Sunday Gaelic Football: betting previews, tips & TV details

Dublin v Meath

Croke Park, 4pm

Dublin have won their two outings in Leinster by a combined total of 41 points but Meath could make them work harder than many expect to claim their 58th Leinster title.

Louth tried to come out and play against Dublin and look what happened. They were destroyed by a scoreline of 5-21 to 0-10. A scoreline like that is the worst possible scenario for Andy McEntee and his improved Meath side as it will undo all the terrific work which has been done in 2019 so far.

McEntee is a clever guy and he will be well aware that a loss to Dublin by six points or less will not be the end of the world. A result like that will mean they won't be too deflated heading into the qualifers and they will be still just one game away from a coveted spot in the Super 8s.

When McEntee was Meath minor manager in 2012 he changed his style of play against Dublin in the All-Ireland final. The Dubs were red-hot favourites that day but the Royals managed to stay in touch until the final ten minutes by adopting a defensive style of play. Expect him to try something similar here.

Meath have the personnel to play on the counter too. They could pack their defence and use Bryan McMahon and Cillian O'Sullivan as ball-carriers to turn defence into attack quickly.

Donal Keoghan will be the marshall conducting everything at the back and expect to see Bryan Menton, who scored two brilliant goals against Laois, deployed in a more defensive role on this occasion.

Dublin look sure to win, but the winning margin could be somewhere between five and nine points, not 13. For that reason, backing Meath with a 12-point headstart looks a safe play. Also of interest is Meath on the half-time handicap of six. They will be keen to keep it tight in the opening period.

Recommendations
Meath +12
2pts Evs Betfair, Paddy Power
Meath +6 on half-time handicap
3pts 10-11 BoyleSports
Under 42.5 points
4pts 5-6 BoyleSports
Under 2.5 goals
2pts 11-10 general

Cavan v Donegal

Clones, 2pm

The layers have still not realised just how dominant Donegal are in Ulster and a three-point handicap for the provincial decider underestimates their superiority.

Donegal are the defending Ulster champions and have looked even better at in 2019 than they did in 2018. Their decisive success over Tyrone was without doubt the most impressive display of the championship so far.

Michael Murphy is probably the most influential footballer around. He is dictating Donegal’s games but interchanging between midfield, centre-forward and full-forward. He can slow the game when it needs to be slowed down and can quicken the tempo when needed.

Up front, Jamie Brennan has blossomed in the last year and his first half display against Tyrone, where he kicked 1-4, saw him come of age at the highest level.

Paddy McBrearty has come back from a knee injury in terrific form and was very lively in the Tyrone triumph. Those three together have the potential to unlock every team apart from Dublin, and Cavan could really suffer.

Cavan needed two bites at the cherry to get over the Orchard County and Armagh looked much the better side in the drawn encounter.

Martin Reilly pulls all the strings for Cavan but Ryan McHugh could be used to halt his influence on proceedings. McHugh can do huge damage himself.

This looks a simple case of Donegal being a much better and more experienced side than Cavan and they can win by at least four points. It should be straightforward.

Recommendation
Donegal -3
2pts 10-11 general

Offaly v Sligo

O’Connor Park, 2pm

Offaly hurling might be in turmoil but the football side of things is blossoming and a wide-margin win over a sorry Sligo side looks in store.

Offaly were 0-13 to 0-9 ahead of Meath midway through the second half of their Leinster opener and were every bit as good as the Royals for most of the 70 minutes there.

They have lively forwards and play a system which suits their personnel. They love to play on the counter-attack and Sligo could struggle to cope with their pace.

Recommendation
Offaly -3
3pts 5-6 BoyleSports

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