Well, another interesting weekend is in the books with a host of football qualifiers, hurling qualifiers and of course the Munster Hurling and Leinster Football finals. 7 more teams bit the dust in the football, 2 in the hurling, while Wexford and Waterford must lick their wounds and regroup.
Munster Senior Hurling Final
I said in my preview that Tipp's goals would make the difference but I certainly didn't expect there to be 7 of them. This hurling year is threatening to build to a crescendo in September if the top teams keep answering each others' statements. Last weekend Kilkenny put down a marker. Galway put down one of their own on Saturday, and in Cork on Sunday Tipperary put down the most emphatic one of the year so far.
Let's get the painfully obvious out of the way first. Waterford were blown away, and the tactic of putting Brick as a nominal full back, and young Jerome Maher on Lar Corbett just did not work for Davy. He will be criticised for the moves but, in all honesty on that form, what would have worked? Tipperary were simply on fire, especially in the forward line, and when you see Lar Corbett bagging 4-4, Eoin Kelly 2-6 and John O'Brien 0-3, it tells you all you need to know about the inside forward line.
Of course they didn't get all their scores by being an inside forward line and Lar Corbett especially makes hay by running from deep and getting on the end of long deliveries which end up 20 metres out from the opposition goal. When he gets a run onto a ball like that, to pick up a loose ball or receive a pass, there's normally only one result and Clinton Hennessy was the unfortunate on the receiving end.
Tipp's game plan when they get the ball is an essay in simplicity and efficiency. The forwards are moving around all the time and the backs and midfield are either looking for the open man in the half forward line or else bombing it into the full forward line. The full forward line (which can be anybody from 10 to 15) is then supported at fierce pace from the lads out around the 45. As I said, simple and efficient.
I do think Tipp might encounter a couple of teams who may try to block off those runs at source and, if that happens, a strong referee may be needed.
Waterford are going to be crestfallen, of course, but maybe the team that ended the game was more like their strongest team, as opposed to that which started it. Davy will get them up again and, given the fact that they have 2 weeks before playing Galway, that game might be cathartic for them. It was ruthless from Tipp though, and emphasises the gap that they've created in Munster.
Leinster Senior Football Final
Well they got there in the end but it wasn't a vintage performance from Dublin, and Wexford will be kicking themselves. In fairness to Wexford, the defence was very dogged and committed and when you have the entire full forward line replaced (although O'Gara was possibly injured) it's a great sign for a backline.
Wexford just didn't use the ball well enough, particularly in the first half, and their turnovers were painful to watch at times. Ciaran Lyng kicked two fine points in the first half, but never really influenced the game. Red Barry was a similar story and Shane Roche was disappointing. As is the way all year though someone else stepped up, and that was Ben Brosnan. Great against Offaly, quiet against Westmeath and Carlow, he rebounded again to be Wexford's most dangerous forward from open play and from the dead ball.
The possession stats around the middle of the field were fairly even, I would suggest, and that was always going to put Wexford in with a chance particularly with the Dublin hitting a mixture of forced and unforced wides. In the end it took a howler from the Wexford goalkeeper Anthony Masterson and a great run and finish from Dublin wing back James McCarthy to seperate the sides, but given the opportunity that presented itself, Wexford will be devastated.
They must lift themselves now for a tilt at either Limerick or Waterford in round 4 of the qualifiers and, with a place in the quarter finals at stake, there's still a lot to play for for them. Dublin, on the other hand, will hardly be counting the season a success on the basis of this result and they will need to figure out how to use their forwards. The combination of Bernard Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly and Eoghan O'Gara is simply not working as an inside line, especially when you have a playmaker like Alan Brogan spinning balls out into space for forwards to run on to. Eoghan O'Gara is a lot of things, but he's not that sort of a player.
