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Women's football championship: All you need to know

Danielle O'Leary starts for Kerry
Danielle O'Leary starts for Kerry

The TG4 All-Ireland championships continue on Saturday, with crucial fixtures in store.

Some of the big hitters, including holders Kerry, will aim to wrap up quarter-final slots on Saturday.

There's also a couple of provincial derbies to look forward to: Kildare against Meath and Cork versus the Kingdom.


ONLINE

Reports, round-ups and results on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app. Donegal v Galway (Saturday 2pm) and Dublin v Leitrim ties (Saturday 2pm) are live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.

TV

Kildare v Meath (Saturday 12.45pm) and Cork v Kerry (Saturday 2.30pm) are live on TG4.

RADIO

Updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport.

WEATHER

Saturday:

The cloud will break in some areas during the afternoon, especially in the south of the country allowing for some sunny spells to develop. However, the sunshine will spark off showers, some of these will be heavy and thundery. Maximum temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees.

Sunday:

Rather cloudy for a time with a few showers spreading from the west. It will become sunnier later in the day. Highest temperatures on Sunday of 15 to 18 degrees in moderate west to southwest winds.

For more visit met.ie.


SATURDAY

All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 1
Donegal v Galway, Naomh Padraig, Lifford, 2pm

A key game for both sides in the quest for a quarter-final slot. A win for Galway will guarantee top spot for the Tribeswomen – and a home tie in the last eight.

This is Donegal's first game in the All-Ireland series – and their first taste of competitive fare since losing to Armagh in the Ulster Senior final on 10 May.

Donegal have made three changes in personnel as they prepare for their first outing in the All-Ireland series, with Blaithnaid McLaughlin, Rhiona McColgan and Eva Gallagher coming in for Niamh Carr, Ava Walsh and Mia Bennett. Galway have made four changes following victory over Tipperary, with Aoife Molloy, Lynsey Noone, Ailbhe Davoren and Andrea Trill handed starts.

Chellene Trill, Shauna Hynes (who went off injured early on against Tipp), Kate Thompson and Kate Slevin drop out of the Galway team.

Donegal: C Friel; S McFadden, A Temple Asokuh, S McFeeley; B McLaughlin, E McGinley, C Gillespie; R Rodgers (capt), R McColgan; S White, K Dowds, F McManamon; E Gallagher, J McFadden, N Boyle.

Galway: D Gower; B Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty; N Noone, N Ward, A Molloy; L Ward, S Divilly; L Noone, O Divilly, A Davoren; E Noone, L Coen, A Trill.

All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 2
Cork v Kerry, Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2.30pm

Kerry got their All-Ireland series campaign off to a winning start against Mayo – but they had to work hard for a six-point win. Now it's a clash with old rivals Cork – and a first competitive meeting between the sides since Kerry won by six points during the round-robin series of the Munster Championship.

This is Cork's first outing in the All-Ireland championship and the Leesiders are back in action for the first time since losing to Waterford in the Munster Championship in May.

There are four changes to the Cork team that lined out against Waterford, with captain Sarah Leahy, Sadbh McGoldrick, Abbie O'Mahony and Hannah Looney coming in. Out go Dara Kiniry, Erika O'Shea, who's now in Australia, Katie Horgan and Libby Coppinger.

Following their six-point win against Mayo, Kerry have shuffled their pack, with four changes to the starting line-up. Deirdre Kearney, Aoife Dillane, Danielle O'Leary, who made a big impact off the bench against the Westerners, and Rachel Dwyer all come in to start, as Róisín Rahilly, captain Cáit Lynch, Katie Brosnan and Jaydn Lucey drop out of the team.

A win for Kerry would see them through to the quarter-finals, and guarantee a home tie in the last eight.

Cork: S Murphy; S Kelly, S Leahy (capt), M Duggan; S McGoldrick, S Cronin, R Corkery; M O'Callaghan, A Healy; A O'Mahony, L O'Mahony, E Cleary; A O'Sullivan, H Looney, K Quirke.

Kerry: ME Bolger; E Lynch, D Kearney, F O'Donoghue; A O'Connell, E Costello, A Dillane; M O'Connell, A Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, C Evans; D O'Leary, R Dwyer, S O'Shea.

All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 3
Kildare v Meath, Hawkfield Centre of Excellence, 12.45pm

This one could be really interesting, as Leinster rivals Kildare and Meath renew acquaintances.

In early May, Meath pipped Kildare by just a single point to advance to the TG4 Leinster Final – and another close encounter is potentially on the cards.

Meath rallied from four points down to secure a draw with Armagh in Round 1 and that could turn out to be a priceless result when the dust settles on the group stages. This is a first competitive outing for Kildare since that Meath defeat in the provincial championship and the stakes are high.

There are three changes to the Kildare team that lined out against the Royals in Leinster, with Claire Sullivan, Lara Curran and Ellen Dowling replacing Laura Dunlea, Siofra Galvin and Neasa Dooley.

Meath are unchanged after late heroics salvaged a point against Armagh.

Kildare: M Hulgraine; R Sargent, L Lenehan (capt), M Doherty; L Shaw, L Murtagh, M Aspel; C Sullivan, C Moran; C Wheeler, A Rattigan, L Curran, E Dowling; E Dowling, A Prizeman, R Byrne.

Meath: R Murray; A Sheridan, M.K. Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary (capt), S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan, V Wall, K Cole.

All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 4
Dublin v Leitrim, Parnell Park, 2pm

Dublin captain Carla Rowe

Dublin claimed a valuable point against Waterford last time out and a win here would guarantee a quarter-final slot for the Sky Blues. Leitrim begin their All-Ireland series on the back of a Connacht campaign that saw them run Mayo to three points, before they were well beaten by Galway.

Dublin are unchanged after rallying against the Déise to avoid defeat, while Leitrim make two changes following their last outing against Galway.

Jasmine Maye and Muireann Devaney come into the team for the Connacht side, with Edel Shanley and Síomha Quinn making way. If Dublin do claim maximum points here, it'll come down to the final group clash between Leitrim and Waterford to see who joins them in the last eight.

Dublin: A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey, N Crowley; S Goldrick, M Byrne, A Curran; É O'Dowd, H McGinnis; A Timothy, C Rowe (capt), S McIntyre; H Tyrrell, N Hetherton, K Sullivan.

Leitrim: M Guckian; J Maye, C Tyrell, E Quigley; S Reynolds, C Owens, R McIntyre; N Tighe, A Quinn; A Gilmartin, V Egan, A Clancy; L Fox, M Devaney, L O'Dowd.

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