touch from Omagh...
“Tyrone lead by 10 but the big question here is whether that is a sufficient enough gap to have built up given the strong wind the home side had at their back in the first half. The strength of the wind is such that Dublin were dropping shots short from just over 20 metres out. The Dubs trailed Kerry by 11 at half-time earlier in the campaign in another wind-dominated game.”
And Seán Moran weighs in from Salthill...
“Kerry’s horizons have expanded from avoiding relegation to making the league final, as two first-half goals from Gavin White and Dylan Geaney have them in front in Salthill at the break, 2-11 to 1-10. Galway have already made a couple of substitutions but have laboured. When Paul Murphy was in the bin for a questionable black card, Kerry nonetheless outscored the home side by 0-4 to 0-2.”
Division One Half-Time Update
The usual madness. So little separates these counties - both on the pitch and on the table - that the fluctuations were rampant throughout that half. At the break, Mayo and Kerry sit atop the league but you would hardly say they’re on course for a league final. Very little will knock them off track. As it stands, nine points gets you into the league final, seven points gets you relegated. What a league!
Tyrone 1-13 Dublin 1-4
Armagh 0-12 Derry 0-8
Galway 1-10 Kerry 2-11
Mayo 1-7 Donegal 0-6
As it stands: Mayo and Kerry in the league final; Tyrone and Derry relegated
Red card for Shane McGuigan in the Derry v Armagh match. It was for two yellow cards - so he won’t miss the Ulster Championship match against Donegal in a fortnight. Even so, Derry could have done without it. They’ve closed the gap on Armagh and are two behind as half-time looms.
McCurry is on it today for Tyrone. He’s just stroked over a two-pointer to put Tyrone 1-9 to 1-3 ahead. Darragh Canavan followed up with a towering point and they’re seven ahead coming up to half-time. If it comes down to points difference between them and Armagh, they’re giving themselves a good cushion here.
What a pass by Darren McCurry.
As It Stands klaxon
By virtue of Galway and Mayo both being a point up in their games, they’re on track for the league final. Derry will be going down whatever happens. Joining them right now are Armagh, on scoring difference behind Tyrone and Kerry. But the margins are tiny. This is going to ebb and flow all the way to the end.
Mayo get in on the goalscoring act, Jack Carney popping up on the end of some nice handling in Castlebar. They’re level with Donegal now, who are giving this game plenty of effort despite all indications that they have no notion of wanting to make a league final.
Black card for Kerry’s Paul Murphy in Salthtill. Looked harsh enough - the Galway player looked to run into him as much as anything.
Goals are flying in everywhere! Dylan Geaney pops up at the back post to score Kerry’s second but Rob Finnerty replies with one for Galway within seconds at the other end! And in Omagh, Niall Morgan has made an awful howler, coming for a high ball that was never his to claim and leaving Con O’Callaghan with an open net. But Darragh Canavan has his goalie’s back, nipping in for one of his own at the other end a couple of minutes later. Helter-skelter stuff!
Tyrone 1-2 Dublin 1-2
Armagh 0-7 Derry 0-5
Galway 1-6 Kerry 2-3
Mayo 0-3 Donegal 0-6
Darragh Canavan gets the scoring underway in Omagh, a lovely score from a tight angle on the right. In Salthill, Galway are already looking to take advantage of the customary gale at their backs and are four up inside the opening four minutes. But Kerry immediately hit back with a goal for Gavin White! He stole in completely unmarked to slam home from seven metres out.
Tyrone 0-1 Dublin 0-0
Armagh 0-2 Derry 0-1
Galway 0-4 Kerry 1-0
Mayo 0-1 Donegal 0-1
Okay. Only the Division One games to go. Throw-ins are imminent.