If O'Gara is unfit, Kevin McMenamin might actually suit the Dubs better in that role and their pattern might settle down and become a bit more obvious. Another conundrum is the form and confidence of Diarmuid Connolly. He kicked two bad wides on Sunday but other than that was going fairly well, albeit in too deep of a position. He was hauled off after about a half an hour though, and that is not something that will help Dublin. I believe if Dublin are to be a serious force they will need Connolly to be confident, playing close to goals, and contributing. The likes of Kerry and Cork are too good to be beaten by one man even if it is Bernard Brogan and when that one man has an off day, as he did on Sunday, even lesser teams will take them.
Hurling Qualifiers
Saturday saw the third and last round of the hurling qualifers as resurgent Galway met Cork in Limerick while up the road in Dublin, the Treaty men themselves faced off with Antrim.
First to the Limerick venue and after 5 minutes or so Galway fans would have been forgiven for thinking 'here we go again'. Paudie O'Sullivan had torched them for 1-03 inside the opening salvo and was surely making James Skehill regret an overenthusiastic dunt during the pre-match 'handshakes'. Shane Kavanagh looked all at sea, Tony Og was struggling with Cian McCarthy, Fergal Moore couldn't lay a hand on Pat Horgan and Galway's touch all around the field was woeful. Added to this, Donal Og Cusack was picking out his men from puckouts with uncanny accuracy, albeit in huge acres of space, and Cork were basically doing as they willed.
However something then happened which has happened too rarely in Galway. They took stock of the situation, failed to panic, and began to play their way into the game. Andy Smith hit over a couple of points from the left sideline, and Joe Canning began to click as he moved out the field a bit. Crucially Ger Farragher and Damien Hayes also began to move well and it was Hayes who did the most damage in the first half, including a goal, as Galway somehow found themselves 5 points up at half time. It must be said that Cork seemed to forget that Paudie O'Sullivan was on fire and he must have felt like the last puppy dog in the pet shop as he peered out from behind his helmet watching all the action bypassing him.
The second half was, apart from a brief flurry near the start from Cork (a dying kick?), all Galway. They steamrolled the Rebels, and when Cyrill Donnellan came on to score a great goal with his first meaningful touch of the sliotar, it was goodnight Irene. All that was left was for Joe Canning to embellish the display with a beautiful rise and 'no look' handpass to a colleague for an exclamation mark point that was worth the entrance fee alone.
Galway are motoring now, and looked unrecognisable as the team that lay down for Dublin. If they can keep this form up then they may well be, as advertised, the best of the chasing bunch behind Kilkenny and Tipperary.
In Parnell Park on Saturday night, we seemed to be heading for a right old tussle as Antrim and Limerick were locked together for quite a while in the first half, and indeed were tied at 0-7 apiece with only 8 minutes remaining before the break. Then came the moment of madness that probably decided the margin of victory for Limerick, if not the victory itself. Karl Stewart, the Antrim Centre Forward, was cynically hauled down by Brian Geary but instead of taking the point and the lead from the free he decided to stamp on the Limerick man and James McGrath had no hesitation, nor option to be fair, in showing the carta dearg.
After that Limerick took control and their short passing game, which was in so much trouble when it was 15 v 15, suddenly began to exploit the gaps in the Antrim team. In the remaining 8 minutes of the first half, they outscored Antrim 1-03 to 0-1.
Antrim tried to rise it in the early going in the second half but Limerick were always able to keep them at arms length and when David Breen and Ritchie McCarthy both goaled in the course of the second half the Glensmen fell away badly, to be beaten by 19 points in the end: 3-22 to 0-12. 2-12 to 0-4 was the second half scoreline and serves to illustrate the problems Antrim had when down to 14.
Limerick will need to iron out the wrinkles in the short passing game and, while Thurles is a fine big pitch with loads of space, Dublin will look to disrupt them by physically getting into them and Limerick may need to have a plan B. Hopefully Graham Mulcahy will be back by then because he will add speed to the Limerick inside line, but Donal O'Grady must be pleased with the way things are bubbling up for them. They'd have taken a tilt at Dublin for a semi final spot had you offered it to them at the start of the year.
Football Qualifiers
The round 2 football Qualifiers were also decided, well most of them, on Saturday and there were thrills and spills aplenty there too.
