The 16th Man

ULSTER BANK BLOG 2011 – 13

By PETER SWEENEY

THE race for Sam Maguire is now down to just four teams.

Dublin have shown the best form of them so far with their scintillating quarter-final win over Tyrone on Saturday, but in the 16th Man’s eyes Kerry remain the All-Ireland favourites.

They will be delighted that Cork are gone and they will have no fears about playing Mayo on Sunday week in the first of the two semi-finals. They have been there, done that and seen it all before.

They will also be smiling quietly to themselves at the swirl of hype that has been building up around the Dubs since the weekend as it takes much of the focus off them.

Here we profile the strengths and weaknesses of the semi-finalists and rank them in order from one to four.

1. KERRY
Strengths: This Kerry team has massive experience with last season the first time in seven years that they missed out on playing in the All-Ireland final. Knowing how to deal with the biggest occasions is an invaluable commodity.

Their forwards are also a major strength. Colm Cooper is set to explode in Croke Park following a relatively quiet season, adding further to the fire-power provided by Declan O’Sullivan and Darran O’Sullivan allied with the silk and steel of Paul Galvin.

Weaknesses: Midfield problems appear to be working themselves out, with Bryan Sheehan and Anthony Maher settling in well together and Seamus Scanlon to come in off the bench.

However, the defence must remain a worry for manager Jack O’Connor – particularly the central positions of centre-back and full-back.

2. DUBLIN
Strengths: Dublin are playing as the complete team – a ravenously hungry unit who are more than the sum of their parts. The defence is tight, with the addition of Cian O’Sullivan a plus, and the forwards are on song too.

The form of Paul Flynn at wing forward has been one of the biggest strengths this year and he could play himself into the Footballer of the Year reckoning with one more big performance.

Weaknesses: Getting carried away and failing to produce consistently – the same thing as always for Dublin. Pat Gilroy’s team now have to follow up a fine performance with another that’s good enough to break down Donegal.

The city will be going crazy and it will be hard for the manager to keep a lid on it.

3. MAYO
Strengths: The lack of expectation surrounding this team will please manager James Horan as it means that they can go out and play with no pressure – just as they did when they disposed of All-Ireland champions Cork.

Weaknesses: It remains to be seen whether Mayo have the iron-clad self-belief that the best teams possess and they are traditionally mentally brittle.  Their defence has yet to be fully tested yet too.

4. DONEGAL
Strengths: They have utter belief in manager Jim McGuinness and the system he has developed to get them this far. Ultra-difficult to break down and they have ball-winning scoring forwards at the other end.

Weaknesses: They haven’t played a Division 1 team yet this year and the Dubs will pose a completely new set of problems for them. If they fall behind against a top side they could find it hard to chase the game the way they are set up.

ALL-IRELAND SFC SEMI-FINALS
Sunday, August 21
Croke Park, 3.30, Kerry v Mayo

Sunday, August 28
Croke Park, 3.30, Dublin v Donegal