The 16th Man

IT IS no understatement to describe the atmosphere at James McCartan’s post-match press conference as funereal.
Responses were muted and his eyes wandered around the room, as the manager seemed almost in a daze, momentarily bowled over by the ache of defeat. There was a distinct sense of loss emanating from the Down manager and his usual focus and enthusiasm had evaporated under the crushing weight of disappointment.
His answers remained considered but they were tinged with a very definite feeling of remorse and pain. McCartan was nevertheless able to identify where the game had been lost.
“We did feel that the midfield sector was a problem area. Obviously Ambrose wasn’t available. I felt the guys that we had in there, while they were putting their hands on the dyke, were the best men for the job,” McCartan said.
“At times it seemed that we were letting them (Cork) win the ball and then tried to take it off them, which worked for some period of time but I would just be a wee bit dissatisfied with the amount of clean catches that they got.  It’s definitely the area I felt we had problems with,” he added.
“Our options were limited in that area. We felt that those were the best men we had for the job even though they were having difficulty.”
McCartan admitted that he tried to rectify the problem while candidly admitting that he left it too late to implement the changes.
“Dan (Gordon) was there (in midfield) for the last few minutes. We didn’t want to do it but maybe it should have been done earlier.  I hold my hands up to that – we had problems there and maybe Benny McArdle should have slotted in but I just didn’t want to do that and I hold my hands up – maybe it should’ve been done earlier,” he said frankly.
McCartan though was magnanimous in defeat and praised Cork for their victory.
“Cork obviously have felt the pain that we’re feeling now and they’ve come back and reached their holy grail today. I’d like to pay tribute to those guys.
“After the match we tried to ensure that we showed the appreciation of their win and tried to lose graciously and I just want to say Cork were deserving winners on the day and we’ve no qualms about that at all,” he said.
He acknowledged their bench made a telling difference.
“There’s no doubt about, having the likes of Derek Kavanagh come off the bench, they’ve loads of experience and fresh legs – there’s quality there.  It’s always going to be difficult. You just toil and toil away as best we could,” he said.
“With 10 minutes to go it looked like Cork were going to pull away comfortably and I’m just delighted that our guys dug in and showed a wee bit of spirit and dragged it back.”
It is of course Down’s first loss in an All-Ireland final and McCartan admitted that his family connections were such that he was particularly eager to keep up Down’s proud tradition of winning finals.
“Obviously I’ve strong family ties with those teams (of the 1960s) so that was a wee personal thing that was probably in my head and was driving me but the history of being in a sixth All-Ireland final, it was irrelevant to me and the players as well I think. I don’t think it had a bearing,” before adding,
“It wasn’t so much six out of six for me, it was just trying to pay tribute to the 50 years, 1960s team.”
McCartan shifted desolately in his chair and reflected on Down’s year. Understandably in the immediate aftermath of a crushing defeat the Down manager was finding it hard to see the positives of a successful season. Did he view it as a success overall though?
“It certainly doesn’t feel like it at the minute to be honest but I suppose on reflection, yeah ok, we’ll take it.”
“We were beaten in an All-Ireland final, we’re not happy about it. I suppose the thing I would like would be that we wouldn’t be one-year wonders and we’ll try and ensure that doesn’t happen. We think we have a squad that can compete year in year out.  Now, it’s easy saying that, doing that is another thing, especially when you have to go through the Ulster championship again next year where you’ll be often in some difficult game. We all know how difficult it is to get out of Ulster,” he said.
The challenge now is for McCartan to build upon Down’ success this year.
“There’s only three teams doing it regularly, playing in All-Ireland quarter-finals and that’s Kerry, Tyrone and Cork and everybody else wants to strive to be there. Getting back to Croke Park seems a million miles away at the minute but obviously it’s the target that we’ll be setting.”
If this year has proved anything, it’s that McCartan is an expert in more than meeting the targets he sets for his side. Once the despondency subsides and McCartan and his backroom team and players reflect on the year, they will see there is plenty to look forward to in 2011.

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DANNY HUGHES could not hide the disappointment of All-Ireland defeat. It was written all over his face.

Having worked tirelessly for years for Down’s cause the fall at the final hurdle on Sunday changed his normally upbeat and positive demeanour into an understandably subdued and bitterly disappointed one.
And yet that positivity remained in tact beneath the huge disappointment as he echoed the sentiments expressed earlier by his manager - not to let this year’s escapades in the championship become a one-off for this Down team.
“I think James said it, none of us want to be one hit wonders. The likes of myself, Benny, Brendy McVeigh and Dee Rafferty have been around a while but there’s other young lads have come in and they’re chomping at the bit to get into the team and get into the panel as well,” he said.
“These boys are very hungry and you’ll have to tell them in the next couple of months that these things don’t happen every year, as we found out. It’s a great experience for them and I’m sure they’ll learn from it and it’ll make them hungrier going forward for the next couple of years,” he added.
In the here and the now though Hughes is hurting. As always this year, the half-forward acquitted himself superbly and fisted Down’s last point over the bar when he admitted a goal was probably necessary.
“I didn’t really think about that one. I just tried to get a fist on it. Obviously, I don’t have the height of anyone like Dan Gordon so I was just hoping it would skid into the net but it went over.”
Hughes admitted that pinpointing where it went wrong for Down is hard in the minutes after the game and even harder to discover during the midst of the action.
“When you’re playing in it, it’s hard to see what’s going on in the field. You’re trying to look after your own performance and trying to do your job but at half-time we were up and just didn’t get enough breaks in the middle of the field. That’s where I have to take personal responsibility on that but it’s hard to analyse where it went wrong in the second half,” said the Saval clubman.
It certainly had nothing to do with the preparations for the game which he acknowledged were perfect. He said,
“That’s down to James and the team he has with him, Paddy and Jerome and Brian McIver and all the backroom team, physios and everybody. They had us fully prepared for the game, we were very focussed on it.”
Hughes said that while history was changed with Down’s first All-Ireland final defeat the previous record was certainly not a noose around the players’ necks.
“I wouldn’t say that it added any extra pressure. There’s pressure that comes from an All-Ireland final anyway regardless.
“I didn’t have any family ties but I didn’t want to break the mould or break the tradition of being the first Down team to be beaten in an All-Ireland final. That was a thing but I wouldn’t say it weighed any more heavily than any other pressure game.”
Hughes may not have won an All-Ireland winners medal yet but he is sure to come under consideration for an All-star given the superb performances he has delivered this season.
One thing is certain. Hughes’ positivity will return and the confidence he and his team-mates can garner from this experience is bound to stand them in good stead as they aim to go one better than they were able to this year.

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IT IS no understatement to describe the atmosphere at James McCartan’s post-match press conference as funereal.

Responses were muted and his eyes wandered around the room, as the manager seemed almost in a daze, momentarily bowled over by the ache of defeat. There was a distinct sense of loss emanating from the Down manager and his usual focus and enthusiasm had evaporated under the crushing weight of disappointment.

His answers remained considered but they were tinged with a very definite feeling of remorse and pain. McCartan was nevertheless able to identify where the game had been lost.

“We did feel that the midfield sector was a problem area. Obviously Ambrose wasn’t available. I felt the guys that we had in there, while they were putting their hands on the dyke, were the best men for the job,” McCartan said.
“At times it seemed that we were letting them (Cork) win the ball and then tried to take it off them, which worked for some period of time but I would just be a wee bit dissatisfied with the amount of clean catches that they got.  It’s definitely the area I felt we had problems with,” he added.

“Our options were limited in that area. We felt that those were the best men we had for the job even though they were having difficulty.”

McCartan admitted that he tried to rectify the problem while candidly admitting that he left it too late to implement the changes.

“Dan (Gordon) was there (in midfield) for the last few minutes. We didn’t want to do it but maybe it should have been done earlier.  I hold my hands up to that – we had problems there and maybe Benny McArdle should have slotted in but I just didn’t want to do that and I hold my hands up – maybe it should’ve been done earlier,” he said frankly.

McCartan though was magnanimous in defeat and praised Cork for their victory.

“Cork obviously have felt the pain that we’re feeling now and they’ve come back and reached their holy grail today. I’d like to pay tribute to those guys.

“After the match we tried to ensure that we showed the appreciation of their win and tried to lose graciously and I just want to say Cork were deserving winners on the day and we’ve no qualms about that at all,” he said.
He acknowledged their bench made a telling difference.

“There’s no doubt about, having the likes of Derek Kavanagh come off the bench, they’ve loads of experience and fresh legs – there’s quality there.  It’s always going to be difficult. You just toil and toil away as best we could,” he said.

“With 10 minutes to go it looked like Cork were going to pull away comfortably and I’m just delighted that our guys dug in and showed a wee bit of spirit and dragged it back.”

It is of course Down’s first loss in an All-Ireland final and McCartan admitted that his family connections were such that he was particularly eager to keep up Down’s proud tradition of winning finals.

“Obviously I’ve strong family ties with those teams (of the 1960s) so that was a wee personal thing that was probably in my head and was driving me but the history of being in a sixth All-Ireland final, it was irrelevant to me and the players as well I think. I don’t think it had a bearing,” before adding,

“It wasn’t so much six out of six for me, it was just trying to pay tribute to the 50 years, 1960s team.”
McCartan shifted desolately in his chair and reflected on Down’s year. Understandably in the immediate aftermath of a crushing defeat the Down manager was finding it hard to see the positives of a successful season. Did he view it as a success overall though?

“It certainly doesn’t feel like it at the minute to be honest but I suppose on reflection, yeah ok, we’ll take it.”
“We were beaten in an All-Ireland final, we’re not happy about it. I suppose the thing I would like would be that we wouldn’t be one-year wonders and we’ll try and ensure that doesn’t happen. We think we have a squad that can compete year in year out.  Now, it’s easy saying that, doing that is another thing, especially when you have to go through the Ulster championship again next year where you’ll be often in some difficult game. We all know how difficult it is to get out of Ulster,” he said.

The challenge now is for McCartan to build upon Down’ success this year.

“There’s only three teams doing it regularly, playing in All-Ireland quarter-finals and that’s Kerry, Tyrone and Cork and everybody else wants to strive to be there. Getting back to Croke Park seems a million miles away at the minute but obviously it’s the target that we’ll be setting.”

If this year has proved anything, it’s that McCartan is an expert in more than meeting the targets he sets for his side. Once the despondency subsides and McCartan and his backroom team and players reflect on the year, they will see there is plenty to look forward to in 2011.

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THE HISTORY books were re-written last Sunday as Cork won their sixth All-Ireland medal with a win over a Down team who tasted defeat in an All-Ireland final for the first time in their history.
It was Cork’s first success since 1990 and on the balance of play, it was well deserved.
The Mourne men can be proud of their performance at headquarters despite the heartache that invariably accompanied a loss of such magnitude.
Sunday was the first All-Ireland final defeat in Down’s history and in truth, the better team won in the end. The one-point difference in the score when the final whistle was blown told its own story. Down ran Cork all the way but in the end the Rebels celebrated while Down were left devastated.
It was a tale of two halves - Down dominant in the first, established a healthy and deserved lead and Cork resurgent in the second, were able to claw back scores on the back of their supremacy in midfield. In the end, Down were chasing the game and time got the better of the Mourne men.
The game was tense from the start and Down could have been a goal down in the first minute. Ciaran Sheehan was put straight through on goal but a super save from the magnificent McVeigh followed by a goal-line clearance kept the Rebels at bay, albeit momentarily.
Daniel Goulding pointed from a free before two minutes had elapsed to put Cork into an early lead. Goulding’s prowess from the dead ball was to prove instrumental throughout for the Leesiders but after their initial score Down began to take control.
A good passing move saw Marty Clarke pick Danny Hughes out 45 metres from goal. The Saval forward lashed over an equaliser for Down much to the delight of the huge Mourne following within the Jones’ Road stadium.
McComiskey and Coulter both fired wide before the former got his first score of the day thanks to a neat flick from John Clarke.
Goulding levelled matters on 12 minutes when Kevin McKernan was adjudged to have fouled Paul Kerrigan but it was a momentary reprieve for Cork.
Two points from Martin Clarke and one from his brother John gave Down some breathing space for the first time as the collective harrying from the Down players and the flowing passing moves began to reap rewards for McCartan’s men.
Poland found McComiskey who shrugged a challenge off before blasting over and when Danny Hughes cut in from the right win before fisting over Down were at their brilliant best. They led 0-07 to 0-02 on 26 minutes, denying Cork any scores for 18 minutes of the first half in the process.
That barren spell was broken by Donncha O’Connor when he converted a routine free. Goulding followed suit before Marty Clarke converted a free for Down on 32 minutes.
Just before the break a quick free released Donncha O’Connor and with time and space he sent the ball over the bar. It was the last score of a pulsating first half that Down had dominated.
On reflection, such was their dominance that Down should have led by more than 0-08 to 0-05 at the break, with the feeling that Cork were sure to offer more in an attacking sense in the second half.
Nicholas Murphy was introduced at midfield and made a telling impact. McComiskey got the first score of the second period but Cork had the bit between their teeth.
Goulding continued his fine vein of form from the dead ball to reduce the deficit to three points and when Cork captain Graham Canty was introduced on 41 minutes the morale boost to the Rebels was almost visible.
Goulding pointed once again before an outstanding score from Mark Poland made it 0-10 to 0-07 in Down’s favour on 44 minutes.
The momentum though was swinging Cork’s way and Donncha O’Connor and Goulding both pointed from play to narrow the gap to a single point.
When Ciaran Sheehan levelled on 50 minutes there was a palpable sense that Down were fighting a losing battle.
Cork’s midfield were utterly dominant with Walsh and Murphy lording that area and when Down had possession their options were limited by a defence shored up by the imposing figure of Graham Canty.
Down tried valiantly to push on and a McKernan point gave the Mourne men some hope but almost immediately O’Connor had levelled for the Rebels.
On 55 minutes, Cork took the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Paul Kerrigan’s fine individual effort pushed them in front.
James McCartan attempted to change things with Brendan McArdle, Ronan Murtagh and Conor Maginn all being introduced but Cork were like a feral beast who can sense when a wounded animal is there for the taking.
Goulding converted two 45s to put three points between the sides going into the last 10 minutes and no sooner had Peter Fitzpatrick reduced the margin to two than Donncha O’Connor looped a high effort over to put Cork three in front again.
Ronan Murtagh got his obligatory score on 66 minutes but only McVeigh saving and McKernan subsequently clearing off the line kept Down in touch during the last five minutes.
The game looked to be over when Goulding notched up his ninth point of the day but late scores from Benny Coulter and a fisted effort from Hughes gave Down an outside hope of a replay.
Cork though remained composed and used their experience to run down the clock in injury time. With seconds to go the Cork subs gathered on the line in anticipation and when referee David Coldrick whistled for the last time the Cork contingent of the crowd erupted.
Down had battled valiantly but ultimately they came up just short and congratulating their victors was a true mark of their class.
Having lost two finals in the last three years, it was a case of third time lucky for Conor Counihan and company, though, in truth, luck played little part in their victory.
There was as much an air of relief as there was celebration amongst the Rebels in Croke Park and with the All-Ireland shaped monkey now off their back they can look forward to taking Sam Maguire back to Cork on a more regular basis in the coming years.

DOWN: Brendan McVeigh, Dan McCartan, Dan Gordon, Damien Rafferty, Declan Rooney, Kevin McKernan (0-01), Conor Garvey, Peter Fitzpatrick (0-01), Kalum King, Daniel Hughes (0-03), Mark Poland (0-01), Benny Coulter (0-01), Paul McComiskey (0-03), John Clarke (0-01), Martin Clarke (0-03) (Subs) Conor Maginn, Ronan Murtagh (0-01), Conor Laverty, Benny McArdle
CORK: Alan Quirke, Eoin Cadogan, Michael Shields, Ray Carey, Noel O’Leary, John Miskella, Paudie Kissane, Alan O’Connor, Aidan Walsh, Ciaran Sheehan (0-01), Pearse O’Neill, Patrick Kelly, Daniel Goulding (0-09), Donncha O’Connor (0-05), Paul Kerrigan (0-01) (Subs) Nicholas Murphy, Derek Kavanagh, Fintan Goold, Colm O’Neill, John Hayes

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DOWN AND CORK’S progress to the All-Ireland final has proven that football is not just a team game but a squad effort with 20 players on both sides usually playing a part over the course of 70 minutes. Both Down and Cork are also firm believers in a group ethic, where no man is greater than the team.
However, it remains the case that individual battles all across the pitch could help to shape the outcome of the game and there are more than a few potential encounters that are bound to catch the eye on Sunday.

MARTY CLARKE v GRAHAM CANTY
Marty Clarke has played progressively better with each passing game but faces his sternest test to date when he will be picked up by All-Star centre-half back Graham Canty.
The Bantry man has admittedly struggled since sustaining a hamstring injury in the semi-final victory over Dublin but such is his influence that if he is close to full fitness he is bound to be risked by Conor Counihan.  The Cork captain is a superb man marker and enjoys a height advantage over the An Ríocht forward. Canty’s aggressive no-nonsense style and his leadership is indicative of Cork’s entire team ethos.
But, in Clarke he faces a player who appears to be peaking at the right time. Clarke has been stealing headlines since Down have come to the attention of the national media but as the player himself is at pains to point out, he is ably assisted by his team-mates. Nevertheless his passing ability and vision keep Down ticking in an attacking sense and his running and overall industry are aspects of his game that go unnoticed. His accuracy from the dead ball means that Canty will be careful of conceding frees from within 50 metres of goal.
It promises to be the most intriguing tussle on the field but with doubts remaining over Canty’s fitness and Clarke in the full spring of youth the feeling may be that this is one battle that Down can win.

PETER FITZPATRICK v AIDAN WALSH
Winning midfield is an integral part of any victory. Although it looks increasingly likely that Ambrose Rodgers will not make the starting line-up Down have a superb deputy in Peter Fitzpatrick.
The Ballmartin man was superb against Kildare and fitted seamlessly into the side in Rodgers’ absence. His fielding is superb and he provides more of an attacking threat than his more defensive minded-midfield partner Kalum King.
Although Down have not played Cork at senior level competitively since 1994 the battle for midfield is a resumption of a previous dual from 2009.
Aidan Walsh, who has started in midfield for the Cork seniors every game this year despite serious competition, was part of the Under-21 Cork team who pipped Down to the All-Ireland title last year. Fitzpatrick and Walsh played out a humdinger of a game last year and both are evenly matched once again.
Walsh is strong in the air and strong in the tackle and is not afraid of venturing into opposition territory. He perhaps lacks Fitzpatrick’s confidence when shooting as evidenced by some long-range miscues against Dublin in the first half. With Walsh taking the honours last year Fitzpatrick will be hoping to get one over on his midfield counterpart by taking a senior medal home. 

KEVIN MCKERNAN V PEARSE O’NEILL
Standing six foot tall, Kevin McKernan could hardly be described as the most diminutive figure in football but he is positively dwarfed in stature when compared to Cork’s Pearse O’Neill who stands at 6’5’’ tall. In many ways this particular battle represents the one that Down team as a whole must face against Cork.
The Rebels are huge brawny men brimming with physicality whereas Down rely more on guile and a collective work-rate. McKernan epitomises the ethic Down possess just as O’Neill does for Cork. That is not to underestimate Pearse O’Neill as a footballer. He has an ability to find space and is more than capable of finding the net when allowed to roam.
The onus will be on McKernan to stick tight to his man and harry him incessantly whenever in possession. The Kildare game also showed that one of McKernan’s strengths is his ability to turn defence into attack. His passing and forward thinking mean he is a scoring threat. It may not exactly be David versus Goliath stuff but McKernan and Down will have to become giant killers of some sort if they are to claim Sam Maguire for a sixth time.

DAMIEN RAFFERTY v DANIEL GOULDING
Both men are consistent. Daniel Goulding consistently scores for Cork and Damien Rafferty consistently defends superbly for Down. Something’s got to give and it promises to be nip and tuck in the corner all afternoon.
Goulding is a dead ball expert and James McCartan will doubtlessly have warned Rafferty and his fellow defenders against conceding soft frees in scoreable areas with Goulding on the pitch.  He is not just a free-taker though. Goulding’s pace and movement are more than enough to keep most teams occupied.
Damien Rafferty though is a capable defender. His pace has been a huge asset in the Down defence and his ability to carry the ball out of danger means he is a pillar in the Down full-back line. Rafferty’s almost unnerving willingness to put his head in where many others wouldn’t put their feet is an indication of his dedication to the Down cause. There must be many like him if Down are to succeed on Sunday.

BENNY COULTER v NOEL O’LEARY
With just one month separating the two 28-year-olds this promises to be a tussle of two players at their peak.  Coulter has been played closer to the small square (or inside it) in recent matches but Noel O’Leary may pick the Mayobridge man up nonetheless.
O’Leary is a half-back by trade but may be asked to pick up the effervescent Coulter who has been sensational for Down over the last decade and during the current campaign.
Coulter is practically assured of his All-star this year but that will mean precious little to Down’s talisman if it is not accompanied by an All-Ireland winner’s medal. Coulter will have to get the better of the burly O’Leary or whoever marks him this Sunday if Down are to be the team celebrating by the final whistle.

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Nicholas Murphy’s perspective on football has changed considerably since he first started playing the inter-county game with Cork in the late 90s. The 6’5’’Carrigaline man may be a gentle giant off the pitch but a fierce ambition burns within the midfielder to fulfil the potential that he and his peers have promised, but so far failed, to deliver for over a decade. Amending that is one more change that Murphy hopes to master this Sunday.

In 1999, Murphy was part of the Cork team beaten at the final hurdle by Meath. At the time the big midfielder admitted that he was in some ways dismissive of that All-Ireland final defeat.

“I suppose when I got there in 1999 there was a sense of thinking we’d be there for the next couple of years but we never really followed through in the years afterwards.”