First out of the traps was the meeting of Limerick and Offaly down in the Gaelic Grounds, as the curtain raiser in the double header. Offaly were buoyed by a good win over Monaghan in Round 1. Limerick were devestated with injuries and dual player issues. Limerick had been destroyed by a slick Kerry team in Munster, and hadn't played since. All set up for an Offaly win then. Well, not exactly. Ian Ryan turned in a majestic exhibition of full forward line play while Offaly won enough ball to win two matches, and proceeded to kick it wide, kick it away and generally treat the ball as if it had done them a great personal harm. Steven Lavin, deployed as a sweeper when Offaly withdrew their own centre half forward to operate as an extra body around the middle, cleaned up in the first half and this led to Offaly being extremely reluctant to kick the ball at all in the second half. Pointless handpassing and panicked wides were the order of the day then as Limerick took advantage of every chance they got. All that said it wasn't until the dying moments of the game, when Limerick profited from a mistake coming out of the Offaly back line and notched their third goal, that the final result was sure. Limerick will be delighted to draw Waterford at home, and will fancy their chances of taking another step forward. For Offaly, see 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 .......
Another early throw in saw Carlow make the long trek to Casement Park to take on Antrim, and Luke Dempsey will be disconsolate that his team failed to get the result they feel they deserved. Quite a bit of feedback from the game suggested that Carlow didn't exactly get the rub of the green with some decisions, and to lose by a point after all that is a sickening feeling. Carlow will have been encourage by their early showing in the Leinster semi final, if not the following events, and won't have been in awe of an Antrim side that they are used to coming across in the League. Indeed for 54 minutes there was nothing in it, but then Mark Dougan snatched a goal for Antrim, and Carlow saw Ed Finnegan given the line in an off the ball incident.
Antrim kicked on and led 1-13 to 1-08 and looked home and hosed until Brian Murphy goaled for Carlow, and Daniel Saint Ledger added a point to leave the minimum between the sides. Agonisingly for Carlow, the clock ran down on them and they were unable to get the draw, or even the win that they coveted.
Antrim have been rewarded again with yet another home draw, their third on the trot, against Down in round 3 and will relish the step up and the chance to move a step closer to Croker.
Their opponents, Down, shrugged off the stubborn challenge of Leitrim in a much improved performance in Newry to seal their place in round 3, and welcome back the real Benny Coulter as an added bonus. Coulter kicked seven points from play to propel the beaten All Ireland finalists past the beaten Connacht semi finalists in a personal triumph for the Mayobridge man.
Leitrim were very dogged for long periods in the game and an Adrian Croal goal just after half time really put the cat amongst the pigeons. However, led by Coulter, Down reeled of 8 unanswered points and were able to wind the clock down for a comfortable 1-16 to 1-08 victory. The Mourne men still have unanswered questions around midfield, but the return of Liam Doyle plus the return to form of Coulter is a boost to a forward line which boasts formidable talents.
The shock looked on for long periods in Pearse Park as Longford took the game to Tyrone, as expected, and led by a point at half time. The Tyrone men proved their mettle, however, in the second half and ran out 5 point victors in the end. Mickey Harte will be very pleased to see the reaction he got from his players as he made several changes to the named team, jettisoning (or losing) several of the older heroes, as a clutch of newer men came in - possibly a handing over of the torch? Aidan Cassidy lorded midfield as he came in for Kevin Hughes, Colm Cavanagh replaced Brian Dooher, and Kyle Coney replaced the injured Stephen O'Neill. Peter Harte certainly seemed to benefit from the air of freshness around him as he chipped in with 6 points from play, while Mark Donnelly and Martin Penrose also prospered.
Longford put it up to the Red Hands, as we knew they would, and the Larries were efficient in the extreme with their shooting. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get their hands on enough ball around the middle third in the second half, and Tyrone used this advantage to drive on for a 1-17 to 0-15 win. Tyrone are on the march again now, following the Donegal disappointment, and their followers are much heartened by Mickey Harte's latest team selection. They may be disappointed again if Hughes and O'Neill get back fit and some of the new lads get dropped again. One must also ask would Dooher be left out of a quarter final line up for example? Time may tell, but in the meantime they get another two week layoff as they await the winners of Armagh and Wicklow.
