SUNDAY 30 JULY
All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals
1400 Kerry v Galway, Croke Park
1600 Roscommon v Mayo, Croke Park
ONLINE
Live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now App from 1300.
TELEVISION
Sunday: Kerry v Galway and Roscommon v Mayo on The Sunday Game Live in RTÉ2 from 1330.
Irish language commentary also available on RTÉ live games. Click here for details.
All live games available on GAAGO.
Highlights of all the weekend's action on The Sunday Game on RTÉ2 from 2130.
RADIO
Exclusive live commentary of all games on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 from 1400
WEATHER
The weekend weather is set to be blustery with sunny spells and and passing showers and temperatures in the range 16 to 20 degrees. For more go to met.ie.
Revitalised Tribes face Kingdom challenge
What a difference in a fortnight. After been muscled out of it by Roscommon in the Connacht final, Galway were a transformed side in the way they put Donegal to the sword last weekend.
When asked what brought about the transformation, Galway captain Gary O'Donnell told RTÉ Sport: "A lot of people probably wrote us off two weeks ago and probably rightly so at times, but we know we've great potential and quality footballers in our team.
"We knuckled down the last two weeks and we're delighted we got a performance.
"We went back to basics, breaking ball, tackling and working really hard. There's great potential in the team, we know that. I just think lads ground it out and got stuck in."
O'Donnell is correct when he says there is great potential in the team and facing this Kerry side will give us a further indication as to whether can make the step up to be a top four team.
The Kingdom, for their part, had a comfortable win over Cork in the Munster final. A blistering start to both halves was key to their victory.
Both Kerry and Galway are well served in the forward department. That would lead one to conclude that Sunday's clash will be high-scoring. There are concerns, however, over the respective defences, with Galway perhaps more vulnerable in that department.
Remembering 2008 in the rain
- Kerry are the only county to qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals every year since their introduction in 2001. They have won 14, lost two and drawn one of 17.
- Galway have won one, lost six and drawn one of their eight All-Ireland quarter-finals. Their only win was against Roscommon in 2001.
- The counties have met 20 times in the championship, with the Kingdom leading 11-6, with three draws.
- *Galway’s last championship win over Kerry was in the 1965 All-Ireland final.
- Kerry have scored almost identical amounts against Galway in their last three championship clashes: 2014: 1-20; 2008: 1-21; 2002: 2-17
Fascinating Connacht derby awaits
This time last year Roscommon's championship campaign was over after defeat to Clare in the qualifiers. that loss came six days after Galway made light work of them in the Connacht final repaly.
And then came an autumn/early winter of discontent. Through it all, Kevin McStay remained in charge. The league saw relegation from the top flight. McStay still exuded an air of calm. Summer arrived, but not many gave the Rossies much chance of provincial success at Pearse Stadium.
However, it was the visitors who dominated from the first minute and only allowed Galway brief moments of supremacy in the Connacht decider.
Now McStay will attempt to put one over his native county.
Mayo arrive after successfully navigating the back-door route where both Derry and Cork took them to extra time. They are where they want to be after losing the Connacht semi-final, their resolve has been tested but they have survived.
Another stern examination awaits against opponents who will be keen to prove that their victory aginst the odds three weeks ago was no one-day wonder.
- Mayo have been in 12 All-Ireland quarter-finals, winning eight, losing three and drawing one. They have won quarter-finals for each of the last six seasons.
- Roscommon have been in three quarter-finals, losing all three.
- Mayo are bidding to reach the All-Ireland semi-final for the seventh successive year. Roscommon last reached the semis in 1991.
- Roscommon are seeking their first championship win over Mayo since the 2001 Connacht final.
- *The counties met in this year’s Allianz League (Division 1) on February 25 when Mayo won by 1-19 to 0-14 in Castlebar
- Mayo scored no goals in their last three championship meetings with Roscommon.
- The Rossies scored only one goal in their last six championship clashes with Mayo.
- This is the first all-Connacht quarter-final since 2001 when Galway beat Roscommon in Castlebar.
Reversal of fortune?
Five weeks on from their Ulster SFC semi-final meeting, Down and Monaghan will lock horns again, with the latter looking to gain revenge for the two-point defeat at the Athletic Grounds in what was the best game of the football championship so far.
Down were worthy winners on an evening when Darragh O’Hanlon converted a second-half penalty to give them the necessary cushion to ultimately withstand a Farney comeback.
The Mourne County, however, could not bring the same energy and desire into the Ulster final and were well beaten by Tyrone a fortnight ago.
Questions were asked of Galway after their Connacht final no-show against Roscommon, but they answered their critics with a clinical display that left Donegal reeling last weekend. Can Doiwn produce something similar at GAA HQ? The prize is a first All-Ireland quarter-final appearance for the county since 2012 and a possible date with Dublin seven days later.
Monaghan's shooting let them down on 24 June and no doubt there was a deep sense of frustration as they left the Armagh venue. Their salvage mission through the back door has seen them dispatch both Wexford and Carlow, though it took them a while to grind down Turlough O'Brien's side.
- *Monaghan are bidding to reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.
- *Down last reached the quarters in 2012, while their last victory at this stage was against Kerry in 2010.
Geezer plots Kildare downfall
In his third season in charge of Kildare in 2010, Kieran McGeeney came so close to reaching an All-Ireland final with the Lilywhites.
In year three at the helm of his native county it would be expecting a lot for McGeeney to oversee an appearance in this year's September decider, but reaching the last eight would be significant progress in a year where the Orchard County failed to escape from Division 3.
After Down ended their interest in the Ulster campaign, wins over Fermanagh, Westmeath and Tipperary sees Armagh heading for GAA HQ and a date with a Kildare side who were competive in spells against Dublin in the Leinster final.
After conceding two early goals against the Dubs, one feared that Cian O'Neill's troops would be facing a defeat of 20 points and more. However, some stunning football before half-time where they outscored their opponents by 0-09 to 0-04 saw them at least get a foothold in the game.
Okay, Kildare still have a way to go before they can really challenge Dublin for provincial honours, but under O'Neill's stewardship they are heading in the right direction. At the start of the year they would have targeted an appearance in the last eight.
Indeed, most of the bookies feel they can overcome Armagh, but Croke Park has not been a happy hunting ground of late for the Leinster side.
- Kieran McGeeney led Kildare to five All-Ireland quarter-finals (2008-09-10-11-12)
- Kildare scored an average of 1-19 in their three Leinster championship games against Laois, Meath and Dublin.
- Armagh averaged 1-14 in their four games against Down (Ulster quarter-final), Fermanagh, Westmeath Tipperary (qualifiers).
