SATURDAY 20 MAY
All-Ireland SFC Round 1
Group 1
Kerry v Mayo, Fitzgerald Stadium, 3pm
Group 2
Armagh v Westmeath,
Group 4
Clare v Donegal, Cusack Park, 2pm
Tailteann Cup Round 2
Group 1
London v Cavan, Ruislip, 2pm
Laois v Offaly, O'Moore Park, 7pm
Group 2
Waterford v Meath, Fraher Field, 6.30pm
Group 3
Carlow v Limerick, Dr Cullen Park, 3pm
Longford v Wicklow, Glennon Bros. Pearse Park, 5pm
Group 4
Wexford v Antrim, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 5.30pm
Leitrim v Fermanagh, Carrick-on-Shannon, 6pm
SUNDAY 21 MAY
All-Ireland SFC Round 1
Group 3
Sligo v Kildare, Markievicz Park, 2.30pm
Tailteann Cup Round 2
Tipperary v Down, FBD Semple Stadium, 1.45pm
ONLINE
Live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app. Highlights also available across the weekend.
RADIO
Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday and Sunday Sport. Also live updates on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an Lae.
TV
Live coverage of Kerry v Mayo [3pm] and Galway v Tyrone [5.15pm] in the All-Ireland SFC on GAAGO. Leitrim v Fermanagh [6pm] in the Tailteann Cup will also be screened on GAAGO.
Highlights on The Saturday Game and The Sunday Game, 9.30pm, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
WEATHER
Saturday: It'll be cloudy for most with patches of light rain, drizzle and mist. More persistent outbreaks of rain will develop in the west and northwest during the late afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures of 15 to 19 degrees in a light variable breeze.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with scattered outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, although some brighter spells will develop in the afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures of 13 to 15 degrees in the north and 16 to 19 degrees in the south, with light northerly winds. For more visit met.ie
The race for Sam begins to heat up
And so here we finally are, a first taste of the new-look championship as the group stages get underway.
We're hurtling along towards the business end of the season, yet as we have heard from dissenting voices, there are essentially 24 games to get rid of just four teams, one from each group.
There is the real possibility of a few trimmings with Division 3 and 4 representation, but there are also some big hitters squaring off over the coming weeks, and the significance of final positions in the group is worth revisiting.
While group winners move into a quarter-final, teams that finish second and third will be compelled to play their final-round game, a preliminary quarter-final and - should they progress - an All-Ireland quarter-final on three consecutive weekends.
It could be telling when the race for Sam is distilled down to just a handful of teams.
Time will tell on that front, but first up there are four games to feast on over two days, with a blockbuster double-bill the meat in an intriguing opening weekend sandwich.
The first ball will be thrown in at Cusack Park, where a Donegal without a permanent manager and with very little confidence or form make the long journey to Ennis to take on the beaten Munster finalists.
It’s certainly a novel pairing – their only previous championship clash came 14 years ago when Donegal won a qualifier in Ballybofey – and Banner manager Colm Collins knows that making home advantage count is crucial with games against Monaghan and Derry to follow.
The concession of 5-14 last time out to a Kerry team that never looked seriously troubled would be a concern for the home team, but on the flip side, Donegal have really struggled at the top end of the pitch with the retirement of Michael Murphy and injury-enforced absence of Patrick McBrearty and Michael Langan.
Jason McGee [1-01] was their top scorer against Down in the Ulster quarter-final and starts on the bench.
The tie of the weekend arguably sees Kevin McStay’s Mayo make the trip south to Killarney. It won’t have the do-or-die feel to it, but given Kerry’s procession though Munster, it will be a sterner test of their All-Ireland credentials.
Mayo for their part lost some of the early season momentum – including a sweeping win over the Kingdom back in February – when they were downed by the Rossies.
The players will need little reminding of how limp their performance was last summer in Croke Park when James Horan’s tenure ended with little more than a whimper as the Kingdom marched to All-Ireland glory.
Jack O'Connor is five from five in championship games managing against the green and red, and while Mayo’s recent record in the fixture is poor, a fascinating contest awaits.
If Kerry and Mayo are well used to squaring off in the heat of championship battle, it’s curious that fellow Division 1 rivals Galway and Tyrone cross paths for the first time since a 2004 qualifier that the Red Hands won by eight points.
Indeed it is just the fifth championship clash between the two counties, with Galway only coming out the right side of the result in a 1956 All-Ireland semi-final.
With a Connacht title in the bag, home advantage, eight wins in their last nine championship games and a number of match-winners in the forward line, the Tribesmen will start as favourites - particularly if Tyrone's second-half display against Monaghan is replicated.
However Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher will be keen for their charges to show the energy and dynamism on the front foot in the opening 35 minutes against the Farney men, where slick passing and movement, not to mention shot execution, put the 2021 champions in the driving seat.
There is also one game down for decision on Sunday when Sligo welcome Kildare to Markievicz Park in Group 3.
Former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice outlined his concerns for the Yeats County given their Division 4 habitat in the spring – while acknowledging their level of performance in claiming a national title – and a home tie is the reward for reaching the Connacht decider.
Sean Carrabine and Niall Murphy are likely to shoulder the scoring responsibility, assisted by the busy Pat Spillane.
After an indifferent league campaign – the Lilywhites finished fifth in Division 2, 12 places ahead of Sligo – Glenn Ryan’s have show much more promise in Leinster, accounting for Wicklow before pushing Dublin all the way in a two-point semi-final defeat.
Sligo will have their work cut out keeping the likes of Paddy Woodgate, Jack Robinson, Darragh Kirwan and Ben McCormack quiet, and many hold the view the loser will be the side to ultimately exit the group.
Tailteann Cup to take shape
The Tailteann Cup moves into the second round of action.
In Group 1, Cavan [away to London] and Offaly [away to Laois], will hope to continue winning ways.
Tipperary welcome Down in Group 2 hoping to avoid back-to-back defeats, with the Mourne win having won the league fixture this year by three points.
Meath will be strong favourites to continue their 100% start when they travel to Fraher Field on Saturday evening.
Carlow and Limerick both won their opening round fixtures in Group 3, but something has to give at Netwatch Cullen Park when the sides meet on Saturday afternoon for a first championship clash since 2005.
Longford welcome Wicklow to Glennon Brothers Pearse Park with both sides in serach of a result to kickstart their camapign.
Antrim will look to built on their fine start to Division 4 when they travel to Wexford Park on Saturday. The Saffrons were nine-point winners over Leitrim last time out, and it's a first meeting of the sides since a 2020 league encounter that went Antrim's way.
The other game sees Fermanagh travel to Carrick-on-Shannon.
