GAA: Saturday's Football Previews

Saturday

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers: Round 1

This season's GAA Football Championship finally moves to a knockout format this weekend, while the provincial championships head towards their climax, with plenty of action around the country on both Saturday and Sunday. Here's a quick preview of each of Saturday's games, for Sunday's matches, have a look at Part 2.

London vs. Antrim, Ruislip, 13:00

Both of these teams come into Saturday's clash after narrow defeats in their respective provincial championships. London took Leitrim to the wire before falling by a single point, while Antrim ran Monaghan close in Ulster before ultimately coming up three points short. London should be able to put it up to Antrim at times and they'll fight this one to the death but ultimately Antrim's greater experience and scoring class should see them into the second round with 5 or 6 points to spare.

Wicklow vs. Waterford, Aughrim, 14:00

Not so long ago this would have been a closely contested match-up with little between these to bottom-dwelling counties. However times have changed and the strides Wicklow have made in recent years will stand to them in this one. Waterford looked very poor in their defeat to Limerick, and while Wicklow will have been disappointed not to push Meath that bit further in Leinster, they will have than enough here. Home advantage should only embellish their superiority and they'll win this one handily.

Westmeath vs. Louth, Cusack Park, 19:00

These teams haven't had to wait long for a rematch of their tightly contested Leinster first round clash. Westmeath feel they were robbed that afternoon with a last minute goal giving Louth the narrowest of victories. Very little has changed since then with Westmeath awaiting the qualifier draw while Louth were predictably pummeled by Dublin. It should go right down to the wire again today with both sides very evenly matched. Westmeath probably have better scoring potential in their forward line and they will be hungry to make good on last month's disappointment. Still, Louth should be able to get a foothold in midfield, and if they do they'll have enough to scrape through.

Tipperary vs. Offaly, Thurles, 19:00

Despite being eliminated by Kerry in Munster, Tipperary will draw some confidence from the way they made that match competitive. They'll be delighted with the opportunity the have to build on that performance with a home draw against a struggling Offaly. The Faithfulcome into this Saturday's game looking to regain lost pride following on from a humiliating defeat to Kildare in the Leinster Championship. Despite their struggles in Leinster in recent years Offaly do have some talented players and on occasion that has been enough to get them the odd qualifier win. That said, while this match will likely come down to the wire, home advantage and a greater desire to win should see Tipp into the draw for round two.

Laois vs. Carlow, Portlaoise, 19:00

After a devastating last gasp defeat to Longford on May 20th, Saturday evening's clash with Carlow looks like the perfect opportunity for Laois to begin building some backdoor momentum. Carlow look set to be without key forward Daniel St Ledger, and with captain Shane Redmond also doubtful, their hopes of producing a shock look small. Laois played Division I football this spring, and though they were relegated, that level of competition suggest they should be far superior to Division IV side Carlow. But, Championship football is rarely that simple and Carlow have been improving in recent years under the stewardship of Luke Dempsey. They'll play with heart and could make things uncomfortable for Laois at times but the O'Moore County will just have to much in the tank and should pull away as the second half draws on.

Longford vs. Derry, Pearse Park, 19:00

Arguably the most intriguing tie of the round, both teams would have been hoping to avoid such a challenge in round 1. Derry have a lot to prove after an extremely disappointing defeat at the hands of Donegal a couple of weeks ago. Given the talent the possess Derry really shouldn't be getting beaten that handily by anyone, and so there are serious questions about this teams ability to function as an effective unit and perform on a consistent basis. That being said, Derry have been consistent this year - consistently underwhelming. They had a very poor year in Division II and were somewhat lucky to avoid relegation in the end. On the other end of the spectrum, Longford have so far had a largely positive 2012. The emerged unbeaten as Division III champions in the spring and followed that up with an excellent hard-fought victory over Laois (a division I opponent) in the Leinster championship. Their inability to put away a spirited Wexford team they could well have beaten was disappointing but they'll be hoping to prove that was no more than a bump in the road. Derry have the superior talent here, here Longford are very well organised defensively and possess the forwards - in Sean McCormack and Paul Barden - to keep things close. If they can do that, a hungry home crowd in Pearse Park might just carry them over the line.

Ulster SFC semi-final

Tyrone vs. Donegal, 16:30

We're set for a real battle in Ulster on Saturday afternoon when Tyrone and Donegal go head-to-head in a battle that sees the province's former top dog - Tyrone -,  up against their potential successor - Donegal. The two sides met at this stage of the Ulster championship last year, when Donegal staged a heroic second-half comeback to de-throne 14-man Tyrone. With that in mind, a win for Donegal this weekend could be a pivotal nail in the coffin of Tyrone's provincial dominance. After last seasons impressive campaign, Donegal got off to a slow start this season finishing in the middle of the pack in Division I. But as the weeks have past and players' fitness has improved, they've begun rediscover the superb defensive intensity that was a staple of their success in 2011. What has been most impressive about Donegal though, is the attacking flair they've shown in their opening two championship games, in which they scored a combined 2-29. In the end though, this match will probably be a defensive battle and neither team is likely to rack up a huge score. Donegal defend with the kind of pathological intensity not seen since Tyrone's 2003 All-Ireland winning team and that will be what sees them through against this still solid Tyrone outfit.