Division Three (full-time update)
So after all that, basically very little changed over the course of the day. Kildare were always going to go up if they won, and they did. Clare gave it a fantastic go in Ennis but Offaly had done enough over the course of the league and a points difference of +32 compared to Clare’s +21 sees them through. Rollercoaster ride of the day goes to Fermanagh, who were in the promotion spot at half-time, one place above relegation with 15 minutes to go and ultimately settled in mid-table after their terrific win over Laois.
Clare 2-14 Offaly 2-9
Fermanagh 1-18 Laois 2-13
Kildare 1-26 Antrim 1-15
Sligo 0-32 Leitrim 0-10
Promoted: Kildare and Offaly; Relegated: Antrim and Leitrim
From our man Gordon Manning in Omagh: “Update from Omagh: Stephen Cluxton, named to start, will not feature for Dublin. Gavin Sheridan starts between the posts with Hugh O’Sullivan named as sub goalkeeper. Killian McGinnis replaces Luke Breathnach in attack.”
The Division One games start in 15 minutes. Heeeeeeere’s Muireann...
“Five teams remain in contention to make the Division 1 final, while four teams are still in danger of joining Derry in dropping to Division 2 next season.
“Kerry and Mayo find themselves in both camps, at least mathematically. Sitting midtable on six and seven points respectively, it could go either way for them come Sunday.
“Galway, Dublin and Donegal are each currently on eight points, and wins for all three would mean the two finalists would be decided on scoring difference – Galway currently leading that race on +17, ahead of Dublin on +8 and Donegal on +4. (Where two teams are level on points they are split by head-to-head record, but where three or more teams are level on points, it is scoring difference that decides the order).
“Wins for Mayo and Kerry would see them out of relegation danger, and potentially into final contention.
“It’s worth noting here that a spot in the Division 1 final may not be as enticing as it sounds. Unlike the other divisions, reaching the decider doesn’t carry the incentive of promotion, so really it’s just another fixture in an already condensed intercounty calendar, with the provincial championships looming large on the horizon.
“At the other end of the table, Derry’s fate is already sealed, they’re playing in Division 2 next season. Northern neighbours Tyrone and Armagh are battling to get away from that second relegation spot, and if they both get wins this weekend could pull Mayo and Kerry into that fight (if the two fence-sitters lose their respective fixtures).
“If both Armagh and Tyrone lose then Malachy O’Rourke & co go down due to the result of their head-to-head meeting when Kieran McGeeney’s side won by eight points. If one wins and the other loses, the loser joins Derry in Division 2.”
Oho! Well now - this might not be quite done yet. A goal for Aaron Girffin in Ennis has put Clare 1-14 to 2-8 ahead of Offaly. Which means that Kildare, Ofaly and Clare are all level on points at the top of Division Three, at least for now. As it stands, Offaly and Kildare will still go up - they have much better points differences than Clare. But it’s not quite the stroll it looked 10 minutes ago.
Clare 1-14 Offaly 2-8
Fermanagh 1-14 Laois 2-13
Kildare 1-23 Antrim 1-15
Sligo 0-31 Leitrim 0-10
As it stands: Kildare and Offaly promoted; Antrim and Leitrim relegated
In Division Three, Kildare have rallied well to make life easier for themselves - they’re three ahead coming down the stretch over Antrim. Unless something goes wildly awry from here, it will be Offaly and Kildare who are promoted to Division Two. At the bottom, Antrim’s second half collapse has actually made no difference - even had they won, they’d be going down along with Leitrim. Sligo were the only team they could overtake and they’re 21 points up on Steven Poacher’s side.
Division Three (60th-minute update)
Clare 0-13 Offaly 2-8
Fermanagh 1-10 Laois 2-12
Kildare 1-18 Antrim 1-15
Sligo 0-30 Leitrim 0-9
Division Two (Full-time update)
Not to be for Meath, who kept getting on the wrong side of the referee in the endgame there and handed Louth a couple of tap-over frees as a result.
