Kerry v Down, Croke Park, 2.00pm
Down currently hold a 100% record in meetings with Kerry, coming into this game 4/4, the most recent being in 1991. Since then, the two counties have gone in separate directions in terms of success. Down won the All-Ireland in '91 and '94 but since then the closest they came to silverwhere was an Ulster final draw with Tyrone in 2003 and a drubbing in the replay. Kerry, on the other hand, have appeared in the last 6 All-Ireland finals, emerging as victors in 4 of them.
Could it be the best time to face Kerry? It is likely to be. This game they are missing Paul Galvin and Tomas O'Se, both of whom are suspended. Aidan O'Mahony returns to fill in the void left by O'Se at right-half-back. A timely return but will he be up to championship pace? Indeed, will the whole team suffer from the long lay-off from the Munster final? Down have had much more game time and their confidence will be sky high after last week's demolition of Sligo. They are also boosted by the availability of Damien Rafferty and star-man Benny Coulter, who have shaken off injuries sustained in that game.
I was critical before of Dan Gordon playing full-back and I would still worry about him facing nippy opponents but he should be well suited to mark Kieran Donaghy. I feel that Down will have the upper-hand in midfield where Caolan King and Ambrose Rodgers have been superb so far this year and once again the amount of ball that Marty Clarke gets on will be pivotal to Down's chances.
Down lack the big-game experience that Kerry have but I think they will surprise a lot of people tomorrow and I'm backing them to pull off a huge upset.
Verdict: Down
Tyrone v Dublin, Croke Park, 4.00pm
Are Dublin relishing the chance to get revenge against Tyrone or are they fearful that they are not good enough to beat them? I would be more prone to think it is the latter. While Dublin have been solid enough in recent times, I would question their mental fragility when things aren't going their way. In the games against Meath, Wexford and Tipperary, they suffered lapses in concentration and focus. To stand any chance tomorrow they will need to play for the full 70 minutes. They are also all too prone to complete collapses as we have seen numerous times in recent years and Tyrone will have them beyond arms-length in record time if they switch off.
For Tyrone, Brian McGuigan replaces his brother in attack and this doesn't really weaken them. In fact, I think it will be of benefit to have another player who is controlled in posession. In the game 2 years ago, Colm McCullagh controlled the game from deep and that might just be McGuigan's role this game.
The key to this game will be Tyrone's intelligence of movement and their ability to work the ball into great shooting positions. I don't think the Dublin defense will be able to cope with this and I dont think their attack is varied enough to break Tyrone down.
Verdict: Tyrone
Roscommon v Cork, Croke Park, 2.00pm
Roscommon are in bonus territory and will be out to enjoy this occasion and try to play their best football. In normal circumstances it would be a game where you would worry about Cork underestimating a much-less fancied opposition but I don't think this will be the case. After last weeks below par performance against Limerick, Cork will be on their guard this time and I think we will see a much improved performance.
Man for man, there is quite a sizeable gulf in class between the two teams and I expect Cork to have too much power in the half-back and midfield areas of the pitch. They have such a strong bench and with places possibly up for grabs in many areas, the players will be looking to cement their places for the latter stages of the competition.
Verdict: Cork
Meath v Kildare, Croke Park, 4.00pm
Meath haven't had a game since their narrow win against Louth and they probably could have benefitted from offering them a replay in that sense! They have a few big-game players in the team and they are one of the teams who are quite vulnerable if any of them have an off-day. They disposed of Dublin well but were never really tested in that game when they got the easy goals. More worringly, they were very poor against Louth in the second half.
Kildare for me have been the most impressive team in the championship this year. They do shoot from some low-percentage angles and distances but they create so many chances that it works out in the end. Mentally, they look very strong and not surprisingly, given they are under the tutelage of Kieran McGeeney, they are all fighting fit. In the games against Derry and Monaghan they just kept coming wave after wave of attack and both teams eventually succumbed to the pressure. Dermot Early is the leader and inspiration in midfield and it seems that in Emmet Bolton, there is a player who McGeeney is moulding himself in to be the heartbeat of the team from centre-half-back.
Meath have a chance if they score a couple of goals but in my mind the most probable outcomes are either a narrow or a wide Kildare winning margin.
Verdict: Kildare
0 comments:
Post a Comment