Now a more senior member of the squad, Murphy relishes any opportunity to feature in the latter stages of the All-Ireland in a way that he perhaps took for granted when he was younger. At 32 years of age he may be nearing the end of a superb inter-county career but he admits that he is not actively entertaining the idea of retirement after this year’s All-Ireland final.

“I wouldn’t say it’s now or never because if you say that you’re kind of finishing yourself off. It might be a cliché but it really is a matter of taking one game at a time.  Even the young lads have to think like that. I was young back in 1999 and thought I’d be back in finals year in year out but you might have to wait four or five years to get another chance.”

The game has developed since he first started playing at the highest level and Murphy has said that his own game has progressed because of those changes.

“The training aspect of it has really come on. It used to be just weights around Christmas then training took precedence but now you’re doing weights throughout the year and you’re doing short stuff in the running. Everything has moved on, from nutrition to sports psychologists. It really has moved on an awful lot.”

As the game has developed so too has the competition for places. Nicholas Murphy has been a constant in the Cork side of recent years but a stress fracture of the lower spine has limited the number of appearances the midfielder has been able to make this year. Aidan Walsh starred for the Under-21 side that won the All-Ireland title last year, coincidentally beating Down in the final, and he has cemented his status as the first choice midfielder. Murphy accepts that while the competition may not make things easier for him personally, it is good for Cork football in general.

“The likes of Aidan Walsh and Ciaran Sheehan are really bringing something to the panel and it increases competition which is great. I’ve been pushing them on as much as they’ve been pushing me on so it helps to keep everyone going in training.”

If training has been altered in the last number of years so too have the targets for Cork. Reigning in Munster is not the holy grail it once was for Murphy et al.

“At the end of the day the All-Ireland was what we are after and if we won Munster on the way that was a bonus but the main thing was getting back to where we were last year (the All-Ireland final).”

Things have certainly changed, it used to be that Kerry were willing to lose in Munster and win in Croke Park and now it is Cork who are trying to replicate that model. It gifted the Cork the opportunity of building some momentum through the qualifiers, unlike Kerry who went straight from a provincial final victory to a quarter-final defeat. Unsurprisingly Murphy has little sympathy for the Kingdom.

“We were in the same scenario last year having won Munster so I think it’s grand the way it is to be honest. The back door was good in that we got playing week in, week out but I suppose if there were injuries the squad got stretched but we have a big panel of 34-35 players there so there were still players competing to get game time.”
Cork have reached the All-Ireland final for the third time in four years with the two previous encounters infamously ending in defeat.  Last year Cork were mooted as the team of the year after impressive free-scoring victories, including the striking scalp of a much fancied Tyrone team. This year things have changed and at times, Cork have flattered to deceive but if things have changed this year in that respect Murphy is again hopeful that the result can change too this year for Cork.

“We didn’t play as well in the final last year and we’re hoping we can correct that this year.  People said last year that we were the team of the year but it’s a results business and we came up short. Kerry won last year so the most important thing from our point of view is getting over the line. A performance on top of it would be a bonus. We just want to drag ourselves over the line. We fell short last year.”

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IF YOU had asked Dan Gordon at the start of the year whether he would be playing in an All-Ireland final he may well have thought it was an attempt to wind him up.

In January not even the most optimistic Down fans would have dreamed that Down would still be playing football in September but for Gordon, a hiatus from football at the start of the year meant All-Ireland finals featuring Down were relics of the past, certainly not a personal possibility in the near future.

The loss of form and fatigue that prompted the break from the game are thankfully a distant memory as the Loughinisland man has become a stalwart at full-back and provided some much needed height in the full back line.
Gordon speaks with humility and admits that there was a certain amount of luck about securing a place at full-back.
“At the start of the year Benny McArdle was in there and he was one of our most consistent players. It was unfortunate for him to get injured and lucky for me that I was able to take his place,” he said.

Gordon was frank in assessing his own early season form.

“I wasn’t playing well in midfield and then I was moved to full forward and I was playing even worse there and Benny (McArdle)ended up failing a late fitness test against Offaly so I didn’t know I was playing full-back until a few hours before the game. It’s worked out ok for me, but it’s definitely unfortunate for Benny, who was playing really well until his injury.”

The Loughinisland man admits that the pressures of playing at full-back are different to the role he was normally accustomed to in midfield.  He said,

“Sometimes playing at full-back you can’t wait for half-time and at half-time you can’t wait for full-time because it’s such a high pressure position. In midfield if you make a mistake it can go unnoticed. If you make a mistake, like I did on the last day against Kildare with a high ball, it’s definitely noticed.”

Dan Gordon is an imposing figure in a Down defence that is not especially tall. With Cork boasting a plethora of players measuring 6’3’’ plus Gordon may be vital in clearing the danger of high balls in and around the square. The Abbey Grammar teacher is ready for a physical battle but is sure there are aspects of Down’s game that Cork will also be worrying about.

“Cork’s physicality blew Tyrone away last year but every team has strengths and every team have weaknesses. We’ll have to find some way around it. We have our own strengths so it all depends on what happens on the day.”
“We know how good Cork are.  People say Cork haven’t clicked and they haven’t played as well as last year but they’ve reached the final without clicking and can always click in the All-Ireland final and that’s almost half-frightening. They will be some opposition,” he added.

With Gordon having a wealth of experience in midfield for Down and now playing full-back comparisons have been drawn between him and an East Down predecessor of his, Conor Deegan who won an All-Ireland medal at full-back in 1991 and at midfield in 1994. Gordon admits he is a figure that he can draw inspiration from.
“I was very young when Conor Deegan won his All-Irelands in ’91 and ’94 but I watched him playing a lot of times and if I achieve half of what he achieved I’ll be delighted,” he said.

Speaking to Dan Gordon it is clear that James McCartan’s mantra of ‘We haven’t won anything yet,’ has been firmly instilled in the players and, like his manager, Gordon says the difference this year may have been an added slice of luck at times.

“James has made subtle changes. He has said himself there’s a fine line between winning and losing, success and failure. I suppose we’ve just been on the right side of that this year.”

Gordon is adamant that things could have been very different had one result not gone the right way. He added,
“We could’ve been beaten in Tullamore a few months ago and if that had happened people would have been saying things are going wrong in Down so as I’ve said before there is a fine line between success and failure and hopefully we can finish on the right side of that fine line on Sunday.”

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Martin “Marty” Clarke, the revelation of 2010 with his skill has wowed and astounded many fans far and wide. He has won games on his own in a year where a progressive Down side made the breakthrough and have withheld their fantastic record in Croke Park by reaching their first All Ireland final since 1994. Evidently Clarke has been giving a master class in what it means to be the “3rd midfielder”
Although some might argue players like Johnny Doyle or Bernard Brogan are more deserving of the award, no one can argue Clarke has been instrumental in many of the Down victories. On Sunday in Croke Park, he showed again his skill and major influence. When the ball broke away after the injury time drama, Clarke was there to clear it, his defending as able as his attacking.
While many will argue, like my colleague David Prendergast, the award will go down to the top two scorers, Johnny Doyle and Bernard Brogan. I feel Clarke’s arsenal of skills should overshadow the amount of scores one specific player got.
It was against Kerry where Clarke showed off his prowess with a 10/10 performance that was filled with energy that left the kingdom hanging onto life support; his incisiveness drove his teammates on and laid on scores for the sharpshooters, Mark Poland and Benny Coulter.
For me, the real question when sitting down to decide who is footballer of the year is who has been the most memorable. Without doubt that player is Martin Clarke of An Riocht, Co. Down.

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As Robert Kelly prepared to strike Kildare’s 21 yard free and his team’s last chance of progressing to an All-Ireland final for the first time since 1998, Johnny Doyle tried to calm himself. This was to be the end. You could not fictionalise this game if you tried. It was truly one where heroes rose and fell. As the ball shattered off the crossbar so did Doyle’s dream to be remembered ‘as someone who achieved the ultimate honour of winning an All-Ireland with Kildare.’ This quote from the Allenwood man dates back to November 2000 from Hogan Stand magazine (Volume 10; Issue 37). Doyle is now 32 and one wonders was 2010 the closest he will ever have come to fulfilling his ambition. Reinforced with such a steely composure by McGeeney, this Kildare team was the one that looked like reaching the heights not attained since 1928.

Doyle will certainly finish this year’s championship as top scorer. He has notched up an impressive 1-49. However his record in front of the sticks is more impressive considering his Trojan work rate. He is both a hunter and gatherer type forward. He shows beautiful agility, a trait solidified by his outstanding catch from Kildare’s last kick out when possession was crucial to kick start his teams last throw of the dice. The old timers perched on barstools often state in pots match analysis that ‘no honest man ever gives up’ and if that is the case then Doyle has proven himself in 2010 as a very honest man indeed.

Since his debut back in 2000 he has never missed a championship game, a noteworthy achievement considering the amount of punishment his lean physique takes on the field. He is literally the tip of the battering ram which forges the Kildare attack. Doyle wins his own ball and plays his football as a simple cog in a well-oiled machine. The essence of his general play is his consideration. He always does with the ball whats best for his team, and not for himself. His subtle winning mentality is showcased by his refusal to be shackled by what lies within all of us. When things go against him he refuses to be discouraged by doubt or bound by fear.

While many feel Bernard Brogan is a shoe in for Footballer of the Year, in my opinion Johnny Doyle’s performances this year match no other. He kicked nine points against Louth in their opening game, including a vital free just before half time which ended a seventeen minute barren spell for the Lilies. Against Antrim he was balanced throughout the encounter, kicking four first half points and three after the interval. In the replay of that match, his 21 minute goal gave the Lilies a 1-4 to 0-5 lead going in at half time.

He showed grit in the downpour against Leitrim where despite missing kickable frees, he persisted and finished with three (two from placed balls). In Round 3 at Derry they found themselves 1-2 behind but spearheaded by Doyle points they reeled them in by the half hour mark and never relinquished their lead. In Mongahan he displayed the strength of his psychological game where despite kicking six first half wide’s he contributed to 1-6 of his teammates scores and eventually broke his own drought by pointing two frees.

There was a five minute spell in the opening half against Meath which explains the procedure of how Doyle operates better than anything. The Lilies found themselves 1-3 down after fifteen minutes. Doyle, in a supreme moment, pointed from a difficult angle on the sideline. Moments later he managed to slip a 21 yard free in front of the goal to the wrong side of the post. Undeterred, he gathered the ball around the middle of the pitch from the kick out and after finding a teammate made a fifty yard dash to find himself on the receiving end of a sweeping move where his tricky running resulted in him being dragged to the ground for another 21 yard free.

Although Brogan’s lone scoring was a joy to behold, it was Doyle’s willingness to sacrifice that impressed. The man looks like he’s always nursing a bad hangover but he throws himself into action without hesitation, taking hits his body shouldn’t be taking, wining frees and pointing them. However he does not just express himself through set pieces as he demonstrated by scoring 1-17 of his 1-49 from play, an impressive percentage of 36%.

Doyle’s tears at the final whistle on Sunday exposed the indignities which haunt the game. Had referee Pat McEnaney performed as well as the Kildare captain, then perhaps Doyle would have the privilege of leading out his team in Croke Park on September 19 and the privilege of leading them up the steps of the Hogan Stand to collect Sam Maguire after an eighty two year wait. While he will end another year without the ultimate prize above his fireplace, Johnny Doyle is destined to collect his first ever All-Star award and I’m sure no man would disagree if he was recognised as the greatest player on the pitch in 2010 either.

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SUNDAY’S VICTORY initially left so many people in Down speechless, including it seems, some of the Down players.
“I don’t know what to say. Brilliant!” was the only way that Benny Coulter could react to Down’s victory when he initially greeted the press.

The Mayobridge man eventually got his head around the enormity of Down’s victory and offered his insight into those final few minutes of mayhem.

“I was just thinking ‘We can’t lose it now, we can’t lose it now.’ When they had that free-kick I think (referee) Pat (McEnaney) was saying it was the last kick so they had to go for goal and we worked so hard all year we weren’t going to throw it away in the last ten seconds.  Big Kalum got a touch on it. We definitely weren’t letting that ball go into the net.  They definitely weren’t going through. Then that was it over. Fantastic!”

Dan Gordon admitted that it was incredibly hairy in the Down defence for those last few seconds. He said,
“It was panic stations. One ball came down on top of me and I just pulled down on it. That free kick at the end, wee things happened and we’re just happy with the victory.”

One man who watched from the side-lines with more reason than most to hope that the Down goal would not be breached for a second time was Ambrose Rodgers. The Down captain was hoping for a chance to play in the All-Ireland final having been ruled out of Sunday’s game through injury.

“It was hands over the eyes stuff. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried at some stages but I suppose I never really doubted that we would win because we were the better team and maybe we didn’t push on in the second half. At the end of the day all you have to do is win by a point and winning today was the most important thing.”
The Longstone man did admit that he makes a better footballer than spectator. He said,

“It’s never easy standing on the side-lines for any game, never-mind it being the most important game of all our careers.  It was really hard. It’s all a question of it being a team effort so I just pushed them as much as I could from the stands.”

Having defeated Kildare the players’ thoughts invariably are turning to the All-Ireland final clash with Cork and Dan Gordon admits Down face an almighty challenge to bring Sam back to Down for a sixth time.

“Cork were All-Ireland favourites from the start of the year, they’re last year’s All-Ireland finalists. They’re hurting from that defeat. I know they haven’t clicked maybe as they’d have hoped all year but they’re capable of clicking in the All-Ireland final. This year everything’s going well but it’s a fine line between winning and losing,” he said.

Ambrose Rodgers concurs and concedes that a game against Cork will provide the ultimate litmus test for Down this year. He said,

“That’s just going to be a totally different task to anything we’ve faced this year. Right throughout the year they’ve been the favourites and they’ve gone through without a fuss. There’s a massive game in Cork and we have to concentrate on playing our own game and hopefully come out with the right result.”

Already much is being made of Down’s 100 per cent record in All-Ireland finals but the players are keen to stress that this squad are completely different to any of their predecessors.

“What happened in the 60s has nothing to do with us.  A lot of people are comparing us with the team of the 60s but I wasn’t there. The team from the 60s and the 90s were great teams but we’re just trying to do what we can for ourselves,” was Dan Gordon’s assessment of the situation.

Ambrose Rodgers holds a similar perspective.

“It’s the same thing as the Down/Kerry thing. A Down team had never lost to Kerry. Those things come into things after a game. This is a totally different team and we just want to try to make our own bit of history. It would be fantastic to keep that history going but we’re just trying to live it for the moment as it is and not worry about the past.”

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BEING MAGNANIMOUS in defeat is difficult but Kieran McGeeney did it with grace on Sunday evening following Kildare’s loss to Down.

Being magnanimous in victory can sometimes be equally as trying but like most things this year, James McCartan was able to handle it with a perfect air of humility and earnestness.

Asked how he felt in the immediate aftermath of the rollercoaster ride that was Down’s semi-final victory over Kildare McCartan responded with his usual candour.

“Relived,” he said. “With seven or eight minutes to go and we’re six points up we had hoped to close it out from there but typical Aidan O’Rourke and Kieran McGeeney they kept coming and coming and Hugh Lynch stuck over a couple of wonder scores and the goal came. We were hanging on a bit towards the end but obviously the ball hit the crossbar, it could’ve gone anywhere. We were just relieved to see it stay out.”

On further reflection McCartan admitted that he thought Down did just enough to win the game. He said,
“We played poorly for the first quarter. We probably needed Benny’s goal to kick start us. I felt that we won the second quarter and we won the third quarter. We were in the process of winning the fourth but then the last eight minutes it was all basically one-way traffic.”

“But it did feel, similar to the Down teams that I played in, that we were still a scoring threat. When the ball went up we were still creating chances and we missed them. There were a couple of goal opportunities we could have taken points from. ”

“At the end of the day the odd score here and there against the run of play pushed us over the line.”
The frenetic ending to the game meant that one team was going to go home disappointed and while ‘wee James’ may be glad that it was not his side ruing a missed opportunity he admitted that Kildare can feel rightly gutted to fall at the penultimate hurdle.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel for some of those boys in there (the Kildare changing room) but I don’t want to be patronising either. It was a difficult place to go into but it was obviously harder for them. They’re a broken bunch at the minute but they’ve the right men in charge and they’ll show their quality. Johnny Doyle, Dermot Earley and those boys deserve an All-Ireland medal and All-Stars. But we think we’ve a couple of men that deserve them as well,” he added.

McCartan admitted that Down may have been lucky to ride the Kildare storm in the dying seconds as well as getting the benefit of the doubt for a goal that perhaps should have been ruled out as a square ball. He gracefully accepted those little mercies. He said,

“Obviously, we got the rub of the green with the last free-kick. I’ve always said I’d rather be a lucky manager than a good one. “

McCartan may be that but he is also a quality manager as well and he will need all the skills he has honed so far this year to overcome a Cork team hotly tipped to win the All-Ireland title in little under three weeks’ time.
“I’m not sure how many finals Cork have been in over the last number of years but it’s certainly more than us so that’s another uphill task there,” McCartan surmised.

It means that Down must defend a proud record of having never lost in an All-Ireland final but McCartan admits that the weight of history does not hang heavily around his team’s neck. In fact, the Mourne boss maintains that he would rather see Down lose but be back as a force in the coming years than win and fade into obscurity for the foreseeable future. He said,

“I’d gladly lose our record if we knew Down were going to be competing at the top table on a regular basis. If somebody said to me if winning against Kerry would mean it’d take another 16 years to get back here I wouldn’t be too happy about it. We want to be here year in year out. It’s easier said than done. We’re in a final now.”
Finals historically mean victories for Down but parallels with previous Down sides have no bearing for the current Down boss.

“History is meaningless to these bunch of guys. There’s a group of people of a certain age it means a lot more to. We would like to create our own piece of history.”

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PHEW!!! That was close.

The last 30 seconds of Down’s All-Ireland semi-final were among the most unnerving of any football match of recent years.  In the end, Down held their nerve and fought off a late Kildare fight-back to book a titanic tussle against Cork on the third weekend of September.

With ten minutes to go, Down fans’ thoughts were seemingly turning to securing tickets for the showpiece event in the GAA calendar but Kildare had other ideas. Kalum King’s fingertips ended up being the difference between the sides as the Bryansford man’s fingers did enough to deflect Robert Kelly’s injury time shot onto the crossbar. Had the ball rippled the net Down would have bowed out.

In truth, it would have been an injustice. After a decidedly shaky start Down rallied to dominate large periods of play and could have put the game beyond Kildare.

But as James McCartan was at pains to say in the aftermath, Kieran McGeeney’s sides never give up. McGeeney’s charges though have been notoriously slow-starters all year. That was until Sunday. The Lilywhites raced out of the blocks and dominated midfield, where Ambrose Rodgers was missing for Down and Dermot Earley was absent for Kildare.

Eamonn Callaghan pointed for the Leinster team after two minutes but four wides in the first seven minutes from Kildare meant that Down were not as far out of sight as they perhaps should have been. James Kavanagh managed to add a second point for Kildare on eight minutes but Kevin McKernan burst forward and pointed with assurance to reduce the deficit to a single point seconds later.

Johnny Doyle got Kildare back on track but on 12 minutes but thereafter the momentum of the game swung in Down’s favour.

A quick Down break saw Marty Clarke in possession with time and space to play with, a dangerous scenario for any team to defend against. He played a long ball into the square where Benny Coulter rose highest to fist past Shane McCormack in the Kildare goal.

The score had come out of the blue. It looked like a square ball and Coulter admitted post-match that that seemed to be the case but Down were not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

The score lifted Down and when McKernan added another point on 13 minutes the red and black contingent of the Croke Park crowd began to find their voice.

Two frees from Mark Poland were interrupted by scores from Morgan O’Flaherty and Johnny Doyle. Down continued to ride their luck when Kavanagh skewed a routine free wide of the target.

Danny Hughes took full advantage before Marty Clarke cancelled out another Johnny Doyle point with a score from play. When McComiskey opted to fist over when a goal was on the feeling was that Down had firmly gained control. Another Hughes point and a wonderful Coulter strike with the outside of his boot before the break put Down in a commanding half-time lead of 1-09 to 0-07.

Marty Clarke pointed soon after the re-start to leave Down five points in front.
Kildare rallied and Emmet Bolton, Johnny Doyle added scores to reduce the arrears. Down still carried a considerable threat. Peter Fitzpatrick burst through the middle of the Kildare defence only to see his shot saved well by McCormack and McComiskey saw his effort from the rebound meet the same fate.
It didn’t knock Down and Poland’s free conversion made it 1-11 to 0-09 in Down’s favour.

The sides traded scores through sub Karl Ennis and Martin Clarke but when substitute Conor Maginn looped over a point from distance Down looked all but unstoppable.

Marty Clarke added another point to underline that fact. But the next movement proved that Down could take nothing for granted. Seemingly, out of nowhere Down conceded a goal, one that gave hope to Kildare for the first time since the 12th minute that they could turn the game around.

A long rudimentary ball forward was collected by Eamonn Callaghan who rounded Brendan McVeigh expertly before thumping the ball home. The White flags were raised but only by Kildare fans as Down stuck to their task resolutely.

A superb Benny Coulter point from the left-wing helped to steady any Mourne nerves but two amazing long-distance scores from Hugh Lynch brought Kildare within three points of Down.

Down still looked capable of adding scores, even if they looked equally as capable of conceding them at the other end. A patient move was eventually finished by substitute Ronan Murtagh, who got his obligatory score from distance on 65 minutes. It proved to be Down’s last of the day.

Four points to the good with five minutes to go is a lead most teams would yearn for. It was a gap that Kildare yearned to close and a point from the irrepressible Johnny Doyle reduced the margin to three.

When Robert Kelly hit the post and the ball sailed subsequently wide Down may have thought the footballing gods were smiling on them. It was merely the calm before the storm. Kelly made amends by pointing a free on 70 minutes to leave Kildare trailing Down by two.