Cavan 0-19 Cork 0-21
Louth 1-19 Meath 0-17
Monaghan 2-17 Down 0-24
Westmeath 1-19 Roscommon 2-16
Promoted: Monaghan and Roscommon; Relegated: Westmeath and Down
Westmeath have finished their league with a point - and what a point! The magnificent Kieran Martin rifles over a brilliant outside-of-the-boot effort to get them a draw against Roscommon. That’s very careless from the Rossies - if Meath manage to squeeze out a win here over the closing minutes, they’ll go above them! And if they do that, they’ll relegate Louth. It’s unliklely but stranger things have happened. There’s a long injury delay in Inniskeen so there could be a good five minutes to go here.
Cavan 0-19 Cork 0-21 (full-time)
Louth 1-18 Meath 0-17
Monaghan 2-17 Down 0-24 (full-time)
Westmeath 1-17 Roscommon 2-16 (full-time)
Hold up - this might not all be done quite yet. Meath have pulled themselves back into matters in Inniskeen, with Jordan Morris pulling them back to within four points. There’s still five minutes of injury-time left there - Louth could make a mess of this yet. But Down aren’t out the gap in Clones either - David Garland has just banged in a goal for Monaghan and there’s only a point in it there. At the minute, Down are still heading for relegation but can Meath do them a favour? And can they accept it?
Cavan 0-19 Cork 0-21
Louth 1-18 Meath 0-17
Monaghan 2-15 Down 0-22
Westmeath 1-17 Roscommon 2-16
Meath made a brief bit of noise at the start of the second half, rattling over the first three points after the restart to test the Louth nerves. But Ger Brennan’s side have really knuckled down here and will surely see it out, leading as they are by 1-18 to 0-12 on the hour mark. It means that Down’s super display away to Monaghan probably isn’t going to get the rewards it deserves - no matter how much they win by (and they currently lead by four) they will go down on account of their one-point defeat to Louth a few weeks back.
Division Two (60th-minute update)
Cavan 0-15 Cork 0-19
Louth 1-18 Meath 0-12
Monaghan 1-13 Down 0-18
Westmeath 1-19 Roscommon 2-16
As it stands: Monaghan and Roscommon promoted; Westmeath and Down relegated
Division Three (Half-time update)
Offaly have put in a brilliant first-half in their effort to simplify matters here. They’re five up at half-time in Ennis, not only setting themselves on a clear path to Division Two but giving Clare a huge mountain to climb in the second half. Meanwhile in Newbridge, Kildare’s insistence on making promotion a harder job than it needs to be continues apace - they’re five points down to Antrim. With Fermanagh leading against Laois, there’s a real chance that Kieran Donnelly’s side could nip in to grab the second promotion spot.
Clare 0-6 Offaly 2-5
Fermanagh 1-6 Laois 0-8
Kildare 0-9 Antrim 0-14
Sligo 0-15 Leitrim 0-6
As it stands: Offaly and Fermanagh promoted, Antrim and Leitrim relegated.
And that’s it in Division Four. A couple of late goals meant Limerick ran out comfortable winners in the end - in fairness, they were never really in trouble from late in the first half. It means that despite Wicklow running out nine-point winners over Tipperary, it’s Limerick who join Wexford in the Division Four final and who will play in Division Three in 2026.
Limerick 4-24 Waterford 1-17
London 1-17 Carlow 1-18
Longford 1-10 Wexford 2-18
Tipperary 0-12 Wicklow 0-21
Promoted: Wexford and Limerick
It’s all rather petering out in Division Four after those early flurries of excitement. Wicklow are giving Tipperary a right good going over in Thurles but it looks at this stage that it’s not going to matter a damn. That’s because Limerick have taken their expected strnglehold over their fixture against Waterford. They’re seven up with 10 minutes to go and will surely see it out from here.
Division Four
Limerick 2-18 Waterford 1-14
London 1-16 Carlow 0-17
Longford 0-9 Wexford 2-15
Tipperary 0-7 Wicklow 0-14
As it stands: Wexford and Limerick promoted.
