Leinster Roundup

Division 1 :
With the groups stages of the Bord Gais Energy Ladies NFL coming to a head, it time to get the calculators out to determine who will be in the final shake up in their respective groups through out the three divisions.
Laois with two wins out of four games played, will host Mayo on Sunday the 15th next, in what will be crucial game for the O’Moore side. A win on Sunday would leave Laois on ten points one point ahead of Mayo, and should Kerry beat Donegal and if Tyrone cross the winning line ahead of Armagh the final placings in div. 1A would be Laois, Kerry, Mayo and Tyrone.
Division 1B:
Division 1B will see Dublin, Cork, Monaghan and Clare qualify for the quarter final stages and more than likely in that order. Defeats for Dublin or Cork would upset the order but that seems highly unlikely. Cork can expect to get a good run from Monaghan but it is hard to see beyond a win for the Leesiders. Monaghan came with a late burst to inflict defeat on Galway last week and leave the Tribeswomen in serious relegation trouble. The fact that Kildare grabbed a late equaliser against Clare means that Galway must register a home win against Lillies thie weekend to avoid relegation.
Kildare are sweating over the availability of their only All Star, Brianne Leahy, who has commitments this week-end at her University in Aberdeen. Brianne will make every effort to reach Mountbellew on Sunday next, but a reality check would place her chances of lining out on Sunday as zero.

Division 2A:
At present in division 2A Tipperary are unbeaten on Twelve points while Sligo and Waterford are level on Nine apiece with Wexford in fourth place with six.
Wexford play host to table toppers Tipperary on Monday next the 16th under lights in Horeswood, with a throw in time of 8pm. in what will be a stern test for the Model County, however, at full strength they are capable of taking points on Monday evening .
Waterford travel West to take on Sligo to decide who will take the second place spot, while Westmeath will also go head to head with Leitrim in a bid to collect their first points of the NFL campaign.
Division 2B:
Longford go to the top of the div 2B table with two wins out of four played, however Meath, Down, Cavan have also lodged six points in the bank, with only three games played.
In round five of the NFL Meath will play host to Cavan, in Pairc Tailteann on Sunday next, the Breffnies come into this game with a one point win over Fermanagh and they had four points to spare over Longford, however the Royals should have enough in the tank to clock up a home win.
Division 3A:
After their convincing win over Carlow must now prepare for the visit of Roscommon on Sunday next. Louth and Roscommon are on equal points ( 9 apiece)in Division 3A of the National League and the visitors have already beaten Limerick, Offaly and Carlow by similar margins, so next Sunday’s game should prove to be a real cracker!
Carlow are also preparing to welcome Limerick to their home patch in Tinryland on Sunday next, and while the Shannonsiders may have a little more experience in their squad, its a game that the home side could collect all three points from on the day if at full strength.

Division 3B:
On Sunday next (15/03/09) Wicklow travel North to take on Derry in round three of the Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL. The reigning Leinster junior champions who are competing in division 3B, are hoping to make the long journey with a fully fit squad, once again the Garden County can not afford to make the return journey with out all three points if they are to be serious contenders for promotion to a higher division.
At the start of this season, five teams were to compete in division 3B, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Antrim, Derry and London, however the exiles had to withdraw from the 2009 Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL campaign due to the high cost of travelling back to Ireland for games.
So the situation to date is, if Wicklow beat Derry and Kilkenny over come Antrim on Sunday next, both Leinster sides will have six points each, however Wicklow would go top of the group because they have already beaten Kilkenny in the league (2-9 to 1-6).
The Wicklow ladies have a good record against Derry sides in the NFL, winning in 2006 (5-9 to 4-9) and again in 2007 (2-11 to 3-5), when the sides meet in Corduff,County Louth.
In fact eleven players that lined out in the 2006 squad will once again be pulling on the Wicklow jersey this weekend, This seasons NFL stats show that after two games played, Wicklow have scored a total of 5-15, conceding 5-12, while Derry have notched up 2-17, but they have conceded a total of 8 goals and10 points.

Nevertheless the Oak leaf county did turn the tables on Wicklow in the 2008 NFL with a convincing win (3-17 to 3-7) when both sides meet in Old Conna (Bray), so this weekends crucial game is not a given for the Wicklow side.

In the second game being played in division 3B Kilkenny play host to Antrim in Jenkinstown, and a home win is what the doctor will ordering from the home side, to put them in contention for a play off position… best of luck to all playing this weekend.