Meath survived a scare, and an insipid performance, against Galway in Navan on Saturday evening as they, too, booked their place in the next round thanks to an 0-11 to 0-10 win in a hardfought tussle. The Royals kicked some poor wides in the first half but still led by 4 at half time, 0-08 to 0-04, and seemed set fair for a handy victory. However Galway took over in the second half and, indeed, pushed into a 1 point lead, 0-09 to 0-08. From then on the pendulum swung back and forth, and Galway took a late lead through corner back Johnny Duane with 3 minutes remaining. Brian Farrell and Stephen Bray, however, kicked the vital late points that saw Meath home. Meath will be relieved to get over this hurdle, and relieved to see Bray back in harness. Cian Ward wasn't able to replicate his performance against Louth, (but how could he?), and Meath still won. Shane O'Rourke and Brian Meade were impressive in the first half, but faded as Galway gained the upper hand, so there is still a lot of work to be done with the Royals. They don't have much time to sort themselves out as they've drawn Kildare in the next round, but Meath will relish welcoming Kieran McGeeney's men to Navan.
In Ruislip, Waterford brought the London dream to a crashing halt with a professional 1-17 to 0-13 win with ex dual star Gary Hurney grabbing 1-03 from play, including an early goal which gave Waterford breathing space all the way through. It was Waterford's first win in the qualifiers and, in addition to Hurney's haul, they can thank the accuracy of newcomer Paul Whyte and his 7 points. After Hurney's goal, and playing with a breeze in the first half, Waterford built up a lead that London never really threatened, despite good work from Mark Gottsche, Eoin O'Neill and Padraig McGoldrick. Rocked by the sending off of Paul Geraghty in the closing moments of the first half, London were killed off entirely when Ciaran McCallion also saw his second yellow, and Waterford cruised to the final whistle.
London will look back with some satisfaction at this year's championship and will doubtless hope to earn that elusive Connacht victory next season as the next logical step forward. Waterford, for their part, will not be daunted by a trip to the Gaelic Grounds and , as underdogs, will be aiming to pull off an minor upset.
In O'Moore Park, the battle of neighbours Laois and Kildare turned into a stroll in the evening sunshine for the Lilywhites as Laois found themselves unable to cope with Tomás O'Connor. O'Connor, the son of Offaly Midfielder in 1982 Tomás senior, caused havoc on the edge of the Laois square and the Kildare tactic of hitting him early and often paid off in spades in the first half particularly.
It promised to be so different from the start as Kildare struggled to get into the game early on, and Laois surged into the lead with points from Munnelly and Kingston before Kildare really got going. But when they did get going, they really got going. Tomás O'Connor set up Eoin O'Flaherty who was fouled (barely) for a penalty and John Doyle stroked home Kildare's first score to give them a lead they scarcely deserved at that stage. Donie Kingston levelled, but then Tomás O'Connor got Kildare's second goal and gave them a lead they would not surrender. Indeed they held a 3 point lead at half time, 2-03 to 0-06 and, after the restart, Kildare's now familiar second half surge saw them power away from Laois and clock up an impressive 1-13 after the break. Laois could only manage 4 points in reply and, in truth, they were were powerless to do anything about the ferocity with which Kildare hit them in that second period. Kildare fans will be heartened to welcome back long term injury absentee Mickey Conway, and will also be delighted to see James Kavanagh come on as a sub and move so well, including a well taken goal.
Kildare will be nervous about the trip to Navan, and you still feel that Johnny Doyle in midfield is a necessary evil at this stage. If Daryll Flynn is close to coming back, that could really inject a major boost into Kildare's quest for honours.
