 It's time to talk, get a games on Highlands and in particular an exciting weekend ahead in the conclusion to the Alliance National Football Leagues and in particular Division 1 and 2, which is the Northwest focus on. To take a look at this, I'm joined by our match analyst, Martin McEwan from the Irish News, GA writer, Cajaroke and gentlemen, you're welcome to Highland once again. Well, the way it is, guys, as we know, Kerry will top Division 1 and will go to the final. All we are promoted and down are relegated. Other than that, there's a lot to be decided, five promotions and five relegations to be decided this coming weekend. Martin, it certainly does make for a grandstand, finished to a league, so it does. Yeah, definitely, it makes for a great weekend of football and particularly a great Sunday of football. And looking at it, you know, I always remember when the Premiership, the last day of the Premiership, it was always good weather and we're looking forward to it and you'd have a great occasion and everything else and I think it's going to be the exact same thing on Sunday. So it just shows you what the league means. We look at the league, you have the teams in their division that are equal and everything else, so you have no hammers or anything else that will happen in the Championship. So yeah, really looking forward to it. It's supposed to be a big question to be asked at the weekend. Does anybody want to play Kerry in the final of the Fallen weekend with the Championship only a couple of weeks away? That's hard to know. Is any of these other teams that can get to the final against them, do they want to play them or not? Yeah. It's a huge weekend, Keher. It's fantastic for the league that it's going to end like this. It is. It is. And funny you were talking there is, you know, something we maybe don't do very well is market this particular weekend because sort of the state of affairs most years where there's a lot to be decided on the final day and we maybe don't market it all that well. You know, I suppose TG Keher made a good first at it at the weekend with the Hurlin and their sort of split screen idea, but there's just so much going on around the country that, you know, it is supposed to enthrall for people that are interested in it. There's a whole lot to be decided whether anybody wants to be playing Kerry as another issue, whether we maybe need to look at the idea of league finals in the titan calendar and the fact that, you know, hand on heart, I'd say most teams probably don't want to play in them, given how close they are to the championship. So there might be something there to look at as well. Yeah. Well, before we look at the top, obviously we've got the Northwest interest in the form of Donegal and Tarone. Basically, it's a case that both teams need to win if they are going to avoid relegation. How big an order is that for both of the sides this weekend? Martin, Donegal of home advantage against our map, but Tarone have to go to Kerry. So they do. Yeah. Well, first of all, we look at it from a Tarone point of view, if they've gone down to Kerry, I remember what happened in the last time they're down to Kerry and then they won the All Ireland the same year, so it depends on what team Kerry put out. Now, you have to save. If you were Jack O'Connor on the Kerry management team with the league final of following weekend, you would definitely rest players that would you do. You'd look at it from your own point of view. You're not going to worry about any other county. You're preparing for the championship down the road and nothing else. So I feel that Kerry will rest a lot of players, a lot of the big name players, particularly at the weekend. And you know, looking at that there, you'd expect maybe Tarone to pick up the two points down in Kerry and from Donegal's point of view, us, you know, playing in Latter-Kinney, bad record in Latter-Kinney and everything else, but look at the record went or other record went in Balboffay, the last day against Monah, and maybe it's no harm to sort out this record in Latter-Kinney as well this weekend, because I know from a club point of view, all the players playing for the county love playing in Latter-Kinney. So the problem is, it's a big game in Latter-Kinney. Now, do our ma, what kind of a team are they going to come with? The fact that they're playing Donegal four weeks time, would they like another shot at Kerry in Crow Park? Maybe they would. No one cared in the beginning that he would maybe like to have another go with them. They were very impressive in the first game against Dublin in Crow Park. So they maybe want to play Kerry again after last weekend in Crow Park and in the league final, I mean, that's what team he takes while he rest players and everything else. I mean, he has to have one eye on the championship game down the road as well. So I think done Tarone played Donegal, maybe Kerry will be far better with me with dates and everything else. A few years ago in a league match and beat them and Balboffay and then Donegal beat them in the channel that game was in Balboffay, beat them in the championship in Balboffay later on later on the year. So it's it's a lot of cat and mouse stuff and everything else and what's going to happen. But Donegal need to one and Tarone probably need to one to be sure that both teams are safe. So it's a game, maybe that particularly Donegal, the fact of playing our ma would have liked to be safe