THE ALLIANZ FOOTBALL League returned with a bang this weekend as Dublin got their five-in-a-row bid underway with a strong performance against Cavan in Breffni Park.
There were also wins for big guns Tyrone and Kerry today, while Cork took some positives from a spirited draw with Galway.
Here we take a run down through the big talking points from today’s action.
New year, same Dubs
And so it continues. Jim Gavin’s sky blue juggernaut rolled into Cavan today and extended their their unbeaten run across the league and championship to an incredible 30 games.
Dublin’s 0-16 to 0-11 win over Cavan was notable for a number of reasons:
- Jack McCaffrey looked extremely lively on his first outing in a Dublin shirt in 12 months. While John Small performed admirably in his rookie campaign at left-half back last year, Dublin missed McCaffrey’s ability to penetrate from deep – particularly when James McCarthy was absent. The Clontarf defender kicked a score and was a menace to Cavan throughout.
- Jim Gavin rewarded Niall Scully for his fine O’Byrne Cup showing and Scully repaid his manager’s faith in abundance. While it’s important not to draw too many conclusions this early in the season, Scully looks like he’ll be a real asset to Gavin as they chase a fifth straight league title and third All-Ireland in-a-row. He kicked two points from wing-forward and took home the man-of-the-match award in his first competitive start for his county. Scully also played the role of Dublin’s ball carrier around the middle third, freeing up Ciaran Kilkenny to operate closer to goal.
- There were concerns from the travelling support that the Dubs might take some time to get to the pitch of inter-county football after their January holiday to Jamaica, but the extended hibernation did the All-Ireland champions no harm judging by this performance. They’ve been back training just two weeks, but it’s important to note that the majority of the Dublin squad were playing club league games up until the week before Christmas, so fitness isn’t a massive issue.
- You have to go back to 1 March 2015 in Killarney for Dublin’s last competitive defeat. Tyrone travel to Croke Park on Saturday night to take on the back-to-back All-Ireland champions. Mickey Harte’s men must be relishing the opportunity to end that long undefeated streak.
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Good noises coming out of the Kingdom
Five years into his reign as Kerry boss, Eamonn Fitzmaurice achieved something he’s never managed to do before – get a win in their opening game of the league.
We’ve become accustomed to Kerry easing their way into the early few months of the season with one eye on the summer. But it appears Fitzmaurice has taken a different approach this year. Kerry won their first McGrath Cup title since 2013 in January, and then went up to Letterkenny and played Donegal off the field for long spells en-route to a 2-17 to 1-17 win.
Of course, there are a couple of factors at play here. Kerry have been more fortunate on the injury front for a start. Paul Geaney and James O’Donoghue, who didn’t play a minute of league football in 2016, have hit the ground running so far and posted 2-7 between them against Donegal.
Fitzmaurice has also blooded a number of youngsters whose bodies are better equipped to deal with the heavy pitches at this time of year. Jack Savage kicked three points, while Jack Barry and Tom O’Sullivan chipped in with one apiece.
A final note on Kerry: David Moran had an outstanding game at midfield and his kick-passing was a joy to behold. Positives vibes so far for Fitmaurice.
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Kildare give the perfect response
After Kildare fell to a disappointing defeat to Dublin’s third string team in the O’Byrne Cup semi-final last month, Cian O’Neill didn’t hold back when he spoke to the media.
“We’re disgusted,” he said. “It’s not even disappointed, we’re disgusted to lose the match like that, which we should have been controlling.”
His criticism had the desired effect. O’Neill started 13 of the same players today who lost to Dublin as Kildare put up 3-17 against Meath – their biggest score in a league game in five years.
Niall Kelly and debutant Ben McCormack struck 3-5 between them, while Daniel Flynn (0-1) and the Cribbin brothers (0-5 between them) looked extremely sharp.
Tommy Moolick and Kevin Feely lorded matters around the middle third in a slick all-round display. O’Neill’s young squad will bounce into St Conleth’s Park to face Cork full of confidence.
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Cork showing signs of life
There’s life in the Rebels yet. After a winter of retirements (Paddy Kelly, Daniel Goulding and Fintan Gould) and negative publicity (news emerging that the squad are using a makeshift gym in Fermoy), Cork have plenty of reasons for optimism.
They were facing a Galway side who clearly targeted a strong league campaign after winning the FBD League. It wasn’t a perfect display from Cork and if it wasn’t for nine wides they would have come out on top in Pearse Stadium.
But Colm O’Neill’s five-point second-half showing is a huge boost to Peadar Healy as they chase an immediate return to Division 1. Next weekend’s trip to face a high-flying Kildare will tell a lot about the direction Cork are headed.
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Stat of the week
39,578 people attended the four opening round games of Division 1 action over the weekend, an average of almost 10,000 per game. Here’s how it breaks down:
10,817 - Mayo v Monaghan, Castlebar
6,320 - Donegal v Kerry, Letterkenny
6,110 - Tyrone v Roscommon, Omagh
16,331 - Dublin v Cavan, Breffni Park
As the Sunday Times’ Michael Foley noted on Twitter tonight, it’s clear sign there’s an appetite for regular games between the elite sides in the country.
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