Finally, we must mention another chapter in the story of Micko. Written off by all commentators, including myself, the great man brought his team up to Armagh to face a stiff test against the home team and came away with a draw that could have been a victory, easily, in normal and extra time. True, the goals helped Wicklow's cause and true, Armagh came back well in both cases to get their draw but when you think of a Division 4 team going away to a strong Division 1 team in the championship and giving them a torrid time like this, it does reinforce the legend of Micko.
I'm not one that worships at his altar, but I freely admit the man impresses me with his energy, his drive and his belief in himself and his team. He had no fears of going up there, and he will have no fear of welcoming them back down to Aughrim. Armagh are used to hard battles in Ulster, but even they must be a little unnerved by the prospects of a visit to the graveyard of so many teams over the years. Add in the Micko factor and you can see all sorts of potential reasons for another great day.
Micko has hinted that he wouldn't be necessarily retiring from the game when Wicklow's time is up in the championship and, even though I disagree with the populist vision of Micko to a certain extent, I do appreciate what he's done and I hope he stays on somewhere as long as he enjoys it.
Hits and Misses
Onto this weeks hits and misses, with some great individual performances.
Hits
Lar Corbett. Wow. What do you do? Go man on man and he bursts past you. Go zonal and he runs into spaces. At the moment the best forward in the game, and a goal machine on a team of goal machines. Jackie Tyrell may be eying him up, but at the moment he is unmarkable.
Joe Canning's flick. Second time in a row for Joe to make this list, and I was delighted to be in the Gaelic grounds to see this outrageous piece of skill. Winning well, Joe went out at full speed to pick up a ball near two Cork men. In the blink of an eye he had reverse passed the ball to a colleague running in to score from half way, but it was done so quickly that John Gardiner followed Joe for a good few steps before he realised it was gone.
Ian Ryan. We had a Limerick hurling corner forward here last week, and this week it's a footballer. Ian Ryan has had a few up and down years since he burst onto the scene against Meath on that evening in Limerick a few seasons ago but on Saturday he was immense. While Offaly laboured to use the ball properly Limerick knew exactly what they had to do to get their scraps into the dangerman, and he was lethal. Ryan contributed 1-07 from play and was the difference between the teams. As an Offaly man it was torture watching him, as a football man it was a pleasure.
Wexford's backs. When you see Bernard Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly and Eoghan O'Gara being taken off and Mossy Quinn coming on and being taken off again, you would expect that Dublin would lose. The Wexford backs did their bit. But for an unfortunate mistake and some criminal misuse of possession out the field, Wexford would be Leinster Champions.
Misses
I'm glad to say I have no misses to report this weekend. One could be harsh and go after Waterford or Davy, but in fairness I prefer to give the credit to Tipp. I've said it before, Hurling is a cruel game when it starts to go away from you, and the potential for a good team to rack up huge scores is obvious. Waterford will have better days, and maybe sooner than we think.
Other sports
US Sports
You may have been reading last week when I mentioned that Derek Jeter was chasing the magical 3,000 hit mark. Well I'm glad to report that, in case you missed it, the Yankees shortstop achieved the milestone in some style. At home in Yankee Stadium, Jeter came to the plate against the Tampa Bay Rays with 2,999 hits.5 minutes later he was being feted all around the world of baseball as he drove his 3,000th hit over the fence in left field for a home run. A home run on the 3,000th hit, now that's the way to do it.
Some people wonder about the significance of this milestone but, while being the 28th to do something doesn't seem that big of a deal, when you consider that over 17,200 players have played major league baseball and only 27 had ever reached that mark, it puts it in some context. Then you must consider that Jeter becomes the first Yankee to do it despite the great names, that even nonbaseball fans would recognise, that have been with that storied franchise over it's history. Men like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and others have worn the pinstripes with pride and achieved great things, but they never achieved this.
Maith thú Derek Jeter.
In the NFL, the sense is that we are approaching end game in the negotiations.It appears as if a deal is almost there, with the Rookie wage scale being the final major hurdle, according to various reports stateside. Hopefully this is true, as we are approaching training camp time now, and if the teams can't sign free agents and do their work at camp, the season itself will start to be in jeapordy.
