Paul Flynn's football championship predictions

It's a busy day in the All-Ireland football championship with 16 counties in action.

The four 2A winners will advance to the quarter-finals, while the losers play 2B winners. The four sides defeated in 2B this weekend will exit the championship.

2A

This feels like a seriously difficult assignment for Cork, even if they travel north with real momentum. Their comeback win over Meath was one of the stories of Round 1, with Steven Sherlock finishing with 14 points and after they had trailed by eight at half-time. But the big setback is midfield: Colm O'Callaghan’s suspension was upheld, which is very harsh, so Cork go to Donegal without a player who has been central to a lot of their best work.

The worry for Cork is that Meath were able to get at them. Even in that win, the game had moments where their defence looked open, and Donegal are a far slicker attacking side than most. Donegal’s win over Kerry in Round 1 backed up what they had already shown in the league final: when they hit their level, they can have too much for any team! Cork absolutely have enough in attack to ask questions, only if Sherlock stays hot, but it still feels like Donegal have too much power, pace and quality at home.

Verdict: Donegal.

This is one of the most interesting ties of the weekend simply because it is so fresh. It will be the counties' first championship meeting. So there is a novelty to it, but once you get beyond that, it still feels like Armagh are the stronger side by a fair bit.

Armagh just look like a team with layers to them now. We consistently see how well set up they are, how much depth they have and how composed they remain in big moments. They have scoring threats all over the field, they’re drilled defensively, and there is real competition which is driving standards inside the squad. Louth deserve huge credit for bouncing back against Dublin and they’ll absolutely have spells here, but it feels like the ceiling is much higher with Armagh.

Verdict: Armagh

This is another one that looks awkward enough for the favourite, even if Galway should still come through. Westmeath did what they had to do against Cavan after the emotional high of winning Leinster, and that in itself was a decent sign.

But Galway are a different problem entirely. Their win over Kildare was very comfortable, Rob Finnerty as outstanding. The attraction with Galway is the spread of threat: Shane Walsh and Damien Comer back in form, Finnerty flying, and a midfield/engine-room that can take over games.

Westmeath won’t fear the occasion, and they have earned the right to believe, but you keep coming back to how many questions Galway can ask all over the pitch. Kildaretook Westmeath to extra-time in Leinster; Galway then blew Kildare away. It may not be a rout, but it is hard to see Galway not having the stronger hand for most of the day.

Verdict: Galway.

This is the one that really jumps off the page. Tyrone look like they are growing into the year. Their win over Roscommon was a big one, and the impact of Ethan Jordan and Eoin McElholm leading the line in attack will please their fans. They managed that win without the Canavans. There is definitely a sense now that Malachy O’Rourke is getting more cohesion out of them.

Mayo, on the other hand, were excellent for the first half against Monaghan but once again looked vulnerable when the game turned against them. The positives are obvious: Kobe McDonald has added serious spark, Darragh Beirne has impressed, and Jack Livingstone made an incredible amount of saves. But the defensive is porous.

If they don’t fix that then you can see Tyrone opening them up. Home advantage nudges it toward Tyrone for me, but this has all the makings of a properly high-end championship game.

Verdict: Tyrone, narrowly.

2B

I'll be covering this game for RTÉ Radio and I’m really looking forward to it. Monaghan are coming into this on the back of another good performance, but they just didn’t get the win against Mayo. They are impressive, but can leave you feeling frustrated.

They show character and create chances, and nearly came back against Mayo, but just fell short. I think that’s their season in a nutshell. It was a cruel blow with Bobby McCaul who is out for the season.

Roscommon on the other hand will have a bit of a point to prove. They played well against Tyrone, but just didn’t have enough to close out the game. I feel like this will be a 'moments’ game, where it could swing on momentum.

Monaghan have home advantage, but I think Roscommon will have enough to grind it out.

Verdict: Roscommon

I can’t see anything other than a Kerry win. The key thing for them is getting players back on the pitch. From a Kildare point of view, it has been a season with very few positives in it. They need a performance and something to build on, but I don’t see anything other than an away win.

Verdict: Kerry

This one is really difficult to call. Derry were disappointing against Armagh, they didn’t lay a glove on them. For a squad with such talent, they didn’t get going at all.

Meath, who had a fantastic first half against Cork, lost all control of that game. When the sides met in the league, Jack Flynn had a massive performance to help them get over the line. With the news that Ruairi Kinsella is out with an ACL, they are going to need the likes of Flynn again to step up. Unfortunately for them, I think the home draw will tip the scales in Derry’s favour.

Verdict: Derry

A big test for Dublin off Broadway, a game not on TV. Breffni Park will probably suit better as Croke Park hasn’t been helping them recently. Ger Brennan is back on the sideline which is very important for them. Con O’Callaghan played decent against Louth, and he’ll be better for having that game under his belt.

It’s such a big game for Dublin and I’m expecting a performance full of character. It should be enough to get over the line.

Verdict: Dublin

Paul Flynn was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland.

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