With the Winter break upon us, this final round of action will have plenty of drama and intrigue as we could see some movers and shakers before we reconvene in January.
UCD v Lansdowne, Friday December 15th, Belfield, 8pm
The Friday night lights will be shining in Belfield as UCD and Lansdowne look to finish 2023 on a high point in this first of two meetings of the Dublin sides.
UCD are seeking safe passage from the drop zone as they sit two points clear in a rather precarious position. Taking on the highflyers in Lansdowne, they will need to put on a solid showing to get past them. The students have won their last two meetings at the Bowl against Lansdowne, certainly will need a similar run of form to overcome their opponents in this one.
Lansdowne suffered their third defeat of the campaign last weekend to avenge that they will need a result here to continue their challenge for a spot in the title race. Two wins in their last five may not be good enough by their standards, marginally better than UCD who have just one win in the same amount of games, this could come down to the wire but Lansdowne might have enough to shade this one.
City of Armagh v Ballynahinch, Saturday December 16th, Palace Grounds, 2:30pm
A first meeting of the only two Ulster teams dining at the top table of the AIL this season, Hinch looking to make up for last weekend’s setback away in Armagh.
The hosts have lost four of their last five games and in a bid to end a four game losing streak need to topple Hinch in a first meeting between the two since the 2018-19 season. Armagh have held their own but certainly have found the step up from 1B to 1A challenging. In their own right they are a strong team while results have not come their way in vast waves this year, a side that cannot be taken for granted.
Hinch will not tread lightly making the trip to the Palace Grounds, despite a gap of four between in the standings. Hinch will know they are in for a test and will need to be a strong side and not cough up further points. Last weekend’s narrow defeat to Young Munster certainly was a blow losing fourth spot also. This will be one to watch out for between these two.
Clontarf v Shannon, Saturday December 16th, Castle Avenue, 2:30pm
Leaders Clontarf are back on home soil this weekend as Shannon look to dent their unbeaten record and end the year on a high note.
Tarf have set the bar pretty high in 1A and after nine rounds will aim to remain unbeaten in their quest for more silverware. When they have had to show their hand this year they have always had the royal flush, a draw with Hinch the only game where they have failed to take a four point haul at the minimum. The leaders will be fancied to keep that record alive against Shannon.
The Limerick men however can be tricky customers and are not preparing to travel to Dublin and let Tarf over the line easily. Dublin itself has been a minefield for Shannon this year already as defeats to Lansdowne in the Aviva and a recent heavy defeat to Terenure in Lakelands have not been kind. Breaking their losing streak last weekend, can they keep that momentum going into this game and stay away from the drop zone.
Dublin University v Terenure College, Saturday December 16th, College Park, 2:30pm
A second all Dublin meeting this weekend as Terenure and Trinity go head to head in College Park.
Defeat would signal nine straight for Trinity and they would end the year rooted to the bottom of the standings with their only points coming from losing bonus results. Fair to say it has been tough for Trinity this year and taking on a team like Terenure is not an easy end to the campaign before the break. Against their Dublin rivals Trinity will want to end that rut and break the glass ceiling but it will not be easy.
Terenure, on the back of two wins and some results elsewhere going in their favour, returned to the top four by the narrowest of margins. With a point between them and Hinch they need to build on that winning run and will feel this tie is a game they can win. The holders have been knocked down but got up again countless times, can they prevent an upset this weekend.
Young Munster v Cork Constitution, Saturday December 16th, Tom Clifford Park, 2:30pm
Munster derbies between the Cookies and Con always are hotly contested, to end the year with a bang we are treated to another this weekend.
Young Munster fought back from the jaws of relegation to sit four points from returning to the top four. Looking for a fourth win in a row they face a Con side that will give them a test. The Cookies are used to being tested, with a 50% win ratio this year they have stated their claim but need to claim more scalps and where else to start than Con.
Cork Con are three away from Tarf and will want to keep pressure applied to secure that coveted top spot. Winning four wins from their last five the Cork men are certainly no slouches and come here in good form looking to press on and end the year on a high point. Only defeat to Clontarf is the blemish in that run of games, could we see another this weekend in Tom Clifford Park.
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.