1. Cavan’s attack adapt to different challenge
Cavan may have got their Ulster campaign off to a fine start against Armagh last month but much of the post-match debate focused on the naivety of their opponents rather than the Breffni county’s enterprising play.
Yesterday in Enniskillen represented a different challenge with the space afforded to them in attack notably estricted. Yet rather than get frustrated, Cavan were composed. They adapted to the changing circumstances and the twin threat of Martin Dunne and Eugene Keating – so influential against Armagh – surfaced again.
They both shot three points from play to lead the way. Their second-half scores – Keating’s delightful pick up and curled shot from the right wing, Dunne’s angled drive from the left wing – were the moments of magic that helped seperate the teams.
2. Meath get the job done
The bare statistics may portray an unimpressive win for Meath on Saturday night against a team that were relegated to Division 4 this spring. They had five points to spare over Wicklow but got two huge strokes of fortune in seeing Seanie Furlong miss a penalty and Kevin Reilly subsequently score one of the most bizarre goals of all time.
Yet they posted 1-17 on the scoreboard and coped with tricky weather conditions in Aughrim. They exposed newcomers Padraig Harnan, Eamonn Wallace and Mickey Newman to championship football.
And after a tumultuous provincial campaign last summer, they got off to a positive start in the kind of low-key fashion that the county needed. Reaching the higher standards that will be required for the rest of the summer will be a challenge as they get set to face Wexford next time up but they got the job done properly first time out.
3. Laois adopt a sensible defensive approach
The heartwarming display that Laois produced in giving Galway such a test yesterday gave the hurling championship another shot in the arm, a week after Limerick toppled Tipperary.
Laois founded their challenge on a strong defensive display as they piled bodies behind the ball. It was a sensible approach and one they had to adopt. Their last three championship defeats – to Dublin, Limerick and Cork – saw them lose by an average of 27 points and concede 19 goals in the process.
Getting things right at the back was a pre-requisite this year and players of the quality of Matthew Whelan and Cahir Healy helped them achieve that. It’s important to maintain that progress in the qualifiers.
4. Galway’s attacking dilemma
The flipside of yesterday’s game was the attacking return of Anthony Cunningham’s Galway side. Joe Canning lived up to the billing but the issue of supporting him continues to remain. And they’ll need that support if they are to prosper in the Leinster final and beyond.
Their half-forward line – David and Niall Burke along with Cyril Donnellan – were withdrawn before the end of yesterday’s game. Conor Cooney failed to grab a score and Davy Glennon’s goal from a rebound arrived in the last quarter.
Damien Hayes and Aonghus Callanan stuck their hands up for inclusion with late cameos but getting the mix right up front is the selection challenge for Cunningham.
5. Different expectations in Dublin hurling
The last time Dublin were getting set to face Kilkenny in the Leinster championship in Portlaoise, expectations were high that Anthony Daly’s side could cause an upset. Thus losing last June by 2-21 to 0-9 was a sobering experience.
Next Sunday they return to the same venue to face the Cats and the pre-match mood has changed. Dublin are not hurling at the high pitch of old and the standard of their two-game saga with Wexford was poor.
Yet claiming success in Saturday night’s replay was a positive step as they reasserted their status above Wexford in the Leinster hurling pecking order. And the expectations before facing Kilkenny may be different but they are at least pragmatic.
6. Mayo masters of Connacht
Three years ago Mayo were ousted at the first Connacht hurdle by Sligo and two years ago they had just two points to spare as they defeated Roscommon in the provincial final.
The chasm that has developed between Mayo and the rest of their Western rivals since then has been extraordinary. James Horan watched his team obliterate Galway by 17 points last month and crush Roscommon by 12 points yesterday.
Whether it is as a result of Mayo’s improvements, everyone else regressing or a combination of both is immaterial. Mayo have become the masters of Connacht and it’s hard to see them slipping up in the final next month against either London or Leitrim.
7. Familiar faces in Munster final
Cork’s comfortable win over Clare yesterday confirmed what was suspected once the Munster draw was made last October. Conor Counihan will be bringing his side to Killarney on the first Sunday in July with Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s team lying in wait.
Both have posted big scoring totals – Cork 4-37 and Kerry 6-40 – in their two games to date and enjoyed routine success in the early rounds. The difficulty in appraising either’s form is the level of opposition they have faced.
There will be familiarity about who they are facing on July 7th in Fitzgerald Stadium but the intrigue lies in where both sides standard in terms of realising their big ambitions for 2013.
