Allianz Football League finals: All you need to know

SATURDAY 28 MARCH

Allianz FL Division 3 final

Down v Wexford, Croke Park, 7.15pm

Allianz FL Division 4 final

Longford v Carlow, Croke Park, 5pm

SUNDAY 29 MARCH

Allianz FL Division 1 final

Kerry v Donegal, Croke Park, 4pm

Allianz FL Division 2 final

Meath v Cork, Croke Park, 1.45pm

ONLINE

Follow a live blog on all matches on the RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport.

TV

TG4 will have live coverage of all four finals.

Highlights and reaction to all the weekend's action on Allianz League Sunday, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, 9.35pm.

RADIO

Live commentaries and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport as well as Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

WEATHER

Saturday: A bright and crisp day with sunny spells and scattered showers across the country, turning wintry at times in the northwest. Cloud will start to increase from the west through the afternoon, with showers becoming more isolated. Highest temperatures of 7-10C, but feeling cooler in moderate to fresh northwest winds, strong on coasts.

Sunday: Wet and blustery with widespread rain and drizzle, heavy at times in the north and west. A clearance from the northwest will develop early on with sunny spells and isolated showers. Highest temperatures of 10-13C in strong and gusty southwest winds veering westerly later. For more go met.ie.

Big two collide again

At times during last Sunday's final round of games, it looked like Kerry, the Division 1 holders, weren't going to be heading back to Croker. Mayo had risen to second spot in the table and were looking at a return trip to the capital. Not sure Andy Moran and his crew would have wanted that.

The story at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds was fast-moving; what looked initially as a handy win for the Kingdom became a see-saw adventure, with Armagh playing their part. In the end, parity ensued and the Green and Gold were back in a final.

Go south from the Cathedral City to Clones and Donegal, not with any degree of swagger, were accounting for Monaghan. They too had booked their ticket to GAA HQ.

And so eight months on from last summer's All-Ireland final, the same duo go in search of silverware in the capital. Has much changed in the interim? Well, both have tried out new names but if anything it's Kerry who would appear to have pushed on more. An ominous sign, and without their conductor-in-chief Paudie Clifford. Will the aforementioned be unleashed to again cause McGuinness's side some heartache?

And so we go to the familiar questions around one's motivation to land the spoils. Both sides have four weeks before championship time, a period also to get the feel of a hot sun on their necks. You would be very surprised if both don't go hard at it, with a midfield battle, consisting of Jason McGee, Michael Langan (above) and Hugh McFadden vs the likes of Joe O'Connor and Sean O'Brien, one of the more interesting subplots in a clash that may be more telling than people expect.

Listeners to Ocean FM on Sunday last would have noted a few intakes of breath from Martin McHugh as Monaghan, all too easily, were able to breach the Donegal defence and fire home three goals. David Clifford and Seanie O'Shea will make hay if similar gaps are evident on Sunday, so surely Donegal will be more concentrated, and revert to the more aggressive form of defending that characterised their early showings in this league.

Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Donegal's defensive decisions key to Allianz League decider

For Kerry, Tomás Kennedy's presence on the edge of the square only adds to what is already a wealth of attacking options, with Armin Henrich's assured displays on the half-back line giving them more solidity in a key area.

As for concerns, well Jack O'Connor would have taken note of the way in which Armagh pinned Kerry back during a 20-minute spell in the opening half. The Orchard reaped a harvest of sorts, kicking ten points on the spin.

Teams will have to make the scoreboard count in such periods of dominance against the champions, though it may be harder to achieve that in the heat of championship battle. A week earlier, Kerry laid down a marker with 0-25 from 27 shots against Mayo, to further emphasise their lead in the marksmanship table. Again, we're only in spring but Kerry are being primed nicely.

Donegal have just the one Division 1 title to their name, their lone success coming in 2007. Kerry have been successful on 24 occasions, and under Jack O'Connor's tenure a league-championship double has been the way of things on five occasions. Donegal can end such a sequence though failing to do so in late March will not define their year.

Rivals in a previous era back on the big stage

Game of the weekend? Possibly.

The top two in Division 2, a duo on an upward curve. Meath's trajectory is more pronounced on the incline. Their progress from 2024 to '25 was certainly noteworthy. The victory over Dublin the first indication that Robbie Brennan was getting a right tune out of them.

Regrets, more than a few after that Leinster final loss to Louth, but not enough to land them in choppy waters. In fact they kept on a progressive course and a rising tide yielded those eye-catching wins against Kerry and Galway.

