Looking forward to another great day's championship action with the final round of the hurling qualifiers and the Ulster football final replay.
The hurling season has stuttered along so far but last weekend was really the start of us getting down to serious business.
Cork shocked, I know it's a strong word given that they have one of the top two sides in the country for the last six season, all of us with the quality of their performance last weekend against Galway and their sheer guts and determination in the second half against the wind with a man down.
They defeated the Tribesmen in a game where we saw one of the great individual performances by a teenage Joe Canning.
When you see a young man put in a game like that you just have wonder how good he can be.
If he keeps his feet on the ground and remains injury free, which will be difficult given that he puts his body on the line to create space, he has the potential to become an all-time great.
However, the Cork half back line of Gardiner, Curran and O hAilpin looked like men on a mission and with Joe Deane on fire up front Cork looked irresistible.
Clare on the other hand have also a lot to prove after a fairly poor performance in the Munster final and they should at least not be as dependent on one player to do the damage for them as were Galway.
In the end I think Cork will edge it just because they take their scores easier than Clare but if the Banner can find the Cork net the way they breached the Waterford and Limerick defences early in the season then it could be quite a contest.
I fancy Waterford to overcome Wexford despite their over reliance on Eoin Kelly to beat Offaly last week.
I still think there is a big game in Waterford and it's now die dog or shite the licence.
Wexford are a poor side, their league form and their efforts in Leinster tell us that.
The gap between the rest in Leinster, Cats apart, and Munster isn't as big as some suggest, but the Decies know this is the last throw of the dice and I would expect some of them to begin to perform as they can.
I wouldn't even dream of calling Ulster. Prevailing wisdom that Fermanagh had their chance and that they will be eaten up by Armagh in the replay isn't going to happen.
Fermanagh are much too fit and physically strong to roll over for anyone. They know they had the game by the throat for the last 25 minutes and they will take great heart from that but they must do something about the free taking.
Armagh are methodical, clever and slick in full flight but McGrane is no longer a 70 minute player, he tired last week and the team suffered.
They are a little too pedestrian at times in the build-up and it was a tactical error bringing in Oisin McConville left the field.
The old Armagh disease of the two Brians era of not pushing on when they had a big lead cost them dearly and unless they address the issue of pace in their side they will be found out by better sides than Fermanagh no matter what Curran and McDonnell can conjure up.
I think we are in for another great battle as winning is everything in this one as the losers will find it very tough lifting themselves for the qualifers.
Sunday 27 July 2008
McGeeney will need a good draw
The only game which an Ulster side didn't win yesterday still brought some good cheer to the province with Kieran McGeeney's Kildare overcoming an improving Limerick in the qualifiers to book their place in the last 12.
McGeeney has had a tough season in his first year in charge with Kildare relegated in the league and beaten on their first day out in Leinster.
However, they bounced back beating Cavan with a last minute goal last week before beating Limerick yesterday by three points.
The big plus for Geezer has been the return to form of John Doyle who has been scoring for fun in the last two games.
McGeeney showed a bit of the courage he was renowned for on the field when he made switches for the Cavan game bringing in some of the successful Under 21 side and leaving out Lilywhite stalwart Anthony Rainbow.
The Armagh man is definitely looking to the future and reaching the last 12 of the championship might be just enough to ensure that he returns to serve another year in his three year reign.
I think that unless the Gods smile on Kildare in the draw they have gone as far they can this year but getting to the last 12 means that McGeeney should not be joining the managerial merry go round with the cull of county managers now in full swing as teams crash out of contention.
McGeeney has had a tough season in his first year in charge with Kildare relegated in the league and beaten on their first day out in Leinster.
However, they bounced back beating Cavan with a last minute goal last week before beating Limerick yesterday by three points.
The big plus for Geezer has been the return to form of John Doyle who has been scoring for fun in the last two games.
McGeeney showed a bit of the courage he was renowned for on the field when he made switches for the Cavan game bringing in some of the successful Under 21 side and leaving out Lilywhite stalwart Anthony Rainbow.