before this. But yeah, we need the two points. And please God, we'll get them on Sunday. Does Declan Boter, do you think Kehar want to make a statement for Donegal in this game against Armaa given that in three weeks time, the three or four weeks time, they're going to be beaten again in the championship in Balboffay? I think it's a game where where you kind of feel that Donegal are going to have to match Armaa's fire for it. I mean, it probably still lead to Armaa, the the Ulster semi-finals a couple of years ago when they were talked up and Donegal wiped them off the face of the earth that day. And I suppose that set Armaa's championship ambitions back a long way that day because you sort of you thought they were getting there. And then you realized that they were they were probably still nowhere near at that point. And, you know, Armaa still is as good a league as they've had. We'll we'll feel there are definitely a lot of points to prove one of them being in Balboffay in a month's time. That'll be the biggest one. I think Donegal have to come at it in the sense that they're not safe, obviously. So there'll be no softness. I can't see Armaa taking the game soft at all. I think Keir McGeaney will want to lay down a bit of a marker in one way. He'll also want to learn a fair bit in terms of who picks up, you know, if Michael Murphy plays on the edge of the square, slightly different. You know, Aiden Forker has picked them up a couple of times when he's when he's playing deeper. But if Murphy plays on the edge of the square, who picks them up? Who goes on Paddy McBrady at the minute on the form he's in? On the other side, you have who, you know, for Donegal, who picks up Rihanna Neal? You're probably looking at Brent McCulloch at the minute, like, but, you know, I think both managers will be looking at it, as Martin said, one eye very much on that sort of thing as to as to how individual battles go on the day. But I think, I mean, Donegal will be will be just very wary of the drop. They're they're they're in a fairly precarious position. They're the way the thing things sudden is there much to learn on Sunday for both sides, Martin, given the fact that Ulster Counties know each other so well. We differ, maybe if it was a side that you were playing down the country. Well, suppose when you look at it from our last point of view, they started the league off very, very well, and people were saying, oh, the level of fitness was very, very high. You know, everything else going into the first couple of games of the league and they they met double on their own. And then they did a bit of a slip off that and they got back on track against Kildare and everything else. And everybody's saying that was at the game last Sunday. They were very, very impressive against against Kerry and and and that's letting grounds and the difference in them. And that's our math team, you know, they were aggressive and everything else. But, you know, they weren't over the top. They kept, you know, they controlled aggression, which which the way they play and everything else. So they definitely have improved. And you look at it, you say that that we look back to that game that Kehar was on about there in Breffney Park that Donegal won easily in the championship game. I think from that time, you'd have to think that our math improved when Donegal have gone gone back since that there when we look at it. And Donegal are going to be short then play a few players on Sunday. And probably our mark coming with near enough, a clean, a clean ball of health with them and everything else. So I think I think Kehar is right. Kearn McGinney likes to win every game he plays. That's that's the way he plays, but like Mickey Hart was in the past. So I think our math will come with a very strong team. So it's a big test for Donegal. And I think that as we looked at it from from the marking point of view, that would be the big one looking forward to the championship or anything else. Can you get the edge on the on that other player and can you know, the likes of Brent McColl, you know, did a great job on Kearn, Kilkenny last week. Can he do the same job on Rayon and Eileen and everything else? And no, Kerry dropped Morley back as a sweeper in front. It'll be important who Donegal drop in that role in front of in front of memory. So yeah, it's going to be a bit cagey and everything else. But from Donegal's point of view, they need to win the match. And that's the most important thing. And whatever way you have to want it, you have to want it from our math point of view, you know, it's not the end of the world that they don't want to win the match, but they would probably like to still, you know, want it and go go into the into the game in four weeks time and get a league final, which is definitely going to help them are my players and other game in Crow Park and looking at it from the point of view of going into going into the Donegal game on on a fair high and giving them confidence, considering exactly what Kara said about the hammering they got the last time they played Donegal. So they definitely want to put that to bed. Kara, just on Tarone, would it be the end of the world of Tarone losing and Kerry at the weekend and end up end up on Division Two? I think recent history tells us not the end of the world for Tarone, given that we've been in Division Two twice in the last seven or eight years and done all right out of it. I think reached the