The big game of the weekend is the meeting of the top 2 in Beragh. Kildare already claimed promotion to Division 1 and they travel to play second place Tyrone.
There are lots of interesting battles at the other end of the table. Tipperary play host to Monaghan in Fethard. A win for Monaghan would bring Tipp into a relegation battle going into the final round of games.
Tipperary v Monaghan, Sat 16th Mar, Fethard Town Park, 2pm
Although Tipperary lie 4th in the table they still could get sucked into a relegation battle if they fail to pick up at least a point against Monaghan on Saturday. For Monaghan who are second bottom, they need the win.
In their last game Tipp fell to a narrow defeat to Westmeath. Monaghan had a good win against their neighbours Cavan, their first win of the campaign. With two games to go they know they need to finish strong to avoid the drop to Division 3.
There is very little between a lot of the sides in Division 2 and with a lot at stake both sides will need to put in a strong performance if they are to come away with a win.
Laois v Westmeath, Sun 17th Mar, LOETB Centre of Excellence, 1pm
Laois are bottom of the table and have just picked up one point so far. With two teams going down they need to end this campaign well if they are to avoid relegation. If Monaghan are to win against Tipp on Saturday Laois will be relegated before this game.
It has been a tough league for the 2022 All-Ireland Intermediate Champions Laois. In their last game they were beaten by leaders Kildare. Westmeath need to get something in this game so they are not involved in the relegation battle.
Frank Browne’s side had a good win over Tipperary in their last game. A big game for both sides.
Cavan v Donegal, Sun 17th Mar, Max McGrath Memorial Park, Redhills, 2pm
Cavan play host to Ulster rivals Donegal in a game they need something out of if they are to avoid being caught up in a relegation battle in the final game of the campaign.
The Breffni County lost out to their neighbours Monaghan in their last game. It was a blow for Cavan. Donegal were beaten by their neighbours Tyrone in their last game. So both sides will want to get back to winning ways.
Donegal have a slight chance of gaining promotion; they’d need Tyrone to lose their final two games. They need to win their two games and have a good score difference. A big game in Redhills.
Tyrone v Kildare, Sun 17th Mar, Beragh, 2pm
Kildare have already secured promotion to Division 1 while Tyrone will join the Lilywhites as they will finish second.
Tyrone are two points behind Kildare, having won four of their five games and drawn the other one. Diane O’Hora’s Kildare side have five wins from five and will no doubt want to end the campaign unbeaten.
It’s 2nd versus 1st. Last time out Tyrone had a good win over Donegal while Kildare made easy work of Laois as they gained promotion. A very good battle is in store in Beragh. Both teams will need to be at their best.
Deniese O'Flaherty
Deniese is a freelance sports journalist/broadcaster. She has worked for several local and national media outlets. GAA and soccer are her great loves and she also follows rugby league and snooker. She's a big supporter of her local clubs St. Mary's GAA Granard and Longford Town. She also follows Celtic, Liverpool and Leeds Rhinos. She presented and produced a popular sports podcast last year where she interviewed Ray Houghton, Chris Kamara and John Hartson. Deniese is currently Head of Communications for Boccia Ireland