Then came the injury-time drama. A long ball saw a scramble for possession in the square Down were frantically defending.

Referee Pat McEnaney blew for a 14 metre free, indicating it was to be the last kick of the game. A wall of red and black was put together on the goal-line and luckily for the Mourne men it was made of stern stuff. Kelly’s goal-bound effort was flicked onto the crossbar by King and seconds later the whistle blew, much to the relief of every person in red and black in Croke Park.

The jubilation was borne of sheer relief. McKeeney’s Kildare had run Down all the way and can rightly be lauded for their never-say-die attitude but there was no denying it was Down’s day and on reflection, it was no more than their endeavour deserved.

After a series of epic battles all summer the onus is now on Down to lift the level of performance once more. They have reached their sixth All-Ireland final. They famously have an unblemished record when they get down to the last two. Cork will be favoured to take that record from them on September 19th but this Down team have delighted in defying the odds all year. The aim now for this Down side is to make some history of their own.

DOWN: Brendan McVeigh, Dan McCartan, Dan Gordon, Damien Rafferty, Declan Rooney, Kevin McKernan (0-02), Conor Garvey, Peter Fitzpatrick (0-01), Kalum King, Danny Hughes (0-02), Mark Poland (0-03), Paul McComiskey (0-01), Benny Coulter (1-02), John Clarke, Martin Clarke (0-03) (Subs) Aidan Brannigan, Conor Maginn (0-01, Ronan Murtagh (0-01), James Colgan

KILDARE: Shane McCormack, Peter Kelly, Hugh McGrillen, Aindriú Mac Lochlann, Morgan O’Flaherty (0-01), Emmet Bolton (0-01), Brian Flanagan, Daryl Flynn, Hugh Lynch (0-02), James Kavanagh (0-02), Padraig O’Neill, Eoghan O’Flaherty, Johnny Doyle (0-05), Alan Smith, Eamonn Callaghan (1-01) (Subs) Ronan Sweeney, Karl Ennis (0-01), David Lyons (0-01), Robert Kelly, Tomás O’Connor

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Down 1-16 Kildare 1-14

Controversy consumed one of the battles of the year to leave a very skilful and very deserving Down team in the battle of North vs. South in this year’s All-Ireland final and a repeat of the Under 21 final of 2009 against Cork.

This encounter billed as the tightest of semi finals since Tyrone vs. Armagh of 2003 started at a frantic pace that the Kildare team were able to control way too easily for James McCartan’s liking, but in saying that the momentum that the lilies had built up wasn’t capitalised on and Down responded through the genius of Martin Clarke, a long ball in from Clarke was helped into the net from the fist of Benny Coulter to leave the Kildare fan’s enraged from what was an obvious square ball and turned the tables on Kildare.

The Down men though didn’t show much sympathy for the Kildare side and went about driving home the lead through incisive play bordering on fantastic from Clarke and point taking that was a joy to behold from Coulter and Daniel Hughes.  McGeeney and his selectors were getting worried and they had every reason to be as their normally solid players were committing error after error. Clarke though was signifying the youthful exuberance of Down with his intelligent play and Down’s midfield of Kalum King and Peter Fitzpatrick were directing proceedings with a magical display of high fielding and passing to leave their side 1-9 to 0-7 up going into the half time break.

The half-time break was a case of déjà vu to last week’s game, the Dubs were flying high and thought they could drive this result home; the Down fans were becoming expectant and hopeful, could they hold on?

The Down side of 2010 has been boosted somewhat fantastically by the Clarke and he showed why in the 2nd half, his professionalism steadied what could have been a nervous side. But the dogged nature of this Kildare side began to show and they showed admirable steely resolve to bring them back from the dead to leave the score at 1-10 to 1-14 after another goal that probably shouldn’t have stood after pacey corner forward Eamonn Callaghan broke through the Down defence while taking eight steps en route before sticking into the net. Justice was returned to the lilies and the crowd got behind them in full voice sensing the comeback was on.

Down however weren’t lying down and their resilience to achieve their first final since 1994 was hot on their minds and further points from substitute Conor Maginn and Fitzpatrick sent them on their way…...or so they thought!

Drama ensued at injury time, when a superb move started by captain fantastic for Kildare, Johnny Doyle, caught a ball and lobbed into James Kavanagh who won a free after a scrum in the Down square, Pat McEnaney gave the ball to Doyle and told him “next score wins”, the 13 metre free was do or die for the lilies.

The free was amazingly saved by the mere fingertips of King and was duly cleared to cue empathic celebrations of jubilant Down fans to set up the final date with Cork on the 19th of September.

Down: Brendan McVeigh; Daniel McCartan, Dan Gordon, Damien Rafferty; Declan Rooney, Kevin McKernan (0-2), Conor Garvey; Peter Fitzpatrick (0-1), Kalum King; Daniel Hughes (0-2), Mark Poland (0-3), Paul McComiskey (0-1); Benny Coulter (1-2), John Clarke, Martin Clarke (0-3). Subs: Aidan Brannigan, Conor Maginn (0-1), Ronan Murtagh (0-1), James Colgan.

Kildare: Shane McCormack; Peter Kelly, Hugh McGrillan, Andrew MacLochlainn; Morgan O’Flaherty (0-1), Emmet Bolton (0-1), Brian Flanagan; Daryl Flynn, Hugh Lynch (0-2); James Kavanagh (0-1), Padraig O’Neill, Johnny Doyle (0-6); Eoghan O’Flaherty, Alan Smith, Eamonn Callaghan (1-1). Subs: Ronan Sweeney, Karl Ennis (0-1), David Lyons (0-1), Robert Kelly, Tomas O’Connor.

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Benny Coulters goal in the thirteenth minute of this highly entertaining game caused a rapid change of dominance that ultimately Kildare never recovered from. Referee Pat McEnaney’s decision to allow the obvious square ball to stand risked diminishing the value of the game and Kildare certainly appeared stripped for the remainder of the opening half. The unexpected pleasure of Coulter’s goal breathed life into Down’s attacking forages. With King and Fitzpatrick providing the industry from midfield Down’s forward play erupted in brutal short bursts with Hughes, Clarke, Coulter and centre back Kevin McKernan all helping extend Down’s lead to five points (1-9 to 0-7) at the half time whistle.

Kildare unknown for starting quickly had raced into a 0-3 to 0-1 point lead up until the Coulter goal. In the opening exchanges they had no bother unhinging the Down defence and were it not for a lack of execution and some dubious umpire decision making they could have been a further five points ahead before Down’s green flag was waved so vigorously. Marty Clarke, so natural in expression, floated a long ball in toward the danger zone and Coulter made the goalmouth his castle, patiently waiting to fist the ball to the net from an illegal position. It was a goal that physically and mentally changed the game and were it not for the accuracy of Johnny Doyle, Kildare could have disappeared like Atlantis before the interval.

Clarke’s feet are so quick and accurate his eloquent composure never fails to keep Down’s attack ticking over. Time and time again his left boot carved open Kildare’s defensive lines. Clarke’s precise passes flow as purely as water through a net and as a result of his spectacular bravado Down had increased their leading margin to seven points after 56 minutes of play. Clarke’s performance was infectious and his mature reasoning whilst under pressure was bringing the best out of his fellow teammates. However Kildare did not fade in front of inevitable disaster. While their individual stars weren’t shining, together as a single unit they hung onto their sense of purpose and chomped down hard on the bit.

Long balls were finding encouraging signs for Kildare and after being denied by the post fifteen minutes earlier, Eamonn Callaghan found salvation in the 57th minute when he latched onto a Pearse O’Neill punt and dispatched the ball powerfully to the net (1-14 to 1-10). As Kildare’s progression increased with each waning minute so too did their belief. After whittling the score down to two points heading into stoppage time, the finish became one decorated by sensationalism. There was relentless pressure around the goalmouth as Kildare desperately sought the goal they craved. Kevin McKernan, first appeared to touch the ball on the ground and then dive on it as if were a loose grenade. However, no penalty was given. Then with the last kick off the game, substitute Robert Kelly saw his shot careen helplessly off the crossbar and away to safety as the final whistle sounded.

Marty Clarke gave an exceptional display of authority for one so young. He was the master puppeteer who pulled the strings which made Down dance. Clarke’s effect proved enough as Kildare’s reawakening simply came too late. Their finish to the game was brilliant but alas all too brief. By all rights Down’s flair for the majority of the game was the deciding factor on who would prevail. Kildare’s first half performance was far from the military perfection we are used to seeing them play, obviously thrown off by the candour of Coulter’s goal. Luck was just not with the Lilies today and when Down bared their teeth after Coulter’s goal they laid down foundations that refused to crack over the next highly entertaining 58 minutes.

Full Time: Down 1-16 Kildare 1-15

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Supporters at Croke Park were treated to a dramatic finish as Down qualified for their first All – Ireland final since 1994.
The Mourne men controlled the game throughout but found it difficult to shake off a dogged and courageous Kildare.
Kieran McGeeney’s men were loosing by a margin of seven points with only twenty minutes remaining, however his side rallied and would have left headquarters victorious had Robert Kelly’s last gasp strike squeezed under the crossbar.
Luck eluded the Lilywhites throughout, Down’s Benny Coulter appearing to enter the square too early before fisting home while Eamon Callaghan was despaired to see a shot crashing against the post.
Despite this James McCartan’s team were well worth their place in the final and will meet Cork on the 19th September.
Kildare were first out of the blocks, points from Eamon Callaghan, James Kavanagh and the excellent Johnny Doyle gave them an early lead.
However fortune favours the brave and Benny Coulter was just that as he fisted in a controversial 12th minute goal. Coulter appeared to enter the square early before connecting with Marty Clarke’s searching centre. Calls for a square ball were ignored by referee Pat McEnaney, his umpires giving him no reason to blow for an infringement.
The goal acted as a springboard for Down and they never looked back, Kevin Mc Kernan and Mark Poland quickly added points.
Doyle was formidable all day, his frees kept Kildare in touch for the rest of the half, while scores from Danny Hughes, Poland, Paul McComiskey, Clarke and Coulter gave Down a 1-09 to 0-07 lead at the break.
Clarke’s fine form continued in the second half, the playmaker added another from a free before Kildare’s Emmet Bolton brought the deficit back to five.
Kildare hit the woodwork for the first time through Eamon Callaghan, his well placed effort hitting the post, before Down were denied by Shane McCormack at the other end.
Clarke was finding more and more space to operate, and his clinical passing afforded space for Poland and Peter Fitzpatrick to open a seven point gap.
Kildare fans had their spirits immediately lifted through Eamon Callaghan, he made up for his earlier miss by rounding Brendan McVeigh and finding the roof of the net.
Callaghan appeared to take several extra steps on route to goal, however a hint of a foul and Coulter’s earlier fortune seemed to balance things out.
Spirit and determination kept Kildare ticking over, two long-range thumps from Hugo Lynch and points from Doyle and David Lyons reduced the gap to two points.
Kildare needed a goal, a free on the edge of the Down square offered Robert Kelly the chance to win the game. The Mourne Men packed the line and a combination of fingertips and crossbar deflected the ball clear.
It was a fitting end to a gripping encounter appreciated by both sets of supporters who stayed behind in Croke Park to applaud the players of the pitch.
Kildare
S McCormack, P Kelly, H McGrillen, A MacLochlainn, M O’Flaherty (0-1), E Bolton (0-1), B Flanagan, D Flynn, H Lynch (0-2), J Kavanagh (0-1), P O’Neill, E O’Flaherty, J Doyle (0-6, 5f), A Smith, E Callaghan (1-1).

Subs
R Sweeney for Flynn, K Ennis (0-1) for M O’Flaherty, D Lyons (0-1) for M O’Flaherty, R Kelly for Smith, T O’Connor for Lynch.
Down
B McVeigh, D McCartan, D Gordon, D Rafferty, D Rooney, K McKernan (0-2), C Garvey, P Fitzpatrick (0-1), K King; D Hughes (0-2), M Poland (0-3, 3f), P McComiskey (0-1), B Coulter (1-2), J Clarke, M Clarke (0-3, 2f).

Subs
A Brannigan for Garvey, C Maginn (0-1) for J Clarke, R Murtagh (0-1) for McComiskey, J Colgan for Poland.
Referee
Pat McEnaney (Monaghan).

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Down trumped Kildare with a brilliant footballing display to reach the All-Ireland final, but only after the most dramatic finish of the season so far.

After a thrilling match, Down led by just two points when Kildare sub Robert Kelly smashed a free against the crossbar with the last kick of the game.

The Ulstermen dominated for most of the match, with their lead stretching to seven points at one stage in the second half.

But it was the Lilywhites who enjoyed the better start. In the opening ten minutes Kildare completely dominated play, keeping the dangerous Down forwards quiet.

For all their possession, Kildare weren’t truly able to hit Down hard, registering just 0-3 in those opening ten minutes. The failure to take their chances when they were available would eventually come back to hurt Kieran McGeeney’s side.

In a game of many talking points, one of the bigger ones came in the twelfth minute with a controversial Down goal.
Martin Clarke delivered a high ball in towards goal, and Benny Coulter appeared to have entered the square too early before fisting the ball over Shane McCormack in goal for the Lilywhites.

Despite protests from the Kildare faithful, the goal stood and signalled the beginning of a long spell of dominance for Down. Kevin McKernan spurred his side on from the back with an excellent point followed by five more from the Mourne men to give a half-time scoreline of 1-9 to 0-7.

Many Kildare fans remarked at half-time that they were a ‘second-half team’ but Down still were in control after the break.

Martin Clarke again proved his worth, extending the lead to 0-6 ten minutes after half-time. Kildare were unable to reply until the sixty-first minute.

Point scoring continued tit-for-tat until Peter Fitzpatrick pointed minutes later, extending the Northerners’ lead to 0-7.

Kildare brought themselves right back into the match straight away, through an Eamon Callaghan goal. The corner forward burst through the Down half-back and full-back lines before finishing past the marooned Brendan McVeigh.
Two Hugh Lynch points for the Lilywhites set up a heartstopping finish, but Kelly’s last-gasp miss gave Down a narrow 1-16 to 1-14 win.

Kildare: S McCormack, P Kelly, H McGrillen, A MacLochlainn, M O’Flaherty (0-1), E Bolton (0-1), B Flanagan, D Flynn, H Lynch (0-2), J Kavanagh (0-1), P O’Neill, E O’Flaherty, J Doyle (0-6, 5f), A Smith, E Callaghan (1-1).
Subs: R Sweeney for Flynn, K Ennis (0-1) for M O’Flaherty, D Lyons (0-1) for M O’Flaherty, R Kelly for Smith, T O’Connor for Lynch.

Down: B McVeigh, D McCartan, D Gordon, D Rafferty, D Rooney, K McKernan (0-2), C Garvey, P Fitzpatrick (0-1), K King; D Hughes (0-2), M Poland (0-3, 3f), P McComiskey (0-1), B Coulter (1-2), J Clarke, M Clarke (0-3, 2f).
Subs: A Brannigan for Garvey, C Maginn (0-1) for J Clarke, R Murtagh (0-1) for McComiskey, J Colgan for Poland.
Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).

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Let’s get one thing out of the way - this Sunday, it is impossible for me to be impartial. Even if I try to force myself to see things from a neutral point of view, my lifelong support for the Mourne county skews my judgment and prohibits me doing anything other than siding (ever so slightly) in favour of James McCartan and his charges.

In that respect it may come as some surprise to know that I am tipping Down to overcome Kildare to reach their first All-Ireland final since their last triumph in 1994.

Down’s record in finals is famously perfect, having never tasted defeat on five previous occasions. Their record at the semi-final stage is less impressive. Down have featured in 12 previous semi-finals, winning only five. Those budding mathematicians of you out there will already have worked out that Down therefore have lost more semi-finals than they have won, seven losses to the five victories outlined in the previous sentence.

Kildare have a similar numeric record in reaching the semis, albeit one that is a lot less modern. The Lilywhites have reached the penultimate hurdle on thirteen occasions, though all but two of those pre-date 1956. Kildare reached the final in 1998 only to be beaten by Galway and were eliminated by the same team at the semi-final stage again in 2000.

It makes trying to call this game incredibly difficult, especially given that the sides have never met in the championship before.  They did meet earlier in the year in the first game of Division Two in the National League. Down cantered to an easy win in Newbridge but the Kildare team that took to the field that day bears little resemblance to the side that will start on Sunday.
So what is it about Kildare that I think makes Down slight favourites? Well, in truth, it’s the very same reason that some people are backing the Lilywhite to beat Down – the quarter-final win over Meath.

There’s no denying that Kildare finished the game impressively to knock the Leinster champions out of the All-Ireland series. Johnny Doyle was particularly impressive and James Kavanagh and Eoin O’Flaherty prove that the Lilywhites have plenty of firepower in the forward line.  Now here comes the but….

The fact is that Meath were grossly overrated. Lest we forget, they practically stole the Leinster crown from Louth, who are hardly a team of world beaters. Incidentally, people forget that the wee county also eliminated Kildare from Leinster. A mere digression. The Royals may have emphatically put away the Dubs but Pat Gilroy’s revolution was in its infancy then and, in fact, probably needed a result like the Meath one to kick-start the movement.

It just means that while Kildare have steadily improved throughout the qualifiers they haven’t faced the same quality of opposition as Down have so far.

Since bowing out of Leinster, McGeeney’s charges have beaten Antrim -where a replay was required, lowly Leitrim, Derry - a county whose in-fighting does more to defeat itself than any opponent could, Monaghan - a team who imploded after an embarrassing Ulster final defeat and finally Meath, on whom I’ve made my feelings abundantly clear.

The fact that Kildare are perennially slow-starters this season where Down have been quick out of the blocks may also leave them with too much of an uphill battle to climb on the basis that Down are unlikely to yield quite as easily as Meath did before them.

There are positives for Kildare and one in particular is their manager, Kieran McGeeney. Geezer, as he is irritatingly known, is one of the most focussed, determined and physically fit men to have graced any gaelic football field and he has instilled similar qualities in this Kildare side. As evidence of that, en route to the semi-finals Kildare have not given in easily and as well as having big physical players they have displayed real tactical know-how and have competent ball-winners in their midst.

To my mind, they just haven’t met a team with the same quality forwards that Down possess. The Mourne men have also met tougher opposition this year.  Down slumped to a disappointing defeat to Tyrone in the Ulster semi-final, though had Down taken two gilt-edged goal opportunities the game could have been oh-so different. Importantly they were able to learn from that defeat and were able to beat champions Kerry, albeit without an O’Sé and Galvin present.

Still, the fact remains, Down have had more stringent tests than Kildare en route to this game and they will doubtlessly have benefitted from that. The Achilles heel of a decidedly dodgy defence that has plagued Down in recent years has been rectified by James McCartan this year with a change in personnel and system.

Add to that a forward line full of attacking intent with the likes of Marty Clarke, Benny Coulter, Danny Hughes and Paul McComiskey and there is a sense that Down will provide the stiffest test that the Kildare defence has faced had all year. That may be enough to tip things in Down’s favour. Not that I am biased…..C’mon Down!!!

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This Sunday’s All-Ireland semi final clash is the first time Down and Kildare will meet in the 126 years history of championship football. It is also Down’s first semi final appearance since 1994 when they overcame Cork by five points and went on to capture Sam for their fifth and, to date, final time. Kildare’s last appearance in the last four is more recent, dating back ten years to 2000, the debut season of captain Johnny Doyle. The Lilies lost that one to Galway by three points. The last time these sides clashed in competitive football was back in February in the NFL Division 2, an encounter which saw the Mourne men win convincingly by eleven points, on their way to secure promotion to Division 1 football for 2011.

After making three straight quarter final appearances under the guidance of Kieran McGeeney, Kildare have finally transcended into potential All-Ireland champions by securing a semi final spot after accounting for Leinster champions Meath. Kildare have been consistently slow starters in their championship matches but in similar fashion to Aesop’s famous tale, the tortoise always beats the hare. McGeeney has reinforced the spine of this team with steel and iron, to the point that this Kildare outfit at times seems close to overdosing on confidence. Kildare have run up an impressive tally of 8-110 (134) in seven championship games and have only conceded a striking 4-87 (99). The entire team, from one to fifteen, labour hard in each contest to enforce McGeeneys scale of 16 points for, 10 against. Kildare’s winning margins have also been impressive. They beat Derry by eleven points, Antrim and Leitrim by nine points and Leinster champions Meath by eight.

The tone of this Kildare outfit is solidified in the example of Johnny Doyle’s seven wides in the first half of their qualifier versus Monaghan. The seeming absence of the team’s scorer in chief would unearth most teams let alone the player himself. However Doyle’s misfortune in front of the posts was barely a ripple on the cool surface of Kildare’s depthless lake of potential. Monaghan were reeled in and gutted by this new found ruthless composure which embodies the spirit of McGeeney’s own playing days. This team never looses focus or faith for the full seventy minutes and are psychologically sound. Kildare’s second half defensive performance against Meath in the quarter final was spectacular and their ability to overturn possession legally will prove vital if they are to eliminate Marty Clarke’s placed kicking from the game.

Down’s 2009 season ended in disarray after a Round 3 Qualifier defeat to Wicklow and James McCartan’s decision last September to inherit the manager’s position may have resembled taking captaincy of the Titanic after it had struck the iceberg. McCartan, as the past had highlighted however was of a different breed. Down’s success owes much to the managers winning mentality which defined him as a player and during his term at the reigns with Queens University. The return of Marty Clarke from Australia has also been pivotal to Down’s success. Clarke’s sense of precision, whether it be his passing, shooting or placed kicking, is the formula which allows Down to operate as they do. Clarke’s return has reinvented Down’s attacking play and with Benny Coulter, Mark Poland, Daniel Hughes and Paul McComiskey playing supporting roles, Down’s forward line is certainly a fertile area as highlighted by the 2-20 they ran up against Sligo.