Division Two (half-time update)
In a sense, nothing has really change after the first half. Monaghan and Roscommon are still going up, Westmeath and Down are still heading through the trapdoor. Louth will be hoping they’ve made enough use of the wind and that Meath don’t find a gallop from somewhere - with Down leading in Clones, any slip up from Ger Brennan’s side could be heavily punished.
Division Two
Cavan 0-5 Cork 0-11
Louth 1-13 Meath 0-5
Monaghan 1-3 Down 0-11
Westmeath 1-4 Roscommon 2-10
As it stands: Roscommon and Monaghan promoted, Westmeath and DOwn relegated
This is pretty poor stuff from Meath, in all honesty. Their league had been going so well but they couldn’t handle Monaghan’s pace last week and are getting bullied right around the pitch by Louth here. Conor Brannigan has come off the bench for Louth and kicked four points. Meath are playing against the wind, granted but they need to be better than this. They’re 11 points down approaching half-time.
The Division Three games are about to get underway. Here’s Maths-Whizz Muireann with the facts and figures.
“Another division with a lot of moving parts. Offaly lead the charge for promotion on 10 points, two clear of Kildare and Sunday’s opponents Clare. A win for the Faithful would push them up to Division 2 next year, while a win for Clare would make the result of Kildare v Antrim all the more relevant. Should Clare and Kildare win, they would join Offaly on 10 points and the two promotion spots would be decided on, you guessed it, scoring difference.
“A win for Clare and a loss for Kildare, or vice versa, would hand the winner the promotion spot, while losses for both would open the door for Fermanagh and Laois, who meet in Enniskillen on Sunday.
“Should both Clare and Kildare lose their respective games, a win for Fermanagh would see them snatch the second promotion spot (alongside Offaly), while a win for Laois would create a scoring-difference shoot-out between themselves, the Banner and the Lilywhites.
“In the relegation race, there’s no saving Leitrim. With no points to their credit after six rounds, they’re heading to Division 4. Joining them could be Antrim, Sligo or Laois. A loss for Antrim against Kildare would make all other results irrelevant, sending them down to Division 4 for next year.”
Hope that’s clear, then.
Louth could be out of sight here. Billy Hogan has just saved Meath twice in quick succession to keep the score respectable - if 1-7 to 0-1 can be said to be respectable. The Rossies are putting clear water between themselves and Westmeath - a typical Enda Smith run has set up their second goal for Ciarán Murtagh. And Down have had a brilliant reaction to the early Monaghan goal - Rory Beggan had to pull off a fantastic save just now but Micheál Branagan has put Down ahead with their fifth point in a row. Down’s efforts will be in vain though unless Cavan close the gap on Cork in Breffni Park. If it comes down to a head-to-head record between them and Louth, Down will be relegated.
Cavan 0-3 Cork 0-10
Louth 1-7 Meath 0-1
Monaghan 1-0 Down 0-5
Westmeath 1-0 Roscommon 2-6
As it stands: Monaghan and Roscommon promoted; Down and Westmeath relegated
It’s half-time in Division Four and it’s Limerick who will be going into the dressing rooms in the finest fettle. Waterford shocked them by taking an early lead and were as many as five points up at one stage. But Limerick have ground their way back into it and lead by four at the break. Wicklow are holding up their end of the bargain with a six-point lead but they need Waterford to dig in for them.
Limerick 2-9 Waterford 1-8
London 1-8 Carlow 0-10
Longford 0-8 Wexford 2-7
Tipperary 0-6 Wicklow 0-12
As it stands: Wexford and Limerick promoted.
Early goals everywhere! Roscommon are 1-1 to 1-0 ahead of Westmeath after just six minutes. And Kieran McArdle has just nailed a goal for Louth from an intercepted kick-out. Ryan Burns follows up with a fine point of his owns and that’s Just the start Louth needed.
