Compiled by Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole
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1. Goalkeeper cat and mouse
When Nayim spotted Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman off his line in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup final, he wasn’t even as far out as the penalty spot before he began a painfully slow backpedal that wasn’t enough to prevent the winning goal for Real Zaragoza. When Ronaldhino lobbed Seaman from a free kick in the 2002 World Cup, he was a mere three steps off his line.
Which is why the game of cat and mouse being played by coaches of Gaelic football, pushing goalkeepers so high up the field, is producing such thrilling results. As the weekend proved, it can get hairy when a quick turnover arrives with a player available up front.
On Saturday evening, Dublin’s David O’Hanlon brilliantly contorted his body to reach a Shane McGuigan attempted lob for Derry. Later that night, Enda Smith came close to pulling off a three-pointer for Roscommon but his shot hadn’t enough elevation to catch out Mayo’s Colm Reape, while yesterday Fermanagh got lucky against Armagh, with Paddy Burns’ attempted lob coming at the end of a hard 80 metre run.
Will this trend continues as the season progresses?
2. Clifford v Canavan in Killarney
Business as usual again for David Clifford. A week after being slightly off-colour in Croke Park, he shot eight points from eight kicks in Killarney. Clifford was ably supported by the four scores supplied by Sean O’Shea and three from his brother Paudie.
It seemed strange that he didn’t receive a yellow for his involvement in the first-half skirmish, a booking would follow later in the game, but in general Clifford’s input helped steer Kerry to the response they needed after the Dublin debacle. Just like Kerry’s previous home game against Mayo in Tralee, there was no doubting who they continue to rely on for inspiration.
In defeat Tyrone showed that they too lean on their own DC up front. Darragh Canavan entered the match fresh of his 1-4 tally in the previous week’s win over Mayo and returned to a county where he adorned the stage last month with his Sigerson Cup final man-of-the-match display.
He finished the game with three points from play, including one thumping effort from the wing in the second half, and made an intercept to assist Ciarán Daly for an early point. His radar was off with a couple of first-half efforts though, while Paul Murphy and later Jason Foley warmed to the task of quietening him. The greater attention Kerry paid was a reminder of Canavan’s growing reputation.
3. Chopping and changing in Derry
At one point during Saturday evening’s match between Derry and Dublin, the home side were two points adrift and shot two wides. However, once Cormac Costello’s goal went in on 52 minutes, there was a definite sense that Derry were folding up the tents for the next day.
While there was widespread criticism for Mickey Harte in putting the Glen players straight into the Derry line-up for their league opener against Kerry in Tralee, giving them minimum time to recover from their All-Ireland club win, there are a couple of things to note.
The first is that Harte made such a big thing of getting a win away to Kerry in his first league campaign for Tyrone, back in 2003. It was referenced by Colm Cooper and Peter Canavan on RTÉ Radio on Sunday how that provided the platform of belief that Tyrone could do the same later in the year.
And with Division 1 status assured, Derry can afford to rest players and move straight into full-blooded preparations for their Ulster championship match on 20 April. Hence the resting of Conor Glass and seven changes from the previous game.
4. Kildare are in real trouble
Kildare could not have asked for a better start to their trip to Leeside. By the 23rd minute they had the ball in the Cork net twice, Daniel Flynn’s talents surfacing in the creation of the first and the finishing of the second. Five points up and the first time they had raised a green flag in this year’s league, five games in.
Thereafter they fell apart. Over the next forty-odd minutes, Kildare were outscored 2-12 to 1-3 by Cork. The collapse in form contributed to a fifth straight defeat, Kildare rooted to the bottom of the table with a scoring difference of -28. It leaves them on the brink of relegation. They must win their remaining two games against Donegal and Louth, and even in that unlikely event will need other results to fall their way.
5. Monaghan’s last stand
We’ve said it many times before and that’s exactly how they like it; but this looks to be Monaghan’s last stand (for now) in the top flight.
This year marks a decade of their ascension to Division 1, when they beat Donegal in the Division 2 league final. In the meantime they have been one of the most exciting teams to watch and they have railed against the patronising remarks that have inevitably flowed their way.
But then you look at their remaining fixtures and start to imagine that there’s simply no way Monaghan will be relegated.
They have to go to Omagh and get a result out of Tyrone on 16 March. That’s achievable and with the free weekend coming up, they will hope to get some more bodies off the physio bench and into some form.
Win that, and they have the head-to-head over Tyrone and are on the same points.
And who is expecting Tyrone to beat Dublin in the final league game? Or can Roscommon get something out of Kerry next, and then a Derry side who will be going eyeballs-out?
Monaghan’s final game is against Mayo in Clones. We’re saying it now, so chalk it down for further reference – they will be safe.
6. Clare cope with setbacks to mount promotion bid
The end of the Colm Collins era felt like a seismic moment in Clare. That sense of major change was reinforced by the scale of player turnover in the off-season. Of the 20 players that featured for the Banner in last summer’s Munster final against Kerry, only eight were part of the squad for Saturday’s trip to Limerick. Coping without towering figures like Eoin Cleary, Jamie Malone and Cathal O’Connor, meant it looked like a tall order for new manager Mark Fitzgerald.
Instead they have thrived. Saturday’s success against Limerick was their fourth in the league to date. Clare’s only slip-up was against Westmeath and that came after a highly contentious decision to disallow a late Clare goal in Mullingar. Clare’s excellent form leaves them still win in with a fighting chance to claiming promotion as they hunt down table-toppers Down and Westmeath. A fine achievement given the turbulence of the off-season.