Down however have been unconvincing for the majority of the championship. Goals gave them victory over Donegal after extra time. Against Tyrone they raced into an 8-4 lead after twenty mesmerising minutes of total football but then unravelled like a bad comb over and only managed to scratch two points on the score board in the second half. A mediocre Offaly side provided them with unlikely stiff competition and Sligo were psychologically decimated before a ball was kicked. The Mourne men turned in a tour de force show against All-Ireland champions Kerry rattling the Kingdom with a vehicle driven by tradition and history. Yet in reality Kerry were missing two vital chinks in their armour that proved fatal; the suspension of Paul Galvin and Tomas O’Se.

Down’s weakness appears to be their failure to over rely on their purple patches. Against both Tyrone and Kerry they went for vast periods without registering scores and had Kerry’s first half ‘goal’ not been disallowed (after the Kingdom had notched up three points without reply) then the full time score could have told a very different scenario. Both Kildare and Down are evenly matched in rigid defensive play and forceful attacks. In fact Kildare average 19 points per game and concede 14 while Down average 18 scores per game and concede 13 so the margin between these sides appears wafer thin. Although Earley has been named to start, his presence remains in doubt. However after overcoming Meath without their talisman, his untimely loss would not be an unfamiliar blow for the Lilies to absorb. One has to go back to 2001 for the last time a Leinster team appeared in an All-Ireland final but I expect Kildare to add Down to their impressive collection of Ulster scalps in 2010 and progress to face Cork on September 19th.

Bet: Kildare 4/5. Draw: 15/2. Down: 11/8.
Punt of the Day: A. Smith to score first goal and Kildare to win = 10/1.

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Sean Kelly was the 35th President of the GAA and more importantly, the first Kerry man in the history of the organisation to hold such a prestigious post (2002-2006). Kelly’s time in office was a landmark stint for the association due to the many renovations made by the Kilcummins club man. His image will be cemented in the concrete of history for his role in the introduction of rugby and soccer into GAA headquarters while Lansdowne Road underwent its transformation into Aviva Stadium. The move was viewed as demonic by many old diehards of the game but the majority of the nation will remember February 24th 2007 as a huge step forward in Ireland’s troubled history. This was the day when the British National Anthem ‘God Save the Queen’ was played without interruption and applauded by both sets of supporters on the same turf. Recently I was lucky enough to speak to this dedicated GAA enthusiast and find out some of his views on the 2010 championship.

Kelly is a man of extensive passion for the GAA, in particular the future success of the association. During his tenure as President he introduced the Nicky Rackard Cup, Christy Ring Cup and the Tommy Murphy Cup in a bid to improve the fortunes of teams considered to be in the ‘lower tiers’. It is no surprise then to hear that the Kerry man’s highlight of the 2010 championship season has been the emergence of so many new competitive teams on the hunt for Sam Maguire. The three teams left in the competition, Cork (6), Down (5) and Kildare (4) do not even combine a total to equal half of Kerry’s number of All-Ireland crowns (36). Whether it is Down or Kildare that line out on September 19th to face Cork in the showpiece it will be the first final since 2001 that Tyrone or Kerry are not involved in. ‘It is what was needed most’ says a serious Kelly. ‘Kerry being beaten was good for the game. The stories of many counties: Down, Kildare, Louth, Sligo have been a breath of fresh air’.

Many feel The Sunday Games meticulous examination of incidents involving Paul Galvin and Tomas O’Se in the Munster championship which led to the duos suspension, contributed to the Kingdom’s inability to retain Sam Maguire for the 37th time. Already dealing with pre-season losses of five key players, the post-game actions of the CCCC certainly hindered Kerry’s possibility of success in 2010. This is despite the fact that more obvious issues went unnoticed by the committee, such as the infamous finish to the Leinster Final. Kelly proves not one to dwell on sentiments of ‘ifs and buts’ and merely says the CCCC’s actions against Galvin and O’Se left a ‘sense of disappointment in Kerry’, noting that ‘when you’re on top people are always going to try and knock you’.

Drinking from a glass half full, he discourages any notion that the Kingdom could be entering a desolate era of famine similar to the eleven year period of genesis experienced from 1986 to 1997. Despite the underage dominance of rivals Cork in recent years Kelly is positive that ‘the players are there’. He carries the wisest of sporting philosophies that ‘anything can happen on any particular day in the world of sport and therefore nothing is ever won or lost before the ball is thrown in’. Moving from talks of the future to present day, he is blunt and honest on the performances of Kerry’s players in 2010. ‘Colm Cooper and Mark O Se might get All-Stars. As for the rest of them, they haven’t a hope.’

Since the exclusion of all of the Provincial winners and finalists in this year’s semi-finals Kelly has strongly voiced his opinion for a change in the structure of the championship, even constructing blueprints for an open draw, home and away type competition in his weekly column in the Irish Examiner. Explaining his opposition to the Qualifiers despite two of Kerry’s four All-Irelands since the back door introduction in 2001 coming via the system, he says that ‘a serious dent has been put in the Provincial championships’. Delving further into the issue he continues, ‘Most counties have now realised if you put too much effort in Provincials you weaken your chances in the All-Ireland. Winning the Provincials is now at a disadvantage because you meet teams from the Qualifiers who have built up their momentum and you end up facing them after three weeks off.’

Since 2004 the only team to have beaten Cork in championship besides Kerry has been Fermanagh. After the Kingdom were conquered by the Mourne men of Down, many felt that finally this Cork team would step out of the shade and shine in the absence of their great tormentors. It was not to be. They were grey and dull against Roscommon and judging by last weekend’s display against Dublin it would seem that the increased expectation to finally land Sam has added more psychological pressure to the Rebels rather than retracted. Kelly fuels the fire warning, ‘If Cork lose they mightn’t get another chance. It would be a knockout blow. Morale would be low and a few players might retire. We saw last year in Kerry what losing a couple of players in succession can do’.

When asked on whom he thought would win the All-Ireland, Kelly reiterated his earlier comment that in sport anything can happen on the day but then added that due to their strong bench Cork should deliver. No extra pressure on the shoulders of the stumbling Rebels from their near neighbours then. I guess it’s true what they say about Kerry people then; cute hoors the lot of them!

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They came, they saw and very nearly, the gladiator like troops of Dublin conquered the rebels. A game which had been billed as a thriller lived up to its reputation of past years gone by with a game that was end to end from the word go with Bernard Brogans goal after just 90 seconds sending everywhere from Fairview to Donnybrook into pandemonium. This was the start Dublin fans had been dreaming of and the Brogan’s cohorts duly answered the inspirational goal with performances around the middle to leave the Corkonians with an awful lot of food for thought after only 10 minutes had ticked over on the clock.

The talk all week was of Canty and would he or would he not start. The cork team lined out with their inspirational leader but the inspiration they were looking for was draining away fast with the Dubs starting to make life difficult for a team who looked like they only had to turn up to win this.

The booming roar of “REBELS!! REBELS!!” had died and the Jacks finally felt they had arrived, the optimism was rising with every score and the admirable work rate of each and every one of the Dublin players that a result would not have been begrudged by any spectator yesterday.

The half time score of 1-8 to 0-7 in favour of the dubs left the Corkonians in shock and were ready to attach the tag of perennial bridesmaids once again to their heroes but the introduction of the hurler come footballer Eoin Cadogan for Canty turned the table somewhat as the Dubs found it a little bit more difficult but still held the pressure on the rebels through a terrificly worked individual point from Ross McConnell.

At certain stages in games of utmost importance the aptly named term “the melting pot” is tossed about by certain commentators, the moment the game fell asunder into the pot was just as the substitute for Cork, Colm O’Neill, entered the fray.

The Hill became alive, desperate to hold on to achieve their first All-Ireland final for 15 years, but the Dub’s tendency to defend their lead rather than kick on resulted ultimately in their downfall. The possession that found the big Dublin full forward Eoghan O’Gara wasn’t capitalised and the tables were then turned when another massively positive impact was made from the other Cork sub Nicholas Murphy. A long ball kicked in found its way into the hands of O’Neill but the overly enthusiastic defending from Ross McConnell was deemed to be a foul from the erratic referee Maurice Deegan. The Cork fans felt lady luck was shining down on them when the penalty was slotted home coolly by the excellent Donnacha O’Connor, however the Dubs weren’t finished yet; with the terrific Michael Dara McCauley and aided by the untouchable Alan Brogan the Dubs came back at Cork again and stuck over more scores to leave it hanging by a thread going into the last ten minutes. To add insult to injury the dismissal of McConnell late on in the game left the Dubs with an uphill battle.

The Cork player’s experience ultimately told over this Dublin side with the introduction of Derek Kavanagh in the final few putting tremendous pressure on the tough, but ultimately, the lethargic Dublin full back line.
The final whistle left all in blue stunned and thinking what if, the boys in blue were left heartbroken again. But unlike ’08 and’09 there was grounds for optimisim, the youth of this team coupled with new blood leaves a brighter outlook.

For Cork it very nearly wasn’t and probably shouldn’t have been their day, they go on to contest the All-Ireland against either Kildare or Down but will be hoping they can rectify this performance to achieve the aim they always dreamed of, Sam Maguire!

Cork: Alan Quirke; Ray Carey, Michael Shields, John Miskella; Noel O’Leary, Graham Canty, Paudie Kissane; Alan O’Connor, Aidan Walsh (0-1); Paul Kerrigan (0-1), Pearse O’Neill, Patrick Kelly (0-2); Daniel Goulding (0-4), Ciaran Sheehan, Donncha O’Connor (1-5). Subs: Eoin Cadogan, Nicholas Murphy, Colm O’Neill (0-1), Derek Kavanagh (0-1), Fintan Goold.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Rory O’Carroll, Philly McMahon (0-1); Kevin Nolan, Ger Brennan, Cian O’Sullivan; Ross McConnell (0-1), Michael Darragh McAuley (0-1); Niall Corkery, Alan Brogan (0-2), Bryan Cullen (0-1); David Henry, Eoghan O’Gara, Bernard Brogan (1-7). Subs: Barry Cahill, Paul Flynn, Eamonn Fennell, Conal Keaney (0-1), Denis Bastick.

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IF YOU WATCHED James McCartan during his playing days you might be forgiven for assuming that he might be a brash and almost cocky character on the side-lines because his style was such as a player that he got under the skin of opponents with his trickery and confidence on the ball.

In reality, McCartan the man and manager could not be any more different. A considered and calm individual who prefers to stay out of the media spotlight, he must take much credit for the huge improvement in Down’s fortunes this year.

McCartan himself has shied away from accepting plaudits for the team’s progress, insisting that the many new players who came to the fore was the main reason for Down’s march to the semi-final.

“We’ve brought a lot of new boys into the squad this year. You’ve got the likes of Benny (Coulter) and Danny (Huges) and Dee Rafferty of course but there are a lot of players who are in single figures for Championship matches.  Kalum King is in his first season of Championship football and others like Benny McArdle are relatively new to the set-up so it’s a much changed side from the last few years,” McCartan said.

The praise for his players is one thing but the job McCartan and his backroom team of Brian McIver, Paddy Tally and Jerome Johnston have done this year should not be underestimated. To integrate those new players into the fold without upsetting the applecart is a feat in itself and the truth is, although some of the players are new to championship football most have been on the periphery of the squad for the past couple of years.

McCartan’s influence it seems is more important than the manager himself might care to admit to. Benny Coulter has praised the manager for the calming influence he exerts on the team.

“He never shouts or loses the head. At half-time he is usually very calm and that helps to make you calm. He talks about what’s going on in the game and where things might be going wrong. He’s been really good but he’s also got a great back room team in Brian (McIver), Paddy Tally and Jerome Johnston. They know so much about football and Down football and they make things so much easier,” said the Mayobridge man.

It is a point that the players and McCartan himself is keen to point out. It is not the manager but the entire management team who are helping to make Down tick. Still, the changes in personnel and tactics overseen by McCartan that have propelled Down to a surprise place in the semi-final must ultimately be taken by the man himself and for that he deserves praise. The mark of the man means that he is not likely to allow himself to think like that. Such thoughts of self-praise and acceptance of adulation do not come easy to McCartan and it seems that those hallmarks are also shared by the team he manages.

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Cork showed resilience and fortitude to fight to a one point win against Dublin in the All – Ireland senior football semi-final at Croke Park.
The Rebels trailed their opponents throughout the match until Donncha O’Connor slotted over in the 70th minute to give his side the lead and the win.
Dublin made the early running and Bernard Brogan’s goal inside 90 seconds was a shape of things to come for the rest of the first half.
The goal had Hill 16 and much of the near capacity 82,225 crowd in fine voice.
Niall Corkery’s searching ball caught full back Ray Carey in no man’s land, Brogan slipped in behind and finished with power and precision beyond Alan Quirke.
Cork responded with points from Daniel Goulding and Donncha O’Connor, however the Leesiders failed to capitalise on a series of good chances as their wides added up.
Dublin on the other hand seemed to score at ease, Phillip Mc Mahon popped up from corner back to give a lesson in shooting and the Brogan brothers followed suit with two points apiece, leaving Dublin with a five point lead on 18 minutes.
The Rebels continued adding to their growing number of wides but did split the posts with two frees from Goulding and a fine score from midfielder Aidan Walsh.
Michael Dara Macauley was one of the stand-out performers for the Dubs, he added another point before Bernard Brogan, without looking at the posts, scored a curling effort from under the shadow of the Hogan stand.
Bernard Brogan’s tally of 1-4 had helped Dublin to 1-8 to 0-07 lead at the break. Their performance had been built on a solid defence and hard work all over the pitch.
This ethos continued with Ross McConnell early in the second half, dogged determination won the midfielder possession before he cantered forward and scored from range.
Cork managed just one score in the first 15 minutes of the second half while another point from Bernard Brogan kept five in the difference.
In the 54th minute referee Maurice Deegan offered Cork a lifeline in the shape of a penalty after McConnell tackled substitute Colm O’Neill to the ground.
Donncha O’Connor stepped up to convert the spot kick in off the post. Both teams traded scores before Mc Connell was sent off for a high tackle on Noel O’Leary, O’Connor once again punished Mc Connell’s indiscipline, this time converting the resulting free.
There was still time before the final whistle for Derek Kavanagh to tap on another and for Bernard Brogan to score from range when Dublin really needed a goal to progress.
Teams and Scorers
Cork
A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, J Miskella, N O’Leary, G Canty, P Kissane, A O’Connor, A Walsh (0-1), P Kerrigan (0-1), P O’Neill, P Kelly (0-2), D Goulding (0-4, 3f), C Sheehan, D O’Connor (1-5, 1-0 pen, 0-4f).
Subs
E Cadogan for Canty, N Murphy for A O’Connor, C O’Neill (0-1) for Sheehan, D Kavanagh (0-1) for Miskella, F Goold for O’Leary
Dublin
S Cluxton, M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon (0-1), K Nolan, G Brennan, C O’Sullivan, R McConnell (0-1), MD McAuley (0-1), N Corkery, A Brogan (0-2), B Cullen (0-1), D Henry, E O’Gara, B Brogan (1-7, 0-1f).
Subs
B Cahill for O’Sullivan, P Flynn for Henry, E Fennell for Corkery, C Keaney (0-1, f) for O’Gara, D Bastick for O’Carroll
Referee
Maurice Deegan (Laois).

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It could have all been so different. After leading for 68 minutes Dublin capitulated. Tired legs, inexperience and panic set in and Cork took full advantage. In the long months ahead Dublin may wonder just how they managed to lose this match.

In fairness, while Dublin squandered a healthy lead the onus was still on Cork to punish their opposition’s naivety. They duly did and with some aplomb and like vultures circling over a tired and wounded animal the comeback in the dying stages had an air of inevitability about it.

Bernard Brogan was once again chief marksmen for the Dubs, collating an impressive 1-07 over the course of 70 minutes, all but one of which came in open play. His first score was a goal. A long punt forward from Niall Corkery was expertly gathered by the corner forward and his finish was as cool as it was clinical.

He tormented Ray Carey throughout and in the opening 20 minutes Cork were floundering while Dublin continued to add scores, seemingly at will. The Dublin defence was faring equally well. They stifled Cork and forced their players, notably Aidan Walsh, into firing long range efforts wide or short of the mark.

Donncha O’Connor and Daniel Goulding’s assured kicking from the dead ball despite intense booing from the Hill kept Cork in touch but Dublin were undoubtedly playing the better stuff. Alan Brogan enjoyed an excellent first half and David Henry and Niall Corkery’s industry around the middle of the park was consistently reaping rewards for Dublin.

Cork looked rudderless at times but even without playing to their potential they managed to keep in touch with a dynamic Dublin team. When Maurice Deegan sounded the half-time whistle Dublin deservedly led on a score-line of 1-08 to 0-07.

A second-half onslaught from Cork was expected but failed to materialise in the early stages as Ross McConnell stretched Dublin’s lead on 42 minutes. The Dubs appeared to be coasting but as the game wore on a raggedness began to seep into Dublin’s play. They began to concede more fouls and McConnell made his way into the referee’s book.

When the midfielder executed what could only be described as a rugby tackle on substitute Colm O’Neill the referee had no choice but to award a penalty and send McConnell to the stands for his second bookable offence.

Donncha O’Connor hit the net with the aid of the post from the resulting penalty and all of a sudden what was once a commanding Dublin lead looked particularly precarious.

But Pat Gilroy’s charges responded well, almost inevitably through Bernard Brogan. It may well be the last bit of fight left in Dublin as the tide turned in Cork’s favour as they used the extra man to their advantage.

The strength and depth of their squad was also evident. Substitutes Derek Kavanagh and in particular Colm O’Neill gave the Cork attack an edge that was lacking in the first half.

They continued to chip away at Dublin’s lead with Donncha O’Connor, Paddy Kelly and O’Neill all landing points in quick succession. On 68 minutes they drew level and soon afterwards moved into a two point lead. It was a show of experience and poise in the face of adversity.

In contrast, Dublin wasted the ball in promising positions, something that looked implausible earlier in the game. When Bernard Brogan booted over in injury time it was too little too late. The whistle was blown and Dublin were crushed as Cork celebrated a famous win by the minimum margin.

Dublin are no strangers to semi-final defeats in recent years but this loss differs to the rest. Gone are the days of bombast and self-regard. Instead, Pat Gilroy has replaced that ethos with quiet industry and a superb team ethic, not to mention a healthy dosage of youth. Dublin can count themselves unlucky not to be in the final but with a nucleus of a superb team still in place they have every reason to think that next year will be different.

After falling at the final hurdle in recent years Cork are hoping to ensure that this year will be very different for them. They are firm favourites to win the All-Ireland crown they crave so much. On the back of this performance it is not a dream they will give up lightly.

CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, J Miskella; N O’Leary, G Canty, P Kissane; A O’Connor, A Walsh (0-01); P Kerrigan (0-01), P O’Neill, P Kelly (0-02); D Goulding (0-04), C Sheehan, D O’Connor (1-05) (Subs): E Cadogan for G Canty, N Murphy for A O’Connor, C O’Neill (0-01) for C Sheehan, D Kavanagh (0-01) for J Miskella, F Goold for N O’Leary

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon (0-01); K Nolan, G Brennan, C O’Sullivan; MD Macauley (0-01), R McConnell (0-01); B Cullen (0-01), A Brogan (0-02), N Corkery; D Henry, E O’Gara, B Brogan (1-07) (Subs): B Cahill for C O’Sullivan, P Flynn for D Henry, E Fennell for N Corkery, C Keaney (0-01) for E O’Gara, D Bastick for R O’Carroll

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Cork trailed Dublin like a greyhound chasing a hare upon the wire for almost the entirety of the game but like the measles, proved to be most dangerous toward the end. Dublin will reflect that it was their inexperience while straddling the lines of discipline that cost them, but credit must be given to Cork, who despite failing to ignite explosively yet again in this year’s championship, showed immense mental strength and composure to strangle the lead out of Dublin’s grasp in the dying minutes.

Bernard Brogan gave Dublin a dream lead after only one minute of play after inexplicable loose marking left the Oliver Plunketts man time and space to fire home a well-crafted goal that scythed right at the roots of Cork’s early ambition to dominate. It is hard to think of a greater individual performance in this year’s championship. Brogan was absolute throughout, scoring effortlessly. While Eoghan O’Gara was held in solitary confinement, Brogan excelled in his detachment and his unbridled power contributed 1-7 to Dublin’s failed dream.

Defence and counter attack was Dublin’s weapon of choice and with Brogan at the fore they skilfully executed their game plan leading at the half time break by four points, 1-8 to 0-7. Cork despite having mountains of possession, were lacking creativity especially with the stationary full forward line of O’Connor, Sheehan and Goulding. With Pearse O’Neill being muzzled by Brennan, it was the likes of Kerrigan and Kelly’s laborious running that kept Cork in tow.

After a first half of aimless play and sinful wides from Cork, it was Dublin’s rash and cynical tackling that was to define the second half. Dublin’s defensive lines morphed quickly from a demilitarised zone into a wild and hectic battlefield. Amid the subtle beauty of Brogan’s folklorist eloquence in the forward line, Cork were beginning to awaken from their long lull.

Certainly no friends of flowing football on the day, the Rebels patient composure began to exhaust and eventually expose Dublin’s indignities. It was twelve minutes before they registered a score in the second half, but Cork’s illiterate play was finally beginning to spell trouble for Dublin and in the fifty fifth minute of the ferocious climax, Ross McConnell pulled the lynchpin and Dublin imploded.

Nicholas Murphy’s very presence in the area caused frenzied panic and McConnell saw red goring Colm O’Neill bull-like to the soil as if he were an untrained matador. O’Connor scuffed the resulting penalty in off the post but Dublin responded with points from Brogan and Cullen to re-extend a three point lead and pile further psychological pressure on the Rebels.