Meath were back, maybe not with the same aura that made Seán Boylan's teams a fearful bunch, but back in a way suited to football's new world order. Last year did end with a somewhat chastening loss to Donegal, the score difference perhaps a little flattering to the All-Ireland finalists.

A new year and the Royals have kicked on, chalking up high scores, and led by the likes of two-point king Jack Flynn, Ciaran Caulfield, Donal Keogan and Ruairi Kinsella.

And manager Brennan was quick to laud the players' role in reviving the county's fortunes, when speaking to RTÉ Sport after last Sunday's win against Offaly.

"I think a lot of it is probably being player-led," he said when asked which part of the improvement in the team's form please him most.

"There's probably less of us (the management team) and more of the players driving things, which is a dream situation to be in really.

"They're pushing things on and they're making better decisions on the pitch, in training and in meetings.

"So overall I think it's been a good league campaign for us and it's not done yet."

Ciarán Whelan: Final day beckons but Cork and Meath eye bigger picture

Meath's only loss this year has been to their final-day opponents. The chant of 'Rebels, Rebels' rang out among the 6,223 crowd at Páirc Uí Rinn on 22 February after the hosts prevailed by two points. A week later it was the case of the Cork house falling asunder as Derry ran riot on Foyle side. The concession of 1-31 was alarming. Another false dawn for a side desperate to dine at the top table.

Their response was impressive, however, with wins over Kildare and Tyrone ensuring that their decade-long absence from Division 1 was at an end.

Not for the first time, manager John Cleary was at pains to point to a lack of consistency in Cork's previous efforts to achieve promotion, telling RTÉ: "The last couple of years we've been a bit up and down and at times we're nearer to the bottom than to the top.

"We've worked very, very hard and inconsistency probably has cost us within games, and from match to match.

"But look, to win six out of seven games in this ultra-competitive Division 2, we'd have to be pleased. I think we deserve to go up.

The latter comment a fair assessment and Cork, like Meath will now set their sights on having a long summer campaign.

A first Leinster title in 16 years has to be the goal for Meath, while Cork have to be relishing a likely Munster final date with Kerry. Beyond that, a deep run in the race for Sam, and where that could eventually take them.

Model catching the eye after another promotion

The Division 3 decider has the somewhat surprising pairing of Down v Wexford. We expected the Mourne County to be there, to be honest about it they are cut above Division 3. But the presence of John Hegarty's men at this juncture no doubt caught many out with regard to divisional predictions. More dockets, you would have to say had Clare and Westmeath written down as the other contender.

But that pair were eclipsed by the Slaneysiders in the concluding rounds. The lowering of the Lake County was as dramatic as it gets. Chadwicks Wexford Park erupted in deafening celebration when substitute Seán Ryan crashed home a last-gasp rebound goal to snatch promotion from Westmeath's grasp. A finale all the more pleasing for the victors as they battled back from eight points down with just over ten minutes left.

That stunning transformation in fortunes sees Wexford in this decider while maintaining ambitions of possibly ensuring Sam Maguire championship action this summer. A win on Saturday would achieve that. Another route, though a more treacherous route, is to reach a Leinster final.

Reflecting on the heroics of last weekend, manager Hegarty told the Wexford People: "It's been a long time since there was a day like that. The buzzer changes everything. There’s a finite, end line and wherever the ball is, that’s it."

Thoughts are already turning to what lies in store in 2027.

"When you have a look at who’s coming down the line next year, that’s got to be exciting for everybody to look forward to," he added.

"It’s a long way away, but when you look at the likes of Dublin, Tyrone and Derry, there’s going to be some fantastic games to look forward to."

For Down, an Ulster quarter-final is on the horizon. They will be determined to ensure their Sam Maguire ticket is stashed away before they tackle the Anglo Celt holders.

Leinster duo eye glory in opening contest

Action at Croke Park sees Carlow and Longford provide the opening joust on the weekend card.

Again, a pairing that not many would have predicted. Carlow, after failing in two bites of the promotion apple, finally got it done when easily seeing of Leitrim.

Longford's passage was a lot more dramatic. A point from Daniel Reynolds right at the death saw them edge Wicklow in a hugely dramatic finish. Another contest where a substantial advantage was whittled away.

O'Byrne Cup success has come Longford's way in recent seasons, though they welcome a more tangible reward here.

Carlow, however, have had a bit more about them so far, and that might tilt things in their favour here.

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