The 16th Man

WHATEVER happens in this weekend’s All-Ireland final, it will bring down the curtain on what has been the best Championship in living memory.

Every summer starts with hand-wringing about the standard of football and the direction the game is going.

This year we had the added bonus of weeks arguing over the implementation of the new hand-pass rule, which caused distress for players, fans, referees and managers.

But when people look back on Season 2010 they will see a magnificent collection of matches, brilliant scores and outstanding individual performances.

And there was tactical innovation too, with Dublin deciding to go ultra-defensive and it nearly worked.

Just because the Dubs ceded possession to the opposition and got bodies behind the ball doesn’t mean that their games were dull or boring though.

Ultra-intense Championship games are always enthralling and with Footballer of the Year-elect Bernard Brogan on the field there is going to be fireworks.

We will have a name other than Kerry or Tyrone inscribed on the Sam Maguire for the first time since 2001.

Of course, Cork have been here before but this season has seen the emergence of a new order in football.

Down sprung from nowhere to reach the All-Ireland final; riding their luck, benefiting from the draw in the qualifiers and beating the All-Ireland champions.

The believe themselves to be aristocrats of the game, which they are, and they have played with sometimes regal disposition.

Sligo’s wins over Mayo and Galway were breathtaking and any disappointment that they couldn’t finish the job off in the Connacht final was quickly swept away on an emotional tide of Roscommon joy.

The heartbreak of Limerick and Monaghan in their provincial finals left their fans raw, but added to the narrative of an incredible season.

Controversy too, adds to the summer and there was plenty of it even after the hand pass debate had largely gone away.

Meath’s Leinster final win over Louth, a team that captured everyone’s hearts, shouldn’t have happened.

But it did and no one did anything to change it. The row rumbled on for a week and in the end, months later, it played a part in Eamonn O’Brien’s removal as Royal County boss by clubs angry at not being given a say in the matter by the board at the time.

This season will be long remembered as one of the best of all time. Wouldn’t it be nice if, on Sunday, it was capped off with a classic All-Ireland final?