Northern Semifinal out of it in 2014, 2015, whatever year it was, they were be carrying the Northern Semifinal. You know, I don't I don't think it's the end of the world for them. I think there I think I was on with the ocean at the start of the year. And I said that I expected to start slowly and could be in a wee bit of relegation while they're coming into it. I don't think there's anybody really too surprised at how their league campaign has sort of panned out for them. They will be keen to avoid it. I suppose Kerry will probably rest a few players, Martin's right. But Kilarney has not been a or trolley. Kerry in general has not been a happy hunting ground for for Tarone. I think their last five visits, the average feet is 12 points. Like average margin of the feet is 12 points. So, you know, is Jack O'Connor going to look at the All-Ireland champions are coming here and we have an opportunity to relegate them. Is that a big enough incentive for Jack O'Connor to go, you know what? Yes, we've got a league final coming up. But it'll be another game before the championship. Will they go out at full pelt? There's definitely a wee there's definitely a wee. But the idea of relegating the All-Ireland champions certainly I think Kerry will still be very hurt by the All-Ireland semi-final last year, you know, on the on the circus that was around it. And then the way that the game went and, you know, they I'm I have no doubt that they would very much feel that they left the game behind them with the chances they missed and David Clifford got off injured in the normal time and different things. Like, you know, Kerry will be looking at it very much again. You know, how much of a marker do they need or want to put down? I would imagine that they'll they'll probably want to put something on to run at the weekend. And the idea of relegating them probably does probably does interest Kerry, but all right. They I don't I don't foresee a wholesale change. I think you'll maybe you'll get, you know, if you have Sean O'Shea back in the pen, what way he is, you might still look at the like a jack savage getting a wee bit more game time or, you know, things that got maybe Kylian Spallant get a wee bit more game time or. You know, I don't see beyond that. I don't see them going wholesale changes. And it just it makes it makes it a very tricky assignment for Taroum. Yeah, Martin, I know after the male game earlier in the year, we did, of course, see Donny Gall in their opening match and the times there was questions and Donny Gall since then, of course, have picked up two victories. We're going to draw along the way, Martin, of course, in our camp campaign. You did say at the end of it that that could be a crucial point. Could that be the point in Sunday that keeps Donny Gall in Division One? Yeah, well, hopefully, hopefully it is, as they say. You know, I still I don't agree with Carol and Kerry. I believe that Jack O'Connell will, in my opinion, rest players. I think that's a sensible thing for Kerry to do. I mean, remember last year, Taroum were down in the Nile and we lose them in the league and we saw what happened to the championship. So I'd be shocked if he doesn't now. Maybe maybe he's looking at that they're they're such a rivalry between Taroum and Kerry that they'll want to relegate them or put them in that position and everything else. But I think Taroum or Kerry are looking at one in the National League and maybe the bigger picture down the road. But from Donny Gall's point of view, we should have got the two points that day was almost looking at now. If we had the six points, he still wouldn't be safe. Anyway, in the league, you still would have to nearly get at least to draw against against our man Sunday. But I think local and from Donny Gall's point of view, it's been an up and down league. You know, there's been some good performance and some very poor performance and suppose that's what the league's about. But sometimes in the league and maybe it's a good position to be going into and Donny Gall that we have to get a victory on Sunday. Sunday is a good way to go into the league, the last game of the league, because other teams are going into and they don't know do we want to play Kerry in the final? We don't know what kind of a team we want to put out. Is it sometimes looking at us like it's a challenge game because it doesn't really matter because we look at Mayo from Mayo's point of view. They are looking at, I think if they get to the league final, it's two weeks in that league final, they play a Galway and that's a massive game for both teams situation. So because Galway are out there going to be out in the league final as well that weekend. So I think local and you don't want to show your hand too much early on, but from Donny Gall's point of view, I think it's not a bad thing. We've got to won a game. We've got to won a game in there, Kenny, and we've got to get out there and show what we're about. And my opinion, keep woods to the game, carry the ball as much as we can and run at our mark. And then definitely we saw last Sunday when we kicked high ball into the Dublin full back lane, the problems we caused with them, maybe start putting more ball in and on top of whatever full back lanes we're playing against. But I think it's a good way to go into the last game of the league. I think even you could get beat, you could end up staying up and everything else. So from that point of view, it's a good