The Armagh man is definitely looking to the future and reaching the last 12 of the championship might be just enough to ensure that he returns to serve another year in his three year reign.
I think that unless the Gods smile on Kildare in the draw they have gone as far they can this year but getting to the last 12 means that McGeeney should not be joining the managerial merry go round with the cull of county managers now in full swing as teams crash out of contention.
Down a wild card in last 12
Ross Carr's Down will provide the wild card game of the last round of the qualifiers after seeing off a determined Laois fightback in the second hand of yesterday's game.
Down really are the goal kings of Gaelic football, two more yesterday helped see them through to the last 12.
The Mourne defence is nothing to write home about, and they definitely won't win the county any matches.
However, in Dan Gordon and Ambrose Rodgers they have a good midfield with Jack Lynch also capable of doing a job for them.
Benny Coulter remains the most explosive forward in the country, when he's hot and getting any sort of decent supply he is unstoppable and there will always be the chance of goals when he's close to the target as it's almost always his first instinct to look for the net when his confidence is high.
I just don't know how far Down can go, they beat what is a Tyrone side playing way below its best and lost to Armagh.
They have beaten two Leinster sides in the qualifers but it has been the poorest championship in recent seasons so it is hard to gauge just how much Down have improved since their defeat in Ulster.
But they play an open brand of attractive football and when they get a run in the championship and get their dander up they could pull off a big result.
The top sides will not fear them in the draw unless of course you're Kerry who have never beaten them at Croke Park, but there's none of the sides from outside Ulster who will feel that they are easy pickings in the last round of the qualifiers.
Down really are the goal kings of Gaelic football, two more yesterday helped see them through to the last 12.
The Mourne defence is nothing to write home about, and they definitely won't win the county any matches.
However, in Dan Gordon and Ambrose Rodgers they have a good midfield with Jack Lynch also capable of doing a job for them.
Benny Coulter remains the most explosive forward in the country, when he's hot and getting any sort of decent supply he is unstoppable and there will always be the chance of goals when he's close to the target as it's almost always his first instinct to look for the net when his confidence is high.
I just don't know how far Down can go, they beat what is a Tyrone side playing way below its best and lost to Armagh.
They have beaten two Leinster sides in the qualifers but it has been the poorest championship in recent seasons so it is hard to gauge just how much Down have improved since their defeat in Ulster.
But they play an open brand of attractive football and when they get a run in the championship and get their dander up they could pull off a big result.
The top sides will not fear them in the draw unless of course you're Kerry who have never beaten them at Croke Park, but there's none of the sides from outside Ulster who will feel that they are easy pickings in the last round of the qualifiers.
Monaghan challenge gathers momentum
Monaghan have been very impressive in their run in the qualifiers to date despite drawing the short straw of playing two of the Ulster sides Derry and Donegal who would have been fancied to reach at least the last 12 of this year's football championship.
The Farneymen also travelled to Ballybofey on Saturday to claim the scalp of a decent Donegal side and they put in their most impressive performance of this year's championship to win by a point.
I wondered had Monaghan just run out of steam when their league campaign faltered earlier in the season followed by the defeat to Fermanagh.
The Erne men have gone on to prove that that defeat was no fluke but Monaghan regrouped and are once again a real threat to anyone.
The fact they beat Derry without Paul Finlay and Gary McQuaid shows too that they have improving options on the bench which is vital if you want to have a serious tilt at the All-Ireland title.
I have been very impressed by Eoin Lennon in the middle of the field, he is a powerhouse and with Finlay, Rory Woods and Clerkin also in there winning ball Monaghan have a good platform to work from.
Tommy Freeman's form has been outstanding too.
If he isn't scoring his intelligent runs and lay-offs are creating opportunities for his team mates and Stephen Gollogly is also leading the three quarter line with some clever movement and scores.
The other big thing going the way of the Monaghan side is their sheer work rate, they would run all day and that alone makes them a handful.
The defence too has tightened up although there has to be a bit of concern at the way in which Donegal opened them up for goal chances they failed to take.
