AS WE CLOSE in on the last day of the All-Ireland football round-robin series, we look at some of the talking points surrounding teams.
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1. A little help needed in Kerry for Clifford
Not to point out the obvious, but without David Clifford, how good would Kerry be?
This year, a few members of their attack are struggling to back their body of work up, getting a serious case of second-album syndrome.
In the twilight zone that is the Munster senior football championship, it hardly mattered as Kerry ran up 0-25 against Tipperary with Clifford chipping in a mere two pointed frees.
2-6 out of 5-14 against Clare told us something in a complete mis-match, but it has been in the group games when Kerry’s deficiencies have been laid bare.
The Fossa Freak accounted for 0-8 of 0-17 in their defeat to Mayo, and 1-5 of their 1-14 in the win over Cork.
When you have a player of this calibre, you accept that they will carry the burden of scoring. Nobody gets to criticise Man City because Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals in 53 games this season.
But there are worries around Kerry. Killian Spillane is still out with an ankle injury. Sean O’Shea has yet to recapture last year’s form throughout a full game.
Where are the young tyros, coming tearing into the senior team though? Instead, Kerry are still relying on the likes of Paul Geaney, Tony Brosnan and Stephen O’Brien. Fine players one and all, but you wonder about the competition for places.
2. Can the Rossies win a shootout?
The tightest group of them all is Group 3, with all the teams having drawn a game and only two points separating top from bottom.
So with Roscommon playing Kildare in Tullamore, and Dublin having Sligo in Breffni Park, both teams will be going hard for a win to secure the top spot.
Having drawn in Dr Hyde Park, a win each on Sunday means it will come down to score difference. Before the ball throws in, Roscommon are one point better off than Dublin.
What they have in their advantage is the local knowledge of their manager, Davy Burke coming from Kildare and having managed them to the All-Ireland U20 title in 2018.
He has since been twice overlooked for the role of county manager, with Jack O’Connor and Glenn Ryan the preferred options.
So can they outscore the Dublin winning margin over Sligo (no disrespect and all that)?
And the evidence would not suggest so. Roscommon’s game is based on sound defensive structure and counter-attacking by using their excellent ball carriers. But in the league, the only time they breached 12 points (not counting goals) in a game came against already relegated Donegal.
Wins for both, but Dublin get to put the feet up next week as the top team.
3. The Dubs on the road
A few months before the championship season, several GAA journalists were invited to sit in on a Zoom call with the powerbrokers in Croke Park.
While on the call, they patiently walked the assembled journalists through the processes of the new All-Ireland system and the Tailteann Cup.
All vagaries were explained, all outcomes were considered. The inclusion of New York was highlighted, and the various methods of phasing out teams on level points, and so on. All that good stuff.
Then, we were invited to ask questions and after exploring the reach of their jab, the Fourth Estate asked the only thing that really mattered; were the Dubs going to play two out of their three group games at home?
As in, could Croke Park be considered a venue for the ‘neutral round.’
Those on the other side of the camera ruled nothing out, so naturally that was the headline for the day afterwards.
Well, here we are, bang on time for the neutral round game and whaddya know, Dublin are heading for Breffni Park in Cavan town to face Sligo.
4, Armagh hanging in there
In more than one media outlet, Armagh are seen as a team that can have a say in the destination of Sam Maguire.
Yet it is difficult to see where the groundswell is coming from that they can achieve an All-Ireland.
Prior to the Ulster final, a game in which Armagh definitely showed up and their players played – by and large – to their potential, they have had a poor season.
Relegated from Division 1, they might have been drawn in the preliminary round of Ulster, but from that point it was an easy route as they defeated Antrim, Cavan and Down to reach the Ulster final.
All of those teams played their football in Division 3 this year. As did Westmeath, who travelled to the Athletic Grounds in the group stage opener and exposed multiple flaws in Armagh. Only for a late Hail Mary ball in that Andrew Murnin got a flick to and Conor Turbitt finished to the net, they might have ended that game pointless.
Even if they lose to Galway this Sunday, they will probably live to fight another day in the preliminary quarter-final if Tyrone beat Westmeath.
But contend for an All-Ireland?
Doubtful.