game, but it'll be calculators all out all over Ireland on Sunday. Full live match commentary of course from Donny Gall against Donny Gall this coming Sunday, of course, taking on our map at the Donnell Park and letter, Kenny. A full house, of course, expected as well. Fingers crossed is going to be a good occasion for Donny Gall. Kehar, what about the occasion that's going to be in Clonus? The two sides bringing up the end of the table, Dublin and Monaghan. Whoever wins here will look to be safe in the division. Can the dubs continue their winning form? Like what they've had over the last two games, Kehar. Or does Bante have a surprise for them coming to Clonus on Sunday, do you think? It's a strange one, because you looked at the Monaghan game against Kerry, and they were actually watching that game back. And actually Monaghan played a lot better in the first half than they were probably given credit for, but they were dreadful in the second half. And the goals that they considered were bad, and then they came down and ended Donny Gall's run in Balbuffet. And you're thinking, right, well, they've had their blip, and most teams in most leagues at some stage will have a bad performance. And you kind of thought Monaghan was the second half against Kerry, and then they went out of the weekend, and were, I think, fairly terrible against Kildare again. You just start to wonder where exactly they're at at the minute. I mean, Dublin have lost to Clonus in the racing past, but just the way that things have gone for Dublin in the last few weeks, I think they would definitely be going there as favorites. I think most people would fancy a Dublin to win that and stay up, but I think looking at it this morning there, that game just goes to prove how tight Division One has been, where realistically and feasibly, you could get the six points and still get relegated. And no team has been relegated on six points for 18 years out of Division One, or it was 1B at that stage, or Mies were relegated on six points. So that's how tight the margins are, and it's come, I suppose, people will maybe say, ah, Monah, I've dropped off a wee bit or whatever, but it's not too often you get Armah pushing on from a good first year. Kildare have come up undone really, really well as well. And so the gap that Monah might have had, and the wee bit of a safety net beneath them of a team being weaker than them, or a couple of teams being weaker than them, has kind of disappeared, and everybody's kind of in the group. I don't think Monah are any worse this year than they were last year. I don't think they're any better, but I think they're looking at the longest unbroken run in Division One outside, double and carry at the minute, and it just might be on its way out. Yeah. What about a draw on Clonus Kerr? Everybody finishing on five points, goes to score a difference? Just for the crack. Just for the crack. One really right, one not really right. Yeah, okay. Listen, before we go to Division Two then, I'm going to ask your predictions at the weekend in the relegation. Fadkar, who do you see going down? Is there going to be a big call? I see Monah and probably going down, and then that leaves. To be honest, I still think Throne are in trouble. I still think Throne are in trouble down in carry. Okay, two Ulster teams going down. What about you, Martin? Yeah, I wouldn't rule out Monah and Dublin, both going down. That the end up is hopefully Donny Guller, good enough to beat Armagh. I think Mayor showing signs last weekend with a team they put out against Throne that they don't want to get to the league final. And if they put out some team in Kildare, good enough to get a victory in it. Kildare probably got picked up most of their points at home, and I don't know if they picked up any points away from home at all. I think they've got, didn't they, they beat Monah and they beat Dublin and they drew with Kerri. And that's the five points they got. So they haven't won a game or picked up any points away from home. So this is a big one for them, but Mayor continue to experiment and put out a weaker team. You expect maybe Kildare could have won that. So you could have Throne won in and Kerri, and you could have Donny Gull won in, and you could have Kildare won in, and Dublin could go down, and Monah and the two teams down on six points. So one thing I'd like to say about Dublin, and I saw them last weekend, I think from number five to number 15 or 16 or 17 of the players they have, I think they're the best in the country. But I think they have a serious problem from one to four. And I think that's what could end up letting them down. But from five, when they get the two smalls to come back into the team, they've got the two smalls who might get in the team in Conakalla, I think that's going to make them very, very strong. And some of their big players are starting to come back. So I think they're the best in the country. And I just think their problem is definitely in their full back lane and their goalkeeper. And that's for the problem now, can they patch that up or not? And if they do, they're still going to be very, very hard to beat. But I'm putting them down that they're going to be relegated along with Manu. You're laughing at them, Keher. No, not a but, not a but. Yeah, we'll wait and see what happens on Sunday. Let's step in quickly to Division Two, Keher. I know you were in home bag last week. You watched Derry. It wasn't the best