GAA Championship: More than provincial finals on the line for Down, Westmeath & Cavan this week

Down will ride into Clones to face neighbours Armagh with an added spring in their step.

While Conor Laverty’s men have certainly made strides in recent years, few expected them to take down National League winners Donegal away from home in their Ulster opener, but they did just that with a magnificent display as Odhran Murdock, Daniel Guinness and the returning Caolan Mooney drove them on.

It’s another huge test against the Orchard this week, but had we been looking at a Donegal v Armagh semi-final, opinions would certainly have been divided on who would win, so Down ought to believe that if they can reach the same heights as Letterkenny, they have every chance of moving into an Ulster final and sealing their place in the All-Ireland series.

It certainly won’t be easy and if the 2024 provincial semi-final between the teams – won by Armagh thanks to a late Jason Duffy point – is anything to go by, it’s going to be a close-run thing.

By the time they throw in at 16:00 BST, they may already be same in the Sam Maguire competition as Westmeath’s Leinster semi-final against Kildare in Tullamore throws in at 14:00.