Fermanagh fancied to cause an upset in Division 3 decider

Armagh v Fermanagh
Croke Park, 5pm Saturday

Fermanagh and Armagh finished locked on 11 points at the top of Division 3 and drew 0-7 apiece when they met in round six, yet Armagh are as short as 2-5 to take the silverware home from Croke Park on Saturday. That seems very skimpy.

Fermanagh have been underrated by the layers throughout the campaign and it is hard to resist having a small wager on them to win by two points or more.

Seamus Quigley's return to form has been a major factor in Fermanagh's resurgence and his three late points under pressure secured a smash-and-grab raid for his side in a promotion shootout away to Longford last Sunday.

Confidence is sure to be sky high in the Fermanagh camp after that last-gasp win and Rory Gallagher has made an immediate impact since switching over from Donegal. They are fighting for him.

There is a nice blend of youth and experience in the Fermanagh starting 15 and they could have beaten Armagh had they been more clinical up front.

Armagh are progressing under Kieran McGeeney but they look too short for what they have achieved.

Recommendation
Fermanagh -1
1pt 3-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Already advised January 27
Fermanagh to win Division 3
1pt 7-1 bet365

Laois v Carlow
Croke Park, 3pm Saturday

It has already been a stunning season for Carlow, who have secured a shock promotion to Division 3, but there might not be a fairytale ending at Croke Park as Laois look set to spoil the party.

These sides met in a game of shadow boxing last weekend with Laois running out narrow 1-6 to 0-8 winners in a drab encounter.

Do not expect to see something similar in the open spaces of Croke Park and Laois' attacking unit have more attacking power, despite the fact that top-scorer Gary Walsh will be missing after being suspended for a tweet he posted earlier in the week.

Laois netted three goals in their victory over Leitrim and two in the wide-margin win over Limerick, so odds of 2-1 for them to score two goals or more look generous.

Recommendations
Laois -2
2pts 6-5 general
Laois over 1.5 goals
1pt 2-1 Paddy Power

Down v Tipperary
Newry, 3pm Saturday

One team have everything on the line and the other have nothing to play for - it is time to back Down in their Division 2 showdown at Newry.

Down need Louth to beat Meath in Droghega in order to keep their survival hopes alive but the Mourne men can stick to their side of the deal on home soil.

Down had a disastrous start last Sunday against Meath, conceding two goals in the opening few minutes, but they kept battling to the finish and scored 1-14. There were positives to be taken from the display.

There is a suspicion that Tipperary will be without some of their most experienced campaigns and everything points to a home win.

Recommendations
Down -2
3pts 10-11 Hills

Louth v Meath
Drogheda, 3pm Saturday

Sometimes you need to keep it simple. Meath are a better side than Louth, have more to play for and arrive after an impressive nine-point win over Down, so it should be straightforward stuff for Andy McEntee's men in Droghega.

The counties are arch rivals and Louth will be keen not to hand Meath survival on a plate, but they have no points after seven games, a fragile rearguard unit and a desperate recent record against the Royals.

There have been flashes of brilliance from Meath in Division 2, despite the fact that they are not safe yet, but when the chips were down last Sunday against Down they came up trumps.

Meath ought to win this by a wide margin.

Recommendations
Meath -6
3pts 11-10 BoyleSports

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