It was another busy weekend of GAA action as round three of the Allianz Football League served up some eye-catching results.
The GAA’s Annual Congress was held over the weekend at Croke Park with a new president elected to take over from Larry McCarthy - more on that one later.
With the midway point of the League fast approaching, the race for promotion and relegation is hotting up and plenty of Ulster sides are looking over their shoulders.
Read more: Donegal captain Paddy McBrearty faces race to be fit for Ulster Championship clash with Down
Here's five talking points from last weekend’s GAA action:
Burns' night
Rarely has there been such an outpouring of goodwill towards the election of a GAA president - a largely ambassadorial role.
Yet, Jarlath Burns’ landslide victory on Friday night felt like the dawn of a new era for the association.
The Silverbridge man ran for office for the last two elections, losing to the current incumbent Larry McCarthy in 2020, so he has canvassed for the presidency longer than most.
His challenge is now to deliver on what he has promised with rules, discipline, fixtures, age grades and the integration of Camogie and the LGFA into the GAA high on his do-to list when he takes office next year.
Some outside-of-the-box thinking will be required, but Burns has already proven he has the conviction to tackle the big issues and he has all the attributes to be one of the great presidents of the GAA.
Rossies on top
They were odds-on to be relegated back to Division Two and nobody outside of Roscommon gave them much hope of surviving in the top flight.
Yet, Davy Burke’s side are all but assured of Division One football after three wins from three outings. Cork were relegated from Division One in 2016 with six points, but it is looking like all four Ulster teams will be in a relegation dogfight.
Kerry have David Clifford and Sean O’Shea back while Mayo need one more win from their next four games to move to six points.
That would leave two from Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal, Monaghan and Galway making the drop to Division Two next year.
Kieran McGeeney’s side host Donegal in round five while Tyrone end their campaign with back-to-back Ulster derbies against Monaghan (away) and Armagh (home).
With Paddy McBreatry out for the rest of the League, Donegal will do well to avoid the drop.
Royals routed by Derry
When the League tables are finalised at the end of March, Derry’s round three win over Meath could prove pivotal in the battle for promotion to Division One.
The Ulster Champions seem determined to prove they are no flash in the pan and they’ve been very impressive in the early stages of 2023.
On Saturday night, they ran out convincing 2-15 to 1-7 winners over Colm O’Rourke’s Meath and the 11-point winning margin didn’t flatter them in the slightest.
There’s, arguably, no better midfield pairing in Ireland at the moment than Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers while Conor McCluskey and Padraig McGrogan were excellent against the Royals.
Rory Gallagher’s men won’t ease up just yet having missed out on promotion last term despite claiming 11 points, but Derry will be a force to be reckoned with again this season.
Points hard-Erned in Division Three
Seamus Quigley threw a proverbial spanner in the works with his late winner at Ederney on Sunday as Fermanagh clinched a thrilling 2-14 to 3-10 victory over Down.
After their 1-19 to 0-11 win over Longford, Cavan are now the only undefeated team in Division Three, but four teams are locked on four points behind the Breffnimen.
Down, Fermanagh, Westmeath and Offaly all have two wins from three games and are all going to take points from each other in the coming weeks.
Conor Laverty’s side impressed in pre-season, but recent performances have provided a bit of a reality check for the Mournemen. Down might be eager to return to Division Two, but a host of teams also don’t want to return to Division Four and every point will have to be earned.
Fermanagh, meanwhile, will know that a win over Antrim at Corrigan Park on Saturday will all but guarantee they’ll avoid relegation at the very least and they’ll have the rest of the League to push for promotion.
Super Saffrons
Antrim gave themselves a fighting chance of avoiding relegation to Division Four with an impressive 1-19 to 0-14 win over Tipperary in Semple Stadium on Saturday night.
The Saffrons were desperately unlucky not to take at least a point from their round two loss to Down earlier this month when they let a five-point lead slip late on.
However, they responded in great style with Conor Stewart bagging the game’s only goal. They’ve some tough games still to come including home ties with Fermanagh and Cavan, but it is crucial they keep their fate in their own hands in the coming weeks.
Andy McEntee’s side weren’t the only big winners of the weekend as Antrim enjoyed success across multiple codes.
Antrim Ladies hit a whopping 9-19 against in Ruislip to defeat London by 36 points while, in Camogie, Antrim got their Division 1B campaign off to a winning start with a facile 5-14 to 0-14 win over Down in Portglenone on Saturday.
READ NEXT:
Recap as Armagh and Tyrone suffer defeats in Connacht with Roscommon leading the way in Division One
- Recap as Derry claim facile 11-point victory over Meath to top Division Two table
- Former Armagh captain Jarlath Burns elected as 41st GAA president
Mixed injury news for Antrim as key defender says he’ll play no part in League campaign
- Tyrone GAA star Conn Kilpatrick opens up on stealing and borrowing money to fund gambling addiction
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
