Updated at 8.50am
Will there be another shock in the qualifiers?
The action begins this weekend with round 1B of the qualifiers on Saturday afternoon and there aren’t any ties that stand out on paper. Last weekend’s qualifier action didn’t look appetising either, but Antrim’s victory over Laois was probably the game of the weekend across both codes.
Armagh host Wicklow, and considering their shambolic display against Donegal, and Wicklow’s spirited effort against Meath, a Wicklow victory looks much more likely than it would have a few weeks ago.
Wexford host Down on Saturday evening also, and a victory for the Model men is well within the realms of possibility in what would represent somewhat of a shock.
The visit of Leitrim to Louth may present the biggest chance of a shock this weekend however. Louth’s form is poor, and Leitrim weren’t too far off the pace against Galway, so they will hold no fear of the Wee men upon their visit to Drogheda.
How far have Down and Wexford regressed?
Down showed heart in the Ulster quarter-final defeat to Derry once they were reduced to 14 men but question marks still remain over how good Jim McCorry’s side actually are.
There’s no question about whether or not Down are near the level they were at when they lost the All-Ireland to Cork by just a point in 2010, but their form over the past two years makes you wonder are Down even a top ten team any more.
Wexford on the other hand have just been relegated from Division 3 of the league and they haven’t reached an All-Ireland quarter-final in seven years. In 2012 they were actually competitive against Dublin in the championship and if you go back as far as 2005, they were in a Division One league final.
They’ve lost the likes of Daithí Waters and Lee Chin to the hurlers, while PJ Banville is away in New York, so this Wexford team isn’t as strong as previous ones. Five years ago these two could have been a realistic pairing in an All-Ireland semi-final. On Saturday, however, one of them will exit the 2015 championship without a win.
What game-plan will Derry use to try and stop Donegal?
Donegal have beaten Derry three times in the past four seasons in Ulster, and the gap only seems to be widening between the two. Much has been made of how competitive the province has become, but the gap in quality between Donegal and every other team apart from Monagahan in Ulster is massive.
Derry came perilously close to tripping themselves up when they scraped by 14-man Down in the quarter-final, and Brian McIver came in for plenty of criticism following that display.
Derry are proponents of the blanket defence, although they have failed to win a match against superior opposition in the championship using such tactics.
Armagh’s insistence on funnelling almost every player behind the ball and neglecting their attacking instincts proved their downfall against Donegal, and that should be a lesson for Derry. They have some quality footballers throughout their team, using them in the right way is the only hope they have of beating Donegal.
Will Kirean McGeeney let his players of the leash?
Saturday’s qualifier with Wicklow presents a perfect opportunity for Armagh to rack up a decent score and for Geezer’s forward unit to build a bit of confidence as they try to pick up the pieces following the slaughtering they received from Donegal.
The Orchard’s forward ranks registered just three points from play between them against Donegal and the insistence of playing high balls in on top of men being marked by both Neil and Eamon McGee was baffling to say the least.
Players were dropped too deep back the pitch as Armagh were clearly more concerned with stopping Donegal scoring than actually scoring themselves.
They shouldn’t approach this game as cautiously, as they have better individual players and should have higher fitness levels than Wicklow. A chance to banish some of the demons of the Donegal game, and a chance to get Jamie Clarke and his compatriots up front firing again.
Can Louth stop the rot?
Louth exited the Leinster championship with a whimper when they crashed to a seven-point defeat to Westmeath in the first round, and relegation to Division 4 of the league won’t help them in any way.
It’s been an abysmal year for Louth football, and a loss to Leitrim on Saturday would really leave a sour taste in the mouths of supporters from the Wee County. What Leitrim lack in quality, they more than make up for in effort and if they can stay with Louth for the first half their confidence will grow.
Louth are now investing most of their hope in 18-year-old sensation Ryan Burns and his U21 full-forward partner Conor Grimes. The pair are a decent double-act and will only get better in years to come. Colin Kelly must be hoping they can carry the burdens of Louth football on their shoulders already though.
They will have to establish an early lead and hope that they can dent Leitrim’s confidence to ensure they don’t exit the championship before July.
Originally published at 11.30am 26 June 2015.