Youthful inexperience shadowed Dublin now, who began champing at the bit as the scent of the canvas lingered under the August sun. They became unsaddled as their players indiscipline turned to rapacity. McConnell finally saw red after a purple patch of reckless hitting and the Rebels dutifully acted upon exposed vulnerability. Cork, brittle in the past, finally portrayed traits of a natural killer and from the placed kicking of Donnacha O’Connor (who displayed superb mental strength) finally dislodged Dublin in the seventieth minute.

Cork have finally become enlightened in human autonomy and severed an opponent’s jugular. Once again Cork’s ability to rely on a string bench paid dividends with Cadogan, Murphy, O’Neill and Kavanagh all helping turn the screws when introduced. It was a seventy minutes of attrition unparalleled to anything we have seen in Croke Park this summer. Dublin played with such a high intensity that they were left lifeless when Cork cast out their lines to reel them in. If Dublin had prevailed, in essence the Rebels would have been mowed down by one man – Bernard Brogan.  Cork’s alchemy remains far from perfection but they keep winning, a fact that Kildare or Down must well document.

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They may have trailed Dublin for much of the match, but Cork eventually emerged victorious in the All-Ireland semi-final- 1-15 to 1-14 the final score.

Cork came good in the final ten minutes of the match to set up a meeting with either Kildare or Down in the All-Ireland final.

The Dubs’ emphasis was firmly on attack at the start, and they opened the scoring after just a minute with a Bernard Brogan goal.

Niall Corkery lobbed a pass about ten yards from the Rebel goal and Brogan was able to claim the ball from behind Ray Carey. The full forward then raced into the Cork goal and coolly finished with a low shot into the corner of the goal.

Hill 16 erupted in the expectation that Dublin would go on to dominate the match, and three more points meant it was 1-3 to 0-2 by the thirteenth minute.

Dublin may have been dominant, but their lead never extended beyond five points in the match.

Cork had a swathe of wide shots in the first half, allowing Dublin to go in to half-time 1-8 to 1-7 leaders.

The second half saw Cork emerge with a more straightforward tactic- as they ditched the long-ball tactics favoured in the first half for more direct hand passing.

Captain Graham Canty didn’t come out for the second half confirming doubts he was injury free prior to the match.

Shorter passing worked well for the Rebels, but it still took seven minutes for either side to register any second half points after another glut of wide balls.

Dublin eventually got the first score through Ross McConnell after the St. Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Ruadh man did brilliantly to win the ball in the first place.

The full-back was involved in the turning point of the match on fifty-four minutes, when Cork earned a penalty following McConnell’s hard tackle on Colm O’Neill. Donncha O’Connor converted the penalty to whittle Dublin’s lead down to just a point.

Points from Colm O’Neill and Patrick Kelly levelled matters after another Bernard Brogan point, and Donncha O’Connor gave Cork the lead in the seventieth minute after Ross McConnell was sent off.

A further Cork point was tacked on in stoppage time by Derek Kavanagh to give Cork a two-point lead, negating a final point from Bernard Brogan and winning the match for Cork.

Cork: A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, J Miskella, N O’Leary, G Canty, P Kissane, A O’Connor, A Walsh (0-1), P Kerrigan (0-1), P O’Neill, P Kelly (0-2), D Goulding (0-4, 3f), C Sheehan, D O’Connor (1-5, 1-0 pen, 0-4f).
Subs: E Cadogan for Canty, N Murphy for A O’Connor, C O’Neill (0-1) for Sheehan, D Kavanagh (0-1) for Miskella, F Goold for O’Leary
Dublin: S Cluxton, M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon (0-1), K Nolan, G Brennan, C O’Sullivan, R McConnell (0-1), MD McAuley (0-1), N Corkery, A Brogan (0-2), B Cullen (0-1), D Henry, E O’Gara, B Brogan (1-7, 0-1f).
Subs: B Cahill for O’Sullivan, P Flynn for Henry, E Fennell for Corkery, C Keaney (0-1, f) for O’Gara, D Bastick for O’Carroll
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).

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For the two most populous counties in Ireland, it’s astonishing to think that Dublin and Cork have had to wait fifteen and twenty years, respectively, for a win in the Senior Football Championship. 

The Rebel county are looking to reach their second consecutive All-Ireland final after defeating Cavan, Wexford, Limerick and Roscommon on the way to facing Dublin in this year’s semi-final. Cork play a fairly wide game and the quarter-final match against Cork saw them win 1-16 to 0-10 with top scorers Daniel Goulding (0-6) and Pearse O’Neill (1-2) in fine form.

But most pundits contend that Cork have yet to really step out of first gear and produce the kind of football Conor Counihan’s side are capable of.

Dublin dispatched Tyrone in the last round in one of the big shocks of this year’s Championship, facing the Red Hand with the same intensity and high pressure that the Ulster Champions are famous for.

For all of their pressurising and defensive bluster, the Dubs have been criticised by some for being too reliant on the Brogan brothers, Bernard and Alan, who pointed 0-10 between them against Tyrone.

If Dublin are to go past the last four for the first time since 1995, the new breed of player brought in this year, like Eoghan O’Gara and Michael Dara McAuley, will have to perform.

Pearse O’Neill, who goaled and turned in a man of the match display against Roscommon, carries the hopes of many Corkonian fans going into Sunday’s clash.

The Aghada club man has won three Munster titles- scoring 2-15 in nineteen Championship appearances so far- and the Dublin defence will be keenly aware of the threat he poses. 

Forward Daniel Goulding is another danger with a tally of 1-30 so far this year in the Championship, but the scoring stakes are dominated by Dublin’s Bernard Brogan- second in the overall top scorer’s chart with 2-35.

Graham Canty was a doubt for Cork, but the Cork Captain has been named in the Cork starting line-up along with Ciaran Sheehan, who was also an injury worry.

Cork boss Conor Counihan has made three changes to the side that beat Roscommon, starting John Miskella, Alan O’Connor and Donncha O’Connor, who all featured on the bench last time out.

Dublin have made one change from the team that defeated Tyrone, replacing Barry Cahill with Cian O’Sullivan, who came on at half-time against the Red Hand.

CORK: Alan Quirke; Ray Carey, Michael Shields, John Miskella; Noel O’Leary, Graham Canty (capt), Paudie Kissane; Alan O’Connor, Aidan Walsh; Paul Kerrigan, Pearse O’Neill, Paddy Kelly; Daniel Goulding, Ciaran Sheehan, Donncha O’Connor.

DUBLIN: Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, Rory O’Carroll, Philly McMahon, Kevin Nolan, Ger Brennan, Cian O’Sullivan, Ross McConnell, Michael Darragh Macauley, Niall Corkery, Alan Brogan, Bryan Cullen, David Henry, Eoghan O’Gara, Bernard Brogan

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Razzmatazz: ‘A long and imposing series of mindless but necessary tasks’ . The word ‘razzmatazz’ has many definitions, but this particular meaning may have been conjured up by some punter after watching Cork forward Daniel Goulding performing his pre-kick rituals before each placed ball. The art of placed kicking has been slowly fading since the 1989 rule amendment which allowed free takers to choose whether they kicked their free from the hands or from the ground.

In a recent talk with John ‘Jackson’ Kiely he informed me that in seventy minutes of play, the ball is only played for about thirty minutes due to stoppages such as fouls, kick-outs and the ball going over the side-lines.
When Cork are playing one could surely attribute two or three minutes of time lost to Daniel Goulding for his detailed procedure before each placed kick. However such an observation must not be mistaken for a complaint, for what we are watching when Gouding’s fine-tuned feet meet each kick is, simply, the art of placed kicking broken down into a science.

Out of all the other placed kickers in GAA around the country, there is surely not a more intense routine than Gouldings. Routine is vital to make any system work. The importance of a routine for a placed kicker to be successful is that it allows for a sense of composure in the kickers mind. It offers an escape hatch from the strain and emotion of the pressure cooker situation.
In the All-Ireland Quarter final between Cork and Roscommon the reception for placed kickers Donie Shine and Daniel Goulding was incredible in difference. When Shine was preparing his kicks pure silence and appreciation enveloped the stadium. When Goulding was getting in gear, hisses tolled from the four corners of Croker as the mass supporters of Roscommon did their best to put him off. It made no difference. Goulding slotted over two frees and a 45 to a chorus of boos that dared blemish his sacred process. Although his ‘happy feet’ may be slow and painful to watch, they get results for the Eire Og club man. By going through his routine each time, and the imaginary checklist in his head (eight steps back, two to the side, feet shuffle and over the bar) he is able to block out the catcalls and therefore remove the emotion from the kick. Routine equals focus, which in turn floods over into a safe anchor. It offers reassurance through the simplistic and is a form of mediation which ensures a perfect rhythm to Gouldings kicks.
In Cork’s six championship games this year Goulding has pointed twenty one frees and three 45’s, a fact more impressive considering the Rebel’s free taking duties are also shared with Colm O’Neill and Donnacha O’Connor. If Cork are to prevail against Dublin in this Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final, then the precision of Goulding’s method will need to be as fine-tuned as his feet for the end product to silence the Hill.

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Much has been made of the All-Ireland Hurling Championship this year, and that it is a one horse race in the eyes of many. After last weekend’s semi-final clash, some commentators referred to it as a second-placed playoff.

This year’s All-Ireland Football Championship, on the other hand, has been one of the most open in recent memory. All four provincial champions, including pre-tournament favourites Kerry and Tyrone, have been knocked out and we are left with four teams that were (with the exception of Cork) unfancied before the tournament.

But what makes the two competitions so markedly different in terms of the level of competition? There may be a number of reasons:

Football has no dominant force at a comparative level to Kilkenny
Kerry fans may beg to differ, but football has no team capable of walking over any other team in the country. Any of the four semi-finalists could, potentially, beat another semi-finalist. The same can’t be said for their hurling counterparts.

Football has a better standard
Although Kilkenny are completely glorious to watch, hurling suffers from a weak level of competition in many counties. This is exampled by Antrim and Galway playing in Leinster rather than Connacht. The same situation would never happen in football. There are four thriving provinces, and the gap between them isn’t huge.

There are more shocks
This year we had Louth getting to the Leinster final, Dublin beating Tyrone and Down beating Kerry. In hurling, you could have predicted the semi-finalists months ago. Aside from the odd shock (Antrim trumping Dublin, for example) hurling is a lot more predictable than football.

More people play football
It’s a simple fact. More people play football, so there’s a bigger playing pool. Having more players means that there is a greater chance of one or two being good. It’s not that there aren’t good hurlers, it’s just that they are all quite concentrated in a handful of counties. The same can’t be said for football.

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Dublin’s inherent implosion to a ‘non-Leinster’ team has yet to arrive in this year’s championship and although the scalp of Tyrone is a huge forward step, it would be a fallacy to believe that 2010 is the year which will breathe oxygen back into the spirit of ‘95. Tyrone, after all fired an incredible seventeen wide’s as they were capitulated from the championship. Indeed, there have been plenty of other reasons to doubt the potential of this Dublin side as All-Ireland champion contenders. Wexford should have beaten them and Meath did annihilate them with goal bursts. The Qualifiers may have allowed Dublin to redress the war wounds but one fear’s that this side has a virus which no antibiotics can cure. Gilroy has changed their style, from a flair side to a physically imposing work horse, which as killed the imagination of the annual great pretenders.

The exceptional Bernard Brogan aside, this Dublin outfit lack guile. Eoghan O’Gara has provided lifeline goals, but it is his inability to look natural on the ball that fails to impress. In reality he offers nothing more than sheer strength, a trait which can easily be nullified by the Cork defence. Whereas Cork are due a big performance, Brogan is due the opposite. Although he has brought his team to the cusp of the Promised Land , his fluent feet have been muted before and if this happens Sunday, then Dublin can expect a grim fate. Although Gilroy has labelled the semi-finals as ‘bonus territory’, the expectation of victory from Dublin’s mass supporters in affect leaves them hunted by failure which could snare them this weekend. They are unable to cast off the shackles of their own real arrogance which is imbedded in the culture of Hill 16.

Corks performances have been a rising wind which one expects could turn into a destructive hurricane this weekend as the scent of Sam lingers ever closer. Opportunity has seldom knocked louder for Cork to conquer Sam, especially given their great tormentors Kerry have fallen on the short sword of Down. Since 2005 they have been knocked out of the championship every year by the Green and Gold. There was talk of psychological effects but their defeat against Kerry in this year’s Munster championship was irrelevant such was the manner, margin and time. Now that the stigma of the Kingdom lays lifeless it is Cork’s All-Ireland to lose. Having coasted through the back door on the waves of mediocrity they are expected to have plenty of dry powder left to fire off explosive performances.

Corks array of talent has been blamed for hindering their championship displays. Alas, perfection for Cork has been painful as Conor Counhian has struggled to ignite the most efficient formula for ultimate success. However the talent is obvious and has shined in patches. While Goulding (1-30) is Corks scorer in chief, the Rebels are not dependant on him as a constant source of ‘milk and hanna’. A total of seventeen players have kicked scores for Cork this season, an impressive show of depth. They have so far failed to click as a flowing unit but expect this Dublin game to be the one where the gel thickens.

Although Graham Canty has been named to start, rumours persist whether that will be not the case. Although the man plays with such raw grit and bushido Cork can overcome this Dublin side without him. Corks half back line are like a biblical plague of locusts. In the final quarter of the game against Roscommon, they simply swarmed the Roscommon defence with powerful unstoppable surges that helped put the result beyond doubt. Although Cork have their problems, Dublins are incurable. Cork have only beaten Dublin once in thirteen times of asking but history will not defy them of fate in 2010. I expect them to give a landmark performance this Sunday and finally set out their stall as worthy All-Ireland champions of 2010.

Punt of the Day: D. O’Connor to finish top scorer = 5/1 (Paddy Power)

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John Kiely or Jackson as he is affectionately known is widely acknowledged and correctly so, as the man who put Waterford football on the map. Having managed Waterford to two All-Ireland Junior titles in 1999 and 2004 Kiely took over the reins at Senior level in 2005. He kick-started a period of transition, slowly turning the cogs of Waterford football from a volatile team to a virile one. Opting for as many players over six foot as he could find, Jackson moulded a team of jackals who degraded once monolithic opponents by attacking their best qualities and then finishing off their wounded enemy with vigorous power and pace. Under Kiely, Waterford went from watching a team that made you think you had been drinking Jack Daniels all morning, to a team that claimed major scalps and began to collect confidence as well as back to back League points for the first time in decades.

Speaking to him, he informed me that his greatest memory as Waterford Senior manager was in 2006 when Waterford played Kerry in the Munster championship in Killarney. It was a game where despite losing; Waterford substantiated the work Jackson had put in, proving insurmountable for Kerry throughout the majority of the match. ‘That day none of the Kerry forwards got a shot on our goalie Tom Wall. Unfortunately at the other end we missed a few chances including a penalty but late in the second half we were only four points behind. We certainly had them worried.’  Kerry went on to win the game by eight in the end, turning to their strong bench to help them stumble over the finish line. A proud statistic from the day boasts that it was the only time in championship (and still is), where Colm Cooper was held scoreless from play. Kiely explains ‘That would be my greatest memory as Waterford manager because of the quality of the opponent.’
Kiely is a man of tremendous charisma with serious credibility and a depthless knowledge of the GAA, whose name will forever be entangled in the legacies of Waterford football. His ability to recall information is gained from a lifetime of experience. His first ever GAA memory dates back to 1959 when he was only a young child, listening to Micheal O Hehir announce on the radio that Waterford hurlers had just won the All-Ireland final. He adds it was the last time anyone heard those words being echoed around the country.
Interestingly he informs me that he was part of the committee that reconstructed the championship rules this year and that the rule. The rule he pushed his weight behind was taking all goal kicks from the thirteen metre line. He explains his stance; ‘It eliminates the quick kick outs from the edge of the square and from a managerial point of view plants the ball in the middle of the field, in the business area.’ This view is typical Jacksonesque: demanding the game to be played at its rapacious best.

Keenly offering his qualified views and opinions on this year’s championship, we go straight for the jugular: Who will win Sam? ‘Cork, simply because they have the panel. Like every other person in the country, I would be delighted to see Kildare win it because they’re going back nearly 82 years since their last. McGeeney has really put the Armagh stamp on Kildare.’ Although Down may have delighted others with their slaying of Kerry, it must not be forgotten they almost came undone against a mediocre Offaly side and were drawn against a down and out Sligo team. For these reasons Kiely states that the Mourne men are ‘very lucky’ to be in the position they are.

Being a traditionalist in nature, Kiely makes clear his disappointment with the quality of refereeing portrayed throughout the championship thus far. Blaming the inconsistency in the interpretation of the rules, he highlights the issuing of numerous yellow cards as the blight which has stubbed the flow of fluid football in 2010 matches. He also uses the example of poor refereeing to reinforce his prediction that Cork will be crowned All-Ireland champions for the first time in twenty one years. ‘Cork’s best performance all year was against Kerry in the drawn game and it was really the referee who cost them. Cadogan should have got a free in the replay to make a draw of it like Cooper got in the drawn game. Graham Canty was also sent off in the wrong.’

Although Cork has stuttered to the semi-final like a diesel car with petrol in the tank, Kiely is confident that the Rebels will see off Dublin and whoever awaits them in the consequent final. ‘Conor Counihan is a very sure fella. He keeps quiet to the media and his friends! [He’s] very tough as a player and one of the best centre backs to play the game. I have a lot of respect for him.’ Not hesitating in cutting the hoofs off the boar Kiely states that of the four semi-finalist managers, he is least convinced by Pat Gilroy. He disagrees with his inconsistent use of Alan Brogan and notes that while overcoming Tyrone was a major victory for Dublin, the northerners uncharacteristically shot seventeen wide’s on the day. Turning his attention toward Bernard Brogan, Kiely begins to permeate praise, describing him as an ‘unmarkable player’ and ‘the highlight of the championship’. Brogan has notched up an impressive 2-45 this season to lead the championship scoring charts and almost single handedly guide Dublin through the qualifiers to an All-Ireland semi-final. ‘Bernard Brogan is my player of the year. He is a player that really catches your eye and I love to see the ball going into him because you know he is going to do something exciting with it.’

The fact that none of this year’s Provincial winners have found their way into the last four of the spoils is a fact which Kiely thinks needs vindication, but he also succinctly makes the point that the Qualifiers have always been a greater advantage to the bigger teams rather than the smaller ones. ‘No weaker county has yet to reach the All-Ireland since the Qualifiers were introduced let alone win it. Playing week after week doesn’t suit the weaker teams either. The likes of Kerry and Cork can afford that because they have strong panels but injuries and fatigue effects the smaller counties.’ As for the future of football Kiely believes the big teams will continue to dominate. Before revealing his next opinion I should stress that he is an established Kerry supporter and therefore these words are not easy to speak for him! ‘Cork will dominate Munster for the next six or seven years. Cork is still in the minor and they have won a lot of U-21’s so they have plenty of good young footballers. Kerry is weak and has nothing coming through. They had a very poor minor team this year and haven’t won a minor since ‘94.’ As for the Kingdom’s demeanours over the past decade, Kiely believes Tyrone’s work and achievements at minor level in recent years will ensure that Mickey Harte’s men will still be around to cause discontent to would be competitors.

Kiely recites information so effortlessly that his unquenchable thirst for GAA shines through on every word he utters. Always fond of a punt, the man credited with restoring the mental defiance in Waterford footballers, finishes our chat on an adventurous and brave note. Asked which weaker county he could envision surprising and troubling the top tiers in the near future, Kiely, after systematically writing off obvious choices who have punched pinprick holes in this year’s championship, opts for Antrim. After rewriting the history books by winning Waterford’s first ever football All-Ireland title in 1999 I certainly won’t be questioning the fervent man’s dependable instincts. After all he repeated the feat again in 2004. He clearly has a good eye for the underdog.

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With Graham Canty struggling in the race for fitness against Dublin in Corks’ All-Ireland semi-final rumours are rife that Eoin Cadogan is set to return to the footballing fold after the Cork hurler’s callous defeat at the hands of a seemingly invincible Kilkenny. Due no doubt to the demands at playing both hurling and football at the highest level, Cadogan has found himself on the bench rather than the playing field for the Cork footballers. With both teams competing for top honours toward the close of the season it highlights yet again, the gruelling demands of dual star mode and the difficulty in keeping alive this dying breed. Unfortunately, the demands of the modern game simply prove too much to successfully execute the exhausting process of performing to perfection in both codes.

Although still flying the flag of amateurism, the GAA is anything but, in recent years. Managers demand total commitment for total victory. Understandably, the dual element can deflect a players focus and concentration, a risk managers do not want to take with today’s game imitating such professional characteristics. Concentration is key to victory and a consistent and efficient routine perfects concentration. Inter-county teams train at least three times a week and managers do not want their players trying to dilute their intense schedules between hurling and football. Wexford people often speak fondly of Redmond Barry’s heroic feats when he played a football League semi-final game against Tyrone in Portlaosie and then hopped in his car and drove down to Nolan Park where he made a second half appearance against Kilkenny in the National Hurling league. In most counties players must choose between one or the other, and I am sad to say that in my home county of Waterford, it is the hurleys that the athletes usually reach for.

Michael Brick Walsh and Shane Walsh are gifted footballers who unfortunately, but understandably ply their trade with ash. Brick has six senior county football medals playing midfield with his club Stradbally and Shane has lost as many while winning two himself. The two were immense in Waterford U-21’s Munster Final victory over Kerry in 2003 with Brick pulling the strings from midfield and Shane Walsh fisting the all-important goal to the back of the net. I can still picture Brick’s powerful running that day, taking on the Kingdom on numerous solo runs, the ball seemingly glued to his hands and feet as he unhinged their defence. Shane has dabbled with the dual code in the past, but now with the drive for Liam McCarthy intensifying as many feel this generation of Waterford hurlers is coming to an end, he concentrates fully on hurling. All Star Brick, the new lynchpin of the team, has always concentrated 100% on hurling at senior level.