Cavan 0-2 Cork 0-2
Louth 1-4 Meath 0-1
Monaghan 1-0 Down 0-3
Westmeath 1-0 Roscommon 1-2
As it stands: Monaghan and Roscommon promoted; Westmeath and Down relegated
Brilliant start for Monaghan - Micheál Bannigan continues his outstanding league by sprinting through the middle of the Down defence and burying the opening goal. The league’s top scorers have made the ideal start.
The Division Two games are underway. Ciarán Lennon opens the scoring for Roscommon at home to Westmeath.
Limerick have weathered that early storm at home to Waterford and have pulled level 10 minutes short of half-time. That moves them back above Wicklow and into the promotion place again.
Division Four scores (after 25 minutes)
Limerick 1-6 Waterford 1-6
London 1-7 Carlow 0-8
Longford 0-4 Wexford 1-6
Tipperary 0-5 Wicklow 0-6
As it stands: Wexford and Limerick promoted
The Division Two throw-ins are at 1.30. Here’s Muireann’s expert summing up of everything you wanted to know about the ups-and-downs of the second flight but were afraid to ask...
“Monaghan lead Division 2 on 10 points, and facing second-from-the-bottom Down on Sunday has them looking likely to climb to the top flight for 2026.
“Also in contention for promotion are Roscommon, Meath and Cavan, all on eight points. They’ll all be looking for wins hoping to break away from that eight-point glut. In a situation where Monaghan take the first promotion spot, if only one of those three get a win then they’ll see themselves up to Division 1. If two of the counties win, promotion will go to the winner of their earlier league meeting, and wins for all three would see us resort to scoring difference.
“Down and Louth (both on four points) need to win this weekend, and even that may not be enough for one of them to avoid the drop. Losses for both would see Down relegated by virtue of their one-point defeat to Louth in Round 4. Should they both win, and Cork suffer a defeat to Cavan, then it’s a three-way scoring-difference shoot-out.”
Fixtures: Cavan v Cork, Cavan; Louth v Meath, Inniskeen; Monaghan v Down, Clones; Westmeath v Roscommon, Mullingar
Well now. An early goal for Waterford shows that they’ve come to Rathkeale to make life awkward for Limerick anyway. But Limerick aren’t going for promotion by accident and James Naughton hit back almost immediately with a goal of his own for the home side. Waterford have forged ahead though, reeling off the next four points in a row. Wicklow are leading in Thurles, albeit by just a single point. But Mark Russell kicks a two-pointer to underline how delicate everything is - Wicklow went from second to third there in the kick of a ball. There’s going to be plenty of that in the hours ahead.
And we’re away. Oisin McGraynor gets Wicklow off the mark with a two-pointer in Thurles. They can only do what they can only do and hope Waterford do them a favour against Limerick but that’s the start they were hoping for.
Eight minutes until the Division Four throw-ins. It’s all going to come thick and fast after that - the GAA have staggered the throw-in times. Divison Two will throw in at 1.30, Division Three at 2.00. The stage is cleared then for Division One at 3.45.
First up, we have Division Four. This is probably the most straightforward one to explain, if only because nobody can be relegated. Also, Wexford are already assured of going up so that leaves one place left to be decided, with Limerick and Wicklow the two sides fighting over it.
In all truth, it will be a bit of a disaster for Limerick if they mess it up from here - going into the league, they’d have bitten your hand off for a scenario where all they need is a home win over Waterford to go up. Even a draw will probably suffice - Wicklow would need to beat Tipperary by 15 points to pip them if it happens. But a Waterford would mean Oisin McConville’s side only need a win of any kind in Thurles to go straight back up to Divison Three.
The games get underway at one o’clock so we’ll soon find out, won’t we?
You’ll want to know the permutations for the day. There’s a lot of them and frankly, despite the vastness of the internet, we probably don’t have room for them all here. Luckily, Muireann Duffy has saved us the bother with this handy guide to who needs what today.