I hope Monaghan will avoid the other Ulster sides in the draw to make the last 12 as they will pose a real threat to any of the beaten finallists from the other provinces including Kerry.
The Farneymen also travelled to Ballybofey on Saturday to claim the scalp of a decent Donegal side and they put in their most impressive performance of this year's championship to win by a point.
I wondered had Monaghan just run out of steam when their league campaign faltered earlier in the season followed by the defeat to Fermanagh.
The Erne men have gone on to prove that that defeat was no fluke but Monaghan regrouped and are once again a real threat to anyone.
The fact they beat Derry without Paul Finlay and Gary McQuaid shows too that they have improving options on the bench which is vital if you want to have a serious tilt at the All-Ireland title.
I have been very impressed by Eoin Lennon in the middle of the field, he is a powerhouse and with Finlay, Rory Woods and Clerkin also in there winning ball Monaghan have a good platform to work from.
Tommy Freeman's form has been outstanding too.
If he isn't scoring his intelligent runs and lay-offs are creating opportunities for his team mates and Stephen Gollogly is also leading the three quarter line with some clever movement and scores.
The other big thing going the way of the Monaghan side is their sheer work rate, they would run all day and that alone makes them a handful.
The defence too has tightened up although there has to be a bit of concern at the way in which Donegal opened them up for goal chances they failed to take.
I hope Monaghan will avoid the other Ulster sides in the draw to make the last 12 as they will pose a real threat to any of the beaten finallists from the other provinces including Kerry.
Tyrone a poor shadow of a great side
Was very disappointed in Tyrone's performance yesterday although relieved that the injury to Sean Cavanagh was not as serious as first thought.
I have always believed that the Red Hands could emerge as one of the dark horses in this year's championship race if they could get their top players match fit with a run through the qualifiers.
However, they looked only a shadow of the side which won two All Irelands earlier in the decade and most importantly the key players they depend so much on look to be still off the pace.
Brian McGuigan shows flashes of the brilliance which made him the best centre half forward in the country before injury but isn't yet involved enough to meet the challenges of one of the top sides.
Dooher works hard and intelligently but for me has lost a yard of pace and at times looks a bit pedestrian and will struggle to make space against the top sides.
Mulligan never kicked leather when he came on and the full forward line just doesn't carry the threat that it used to and it's no wonder given that they had the two best forwards in the country at one stage playing with Mulligan.
Enda McGinley's performance was a big plus at midfield but the Red Hands will not win games against the teams now left in the qualifiers unless they can raise their game significantly and I haven't seen anything this year which convinces me that they can do that.
They are now in the last twelve and there are no poor sides left. Unless Tyrone draw one of the less fancied sides such as Wexford, Kildare their All-Ireland dream could finish next week especially if Cavanagh is ruled out with concussion.
I have always believed that the Red Hands could emerge as one of the dark horses in this year's championship race if they could get their top players match fit with a run through the qualifiers.
However, they looked only a shadow of the side which won two All Irelands earlier in the decade and most importantly the key players they depend so much on look to be still off the pace.
Brian McGuigan shows flashes of the brilliance which made him the best centre half forward in the country before injury but isn't yet involved enough to meet the challenges of one of the top sides.
Dooher works hard and intelligently but for me has lost a yard of pace and at times looks a bit pedestrian and will struggle to make space against the top sides.
Mulligan never kicked leather when he came on and the full forward line just doesn't carry the threat that it used to and it's no wonder given that they had the two best forwards in the country at one stage playing with Mulligan.
Enda McGinley's performance was a big plus at midfield but the Red Hands will not win games against the teams now left in the qualifiers unless they can raise their game significantly and I haven't seen anything this year which convinces me that they can do that.
They are now in the last twelve and there are no poor sides left. Unless Tyrone draw one of the less fancied sides such as Wexford, Kildare their All-Ireland dream could finish next week especially if Cavanagh is ruled out with concussion.
Sunday 20 July 2008
Offaly at last on the road back?
It was great to see an Offaly hurling team play in the manner they went about their business on Saturday night at Semple Stadium in their qualifier against Waterford.
