The 16th Man

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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