1. Can Roscommon cope with the pressure that’s on them?
Roscommon have been labelled as ‘dark horses’ so often already this summer that it is coming to the stage where they must start being labelled as genuine contenders to be involved in the championship come August.
On Saturday night they face a stern test in Markievicz Park when they take on Sligo in the Connacht semi-final. Roscommon are under serious pressure to deliver a performance that justifies all the hype.
They have an abundance of supremely talented young players involved this season, players who know all about winning Connacht titles. A Connacht title is the realistic aim for the Rossies this year.
Their opening round victory over London was not as straight-forward as many would have expected, but you can be sure they won’t take this Sligo side for granted.
2. Can Sligo compete in Connacht again?
It’s been over three years since Sligo last won a championship match in Connacht and they have have been dumped out by both London and Galway in the intervening time. It’s also been eight years since their historic capture of the Connacht title and they have done little of note since, aside from beating Mayo in 2010.
They will look to familiar faces to launch their assault on Connacht again this year, with the side relying mainly on the speed and goal threat of David Kelly and the unerring accuracy of Adrian Marren.
Niall Murphy is the stand-out player further back the field, the Sigerson Cup winner with DCU will partner debutant Cian Breheny in midfield.
Sligo are an enjoyable side to watch on their day, and are more than capable of racking up a big score. In Sligo they are quietly confident of their chances of toppling Roscommon, and having home advantage will give them an added kick to do just that.
3. Can Fermanagh mount a realistic challenge against Monaghan?
Fermanagh have flown completely under the radar this season and the low-key build-up to this game will suit them down to the ground. With hurling action taking centre-stage on Sunday, many have forgotten there is a provincial final spot up for grabs in Ulster.
Fermanagh were clinical in their eight point win over Antrim three weeks ago and their national league form shows that they are a team in a good place at the moment. The Erne side look capable of putting up considerable resistance to a strongly fancied Monaghan side.
In Ryan Jones and Sean Quigley they have two players capable of both creating and finishing scores while Paul McCusker provides energy and work-rate from the wing-forward position.
If Fermanagh can secure an adequate amount of possession and isolate Quigley inside, they have the keys to unlock the Monaghan defence. The first big upset of the summer could take place in Breffni Park this Sunday when most people’s attentions will lie elsewhere.
4. How will Laois bounce back after the Kildare defeat?
Laois absolutely capitulated in the third quarter of their Leinster quarter-final against Kildare last weekend and that is sure to have hurt the O’Moore men.
However, as the old adage goes, sometimes it’s best to get straight back up on the horse. A visit from an Antrim team that look to be lacking any real motivation a week after that defeat is probably the perfect tonic for their ailment.
The quality of the Laois players meant that they shouldn’t have been blown out of the water so easily against the Lilywhites but sometimes games can just slip by teams like that.
They have enough power from their half-back line and their midfield to dominate teams of Antrim’s quality, and the scoring prowess of Ross Munnelly and Donie Kingston should give them a platform to progress through a few rounds of the qualifiers at least.
5. Will anyone even see qualifiers this weekend?
The GAA have shoehorned the first round of the qualifiers into an afternoon slot on Saturday. None of the games are being televised and only the Longford v Carlow game will be broadcast live on radio.
A high percentage of supporters won’t get the chance to attend the game in Portlaise at 2.30pm or Waterford’s hosting of Offaly half-an-hour before that. The attendances and atmosphere for these games is going to be extremely low.
Most players live for championship football, being in big stadiums where thousands supporters will pack into the ground, but these counties are being robbed of this because of the awkward timing of the games.
For the many supporters who won’t be able to travel to the first round qualifiers they would at least like to see decent highlights of the games on RTÉ on Sunday night, but as ever the games that were shown live during the day will again hog most of the airtime on the Sunday Game highlights show.
Originally published Friday at 14.56