Saturday June 12th

Ulster SFC quarterfinal - Cavan v. Fermanagh
The return of Seanie Johnston is a huge boost to Cavan's chances of progressing to the semi-final. The diminutive attacker is one of the top forwards in the country and on his day will cause problems for any defence. Cavan have been building steadily towards this game and manager Tommy Carr has admitted that he's delighted with the progress that they have made.

The result of this match could depend on how Fermanagh approach the game as they can produce some outstanding performances, while they have also been at the other end of the scale on a few occasions. Home advantage is a big plus for Cavan and they could have a few points to spare over the Erne County on Saturday evening. Verdict: Cavan

Nicky Rackard Cup - Armagh v. London
The build up to this game has been over shadowed by the fact that London have been requested to play Down in the Ulster SHC semi final just 24hrs after this game. This could well lead to a distraction for the Exiles, but they have already stressed that the Nicky Rackard Cup is their main priority.

Playing in the Ulster championship will have brought them on no end and the fact that Armagh are still missing some of the better players due to an internal feud suggests that London will pick up their second win of the campaign. Verdict: London

Nicky Rackard Cup - Louth v. Roscommon
Louth surprised Saturday's opponents in the league and reached the decider ahead of the Rossies. Last weekend, they easily accounted for Tyrone, while Roscommon had to work a little harder for their win over a Monaghan side that scored 0-18 against them.

The concession of such a large score will be a concern for Roscommon manager Seamus Qualter and the fact that Louth have many players capable of taking their score suggests that the Wee County may come out on top here. Verdict: Louth

Nicky Rackard Cup - Sligo v. Monaghan
Monaghan have been impressive in recent weeks without reaping the rewards. Their performance against London in the Ulster championship was a real eye opener and boosted confidence in the squad. Even though Roscommon came out on top last weekend, there were still plenty of positives to take from that one.

Sligo still have a number of injury concerns and it is hard to see them take anything from this match. Verdict: Monaghan

Nicky Rackard Cup - Fingal v. Tyrone
Both sides will be keen to maintain their interest in the competition for another while as they go head to head in Dublin on Saturday. Tyrone were completely outplayed by Louth in the opening round, while Fingal had Armagh on the ropes for long periods, before the Orchard County eventually pulled away.

The Leinster outfit have shown that they compete with any side at this level and they are favourites to take the victory here. Verdict: Fingal

Lory Meagher Cup - Cavan v. Leitrim
Leitrim went into last weekend's match against South Down on the back of two heavy defeats to Louth and Warwickshire. It all looked very bleak for the Connacht side, but they produced their best performance of the year to record an opening day win by a solitary point.

This is Cavan's first match and it may take them time to find their feet so Leitrim are tipped to continue the good work here. Verdict: Leitrim

Lory Meagher Cup - Donegal v. Warwickshire
The Exiles sent out a warning to the rest of the teams in the competition when they easily defeated Fermanagh. They have assembled a squad that is capable of causing a few problems for any team at this level.

However, Donegal showed once again they are a formidable side at home and they will take beating here. Verdict: Donegal

Lory Meagher Cup - Longford v. South Down
The Midlanders will be disappointed to find themselves in the losers' group following their defeat to Donegal last weekend. However, they have a chance to redeem themselves against a South Down side that have failed to build on the early potential that they had when first formed. Longford look set to end their involvement in this year's campaign. Verdict: Longford


Sunday, June 13th

Leinster SFC semi final - Meath v. Laois
A few years ago and this would have been billed as the tie of the round, but both sides have slipped back in recent times. Rebuilding is the task now for the respective managers and for Laois' Sean Dempsey, it looks more difficult. They have found it difficult to replace the likes of Joe Higgins, Tom Kelly and even Colm Parkinson over the last few years, whereas Meath have done so, only for injuries to hamper their progress.

The Royals certainly have defensive frailties that had to be addresses since the win over Offaly. However, up front the possess some of the best attackers in the country and on their day, they are a match for anyone. The Offaly game will have brought the Royals on a lot and they know the areas what they have to work on.

The same cannot be said about Laois, who go into the game cold. Meath are still an experienced outfit and are the one team that can end Dublin's dominance in the province. If they sort out their problems in the full back line, they will take some stopping. A win over Laois will set them on their way and they may well do this by a comfortable margin. Verdict: Meath

Leinster SFC semi final - Dublin v. Wexford
So yet another campaign begins for Dublin and yet again expectations are high. Life begins without Ciaran Whelan and Jason Sherlock, but they have one of the strongest squads in the country and should deal with those losses. The one problem for manager Pat Gilroy is that he seems unsure of what his strongest line up is. He has handed a number of debuts to players on Sunday, which may be considered a gamble, but against Wexford that might not be the case. You can write Dublin off as much as you like, but there is no question that they are still a long way ahead of the rest of the counties in the province at the moment.

Wexford's league form suggests that Dublin will win this comfortably, but one has to take into account the return of Mattie Forde, who is arguably the best forward in the country on his day. This will be a massive boost to the Slayneysiders, but it is hard to see them prevail here. Verdict: Dublin

Munster SFC semi final (replay) - Cork v. Kerry
Nothing could separate the sides last weekend and expect another close encounter this time around. Paul Galvin turned the game in Kerry's favour when introduced and the 2009 Footballer of the Year is set to have the same impact this weekend.

For Long periods Cork looked to have this one wrapped up, but Kerry's resilience shun through and they came back time and time again. It was a fascinating spectacle and if the replay can be half as good then football fans are in for another treat. Both defences were extremely tight, but Kieran Donaghy continues to be the focal point for the Kerry attack and if they can get the right ball into 'Star' then he will cause problems.

It is hard to know who will have learned more from the drawn game, but Cork may just have more of a point to prove and at home, they may well just do that. Verdict: Cork Tweet

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