All-Ireland SFC quarter-final
Dublin v Cork
Saturday, 7pm
Croke Park, Dublin
Ref: David Coldrick (Meath)
Latest from the medics and management…
Dublin’s Leinster final win against Meath was their toughest test so far this summer and manager Jim Gavin has stuck with the same starting XV which showed cool heads to rein in the Royals that day. That means no place for Denis Bastick, whose physical presence alongside Michael Darragh MacAuley allowed Dublin to get a foothold in midfield in the second half.
As flagged earlier in the week Alan Brogan’s injury woes are still ongoing and he is ruled out with a hamstring injury while minor dual star Cormac Costello is recovering from a broken collarbone. Paddy Andrews, who was a late withdrawal against Meath with a hip injury, is fit to take his place on the bench.
For Cork, Conor Counihan is set to stick with the same XV which started against Galway last weekend. Given the strength of their bench — which included the veteran presences of Noel O’Leary, Paudie Kissane, Paul Kerrigan and Donncha O’Connor — many presumed that this was another Counihan dummy team but the Rebels boss followed the script and Cork lined out as named. Whether there are any changes between now and throw-in this evening remains to be seen.
Dublin: Stephen Cluxton (c); John Cooper, Rory O’Carroll, Kevin O’Brien; James McCarthy, Ger Brennan, Jack McCaffrey; Michael Darragh MacAuley, Cian O’Sullivan; Paul Flynn, Ciaran Kilkenny, Diarmuid Connolly; Paul Mannion, Eoghan O’Gara, Bernard Brogan.
Cork: Alan Quirke; Eoin Cadogan, Michael Shields, Thomas Clancy; Damien Cahalane, Graham Canty, James Loughrey; Alan O’Connor, Pearse O’Neill; Mark Collins, Aidan Walsh, John O’Rourke; Daniel Goulding, Ciarán Sheehan, Brian Hurley.
Checking the odds…
It’s no real surprise that the bookies are leaning towards Dublin and the Leinster champions are priced up at a rather short 2/5. If you fancy Cork, you can have 5/2 while the draw is 10/1. Tellingly the spread in the handicap market is only three points in Dublin’s favour so even the experts think that this one could be decided by a kick of the ball.
Clues from the form guide…
Dublin have been one of the standout teams of the Championship so far and Gavin has them playing a fast, fluid, entertaining brand of football. On that basis they are as short as 15/8 in places to go all the way and clinch Sam in September but there are concerns about the quality of the opposition they have beaten to date. While impressive, 16-point wins against Westmeath and Kildare can hardly be viewed as true tests, but when asked questions by Meath last time out they showed cool heads to draw themselves back into the game before pulling away to win by seven points.
For their part, Cork will take a lot of heart from the manner of last weekend’s win over Galway. They were far below their best for long stretches of the game and looked to be in serious trouble when they trailed by three points with 10 minutes to play. But, as they have done so often in the past, they picked off their points while defending resolutely at the other end; before Michael Meehan’s thunderbolt goal in stoppage time, they actually outscored Galway 1-4 to 0-0 down the final stretch.
The game breakers are…
A lot will hinge on Dublin’s young stars up front and, in particular, Ciarán Kilkenny and Paul Mannion who have rightly been showered with praise in their first full Championship season. Kilkenny was Man of the Match against Meath with some masterful playmaking from centre-forward, pointing to a bright future beyond Alan Brogan, but it is unlikely that Graham Canty or whoever is detailed to mark him today will give him quite as much time and space. This has been Bernard Brogan’s quietest summer yet but Cork cannot afford to let him off the leash.
Midfield was the platform in which Meath caused Dublin most problems and, although Gavin has brushed off concerns about the MacAuley-O’Sullivan partnership, Cork duo Alan O’Connor and Pearse O’Neill will have a lot of scope to turn the tide in Cork’s direction.
Gazing into the crystal ball…
Cork have scored a combined 5-71 in their four games to date while Dublin have put up a whopping 7-53 in their three provincial matches; it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that this is going to be a score-fest.
Dublin showed their mettle against Meath and refused to panic when under pressure. But for all the plaudits they have received this summer, the fact remains that they have not faced a team anywhere near as good as this Cork side can be on their day.
Conor Counihan knows that a repeat of last weekend’s performance won’t be enough but they’ll be happy to go into this game as underdogs, confident that they have the experience and tactical nous to disrupt Dublin and punish them.
Verdict: Dublin
