Both Dublin and Kerry, who for entirely different reasons face crucial games in Sunday's penultimate round of the National Football League, are among several counties to be hit by injury scares this week. For Dublin, who travel to Roscommon desperate for a victory to avoid relegation, there are injury worries over forwards Alan Brogan and Jason Sherlock.
Manager Tommy Lyons will finalise his team tomorrow night but Brogan had an X-ray yesterday on the hand injury he received in a club game last weekend and is unlikely to start. Sherlock, who started in Dublin's last game against Cork, is sidelined with a hamstring injury also suffered while playing for his club. Coman Goggins also endured a head injury at the weekend but will be fit to play.
While Donegal are already destined for relegation from Division One A, either Dublin or Galway (who play Armagh on Sunday) appear set to join them. The deciding factor will be the final round game on April 6th when the two counties meet.
Kerry host Tyrone on Sunday knowing that a victory for either team would edge them towards a semi-final place. But injuries to Seamus Moynihan and Barry O'Shea during club games at the weekend look set to weaken the Kerry defence, with Moynihan's ankle injury of particular concern to manager Paídí Ó Sé.
Opponents Tyrone will definitely be without defenders Chris Lawn and Cormac McGinley, while Declan McCrossan and Conor Gormley are struggling to be fit. On the positive side, Cormac McAnallen is poised to make his first Tyrone start of the season having recovered from a long-term knee injury. Ryan Mellon, however, misses the game through suspension.
In Division Two, meanwhile, several counties hope to conclude their search for promotion - and none more so than Wexford. A year ago they were poised for a similar promotion from Two B only to buckle under the pressure of their final two games, and so despite winning five games out of five this season they won't be looking beyond Saturday's game against Derry, nor indeed their final game against Carlow.
For manager Dom Twomey, however, the memory of last year is long since buried. "I don't think that's made any difference this year," he says. "From my point of view it's definitely not an issue, and I wouldn't even take any remnants from it. Some of the players may be aware of the situation last year, but we're certainly playing it down.
Twomey is aware that promotion is now a three-horse race between Derry, Longford and themselves. A year ago it was Wexford who fell at the final hurdle, but this year he feels the team has the character to break through.
"We set out our stall at the beginning to win every game. And I believe if you train hard then you can get results, and that's the beauty of the league. I think this team does have great character as well, and they've shown that by bouncing straight back from last year.
"There is great dedication and enthusiasm, and they're all prepared to do the hard work, and prepared to take every game seriously. And of course promotion is exactly the sort boost the county needs to get to the next level of football. That's always been the challenge in Wexford."
Their consistency so far this season is all the more impressive since the panel rarely gets together in Wexford in its entirety, but instead is spread around the country and trains in different pockets, with six players in Dublin, another three in Limerick, and another in Cork.
Twomey also suggests that Derry will offer their biggest test this season. "Derry in particular have been league specialists over the last few years, so it's a huge test. But it's a good barometer too for finding out where we really stand."
Tipperary make six changes for their National Hurling League game against Derry on Sunday.
In an experimental side out go goalkeeper Brendan Cummins, John Devane, Eamonn Corcoran, Tommy Dunne, Brian O'Meara and Mark O'Leary. They are replaced by goalkeeper Justin Cottrell, Thomas Costello, Ritchie Flannery, John Carroll, John O'Brien and Eugene O'Neill.
TIPPERARY (SH v Derry): J Cottrell, T COstello, P Maher, B Dunne, R Flannery, A Butler, B Horgan, C Gleeson, C Morrissey, G O'Grady, J Carroll, J O'Brien, E Kelly, E O'Neill, L Corbett.
