Allianz Football League round three preview

Armagh will end round three on top of Division One if they beat early frontrunners Roscommon on Sunday

Having arisen from its brief mid-February slumber, the Allianz Football League bursts back into life this weekend with a full programme of fixtures including a top-two Division One meeting, a rerun of last year's final and an Ulster derby in front of the BBC cameras.

That's all very exciting, of course, but here we'll stick to matters on the pitch as the league season begins to ramp up.

Top two clash in Division One

This weekend's Division One curtain-raiser is a doozy as Mayo welcome reigning All-Ireland and National League champions Kerry to Castlebar.

Last year, the Kingdom laid the foundations for their stunning championship success with two wins over Mayo. One was close - a one-point win in Tralee - and the other wasn't, David Clifford turning on the style to kick 1-6 in a 15-point thumping in the Croke Park final.

But Mayo are under new management now, and with new boss Kevin McStay returning Aidan O'Shea to full-forward, the westerners will have taken positives from draws with Galway and Armagh in the first two rounds.

They may come up against a strengthened Kerry side, though, with Jack O'Connor possibly welcoming back Sean O'Shea and Footballer of the Year Clifford after his All-Ireland Junior triumph with Fossa.

• How Tyrone's Kilpatrick turned his life around

And Saturday night's heavyweight clash under the lights at MacHale Park should amply whet the appetite for Sunday's top-tier offerings, with surprise early pacesetters Roscommon hosting Armagh and Donegal - minus injured captain Paddy McBrearty - travelling to Clones to face bottom-of-the-table Monaghan.

Then there's Galway v Tyrone, which will undoubtedly stir disquieting memories among the Red Hand panel given their last trip to Tuam ended with a record 19-point defeat and Cathal McShane leaving the field on a stretcher.

But having swept past Donegal last time out Tyrone will fancy their chances of exorcising the ghosts of 2020 against an injury-hit Tribe outfit missing key players at both ends in Shane Walsh, Damien Comer, and Kieran Molloy.

Rejuvenated Down travel to Fermanagh in BBC iPlayer match

Conor Laverty has made a promising start to life as Down boss

Whisperings of a Down revival abound as Conor Laverty's men travel to Ederney on Sunday with hopes of bagging a third successive league win.

After banking much-needed confidence with a strong McKenna Cup showing, Down toppled Tipperary in Thurles before fighting back to snatch a dramatic one-point win over a shell-shocked Antrim last time out.

But while the Mournemen's early progress under Laverty has certainly been intriguing, they will be without Barry O'Hagan for an extended period after the Clonduff forward seriously injured his knee against Antrim.

And Fermanagh are expected to offer Down a stiff assessment with Kieran Donnelly's side having suffered a last-gasp defeat by Offaly after a comfortable opening win at home to Longford.

While Fermanagh bagged early points, Antrim will be looking for a first positive result under Andy McEntee when they travel to Tipperary on Saturday evening before Cavan - Division Three's fourth Ulster representative - host struggling Longford on Sunday.

Oak Leafers host O'Rourke's high-scoring Meath

All has gone according to plan for Derry in 2023. They got back into the swing of things by winning the McKenna Cup last month and followed that up with defeats of Limerick and Louth to get the wheels in motion on another promotion bid.

But with Dublin to visit Celtic Park next month and a final round match away to Cork, Rory Gallagher will know the importance of building early points as he tries to secure Derry's top-tier return before switching focus to their Ulster Championship defence.

Meath will take some beating, though. Now under the auspices of county legend Colm O'Rourke, the Royals gleefully racked up 43 points (with seven goals accounting for almost half that tally) in victories over Cork and Clare.

They have, however, conceded 35 and with top scorer Shane McGuigan having been ably supported by the likes of Lachlan Murray and Niall Toner so far this term, Derry will be confident of dealing a blow to a promotion rival as they aim to right the wrongs of last year's failed promotion push.

With Derry's match throwing in on Saturday evening, there is the added incentive of heaping the pressure on Dublin before their trip to Cork on Sunday.

Top scorers

What they say

Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan: "It's massive [the importance of beating Galway]. We've probably lost our consistency last year and this year and haven't been performing to our expected levels.

"But look, we're going down to Tuam where we haven't performed well for as long as I can remember. It's important that we at least put in a performance where we can walk away with our heads held high. Regardless of the result, the performance is the most important thing for us."

Donegal boss Paddy Carr: "We're well aware of the task that's ahead of us, we know the challenges.

"Donegal is a proud GAA county. We have no option but to kick back and I've no doubt there will be a kickback from this."

• National League fixtures, results & standings