Ahead of two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-finals at a full Croke Park, Monaghan goalkeeper and BBC Sport NI pundit Rory Beggan has assessed how each tie is likely to be decided. Louth face Mayo on Saturday in the county's first semi-final since 1957, while Sunday brings a renewal of the Dublin v Kerry rivalry. Beggan expects Saturday's meeting to be "the tightest one of the weekend" and believes it could produce a Louth v Kerry final.

Beggan argues that Louth's defensive organisation and physical size around midfield could prove decisive against Mayo, potentially limiting the influence of Kobe McDonald and Ryan O'Donoghue, and he notes that the new "game of kick-outs" rules could favour Gavin Devlin's side. Louth arrive with wins over Armagh and Dublin already banked, while Andy Moran's Mayo have reached their first semi-final since 2021 in his debut season. In Sunday's tie, Beggan makes Kerry favourites but warns that Dublin — who have already beaten Donegal and Galway — remain dangerous under Ger Brennan, whose return from a 12-week ban has coincided with an improving run and a possible "siege mentality" within the squad.