I remember turning up with my father to watch Waterford’s McGrath Cup semi-final game against University of Limerick at Kill GAA grounds on a freezing cold January Sunday in 2009. It was a great opportunity for Waterford to qualify for a final but unfortunately before the throw in it became obvious to the thirty of so followers in attendance that the Deise footballers were short numerous key players, who it turned out, had opted to attend a hurling trial that morning instead with the hopes of breaking into Davy Fitzgerald’s squad. Ultimately Waterford fell victim to the Limerick students in a close encounter, perhaps due to shortage of key players, the rattle of abandonment by their teammates or the fact that fresh legs were short (amazingly for such a vital game they had only two substitutes on the day due to the hurling trial and injury’s). Unfortunately, Waterford footballers cannot compete with the attraction of the spoils of victory and the roaring arenas of Semple and Croker in late summer which the hurlers can offer.

Leverage for dual stars is hostile in most counties. In 2004, when talented hurlers Stephen Lucey, Brian Begley, Mark Keane, Mike O’Brien, Conor Fitzgerald and Mark O’Riordan left the Limerick hurling panel for the football in an effort to encourage the hurler manager, Pad Joe Whelahan, to show leniency to athletes who wanted to compete in both codes for their county, they were met with a siege mentality. Although Pad Joe refused to change his mind the action of the players kick- started a revival in Limerick football. They reached the Munster final that year being beaten by Kerry by four points after a replay and then falling foul of the Qualifier system, when six days later they lost 0-10 – 0-7 against Derry. Since then Limerick have consistently tested the superior strength of Cork and Kerry in championship, agonisingly coming up just inches short on each occasion, 2010 proving no different when Cork disposed of them in the Qualifiers after extra time.

Cork, most likely due to the size and successes of the Rebel County, has produced the most famous dual stars over time. Ray Cummins, Jack Lynch and Teddy McCarthy have all made their way into the history books for their dual exploits. Ray Cummins had four Hurling All Irelands and one football and is the only athlete to win an All Star in both codes in the same year, 1971. Jack Lynch is the only man to win six All-Irelands in a row, parading with Liam on five occasions and Sam once in that purple period of his career during the forties. Teddy McCarthy is the only man to win All-Irelands in both codes in the same year, 1990.

However the more limited the chances of success, the more limited are the chances of dual stars breeding in the future. With the dominance of Kilkenny seemingly endless and Cork footballers on the cusp of an All-Ireland with their biggest tormenters, Kerry, knocked out, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cadogan concentrates solely on the big ball in 2011. I’m sure Paul Galvin will be hoping the same as no doubt the name Eoin Cadogan is scrawled in block letters in his infamous little black book. Importantly, when he was awarded the 96FM/C-103 Sportstar of the Month award for his display in the Rebels’ Munster hurling defeat of Tipperary, Cadogan thanked both coaches for allowing him to pursue his desire to represent his county at both levels. However as the game continues to descend further into the unofficial territory of ‘professionalism’ the harder and harder it will become for players like Eoin Cadogan to achieve their dreams. In an age where there is a lengthy negative descriptive diagnosis for even the smallest of muscle tweaks to frighten the bejaysus out of managers, long may players like Cadogan continue to strive for success at both hurling and football for Cork. Not only would it be good for the rebels, it would be good for the game.

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Such was the extent of twenty year old Tommy Prendergast’s league form in his debut season with annual underdogs Waterford, that in the Irish Independent’s preview of the Championship he was tipped as Waterford’s “Player who could make a name for himself”, describing him as ‘a no frills midfielder, physically imposing with substance first, style second.’ Their prediction was to ring true. Prendergast did make a name for himself. After Waterford disposed of Clare in their opening game of the Munster championship, the Granville Hotel awarded the young footballer their ‘Sportstar of the Month’ award for May. Waterford found the Banner men a much more imposing side than when they had clashed in the final round of league games in April. When more senior and experienced figures in the Deise side spluttered and stalled on the day, Prendergast was the engine who clocked up the mileage that drove them into the Munster semi final clash with Limerick. It was to be the third time these sides would meet in 2010.

Having won one of those previous two encounters Waterford had a real chance of reaching a Munster Final. However with only twelve minutes of the game gone, their game plan was unhinged as a controversial red card was issued to Prendergast for what referee Cyril Doyle deemed a striking offence while Prendergast was contesting a kick out. He insists however that it was not a sinister act of reckless abandonment. As he puts it simply in his own words, ‘My hand just went to the wrong place at the wrong time. I knocked the ball on with one hand and the other one just went back as I was travelling backwards. I didn’t know anyone was behind me. It could have been my own team mate. It could have been my own mother!’ He shrugs off Tomas O Flaharta’s analysis on the Sunday Game which stated that it was ‘a rush of blood to the head’ which seems to hint that the strike could have been intentional. ‘There was no malice in it. It was the first red card I ever received in my life. I was never so disappointed in my life. To have trained so hard all year and have a real shot at reaching a Munster final. Ourselves and Limerick had been at level pegging against each other in the league. To be sent off so early just put us at a real disadvantage and I couldn’t believe it had happened.’ Waterford struggled to find their feet after such an early knock back and in the end the Treaty side were convincing winners.

Manager John Owens spoke confidently that the decision would be overturned through the appeal process, but alas the CC saw the collision differently than most and Prendergast’s ban was upheld, meaning he missed out on what was to be Waterford’s last game of the year, the Qualifier defeat at the hands of Offaly. He found the CC meeting a strange affair and came out of the event with a distressing view of how this side of the GAA is run. ‘I didn’t know what to expect. No one told me anything about what was going to go on. They just sent me into a room and there were eight auld fellas and sure I didn’t know what to expect, all I could do was give my side of the story.’ Questioning the organisation of the CC’s disciplinary committee, he takes the stance which has been bread into him throughout his footballing career, that if you to set out to do a job then you should do it properly. The meeting proved to be a tense, unfriendly affair with a lack of even communication preventing a fair hearing.

Prendergast believes the system is definitely flawed and needs to change, proposing a simpler process without the rules and regulations language he found himself barraged with. He also indicated that a smaller panel with maybe two or three people who were genuinely interested in the case and its consequences would be more efficient. ‘They were throwing the numbers of rules at me as if I was supposed to know what rule 7.3 or whatever was off by heart. Half way through one of them was dosing in the corner and at another stage a fella stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes. To be honest it just seemed like they didn’t want to be there and had no interest in my case. For me there was a lot on the line but they already had their minds made up before I got there. I have no time for the appeal committee after that to be honest.’ Grazing toward the topic of the controversial Joe Sheridan ‘goal’ which cost Louth a first Leinster title in 53 years he disagrees with the associations decision to leave it up to Meath to offer a replay to the unjustly defeated Wee County. ‘I don’t see why the decision should have been up to Meath. To me it was just the committee hiding. If they are able to use footage from the Sunday Game to penalise the likes of Galvin and Tomas O Se, then why can’t they step in over such a blatant thing that happened in front of the goal. I mean the umpire nearly had his nose stuck in the side netting looking at it.’ For Prendergast football isn’t a game, it’s a love affair and although his innocence was clearly ruptured through his brush with the darker side of the GAA, this year he has emerged, thankfully, a more mature, honest and straight talking person.

Not many Waterford hurlers have played in Croke Park so for a footballer it is a truly honourable distinction. However to play in Croke Park in your debut season is another thing and something he never thought possible when he first began training with the team in the winter of ‘09. Waterford’s first league game of what was to be a groundbreaking season came in the form of an away match against Leitrim on a wet and drizzly Sunday afternoon in early February. Roughly a hundred or so Waterford supporters, mostly consisting of family members and relatives of the players and coaching staff, watched as Waterford trailed by fours points with ten minutes to go. Prendergast was introduced and Waterford managed to over turn that deficit in a short space of time and win by three. After that he was a regular starter in the side. ‘I came on and did well and that was the start of it’ as he puts it. Due to his physical traits (he is a towering 6’5); unsurprisingly one of the best features of his game is his fielding ability. It unfortunately is a dying skill amongst the modern breed of defensively programmed defenders and the art often proves a disadvantage when one makes a fine catch only to come down and be surrounded by a blanket defence and lose possession for over carrying. The ‘mark’ rule was experimented with for the duration of the 2010 National League in an attempt to rescue the skill but purists felt it slowed the flowing movement of the sport too much. Prendergast offers his opinion on the subject: ‘I think it’s one that should have been kept on. It’s hard enough to catch the ball as it is with three or four lads going up with you and then you’re landing down in the middle of them so trying to use the possession wisely can be impossible, so I thought it was a great rule.’
The contrast between Waterford’s opening and closing league fixtures was incredible. Waterford played Clare in Fraher Field needing a win to secure the promotion they had craved so much all season. It was a searing hot day and the over 3,000 people poured into Dungarvan grounds to support the county footballers. Their stunning run of form had finally attracted huge numbers, something the footballers are not used to seeing at all. ‘It was great to see such a crowd there that day. We needed to win that game and you’d really notice the difference the supporters make. If someone scored a point or caught a great ball, a roar would go up and someone might shout out your name or something and it would drive you on and give you that momentum you need to win important games. Hopefully the support will stay with us now for Division 3 next year and we can keep building and win over some more followers.’

Speaking calmly, Prendergast reflects warmly on a childhood dream of donning the white and blue of his home county and taking to the field at GAA headquarters, which unbelievably came through after seeing off Clare and qualifying for the league final showpiece. He admits that while walking around the stadium prior to throw in, nerves and butterflies echoed around his body as he tried to process the incredible feeling. However once the ball was thrown in he says it was just like any other game. It is easily believed for the midfielder was at his instinctive best during the game, with his clever dependable play, and an astonishing amount of ball was funnelled through him to keep the Deise attacks ticking over throughout the seventy minutes. It was a game he feels they should have won and he himself nearly made the headlines when, with the game hanging in the balance, he managed to stretch his foot on to a rebounding shot only to watch agonisingly as his effort came back off the crossbar. Talking so relaxed about the experience he says ‘The only difference I noticed about playing in Croke Park to be honest was every time the ball went over the bar I kept looking up at the two big screens to have a look at the replay!’ Being extremely modest about such a rare feat for a local big ball player he says ‘But there were only about 10,000 or so up there that day. There’d obviously be a massive difference when it would be full to the gills with 80,000 people roaring their heads off.’

It’s not easy plying your trade in a hurling frenzied county and while a crowd of 3,000 for a crucial game for the hurlers would be extremely disappointing, for the footballers it is a huge step in the right direction. Although they train as hard as anyone, the rewards for their efforts for now, is near non existent. Whilst the hurlers get an annual trip abroad the footballers do not even receive a weekend away, but Prendergast shows no bitterness toward the situation explaining, ‘The hurlers do a lot of fundraising around the county so they can get a holiday abroad at the end of the year so you couldn’t really have two teams going around the county asking people for money with these tough times.’ He continues ‘When we reached Croke Park for the League final the Deise Supporters Club came to us and said if we joined for twenty euro each they’d put us up in a hotel in Dublin after the final which was just brilliant because if we didn’t have the hotel a lot of players would have went straight home after the match. That was the job really because we got to stay together and go out together and have a few drinks as a team.’ The recognition by the Supporters Club clearly meant a lot after a tough and historic league campaign which saw the once whipping boys of football string together an eight game unbeaten run and finish on top of the group.

After the weekend’s shock results which have really opened up the championship for the first time in years, the future of the GAA is clearly luminously bright and Prendergast believes the key to this lies in the grassroots; at club level. ‘Club is where it starts. Everything is done with the club. I owe the club a lot. When I was a young fella I might have a soccer match and football training on the same evening and with the father there was no question which one of them I was going to. So it was driven into me at a young age. Club football is really important. I love going down to the field with the lads and just having the craic and playing on a team with the fellas you grew up beside.’ One aspect of inter county football which Prendergast found very difficult was the restrictions placed on the giant toward his club football. Obviously and understandably John Owens and co did not want such a gifted student of the game to suffer a burn out. At a young age many players take on too much and soon find themselves on the injured list with tweaked and twinged muscles. Prendergast explains his guilty conscience caused by his new found success as a starlet of a rejuvenated Waterford football side. ‘When your playing inter county a lot of times they don’t want you training or playing club matches on top of the league campaign so its really difficult because the lads at the club would be putting it in three nights a week and you’d be missing all the hard training and challenge matches with them. I’d maybe be lucky to go training with Kilrossanty once every three weeks and when you start ahead of some of your friends who have worked hard, you would feel guilty because club football means everything to us. I want to win a lot of county medals with Kilrossanty and its difficult when the management tell you not to play some club games.’

Such is Prendergast’s passion for football and his club that after he starred for 70 plus minutes in Waterford’s impressive 2-17 to 11 point Round 6 league victory over Mick O Dwyer’s charge’s Wicklow, hours later he churned out another full sixty minutes in Kilrossanty’s opening league campaign against Brickey Rangers. ‘Ah yeah well sure I turned up at the match after being told just to watch it but we were short a few because of this and that so the selectors told me throw on the gear and they’d throw me on at half time or something but they ended up starting me instead. I was only delighted to keep going to be honest!’

Although 2010 has seen the resurgence of numerous new teams and names that have set the trail toward Sam ablaze, Prendergast isn’t naive about Waterford’s chances of All-Ireland success. For now the National League will remain their bread and butter, their hunting ground which is so plentiful with fruit and big scalps. For 2011 their drive will continue to seek promotion to the dizzy heights of Division 2, a feat proven possible by Tipperary, Antrim and Sligo who have gained back to back promotions in the past few years. When it comes to championship time however there is a huge mental handicap of being in the same province of footballing giants Kerry and Cork. ‘At the end of the season we had a players meeting and we talked about our commitment. We gave such a massive drive for the league that after it, the championship just didn’t feel the same, because its always in your head that how will we ever beat Cork or Kerry and we had given everything to get promoted.’. Although the back door system offers a second chance for defeated teams to crawl toward Sam via the untraditional route for now its conception is little consolation to small developing teams like Waterford. He surrenders to the facts that ‘you might win a game or two but eventually your going to come up against a top team and shur what can you do there?’ Prendergast does however take some inspiration from Roscommon’s tremendous achievement of being crowned Provincial champions. ‘They were relegated to Division 4 yet they won out Connacht. They obviously put there heart and soul into championship and look where it got them. Nothing is ever impossible I suppose.’ The beauty of sport is the hidden depths of the unknown. Anything is possible. As American novelist William Faulkner wrote, ‘The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.’ With a successful and coloured debut season under his belt who knows what Herculean heights 2011 will bring for Tommy Prendergast as Waterford footballers continue in their quest to seduce the romantics of GAA.

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Much debate has been raised about the disadvantages of the qualifier system during the past week. This is in no small part due to the knockout of Provincial losers; Limerick, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo in the fourth round of the qualifiers and the exit of each Provincial champion; Kerry, Meath, Roscommon and Tyrone in the quarter finals. In first year of the All Ireland series in 1887 the competition was run on an open draw, knock out basis. The following year saw the introduction of the provincial status, where each provincial winner advanced to a knock out semi final clash in the All-Ireland series. This system ran for a further 111 championship seasons until the introduction of the qualifier system at the turn of the century. Since its debut season in 2001 the qualifiers have constantly proven unfair to teams who have been successful in their respectful provincial championships. In the 2001 Connacht semi final, Roscommon defeated Galway and went on to be crowned Connacht champions. However, in the quarter finals they again encountered the Tribesmen. This time Galway, having collected some valuable mileage on the scenic route, defeated the Rossies and continued on to be crowned All-Ireland champions that year. 

In 2008, Tyrone made history by becoming the first team to win the All-Ireland after progressing all the way from the very first round of the Qualifiers. No county has tasted worse fortune due to the system than the Rebel county of Cork, and to make matters worse their frustration to conquer Sam for the first time since 1990 has been constantly derailed by neighbours and bitter rivals Kerry. Cork won Munster titles in 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2009. However on each occasion, having disposed of the Kerrymen in either the semi final or final of Munster, they found themselves being bettered in the latter stages by the wearers of the Green and Gold. In 2002 they suffered a humiliating fifteen point hammering in the All-Ireland semi final having previously beaten them in Munster by a two point margin. In 2006 and 2008 Kerry again defeated them in All Ireland semi finals have re-launched their assault on Sam through the lifeline of the Qualifier system. Finally, last year Kerry were crowned All-Ireland champions for the 36th when they defeated the Rebels in the Croke Park decider, despite Cork having dumped them out of Munster in early June with an impressive eight point win.  For all their Munster championship wins and scalps taken over Kerry, it is All-Ireland medals players crave and lose sleep over. Kerry have constantly proven to be Lazarus like saboteurs of the Rebels dreams, constantly destroying players like Graham Canty’s inheritance to immortality. Were it not for the back door, Kerry players such as Colm Cooper would only possess two All Ireland medals, instead Cooper has double that. Canty for now has none.

Every year since the qualifiers introduction, provincial finalists have come unstuck against a battled, hardened, gritty team that has emerged from the back door. As last weekend showed, the distinction of winning at Provincial level is rather fruitless, the only visible ‘advantage’ - a four or five week lay off, only to be thrown into the knock out stages against teams whose journey through the Qualifiers has allowed them to grasp the rose of momentum by the thorns. Defeat builds character and the back door allows these teams to re-programme and rebuild their failed strategy. As Down, Dublin and Kildare showed us at the weekend, by the time the Quarter final stage arrives, they emerge relentlessly unhinged, rapidly paced, intimidating, and attacking goal wards similar to hungry rabies infected dogs of war.

Although the qualifiers add more games to the summer season and draw in major money for the GAA, especially this year when Dublin failed to retain the Leinster championship which resulted in extra outings in Croke Park for the championship’s biggest bread winners for the association, they can be a painful process as we watch teams cast off the shackles of defeat and go back to the drawing boards. In reality, what outstanding, enthralling matches did the qualifiers produce this year? Cork’s twelve points to five defeat of Wexford in torrential downpour? Dublin’s unconvincing defeat of an average Armagh side? Even in Tyrone’s amazing physical feat in 2005 we had to watch them in low key games against Louth and Westmeath. The qualifiers have become a necessary money making task for the organisation but a task of drudgery for the followers. A second chance doesn’t always benefit the losers either. After their daring escapades over mammoths Mayo and Galway, Sligo became unexpectedly unwoven like a ball of wool by a youthful Roscommon side. After their titanic efforts against the traditional giants of Connacht football in the quarter and semi finals, only to slip on the banana skin jerseys of Roscommon in what would have been only their fourth Connacht crown, the Yeats County turned into RMS Titanic and bowed quickly and silently to murky depths only six days later with a nineteen point thumping by Down. How were Sligo ever supposed to bounce back from such a heartbreaking defeat to Roscommon in such a small space of time?

Since Ulster champion’s Tyrone’s defeat to new ‘back door’ conquistadores Dublin, manager Mickey Harte has been voicing his opinions on the flawed system and indicating a need for reform. Harte has proposed a future examination of the motion which was passed by Dublin clubs but failed to make the grade at Congress in last April’s meeting. Under the Dublin proposed lay out, the Quarter Finals would be split into two phases, with the provincial finalists playing each other and the winners advancing to the semi finals while the two losing sides would face the two best qualifying teams. In essence, this method would simply add an extra round of qualifiers where the beaten provincial finalists would enter the qualifiers in a new fifth round rather than the traditional fourth. However this new design would still not ensure a second chance for two of the provincial champions, the two victors of Quarter Final Phase One. Were they to be beaten in the All Ireland semi finals then that would simply be an end to their campaign, with no shot of redemption?

While I agree that the system is failing the Provincial winners I do not believe this is the right direction to take. I am in favour of simply resorting back to the old days when provincial championship outings were fragile, sacred affairs, when defeat meant extinction, when losing carried such a heavier weight. When victory was won by dedication to an all consuming style of perfection, and one point wins had meant that every single player from one to twenty on each side had come close to expiration on the field of play through exhaustion. When thoughts of the safe cocoon that is the qualifiers could not be nourished in the mind when the game hung in the balance, only thoughts of the venomous January winds when Christmas pounds were puked up around the outline of a muddy, rain drenched pitch and every single one of the 206 bones in the body ached and creaked when you arose from bed at seven the following morning to go to work. It is these thoughts that once propelled and orchestrated victory from defeat in the early rounds on championship Sundays from 1888 to 2000. Due to the opportunity of a second chance it seems a psyche has been developed that it is better to lose in the Provinces. Since the qualifiers were introduced only four Provincial champions have continued to the first Sunday of September and lifted Sam Maguire, and since 2005 (including 2010 as all Provincial champions have by now been ousted) only one team, Kerry in 2007 have won their Province and the All Ireland. Malcolm S. Forbes, the now deceased kingpin of Forbes magazine, once said ‘Victory is sweet when you’ve known defeat.’ Yes it is, but isn’t it better when you have to carry that pain of defeat for a full year and through the physical punishment of Winter training before you have a chance to rectify it, when each match demands 100% loyalty, emotion and passion and one slip can see your fortunes shatter before unforgiving crowds of thousands in intimidating arenas? That is the true beauty of truthful victory. That is why I believe the Qualifiers should not remain in 2011.

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We’re in August now and we are in the backend of the season, the time when men are found out and where teams’ steely resolve is tested. Pearse Corcoran analyses who has shined till now and who hasn’t.
While sitting down to watch the Sunday game this weekend I began to think to myself who is in contention for the All Star’s at the moment. The amazing thing, more so then other years, is the wide range of options because of the teams who have stepped up are virtual rookies at this stage. Men like Martin Clarke, Rory O’Carroll, James Kavanagh and Donnacha O’Connor are the stars to replace ones of the last ten years.

In saying that the old reliable of who will get one are still there; Stephen Cluxton and Colm “gooch” Cooper are in line after some terrific performances this year and Cooper’s teammate Marc O’Se has also turned out some sterling performance sso it promises to be a mixture of new with old.

