The Allianz National Football League enters its third round this weekend with some very interesting matches taking place on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Starting with Saturday's division one games where All Ireland Champions Dublin take on Laois looking to win their first game of the campaign after their loss to Kerry and the abandonment of their meeting with Mayo. Dublin will be heavily fancied to pick up the two points in Portlaoise and have named a side with plenty of experience for the trip to Laois. The full forward line of Eoghan O Gara, Mossy Quinn and Diarmuid Connolly will be expected to do the damage inside while stand-in captain Ger Brennan will lead the defence from centre back. Stephen Cluxton has been given a break and will be replaced by Michael Savage between the posts. Despite the abundance of quality Dublin will have I don't think they will have it all their own way against the O'Moore men who had a very good win over Donegal in Letterkenny in their last game. Justin McNulty has done a good job in getting Laois into shape for the league and their work rate against Donegal was outstanding and if McNulty can get his side playing the high intensity game both with and without the ball then Laois may well find themselves competing in the first division and possibly the Leinster Championship. A huge blow for Laois is the loss of David Conway who was instrumental in their win up north last time out and even impressed in their six point loss to Mayo in the opening round. Laois fans can be cautiously optimistic about their chances Saturday night and will look to make home advantage count. The return of the Brogan brothers, Alan and Bernard to the match day squad is a boost for the Dubs and we should see them play some part Saturday. I wouldn't be too surprised to see Laois cause an upset but I think Dublin's more potent attack will give them a slight edge especially with the loss of Conway for Laois and so I think Dublin will get a close win but expect a strong performance from Laois.
Mayo and Armagh will meet at the Morgan Athletic Grounds, Armagh on Saturday night with both sides boasting an unbeaten start to the campaign. Mayo beat Laois in their opening game and have got a young side this year and will look to build on their impressive outing in last years championship where they defeated Cork before losing to Kerry in the All Ireland Semi Final. Armagh on the other hand had an impressive draw with Cork in their opening game before having a comprehensive win over Kerry two weeks ago. The decision of Paddy O'Rourke to bring Paul Grimley back into the county scene in Armagh looks like bringing the Orchard county back towards the style that saw them have successful championship campaigns on a regular basis under Joe Kernan. Against Kerry they played a very clever game and full deserved their win. Their defence has become very solid this year so far and with that assurance the rest of the team can play with freedom and that allows them to display their ability. O'Rourke spoke during the week about settling the team into the county setup and letting the players establish themselves as Armagh senior footballers which is sure to give all his players the confidence to express themselves. I think Armagh could be a real force this year but for me it all depends on whether Steven McDonnell returns to the county setup. He is currently taking time to consider his inter county future and if he decides to hang up his boots Armagh and the GAA as a whole will have lost one of the best forwards of the past decade. If he returns then Armagh will certainly be a better attacking unit and it could be the difference between Armagh pushing for an All Ireland or not. Mayo on the other hand have got off to a good start and James Horan has already targeted his side winning the League this year. This weekend provides them with a very difficult task but one which I'm sure they'll relish. I think they can take advantage of the fact that Armagh are still without their Crossmaglen contingent as they prepare for another All Ireland Club final. Manager James Horan has found a balance between experience and youth, something which stood them well last year. A return to fitness and form for Conor Mortimor would be a huge bonus for Mayo especially if he could fit into a full forward line with last years stars Cillian O'Connor and Jason Doherty. I think Mayo will edge this one simply because they have a more full strength squad than Armagh at the moment.
Four other games take place on Saturday night with two each in division two and three. Derry will look to win their first game of the campaign when they take on Monaghan in Celtic Park. A defeat would almost certainly condemn them to relegation and so they will need to be at their best against a Monaghan side coming off an impressive five point victory over Kildare two weeks ago. In that one I think Derry will make home advantage count and get a much needed win. The Oak Leaf county will look to talisman Paddy Bradley to get their scores but will need to get more support to him than they did against Tyrone last time out when they were comprehensively beaten. Meath host struggling Kildare Saturday night looking to continue their 100% record. So far they have accounted for Monaghan and Westmeath with ease while Kildare have been beaten by five points by both Tyrone and Monaghan. As was the story last year Kildare are being left to rue their poor shooting and despite chalking up huge numbers of scoring opportunities they can't take enough to make themselves a real force. Should Seanie Johnston get a transfer from Cavan he may provide the missing ingredient as they look to finally beat Dublin and win the Leinster title. This one is massive for Kildare and I think they might just win it and I'm sure Kieran McGeenye will have them full prepared and motivated for this one. Struggling Offaly travel to unbeaten Antrim this Saturday night with very little optimism that they can actually get anything from the game. Offaly football has gone miles back in recent years and they have posed no threat in either game this year and I don't see them faring much better this time out. Antrim have accounted for Sligo and Tipperary so far and will be looking to build on those results and make use of their home advantage. I fully expect Antrim to win this one with a few points to spare. Sligo put their opening round defeat behind them by scoring an impressive 4-14 against Wexford last time out. They have conceded a big total of 1-30 in two games which if they want to make progress this year is much too high. This weekend they will take on Cavan in Breffni Park in what is a massive game for both sides as Cavan will look to win their first game of the campaign. I think travelling Sligo will take the spoils in that one as they have got a stronger attacking unit and the return of David Kelly will be a huge boost for them.
Tomorrow ill be looking at Sunday's fixtures while also looking at Manchester United's trip to Spurs.
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