In the end they were beaten by two Eoin Kelly goals conceded in the first half, both of which came after errors by the defence.
However, it has been six or seven years since I have seen an Offaly team hurl with the skill, pace and intelligence which characterised their play on Saturday.
Granted they faced a Waterford team which is seriously under performing but in fairness to Offaly they denied Waterford's big half forward line the room to make much of an impact on the game.
Offaly are a young side and you have to hope that Joe Dooley's men can continue to improve over the next couple of seasons.
Lads like Shane Dooley and Derek Molloy in the half forward line really took the game to the Waterford defence while Brendan Carroll weighed in with nine scores with a couple of crackers from play.
Veteran Ger Oakley was a rock in the heart of the defence while midfielders Brendan Murphy and Rory Hannify got the better of the exchanges on the night.
The two lines where Offaly did struggle all night was in the full back and full forward lines.
Eoin Kelly saw off a succession of markers and they just couldn't hold him.
Mullane tore holes in them in the first half too though to their credit the Faithful men eventually curtailed him but they struggled all night and never looked secure..
Up front Joe Bergin struggled to get into the game and while Carroll was doing damage by drifting out the field by and large the full forward line got little change out of the Waterford defence.
Some of Offaly's link-up play and stick work on the night also bodes well for the future.
The fact that they were level going into the last ten minutes is testament to their fighting spirit as they never let their heads drop after conceding two first half goals and Waterford only managed to draw away as Offaly visibly tired in the closing stages.
They will become physically stronger with more games at this level and this intensity and they answered the question I raised earlier in the week about the gap closing between the Munster and Leinster sides except for the Cats of course.
This is the end of Joe Dooley's first year in charge of a rejuvenated Offaly let's hope they can continue to make progress.
In the end they were beaten by two Eoin Kelly goals conceded in the first half, both of which came after errors by the defence.
However, it has been six or seven years since I have seen an Offaly team hurl with the skill, pace and intelligence which characterised their play on Saturday.
Granted they faced a Waterford team which is seriously under performing but in fairness to Offaly they denied Waterford's big half forward line the room to make much of an impact on the game.
Offaly are a young side and you have to hope that Joe Dooley's men can continue to improve over the next couple of seasons.
Lads like Shane Dooley and Derek Molloy in the half forward line really took the game to the Waterford defence while Brendan Carroll weighed in with nine scores with a couple of crackers from play.
Veteran Ger Oakley was a rock in the heart of the defence while midfielders Brendan Murphy and Rory Hannify got the better of the exchanges on the night.
The two lines where Offaly did struggle all night was in the full back and full forward lines.
Eoin Kelly saw off a succession of markers and they just couldn't hold him.
Mullane tore holes in them in the first half too though to their credit the Faithful men eventually curtailed him but they struggled all night and never looked secure..
Up front Joe Bergin struggled to get into the game and while Carroll was doing damage by drifting out the field by and large the full forward line got little change out of the Waterford defence.
Some of Offaly's link-up play and stick work on the night also bodes well for the future.
The fact that they were level going into the last ten minutes is testament to their fighting spirit as they never let their heads drop after conceding two first half goals and Waterford only managed to draw away as Offaly visibly tired in the closing stages.
They will become physically stronger with more games at this level and this intensity and they answered the question I raised earlier in the week about the gap closing between the Munster and Leinster sides except for the Cats of course.
This is the end of Joe Dooley's first year in charge of a rejuvenated Offaly let's hope they can continue to make progress.
Waterford still off the boil
Waterford boss Davy Fitzgerald will be a worried man following the Decies' win over a young but fiercely competitive Offaly side at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
While the Decies eventually saw off the Faithful County's challenge Waterford rode their luck and were less than convincing winners against a team which is not yet currently up there with the country's top sides.
The first obvious flaw in the Decies' performance was the fact that Eoin Kelly hit 2-13 of the team's total of 2-18.
Kelly's performance was awesome whether from the placed ball or from play and it didn't seem to matter what angle he was shooting from.