GOALKEEPERS:

Like I said one man has proven himself this year and shown that he has what it takes to be considered one of the best at this level, Stephen Cluxton from Dublin was taking some slack last year and the year before and this year after the Meath game to name one but Stephen for me is number one. Who could run close behind him is the veteran Mourne man who minds the net for Down and goes by the name of Brendan McVeigh. Down have come through the radar and on Sunday McVeigh showed why they have been so safe at the back.
Main Contenders: Stephen Cluxton (Dublin), Brendan McVeigh (Down).

BACKS:

This year has firmly been the year of the defence. For years the blanket defence was the paramount of what Tyrone and then Kerry did to win games, this year the rest of the country have eventually caught up and in doing so more and more defenders are being recognised for their talents. Men like Rory O Carroll, Killian Young, Emmet Bolton and Michael Shields are young, dogged defenders who have set the world alight this summer and will be pushing for a place as the year goes on.
Old dogs for the road such as Marc O’Se and Graham Canty have withheld their reputation with sterling performances and will be pushing for the places on the coveted All Star team as well. Tomas O’Se, Marc’s older brother, has also shown some strong performances this year that have been vital for Kerry but unfortunately his indiscipline has cost him and his county on more than one occasion.
Main Contenders: Rory O Carroll (Dublin), Graham Canty (Cork), Marc O’Se (Kerry).

MIDFIELD:

Midfield play in Gaelic football has become an alien concept for many teams this year, more and more you will find are relying on the fit half-forward to be the donkey in the team to collect ball and keep it moving. Men like Bryan Cullen from Dublin and Joe McMahon from Tyrone are doing that job instead of the traditional midfielders.

In saying that though there has been standout performances so far this year none more so than Limerick legend John Galvin. Limerick had a mixture between a poetic tragedy and a fairytale and the long suffering Galvin was the man that led the charge for them all year, between his monster goal in the Munster final to his man mountain displays against other teams, he was terrific. Another contender is virtual newcomer, Michael Dara McCauley, but he is fast making a name for himself. The Dublin man has taken to inter county football like a fish to water and since his well taken goal against Tipperary in the qualifiers he has never looked back.

You have the tried and trusted as well this year who have stepped up to the mark despite this there would be days where they suffer disappointment, Ambrose Rodgers for one has let his class shine through and his ability to destroy Kerry’s midfield last weekend will have catapulted him ahead of others for me.

Main Contenders: Ambrose Rodgers (Down), Michael Dara McCauley (Dublin), John Galvin (Limerick)

FORWARDS:

A different breed of forwards have emerged this year, the conventional half forwards in the Pat Spillane mould are being replaced by the awkward but effective Joe McMahon type of players. The full forwards however are a mix and match between the big and bulky ala Donie Shine and the small and skilful in the David Kelly mould. The All Star team for 2010 will be somewhat different than recent years in this area, normally the names of Tyrone and Kerry are attached to recipients but a change of scenery is on the cards especially in the full forward line, whether I’m right or wrong we will soon see.

Main Contenders: Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Donie Shine (Roscommon), James Kavanagh (Kildare).
Goalkeeper: Stephen Cluxton (Dublin)
Full Back Line: Marc O’Se (Kerry), Rory O’Carroll (Dublin), Chris O’Connor (Meath)
Half Back Line: Tomas O’Se (Kerry), Graham Canty (Cork), John Miskella (Cork)
Midfield: John Galvin (Limerick), Ambrose Rodgers (Down)
Half Forward Line: James Kavanagh (Kildare), Pearse O Neill (Cork), Joe McMahon (Tyrone)
Full Forward Line: Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Donie Shine (Roscommon), Martin Clarke (Down)

Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

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“DON’T BELIEVE the hype!” pronounced Public Enemy in their 1988 anthem and it’s a message that Dublin footballers would do well to heed.

The link in the preceding sentence may have been extremely tenuous but it remains true for the Blues, that the relief of not carrying the weight of expectation this year has allowed them to defeat a seasoned and much-fancied Tyrone side.

In recent years Dublin have flattered to deceive. The annual predictions of Sam Maguire returning to the capital inevitably fell flat, particularly last year when Kerry took great joy in handing Dublin a dose of footballing reality.

This year, however, has been different. An early exit from Leinster saw the team written off as one in transition as attendances at Dublin games fell dramatically, to coincide with the level of expectation. The fact that the early qualifying round performances were somewhat flat only added to the notion that Dublin were going nowhere this year.

Without the usual intense media intrusion Pat Gilroy was able to mould the team in his image and replaced a side of flash harrys with one of quiet industry.

When Armagh fell to an accomplished Dublin performance it was indicative of a team on the rise but most pundits saw Tyrone as too high a hurdle to overcome.

Tyrone had breezed through Ulster, dispatching Antrim, Down and Monaghan with relative ease and the signs looked ominous that Mickey Harte’s men were Dublin bound in September.
So what happened? Well, Pat Gilroy’s charges outfought, outran, outscored and outplayed Tyrone. It was simple.

Accusations that Tyrone were too old were rejected by Mickey Harte in the aftermath. He knew he had been beaten fair and square by the better side.
Tyrone failed to get to grips with Dublin early on. Bernard Brogan (2) and Bryan Cullen had pointed before Martin Penrose could muster a response for Tyrone. 
It was a brief reprieve as Brogan and Cluxton kept the score-board ticking over for the Metropolitans so that they led 0-06 to 0-2 with 20 minutes played.
The Tyrone machine took time to grind into gear but the almost inevitable onslaught saw a Tyrone resurgence before the break. Penrose and Owen Mulligan’s accuracy from the dead ball was all the more impressive, given the incessant jeering from the Hill and when Philip Jordan pointed on 29 minutes Tyrone took the lead.

Philly McMahon responded in kind for Dublin but another Penrose effort saw Tyrone lead at the break, 0-08 to 0-07.
There was a sense that while competing well, Dublin might have blown their chance. It was telling that not many pundits tipped the Dubs at the break. Don’t believe the hype!
Despite Bernard Brogan levelling almost immediately Tyrone regained the upper hand. Mulligan and Jordan put two between the sides but Dublin’s new-found resilience ensured the lead was short-lived. Brothers Alan and Bernard Brogan pointed to level, before the younger of the two fired the Blues in front once again.

The teams went tit for tat before Eamonn O’Gara opportunistically hit the net after Paul Flynn’s effort rebounded off the post.
The Hill sensed a scalp and Dublin played with confidence and added two points in the latter stages.
It was no more than their endeavour deserved. Dublin are a different beast now and the underdogs tag clearly suits them. It is a total transformation from recent years. The hype will undoubtedly rise again but Cork will still be favourites to beat them in the semis.
Dublin know that any positivity garnered from victory over Tyrone must be taken with a pinch of salt. Don’t believe the hype must be the mantra!
Now on the 22nd August they take on Cork, favourites for the Sam Maguire. Dublin, should bear in mind another Public Enemy number as they prepare for battle, “Fight the Power,” and of course, “Don’t believe the hype!”

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IT WAS a weekend of change in the Ulster Bank Senior Football Championship last weekend writes Ciaran Daly.
For the first time ever, results at the quarter-final stage mean that none of the four semi-finalists will be provincial champions.
In fact, none of the sides through to the semi-finals even competed in their provincial finals.
It also means that neither Kerry nor Tyrone will feature in an All-Ireland final for the first time since 2001.

The changing of the guard came about with two performances, both worthy of champions on Saturday at Croke Park. It truly was a D-day with Down overturning champions Kerry and Dublin later disposing of Ulster giants Tyrone.
Coming into game Kerry had never lost an All-Ireland quarter-final and Down had never lost to Kerry in the Championship. Something had to give. In the end the Kingdom yielded to a masterful Mourne display.

The northerners had a firm grip on the game before the first minute had fully elapsed. Mark Poland netted after 52 seconds following some neat play by the industrious Paul McComiskey. The diminutive forward was wreaking havoc in the Kerry defence in the opening exchanges and it meant that after 10 minutes Down led 1-03 to no score.
Bryan Sheehan, usually so accurate with his kicking, was guilty of misfiring before eventually registering Kerry’s first score on 14 minutes.

From that point onwards the Kingdom enjoyed their best spell of play as Seamus Scanlon and company began to dominate midfield. Colm ‘The Gooch’ Cooper came to the fore to hit three successive points as the Kerry onslaught showed no signs of abating. Down were handed a life-line when a Kerry goal was disallowed by referee Joe McQuillan for an apparent illegal hand-pass in the build-up to the goal.

It stirred Down back into life and points from the increasingly influential Martin Clarke and Mark Poland meant that they headed for the break 1-07 to 0-04 up.
James McCartan’s charges re-emerged with plenty of attacking swagger as Martin Clarke pointed almost immediately from the restart.  Kerry huffed and puffed but their reliance on Cooper’s accuracy from the dead ball was proving to be an inherent weakness in Kerry’s play. The absence of Paul Galvin and Tomas O’Se was becoming increasingly apparent.

Down nullified the attacking threat and even when Kieran Donaghy was able to get two goal-bound shots away from close range Brendan McVeigh, in the Down goal, saved heroically on both occasions.

Kerry must have known the gods were not smiling on them when Donnacha Walsh was dismissed for a second yellow card. From there Down dominated and points from the talismanic Benny Coulter and Martin Clarke put down firmly in the driving seat.
Just as Kerry had been denied a goal by the referee’s whistle in the first half so too were Down in the second. It mattered little that McComiskey’s seemingly legitimate goal was disallowed. Down were rampant. Three of the four Down subs were able to point when called upon and when Ambrose Rodgers pointed on 70 minutes Down led 1-16 to 0-10.

Kerry were awarded a generous penalty in injury time. David Moran dispatched with aplomb but it was scant consolation. Kerry had been well beaten. The final whistle blew and the sizeable contingent of Down fans at Croke Park erupted in ecstasy. They had done it and not even the most fervent Kerry fans could deny that they deserved it.
The Championship now takes on a very different complexion. Change is afoot as perennial competitors, Kerry, bow out at the quarter-final stage. Change will happen but by beating Kerry for the fifth time in Championship history Down maintain a proud record and they will enjoy pointing out that however much things may change, some things always remain the same. 

DOWN: Brendan McVeigh, Daniel McCartan, Dan Gordon, Damien Rafferty, Declan Rooney, Kevin McKernan, Conor Garvey, Ambrose Rodgers (0-02), Kalum King, Daniel Hughes, Mark Poland (1-02), Paul McComiskey (0-02), Brendan Coulter (0-03),  John Clarke, Martin Clarke (0-04) (Subs) Ronan Murtagh (0-01), Conor Maginn (0-01) Ronan Sexton, Peter Fitzpatrick (0-01)

KERRY: Brendan Kealy, Marc O’Se, Tommy Griffin, Tom O’Sullivan, Aidan O’Mahony, Mike McCarthy, Killian Young, Seamus Scanlon, Micheal Quirke, Darran O’Sullivan, Declan O’Sullivan, Donnacha Walsh, Colm Cooper (0-07), Kieran Donaghy, Bryan Sheehan (0-03) (Subs) David Moran (1-00), Barry John Keane, Daniel Bohane, Kieran O’Leary, Anthony Maher

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Kildare and Meath’s clash at headquarters yesterday was a game set to the rhythm of upbeat music and Kildare danced their way stylishly over the finish line. Kildare have become notoriously slow starters throughout the qualifiers and yesterday was no different, finding themselves 1-3 to no score down after fifteen minutes of high octane Royal play. There is no better man to have in the trenches than Dermot Earley and his loss through injury after only a minute of play was certainly a cause for concern amongst the Lilywhite faithful. Meath were playing high intensity showing no ill effects from the backlash of their Leinster Final victory. Joe Sheridan was a towering brute amongst the Kildare defence, a tormentor whose scores and general play contributed greatly to Meath’s first half lead. However, pressure makes diamonds and when leaders were needed up stepped man of the match, Johnny Doyle, who pointed a gifted effort from the sideline to kick-start the Kildare revival and eventual overthrow the Leinster champions. Genius at its best must be recognised and Doyle deserves all the plaudits he gets. He simply refuses to bow. His courage and mental strength is titan like. After he misguided a 21 yard free wide memories of last weekend’s six first half wides against Monaghan began to become embroidered in the mind but the scorer in chief plugged away and finished with an impressive 8 points, five of which came from play. While Meath started the better, Kildare’s vital scores were to come at crucial times. Their goals were pleasing on the eye for the old breed, where direct football flourished, both Kavanagh and Smith polishing off fine long balls to the back of the net leaving the half time score Meath 1-9 Kildare 2-5.

In the second half Meath simply vanished with Kildare’s forceful runs dissecting the Meath defence time and time again with Kavanagh, O’Neill and O’Flaherty all pointing phenomenal efforts and playing prominent roles. Kildare’s defence was excellent too. Not since God said to Abraham ‘kill me a son’ has discipline been enforced as much. Led by Emmet Bolton they were in inscrutable form, turning over possession constantly and refusing to breach the rules of the game, to the extent that Meath withdrew their key free taker Cian Ward mid way through the second half with the game clearly needing to be won on imagination and not routine. If Kildare’s forwards were finding confidence contagious then Meath’s forwards were learning that so was lack of confidence, only scoring a poor return of three second half points. Meath eventually rallied reducing the difference to three (2-12 to 1-12) but again the relentless Doyle fulfilled his duty as captain, spearheading further onslaughts between the Meath posts to ensure that Kildare would advance to play Down in the All-Ireland semi final.

It was an engrossing Kildare performance with few blemishes. McGeeney’s side showed true grit and resilience after the early loss of talisman Dermot Earley and yet again their forwards ran up a big score. Meath couldn’t match the heights they reached in the first half, perhaps deflated by Smith’s sucker punch goal before the half time whistle sounded and their challenge evaporated into thin air when Kildare’s momentum from the past six weeks began to strangle and punish every mistake they made.

Full time score: Kildare 2-17 Meath 1-12.

Kildare: S McCormack, B Flanagan, H McGrillen, A Mclochlainn, E Bolton (0-1), P Kelly, E Callaghan, D Flynn, D Earley, M O’Flaherty, P O’Neill (0-2), E O’Flaherty (0-5 {3f}), J Kavanagh (1-1 {1f}), A Smith (1-0), J Doyle (0-8 {3f}. Subs: H Lynch for Earley (1), M Foley for Flanagan (37), R Sweeney for Callaghan (46), G White for Bolton (57), D Lyons for Kelly (62).

Meath: B Murphy, C O’Connor (0-1), K Reilly, E Harrington, A Moyles, G O’Brien, C King, N Crawford, B Meade (0-1), S Kenny, S Bray, G Reilly (0-2), C Ward (1-2 {2f}), S O’Rourke (0-2), J Sheridan (0-3). Subs: C McGuinness for Moyles (50), J Queeney (0-1 {1f}) for Ward (51).

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Cork advance to the All-Ireland semi final after an unconvincing victory over Connacht champions Roscommon. A slight rainfall before scheduled business led to poor football in the opening exchanges with players on both sides failing to grasp the initiative, struggling to find their scoring range and all too often their footing. Cork forged an unconvincing lead through the ever reliable feet of Daniel Goulding but Roscommon roared on by their enthusiastic hordes of colourful followers chipped away gradually at their lead, Donie Shine’s kick starting the assault with a magnificent effort from underneath the Cusack Stand. When the half time whistle sounded Roscommon had clawed back to trail by a single margin (O-6 to 0-5) after great forward bursts, including a long range effort from centre forward, David O’Gara. Cork’s defence had been playing in mindless riddles, shovelling the ball around the backline and often resorting back to the safety of goalkeeper Alan Quirke.

Counihan’s executions were swift, making three changes at half time, and so too were the results; substitute Nicholas Murphy announcing his arrival by fielding the throw in and setting up man of the match Pearse O’Neill for the first score of the second half. However Roscommon showed good appetite early in the second half firing over three points without response to lead for the first time in the game (0-9 - 0-8) but then the drive stalled and it was Cork who slipped into high gear and cruised. It was clear in this David versus Goliath clash with twenty minutes to go that Roscommon possessed no slingshot to silence Cork. If Roscommon were a violin then Shine was the bow which made them play and once Cork severed the strings their top scorer this summer with 1-31 could do little to slice the deficit. Roscommon’s momentum vanished like snow in a summer sun and Cork began to attack in waves proving they had enough arrows in the quiver to shoot the Rossies down. When quick hands thieved Roscommon wing back David Casey of possession, the end product was quick and bloodless, O’Neill blasting to the net for the game’s only goal (1-14 to 0-10)). In truth there should of been more goals but Cork seemed to lack the natural predatory instincts needed to demoralise an opponent to the point of oblivion, Miskella and O’Connor both wasting opportunities to bring the winning score into double figures.

Cork is still searching for clarity in their starting fifteen but the sheer depth of their panel allows them to and the results yesterday were immense. After half time they gradually built up momentum to the extent that their half back line was over-running their entire forward line toward the final encounters. Although they have yet again stumbled forward this year, the fact is that they are now in their sixth successive All-Ireland semi final and if yesterday’s performance didn’t convince the Cork fans at least Kerry and Tyrone’s on Saturday did. As for Roscommon their over reliance on twenty one year old Donie Shine for scores began to hinder their creative outlet. Of the 1-41 Roscommon scored in their four championship outings this year Shine amazingly kicked 1-31.

Full time score: Cork 1-16 Roscommon 0-10.

Cork: A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, J O’Sullivan, N O’Leary, G Canty(0-1), P Kissane, D Kavanagh, A Walsh, P Kelly, P O’Neill (1-2) P Kerrigan (0-2) D Goulding (0-6 {2f, 1'45}) C Sheehan (0-2), C O’Neill. Subs: N Murphy for Walsh (ht), D O’Connor (0-3 {1p}) for O’Neill (ht), J Miskella for O’Sullivan (ht), A O’Connor for Kavanagh (51), E Cotter for Canty (58).

Roscommon: G Claffey, S McDermott, P Domican, S Ormsby, S Purcell, C Dineen, D Casey, M Finneran (0-1), K Mannion (0-1), D Keeenan, D O’Gara (0-1), C Cregg, J Rogers (0-1), D Shine (0-5 {3f}), G Heneghan (0-1). Subs: C Garvey for Purcell (48), K Higgins for Rogers (51), E Kenny for Mannion (55), J Dunning for Cregg (62), J Nolan for casey (66).

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After a less than enthralling encounter between Cork and Roscommon a damp Croke Park crowd were treated to one of the games of the championship.

Kildare and Meath put on an exhibition of forward play that punctuated the squally showers that drove fans to the cover of the stands.

The Lilywhites put in an emphatic second half performance with Johnny Doyle and James Kavanagh leading the way after the loss of Dermot Earley through injury in the first minute.

Kildare seemed shell-shocked by the absence of their talismanic midfielder and Meath took full advantage going six pints clear early on.

The Meath forward line was on fire, Cian Ward, Shane O’Rourke and the experienced Joe Sheridan clocked in with points before another goal line controversy awarded Meath a goal.

Sheridan’s quick turn and strike caught Kildare goalkeeper Shane Mc Cormack off guard, he saved onto the crossbar and into Brian Meade’s arms who was fouled as he made progress towards goal.

Mc Cormack will be disappointed he didn’t keep out Cian Ward’s penalty, the ball escaping his grasp before dribbling over the line.

Kildare didn’t panic, Doyle (2), Eoghan O’Flaherty and Kavanagh all scored however Meath restored their four point lead through Chris O’Connor and Graham Reilly.

James Kavanagh has been one of the finds of this year’s Championship with performances that have placed him as a definite All-Star contender and it was a moment of magic from the Ballymore Eustace man that began Kildare’s revival.

He plucked down a high searching ball, threw a dummy solo that left Brendan Murphy in no mans land, leaving a simple tap in.

Throughout the first half Meath had a habit of scoring four points on the trot and they did it again, however another Kildare goal from the fist of Alan Smith all but cancelled that out.

This meant one point separated the teams at the break. Meath 1-09 – 2-05 Kildare.

Kieran McGeeney’s men greeted the second half the better and points from Padraig O’Neill, Doyle, Emmet Bolton and Eoghan O’Flaherty (2) had the white section of 47,016 fans on their feet.

Meath’s resulting three points ended the points tally for the team and Kildare continued striding forward with confidence. Doyle shook of the shackles after a poor performance against Monaghan and once again showed his prowess inside the opponent’s half.

He was backed up by O’Flaherty and between them they added six points to Kildare’s lead. It spelled the end of Meath’s Championship for another year and the team’s frustration manifested itself in a second yellow card for Seamus Kenny.
Teams and Scorers:
Kildare
S McCormack, P Kelly, H McGrillen, A MacLochlainn, M O’Flaherty, E Bolton (0-1), B Flanagan, D Flynn, D Earley, J Kavanagh (1-1, 0-1f), P O’Neill (0-2), E O’Flaherty (0-5, 2f), J Doyle (0-8, 3f), A Smith (1-0), E Callaghan.
Subs
H Lynch for Earley, M Foley for Flanagan, R Sweeney for Callaghan, G White for Bolton, D Lyons for Kelly

Meath
B Murphy, C O’Connor (0-1), K Reilly, E Harrington, A Moyles, G O’Brien, C King, N Crawford, B Meade (0-1), S Kenny, J Sheridan (0-3), G Reilly (0-2), C Ward (1-2, 1-0 pen, 0-2f), S O’Rourke (0-2), S Bray.
Subs
C McGuinness for Moyles, J Queeney (0-1, f) for Ward

Referee: M Duffy (Sligo)

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The final whistle at Croke Park was greeted by a respectful round of applause by a sea of blue and yellow. Roscommon’s fans travelled in numbers to cheer on their team who were resilient in defeat despite the nine point margin.

Cork will have much to ponder ahead of the semi–finals; the Rebels struggled to impose their dominance until the second half where they finally exposed the gap in the quality between the sides.

Another concern for Conor Counihan and his backroom staff will be over the fitness of inspirational captain Graham Canty who left the field with a hamstring injury.

