The meeting of Clontarf and Cork Con will be the game of the weekend in 1A, elsewhere plenty of competitive action will see the race for fourth spot as well as the skirmish at the foot of the table being played out.
Clontarf v Cork Constitution, Saturday December 2nd, Castle Avenue, 2:30pm
A meeting of the top two in the division is the game of the weekend, will Tarf or Con lead the way come the end of the weekend.
Tarf remain unbeaten following their round six 24-24 draw with Hinch, outside of that they battled well to land wins in the other meetings this season and now face an arduous task with Con coming to the capital. Clontarf have four wins from their last five meetings with Con, their most recent was at this venue in January a game they lost 24-12.
Will that win earlier this year inspire Con to pick up another win over Tarf and in turn move them top. Defeat to Hinch in round two did little to scupper their chances in the top four as they have been on a one way trip since. Against some tough opponents they have been quite strong to date.
Dublin University v Lansdowne, Saturday December 2nd, College Park, 2:30pm
Trinity will look to end their losing streak this weekend as they welcome Lansdowne to College Park, another tough task for the Dubliners this season.
With six defeats from six, Trinity desperately need a result. Lansdowne provides a big challenge and they will need to be at their best if they want to end that losing run. A degree of misfortune for Trinity in some of their contests this season some hard fought results, can they do the business this weekend and end that rut of form.
Lansdowne on the other hand will look to leapfrog one of Con or Clontarf should they leave with a win here. Ending a two game losing streak with a strong result over Shannon two weeks ago, they are back to winning ways and want to keep that going this weekend. Lansdowne bring a big threat in this battle of the historic clubs, they will be favourites here to take the points.
Terenure College v Shannon, Saturday December 2nd, Lakelands Park, 2:30pm
Terenure will look to continue their winning run over Shannon this weekend, restoring them back to winning ways as they search to move back up the standings.
Nure lost narrowly 13-6 to Young Munster two weeks ago, a game that shows how competitive the AIL is this year especially in 1B. Last season Terenure won both meetings with Shannnon and know a win here can bring them closer to the top four as they try to keep on the pace to defend their title.
With four defeats in a row Shannon have slipped to ninth in the standings, victory here this weekend will go a long way to clawing them back out of the drop zone. With fellow Limerick side Young Munster winning last weekend that put Shannon in the relegation zone, they will hope to turn the tables this weekend but need a strong showing here to make sure of that.
UCD v Ballynahinch, Saturday December 2nd, Belfield, 2:30pm
UCD are just behind Hinch in the race for top four and a win here would see the students take fourth spot on Saturday evening.
Consecutive wins has UCD very much in contention for a top four spot to contest the title this year. If they can keep this momentum going for sure they are a well deserved contender, Michael Moloney is a man in form leading the division on the scoring charts and has been an inspired leader for UCD, could he help land a top four spot for the students this weekend.
Hinch have their own talisman in Connor Rankin and the Ulster side will not want to surrender fourth without a fight. Unbeaten in their last three games, they are out to prove a point in this one and solidify that fourth spot and even keep pressure on those above in the coming weeks. This will be another exciting prospect.
Young Munster v City of Armagh, Saturday December 2nd, Tom Clifford Park, 2:30pm
Consecutive home games, consecutive wins is the aim for Young Munster as they welcome City of Armagh to Tom Clifford Park.
That result two weeks ago for Terenure was well needed and well deserved by the Cookies and to continue that they need to get over the line against a tough City of Armagh side. Sitting precariously outside the relegation zones, another strong showing here would see them move to just outside the top four places. It is that competitive so far this season, even Young Munster with a turnaround in form could fight for the top four spots by next weekend.
City of Armagh have held their own in 1B this season, they are in a two game losing streak coming into this one but with two wins recorded this year, are well capable of making it three this weekend. Brayden Laing has been a composed kicker for the Ulster side this campaign and with just one point separating them in the standings. Could he be the difference if this one goes the distance.
More Info on Division 1A here.
Diarmuid Kearney
Diarmuid Kearney is a freelance Sports Journalist based in Co Kerry. He has more than 5 years experience covering domestic and international soccer for different media organisations, while also working for local and national print and digital organisations covering GAA.