Kelly has been one of the top players on the Waterford team for the last six years but he hasn't always produced with the consistency with which he struck yesterday.
However, the forward line, once much feared, is not firing as a unit and the two Kelly goals which were the difference in the sides at the end came from defensive errors.
Last year's hurler of the year Dan Shanahan seems totally off the pace and is a shadow of the player who lit up the championship last year with ten goals.
John Mullane looks back to his best and was very lively and dangerous in the first half but even he faded as the game progressed.
However, despite their huge physical advantage the half forward line of Shanahan, Hurney and Prendergast is not winning enough ball and they had a bad night at the hands of the Offaly half back line.
The Decies' own half back line looks decidedly dodgy too.
They struggled to hold Molloy and Shane Dooley and I am not convinced about the move of Tony Browne to centre half.
Browne has been a great player but he is no longer up to the pace of championship hurling and I think Ken McGrath's presence at half back is missed.
The one positive Fitz can take out of the performance was the fact that the full back line gave little away over the night and for a team which leaked goals in last year's All-Ireland semis this is a big plus.
Waterford are fortunate in that they will once again face Leinster opposition in the shape of Wexford in the next round of the qualifiers.
The Model men turned Waterford over at the beginning of this year's National League campaign but they were once again comprehensively beaten in the Leinster final after struggling to overcome Dublin in two games in the semi finals.
Wexford are not a good side and while Waterford will find them difficult to beat given their current form, Davy Fitz must be hopeful that another game so soon in his reign will at least give him the chance to work on some of the side's shortcomings.
The biggest single thing that the Clare man must hope for is that Shanahan, midfielder Michael Walsh or some of his other big players do eventually find their form and often the best way for that to happen is a run of games.
The Decies stumble on but only just and they won't be in the running for honours this season unless there is a huge improvement in their performance.
While the Decies eventually saw off the Faithful County's challenge Waterford rode their luck and were less than convincing winners against a team which is not yet currently up there with the country's top sides.
The first obvious flaw in the Decies' performance was the fact that Eoin Kelly hit 2-13 of the team's total of 2-18.
Kelly's performance was awesome whether from the placed ball or from play and it didn't seem to matter what angle he was shooting from.
Kelly has been one of the top players on the Waterford team for the last six years but he hasn't always produced with the consistency with which he struck yesterday.
However, the forward line, once much feared, is not firing as a unit and the two Kelly goals which were the difference in the sides at the end came from defensive errors.
Last year's hurler of the year Dan Shanahan seems totally off the pace and is a shadow of the player who lit up the championship last year with ten goals.
John Mullane looks back to his best and was very lively and dangerous in the first half but even he faded as the game progressed.
However, despite their huge physical advantage the half forward line of Shanahan, Hurney and Prendergast is not winning enough ball and they had a bad night at the hands of the Offaly half back line.
The Decies' own half back line looks decidedly dodgy too.
They struggled to hold Molloy and Shane Dooley and I am not convinced about the move of Tony Browne to centre half.
Browne has been a great player but he is no longer up to the pace of championship hurling and I think Ken McGrath's presence at half back is missed.
The one positive Fitz can take out of the performance was the fact that the full back line gave little away over the night and for a team which leaked goals in last year's All-Ireland semis this is a big plus.
Waterford are fortunate in that they will once again face Leinster opposition in the shape of Wexford in the next round of the qualifiers.
The Model men turned Waterford over at the beginning of this year's National League campaign but they were once again comprehensively beaten in the Leinster final after struggling to overcome Dublin in two games in the semi finals.
Wexford are not a good side and while Waterford will find them difficult to beat given their current form, Davy Fitz must be hopeful that another game so soon in his reign will at least give him the chance to work on some of the side's shortcomings.
The biggest single thing that the Clare man must hope for is that Shanahan, midfielder Michael Walsh or some of his other big players do eventually find their form and often the best way for that to happen is a run of games.
The Decies stumble on but only just and they won't be in the running for honours this season unless there is a huge improvement in their performance.
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