Daniel Goulding led the charge early for Cork with two points from the dead ball however Donal Shine responded with a sumptuous curling effort from the left that got the whole of Croke Park on their feet.

Shine’s point was the highlight of the game in terms of attacking play, a hint of things to come later in the day where Meath and Kildare players put on an exhibition of scoring.

Cork were frustrated in the opening exchanges, a dogged Roscommon defence was helped out by the forwards, despite this, Goulding’s four points dragged Cork kicking and screaming to a 0-05 to 0-01 lead after 22 minutes.

Roscommon rallied with scores from David O’Gara and John Rogers before Shine added to his growing reputation with two more points to leave the game delicately poised at Cork 0-06, Roscommon 0-05 at the break.

Momentum carried Roscommon to an early lead in the second half, Ger Heneghan’s effort was smartly tipped over the bar by Cork net minder Alan Quirke before the Rossies midfielders Michael Finneran and Karol Mannion compounded their grip on the game with a point apiece.

Cork were buoyed by the quality of subs at their disposal and it was the changes made by Counihan that made the difference in this encounter. The Rebels began to pull clear of Roscommon and when Pearse O’Neill netted and Donncha O’Connor clipped over a penalty the game was all but over as a contest.

Teams and Scorers:
Cork
A Quirke, R Carey, M Shields, J O’Sullivan, N O’Leary, G Canty (0-1), P Kissane, D Kavanagh, A Walsh, P Kerrigan (0-2), P O’Neill (1-2), P Kelly, D Goulding (0-6, 2f, 1 ‘45), C Sheehan (0-2), C O’Neill.
Subs
N Murphy forWalsh, D O’Connor (0-3, 1 pen) for C O’Neill, J Miskella for O’Sullivan, E Cotter for Canty, A O’Connor for Kavanagh

Roscommon
G Claffey, S McDermott, P Domican, S Ormsby, S Purcell, C Dineen, D Casey, M Finneran (0-1), Karol Mannion (0-1), D Keenan, D O’Gara (0-1), C Cregg, J Rogers (0-1), D Shine (0-5, 3f), G Heneghan (0-1).
Subs
C Garvey for Purcell, K Higgins for Rogers, E Kenny for Mannion, J Dunning for Cregg
Referee: C Reilly (Meath)

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A steadily-improving Dublin produced their best performance of the Championship so far to stun Ulster Champions Tyrone 1-15 to 0-13.

What was mostly a very tight game was only decided by a late Eoghan O’Gara goal and successive points in the aftermath.

The Dubs scored three points without reply between the first and sixth minutes to put themselves in a good starting position.

By the twenty-second minute the Metropolitans led 0-6 to 0-2, and Tyrone needed to find their rhythm fast.

The Red Hand went on to score five unreturned points, putting them in the lead for the first time.

By then the match had an end-to-end feel to it, with one side scoring a point and then the other side in turn scoring their own.

Philip McMahon almost immediately pegged Tyrone back with his own point from long-range. Martin Penrose restored Tyrone’s advantage in the thirty-fourth minute with a free-kick.

Half-time saw Tyrone go in with the most slender of leads: 0-8 to 0-7.

The second half continued in much the same way as the first, with both sides kicking points in reply to each other.

A point each from Alan and Bernard Brogan saw the Dubs lead 0-11 to 0-10, but Brian McGuigan almost instantly levelled the game again for Tyrone.

The younger of the Brogan brothers pointed twice, but points from Martin Penrose and Owen Mulligan left the game delicately poised going into the final five minutes.

A Paul Flynn shot rebounded off the goalpost, and the ball fell to Eoghan O’Gara- who duly smashed the ball into the goal.

Points from Conal Keaney and Michael Dara Macauley meant the Dubs finished this thrilling match with a 1-15 to 0-13 win.

The Dubs, who lost to Tyrone in 2008 at Kerry last year at this stage, can now look forward to a semi-final meeting with Cork.

Although the attack will claim many of the plaudits in the post-match analysis, Dublin owe their success largely to an effective defence marshalled by Rory O’Carroll at full-back.

Dublin: S Cluxton (0-1, ‘45), M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon (0-1), K Nolan, G Brennan, B Cahill, MD Macauley (0-1), R McConnell, B Cullen (0-1), A Brogan (0-1), N Corkery, D Henry, E O’Gara (1-0), B Brogan (0-9, 5f).
Subs: P Flynn for Henry, C O’Sullivan for Cahill, E Fennell for Corkery, C Keaney (0-1, f) for A Brogan,, A Brogan for Cullen

Tyrone: P McConnell, C McCarron, Justin McMahon, R McMenamin, D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan (0-2), C Cavanagh, K Hughes, B Dooher, B McGuigan (0-1), Joe McMahon, M Penrose (0-5, 4f), S Cavanagh, O Mulligan (0-5, 2f).
Subs: D Carlin for McCarron, S O’Neill for Harte, E McGinley for Hughes, P Harte for Penrose

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In a day of two shock results, Down claimed perhaps the biggest shock of the season by beating 2009 All-Ireland Champions Kerry 1-16 to 1-10 at Croke Park.

The Mourne men had a dream start to the quarter-final, with Mark Poland scoring in the first minute.

Sloppy defending by Michael Quirke allowed Poland in to power his shot past Kerry ‘keeper Brendan Kealy.

Benny Coulter followed the goal with a point, putting Down 1-2 ahead within three minutes.

It took fourteen minutes for Kerry to register any reply to Down’s mounting scores, and it was a player who had kicked three wides who knocked a point over.

Captain Paul Sheehan atoned for his earlier misses with a well-taken point following a nice offload by Kieran Donaghy.

The Kingdom’s Colm Cooper went on to kick three points over without reply, and Down’s excellent start was almost forgotten by the twenty-second minute when Kerry had a goal ruled out.

Donnacha Walsh passed to Killian Young out to the right of the Down goal, and Young hammered the ball past Brendan McVeigh in goal.

The referee then controversially disallowed the goal for what he judged to be a hand-passed offload from Walsh to Young.

Down went until the twenty-sixth minute without scoring a single point, but Martin Walsh eventually put two on the board in quick succession.

The match ebbed and flowed with both sides enjoying spells of dominance in the first half.

Down gave the ball away to Kerry far too easily at times, while Kerry were guilty of slack defending when Down put them undeer pressure.

Mark Poland scored two more points in the thirty-second and thirty-third minutes to bring his tally to 1-02.

Half-time saw Down take a commanding 1-7 to 0-4 lead in to the dressing room.

Martin Clarke, formerly of AFL club Collingwood, got the first score of the second half with a fine point in the a minute after play resumed from close range.

Points from Colm Cooper and Paul Sheehan brought Kerry back to within four points of Down, putting the Kingdom very much in the ascendancy.
A turning point came soon after as Donnacha Walsh was given a second yellow card for oulling Mark Poland down by his neck.

The resulting numerical advantage meant that Kerry were placed firmly on the back foot as Down were allowed far more time on the ball.

Kerry did manage to knock points over through Colm Cooper and Paul Sheehan but the writing was firmly on the wall for the 2009 champions.

Conor Maginn, Benny Coulter and Ronan Murtagh all pointed for Down before Colm Cooper managed to reply with his own point for Kerry.

The Ulstermen had a nine point lead with three minutes remaining, and even a last-gasp flourish could not spare Kerry.

David Moran scored from the penalty with seconds remaining after Donaghy was fouled, but it was only a consolation goal and the Kingdom crashed out of the 2010 All-Ireland Championship.

Down: B McVeigh, D McCartan, D Gordon, D Rafferty, D Rooney, K McKernan, C Garvey, A Rodgers (0-2, 1 ‘45), K King, D Hughes, M Poland (1-2, 0-1f), P McComiskey (0-2), B Coulter (0-3), J Clarke, M Clarke (0-4, 2f, 1 ‘45).
Subs: C Maginn (0-1) for J Clarke, R Murtagh (0-1) for McComiskey, B McArdle for Rooney, P Fitzpatrick (0-1) for King, R Sexton for Poland

Kerry: B Kealy, M O Se, T Griffin, T O’Sullivan, A O’Mahony, M McCarthy, K Young, S Scanlon, M Quirke, Darran O’Sullivan, Declan O’Sullivan, D Walsh, C Cooper (0-7 (5f), K Donaghy, B Sheehan (0-3, 1f, 1 ‘45).
Subs: D Moran (1-0, pen) for Quirke, BJ Keane for Scanlon, K O’Leary for Darran O’Sullivan, A O’Connell for O’Mahony, D Bohan for Young, A Maher for Sheehan

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A goal on the 51 seconds mark from Mark Poland for Down set the tone for the rain soaked Saturday afternoon in Croke Park. All day Down fans travelled in vain hope that they might put up a competitive performance to build on for next year. The goliath’s of Kerry travelled in anticipation that they would eventually wriggle off the challenge of Down in what seemed a run of the mill game for Kerry, but history had been and was on Down’s side amazingly enough.

The win on Saturday meant that the hold Down had over Kerry continued and it seemed to be in the mind of the Down players from the very start with inspirational performances from men like Down number 8, Ambrose Rodgers, who began the game like a man out to prove a point. The question of whether the Kerry midfield could cope with the loss of the astounding Darragh O’Se was laid to the midfield of Michael Quirke and Seamus Scanlon and it was answered by Jack O Connor who duly whipped them off when he saw the ship was sinking.

The match itself proved to be intriguing, surprisingly a little one-sided in favour of Down for most of it, but when Kerry played they put Down under huge pressure. A man who seemed to buy into the nerves that had set onto the Kerry players was their captain and their marksman number 15, Bryan Sheehan, who attained 5 wides by the 15th minute. In fact it took Kerry that length of time to register their first score but by then Down had racked up 1-3 and the Mourne men and women who had travelled in their thousands began to believe that a surprise result go could go in their favour.

Down designed their game plan right from the back by trying to eliminate the aerial threat of Kieran “Star” Donaghy by throwing Down’s shining star for so many years, big Dan Gordon, onto him. Unfortunately for the Kerry contingent packed into Croke Park yesterday, Donaghy never really got ahead of his marker so much so that in the 2nd half Jack O’Connor was forced to move Kieran out.

Down’s bright start came as a shock to many, but in the warm up manager James McCartan seemed to instill his players to work very hard from minute one by using the ball to their advantage. The main three behind this were centre half forward Mark Poland, left half forward Paul McComiskey and corner forward Martin Clarke. These three pulled the strings for Down and caused untold damage to what looked like a brittle Kerry back 6. The goal itself came from a long ball into the corner that was ultimately flicked on into the path of Poland who duly stuck into high above Kerry rookie goalkeeper Brendan Kealy’s head.

That was the dream start that Down had wanted and they had set the next quarter of an hour trying to do something that many teams do when they come up against Kerry, they tried not to relinquish the lead.  Kerry tried to put pressure on Down by enacting their blanket defence but the perplexed Kerry management were two steps behind the Down management at all times.

But on days like this teams who win will need the rub of the green and the first sight of that was the disallowed goal that Kerry were full sure was a legit goal. The referee, Cavan man Joe McQuillan, judged that Donnacha Walsh’s handpass just before the goal to the oncoming Killian Young was illegal and Kerry people began to feel that today was not their day.

The 34th minute substitute for Kerry was a sign of the day, big number 9 Quirke was called ashore and this gave Down confidence to push on, the Down fans urged their lads on because they knew that Kerry were on the rack, they knew that if they kept their heads that it was their day. They went into the break 1-7 to 0-4 up and were fully deserved of the lead.

The second half was almost parallel to the first half. Kerry who were out on the field first after receiving the hairdryer treatment from O’Connor were determined to get scores on the board and they moved the “star” Donaghy out to the middle to get him into the game. Donaghy really nearly made an impact to save the day on the 51st minute when he was put through 1 on 1 with Down veteran goalkeeper Brendan McVeigh only for McVeigh to come out on top with a fantastic point blank save. Kerry who at this point had taken off their midfield and right half forward Darran O’Sullivan were running out of ideas and were at a loss at how to deal with former aussie rules star Martin Clarke who was running the show by sweeping up any loose ball in the down defence and getting up the field to get on the end of many moves that left with him a tally of 5 points, albeit 3 from frees.

James McCarten however had one trick left up his sleeve, the Down players were looking out on their feet and needed inspiration from the bench, the call was duly answered on the 56th minute with the introduction of the formidable Ronan Murtagh who took the place of Paul McComiskey. Murtagh gave Down another burst of pace in the forward line and was at hand to finish off a Kerry defence who were on life support.

The Kerry cause wasn’t helped though by the dubious sending off of Kerry wing forward Donnacha Walsh, the second yellow card for what looked like a harmless challenge for the cromane man all but sealed the win for Down who continued mercilessly to bombard Kerry to leave the score at a 1-16 to 1-10, Kerry getting a consolation goal in the last minute through a soft penalty on the 71st minute. Down who have recreated the spirit of previous great Down teams will be a tough task for Kildare but the county of Down will forever remember the team who kept the tradition going of beating Kerry.

Down: B McVeigh, D McCartan, D Gordon, D Rafferty, D Rooney, K McKernan, C Garvey, A Rodgers (0-2, 1 ‘45), K King, D Hughes, M Poland (1-2, 0-1f), P McComiskey (0-2), B Coulter (0-3), J Clarke, M Clarke (0-4, 2f, 1 ‘45).
Subs: C Maginn (0-1) for J Clarke, R Murtagh (0-1) for McComiskey, B McArdle for Rooney, P Fitzpatrick (0-1) for King, R Sexton for Poland

Kerry: B Kealy, M O Se, T Griffin, T O’Sullivan, A O’Mahony, M McCarthy, K Young, S Scanlon, M Quirke, Darran O’Sullivan, Declan O’Sullivan, D Walsh, C Cooper (0-7 (5f), K Donaghy, B Sheehan (0-3, 1f, 1 ‘45).
Subs: D Moran (1-0, pen) for Quirke, BJ Keane for Scanlon, K O’Leary for Darran O’Sullivan, A O’Connell for O’Mahony, D Bohan for Young, A Maher for Sheehan

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The hill was truly alive with the sound of Dublin on Saturday as the Dublin team laid to rest the ghosts of 2008 and 2009 with a fantastic performance to give a new found optimism in the capital to Gilroy and the boys. The Dublin team who never let their northern counterparts play to their normally high standards started the game at an incredible tempo and finished with a roar from the thousands of Dubs that came out in force for similar to what Down thought what might be but weren’t too sure if they could.

What was important for the Dubs and fans I talked too was the start for the team, the memory of the Kerry game last year with Colm Cooper netting after the first minute was still fresh in the mind of the Dubs who were there. It would have been in the minds of the players who were lining out, but the team had changed since then with it being ‘out with the old, in with the new’ as Gilroy’s motto which had mixed results up until now, ranging from Dublin’s first win in Killarney in the league for a long time to a car crash performance against Wexford where they somehow managed to stumble over the line. Tyrone had come into this game as provincial champions and were worthy favourites after ’08. Mickey Harte made one significant change for this game with the move of Sean Cavanagh to full forward to what Mickey Harte thought he could do was expose the rookie Dublin full back of Rory O’Carroll.

However the move seemed to have helped O’Carroll who produced the greatest performance from a Dublin full back since the days of Paddy Christie. Tyrone started as usual though with the blanket defence from the offset with big Joe McMahon acting as a sweeper for the red hand but wore the number 12 on his back. For Mickey Harte though the number on your back is just that, a number. Gilroy started a tactical battle then from the offset by setting up his charges in a formation to counter that of Tyrone. Dublin captain David Henry started on the wing and the Dublin used him as a playmaker by playing everything through him to drag the Tyrone backline asunder and to Dublin’s credit it began to work. The lead that Dublin built up of 0-6 to 0-2 was a signal of that.

The defensive system both sides employed resulted in the game becoming rather scrappy with a huge amount of frees being awarded to both sides. Tyrone used this to pump up the pressure on the Jacks but usually accurate men like Cavanagh, Brian Dooher and others left their shooting boots up at home and Tyrone began to rack up the wides.

For the dubs all year they needed and wanted someone to step into the shoes of the fearful Ciaran Whelan who had put the fear of god into many teams through the years, the call though was answered by a youthful flyer by the name of Michael Dara McCauley. The Tyrone team never got going at midfield and that it was in no small part to McCauley.

For Tyrone they were being kept in it on the score sheet from the formidable marksmen Owen Mulligan and Martin Penrose, the start that Dublin had however was pulled back by the Tyrone machine to leave 1 in it at the break to the Red Hand, Tyrone 0-8 Dublin 0-7.

Half time brought some much needed rest for fans after the first exhilarating half and the second half was going to be the same, the switches from both sides would have a massive effect on the game with the introduction of Paul Flynn for David Henry, Cian O Sullivan for Barry Cahill for the dubs and the introduction of Stephen O Neill for David Harte. The legs introduced for the dubs started to show with Tyrone going through the second half like a slow death, players like Dooher and Cavanagh were being pushed into mistakes and the doglike performance of the Dublin backs sweeped the breaks up accordingly.

All through the year the Dublin faithful had been weary of what was perceived as a way too inexperienced full back line, all three rookies but yesterday they showed maturity beyond their years, with corner back Philly McMahon even getting up for a superb long range score, similar to the previous game for Down. As soon as the Dubs were starting to put daylight between the two sides the fans began to believe that today was their day, the Tyrone team were not giving up just yet though and bombarded the Dublin defence with pressure but anything Mickey Harte and his team through at Dublin it was swiftly batted away with ease.

The icing on the cake for the Dublin team was the goal for Eoghan O’Gara, the man who is quickly building a reputation for himself around Dublin and elsewhere got on the end of a move that was very much against the run of play. Ger Brennan who was sweeping up at 6 sent in a ball on the head of Bernard Brogan who laid it off to the oncoming Paul Flynn who hit the bar only for O’Gara to sweep across the rebound to leave a five point win to send the Hill into raptures and with the spirit of ’95 the Dubs will begin to believe again.

Dublin: S Cluxton (0-1, ‘45), M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon (0-1), K Nolan, G Brennan, B Cahill, MD Macauley (0-1), R McConnell, B Cullen (0-1), A Brogan (0-1), N Corkery, D Henry, E O’Gara (1-0), B Brogan (0-9, 5f).
Subs: P Flynn for Henry, C O’Sullivan for Cahill, E Fennell for Corkery, C Keaney (0-1, f) for A Brogan, A Brogan for Cullen

Tyrone: P McConnell, C McCarron, Justin McMahon, R McMenamin, D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan (0-2), C Cavanagh, K Hughes, B Dooher, B McGuigan (0-1), Joe McMahon, M Penrose (0-5, 4f), S Cavanagh, O Mulligan (0-5, 2f).
Subs: D Carlin for McCarron, S O’Neill for Harte, E McGinley for Hughes, P Harte for Penrose

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Kerry V Down

For me I think this will be the biggest shock of the weekend. Many analysts have downplayed this tie by writing off Down and I feel this will be a lot closer than expected. Down have displayed very solid performances all year and with the addition this year of Aussie rules star Martin Clarke, and the escapades of their Under 21 sides, last year, including a heartbreaking All-Ireland defeat to Cork they will have the bit between their teeth going up against the Goliath-like kingdom of Kerry.
Kerry will be missing six of their All-Ireland winning 15 of last year. No matter what team it is missing six of the 15 is hard to replace. Every time I’ve seen them this year they have never impressed me while Down’s downfall so far this year seems to be their youthful inexperience. I’m putting my neck on the line here but I have faith in Down to pull through tomorrow.

Verdict: Down by 2

Tyrone V Dublin

This game is a massive test for the young guns of Dublin who have become the pioneers of a new brand of football that was so alien to Dublin players and fans alike. Tyrone on the other hand have become the master of this type of football more commonly known as the blanket defence.  Dublin, of course, have attained the status of perennial chokers in recent times because of the car crash like performances of ’08 and ’09 so expectations in the capital are understandably quite low.

Tyrone on the other hand are flying quite high at the moment, they suffered defeat to a strong Cork team last August in the All-Ireland semi final but their performances to date would suggest they are determined to let people know that they are not gone yet.
Tyrone are the obvious favourites in this tie and I for one would go along with the prediction of them as winners. However I do not think it will be a hammering. This is a determined, changed for the better Dublin team, but this game on Saturday is a step too far.

Verdict: Tyrone by four

Verdict: Roscommon V Cork

Cork, forever the bridesmaids continue their quest for an All-Ireland that began back in ’08 but are still struggling to push themselves over the line. However I don’t think this test on Sunday will be their banana skin if they are to have their annual one. Cork when they get to Croke Park are always quietly confident except when they play their near neighbours but Conor Counihan must be confident his side will have enough in the tank to sweep Roscommon out of the way.

Roscommon on the other hand have stumbled into the position of Connacht champions. A good side with some bright lights like Donie Shine but I could firmly rule them out of making any more progress this year. The Connacht title was their All Ireland and I feel Fergal O’Donnell will be hoping for a competitive performance from his charges to round off a rather successful year.

Verdict: Cork by six

Meath V Kildare

A first and eagerly awaited look at the team that will be talked about for years and years to come. The incident that has become known as Sludden-gate will go down in many great moments of GAA but for now the footballers of Meath must focus firmly on their near neighbours in Kildare. The champions of leinster in name are back in Croke park up against McGeeney’s charges in a game that is reminiscent of many great battles through the years and this is surely to be another one just like that where Eamonn O’Brien’s men from the Royal County will look to build progress on what has been a topsy turvy year so far. Many people feel that the win over Louth was through unnecessary behaviour from Joe Sheridan so they will be out to prove a point of what they are about but Kildare may put a stop on the tracks with the momentum that they have built up over the last few weeks. Kildare suffered defeat to the hands of Louth also earlier on in the season which put a dampener on their year, but they have bounced back enough to secure a place in the All Ireland semi finals.

Verdict: Kildare by three.

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