Derry performance this year against what's looking to be a very, very strong Galway team. But Derry know that they have to win at Meath at the weekend and hope that the tribesmen can do them a bit of a favourite, Keher, if they're going to go to the top flight. Yep, Galway were mighty impressive. Now I had to say in home bag, aside from whatever performance Derry produced, I think at their best Derry would have struggled with that Galway team on Sunday, the way they played. It has taken it out of their hands and I suppose the frustration, Shane McGuigan was a big loss against Galway. But again, the way the game went, I don't know that it would have been any significant difference in terms of the result. But the big impact was the actual sending off of Shane McGuigan down in Ross Common and then not been on the pitch to kick what would have been the one and three which would have left Derry in a position this weekend where promotion was in their hands if they went to Meath and wanted to go up. And that decision has taken it out of Derry's hands completely and I suppose we can only go on the video evidence that we've seen. But it's exceptionally harsh on Shane McGuigan. They've been sent off for what he was sent off for. So it's probably for certain and that's the sense. But then I suppose Rory never pulls many punches and he came out after the game on Sunday and he just said, look, it's out of our hands but if we weren't good enough to beat Galway and we weren't good enough to beat Ross Common then that's it. Maybe we don't deserve to go up. So I'm not, look, it's hard to argue with that synopsis either. Borek Joyce, by the chat of him after the game on Saturday got the sense that he's definitely going to rest players. He's definitely going to take a chunk of his team out and go easy at it. You know, they'd do six weeks running including the league final now. So I would say that, you know, Ross Common will fancy it down there and if that happens then it doesn't really matter what Derry do. And Navin, which Navin has become a lot trickier looking in the last two or three weeks as well. You know, a month ago you were saying Derry would definitely win on Navin and now you've picked up a wee bit of form and it's maybe not as clear cut on it. So one right there. Yeah, just finally then Martin will nip over to division three. If Derry are to stay in division two they could be joined by Louth who are chasing back-to-back promotions under Mickey Hart. A new term agreed this week as well by the Louth GA and Mickey Hart and of course Gavin Devlin as well as the coach under Mickey. It's been a fantastic period for Louth Football all of a sudden they can find themselves from being in the bottom division to the second tier in just a couple of seasons as was why the reason Mickey Hart was brought in. Yeah, exactly. And I mean that's good work by the Louth County board and I mean else to get them and they got them right away afterwards. There were probably a lot of counties thinking about where they were the first county to get them on board and it's a massive achievement to do it with Louth. I mean they were lying in division four there and they never even could get out of division four. And we know there's massive population in Louth now with the likes of the amount of people from Dublin that moved into county Louth and commuting up and down to work on it. So it's only better Louth they're going to get and I think they're actually building a big center of excellence or maybe they have a center of excellence in Louth and they're trying to get their home field sorted out in Louth. So it's great times for Louth and there's a great buzz about Louth and everything else and it's a massive achievement for Mickey Hart and Gavin Devlin to get them to get them promoted. But I was just thinking there Ashwin Carr was speaking about Galway you know they probably are a division one team and you could you probably have nine teams there and maybe Russ Common and Derrier are a bit behind them and that there. But you know we look at it the only other thing I would say about that there is if Galway, if Russ Common beat Galway they're playing the league final the following week and they could meet in the championship if Galway beat me also. Maybe Galway might want to maybe beat Russ Common and not let Russ Common not end up on a league final they might maybe want to play Derrier. I don't know but I think looking at it from the point of view but it just shows you how competitive all divisions are their teams in division three they're good enough to be in division two and I mean and that's why the league is a great competition it's a brilliant competition the only thing is disappointing we talked about that area on Ashwin menu because maybe you know all right this weekend is going to be great great for it but there were other weekends it was terrible terrible for football to be played so we have our best footballers in the country maybe playing in the worst conditions it's something we could look at maybe down the road. Yeah something new to think about but listen the permutations are fascinating guys ahead of the final weekend of the Allianz Leagues right across the boards there's five promotions and five relegations all to be decided we're hoping that Donegal in the North West Counties won't be part of the of the relegations Carol Kane of the Irish News and Martin McHugh is always thanks for joining us. Thanks man. See you Carol.