One final thing. I had a good reaction to my baseball primer last week, and if anyone would like to ask me a question, or ask me to run through other primers on NFL, NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball or whatever, please feel free to ask and I'd be delighted to do so. I know that the organisation of these sports can sometimes be as confusing as the actual rules of the games themselves, and you need to know who's who and what's what before you can appreciate the competitions as they are played out.
Munster Senior Hurling Final
I said in my preview that Tipp's goals would make the difference but I certainly didn't expect there to be 7 of them. This hurling year is threatening to build to a crescendo in September if the top teams keep answering each others' statements. Last weekend Kilkenny put down a marker. Galway put down one of their own on Saturday, and in Cork on Sunday Tipperary put down the most emphatic one of the year so far.
Let's get the painfully obvious out of the way first. Waterford were blown away, and the tactic of putting Brick as a nominal full back, and young Jerome Maher on Lar Corbett just did not work for Davy. He will be criticised for the moves but, in all honesty on that form, what would have worked? Tipperary were simply on fire, especially in the forward line, and when you see Lar Corbett bagging 4-4, Eoin Kelly 2-6 and John O'Brien 0-3, it tells you all you need to know about the inside forward line.
Of course they didn't get all their scores by being an inside forward line and Lar Corbett especially makes hay by running from deep and getting on the end of long deliveries which end up 20 metres out from the opposition goal. When he gets a run onto a ball like that, to pick up a loose ball or receive a pass, there's normally only one result and Clinton Hennessy was the unfortunate on the receiving end.
Tipp's game plan when they get the ball is an essay in simplicity and efficiency. The forwards are moving around all the time and the backs and midfield are either looking for the open man in the half forward line or else bombing it into the full forward line. The full forward line (which can be anybody from 10 to 15) is then supported at fierce pace from the lads out around the 45. As I said, simple and efficient.
I do think Tipp might encounter a couple of teams who may try to block off those runs at source and, if that happens, a strong referee may be needed.
Waterford are going to be crestfallen, of course, but maybe the team that ended the game was more like their strongest team, as opposed to that which started it. Davy will get them up again and, given the fact that they have 2 weeks before playing Galway, that game might be cathartic for them. It was ruthless from Tipp though, and emphasises the gap that they've created in Munster.
Leinster Senior Football Final
Well they got there in the end but it wasn't a vintage performance from Dublin, and Wexford will be kicking themselves. In fairness to Wexford, the defence was very dogged and committed and when you have the entire full forward line replaced (although O'Gara was possibly injured) it's a great sign for a backline.
Wexford just didn't use the ball well enough, particularly in the first half, and their turnovers were painful to watch at times. Ciaran Lyng kicked two fine points in the first half, but never really influenced the game. Red Barry was a similar story and Shane Roche was disappointing. As is the way all year though someone else stepped up, and that was Ben Brosnan. Great against Offaly, quiet against Westmeath and Carlow, he rebounded again to be Wexford's most dangerous forward from open play and from the dead ball.
The possession stats around the middle of the field were fairly even, I would suggest, and that was always going to put Wexford in with a chance particularly with the Dublin hitting a mixture of forced and unforced wides. In the end it took a howler from the Wexford goalkeeper Anthony Masterson and a great run and finish from Dublin wing back James McCarthy to seperate the sides, but given the opportunity that presented itself, Wexford will be devastated.
They must lift themselves now for a tilt at either Limerick or Waterford in round 4 of the qualifiers and, with a place in the quarter finals at stake, there's still a lot to play for for them. Dublin, on the other hand, will hardly be counting the season a success on the basis of this result and they will need to figure out how to use their forwards. The combination of Bernard Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly and Eoghan O'Gara is simply not working as an inside line, especially when you have a playmaker like Alan Brogan spinning balls out into space for forwards to run on to. Eoghan O'Gara is a lot of things, but he's not that sort of a player.
If O'Gara is unfit, Kevin McMenamin might actually suit the Dubs better in that role and their pattern might settle down and become a bit more obvious. Another conundrum is the form and confidence of Diarmuid Connolly. He kicked two bad wides on Sunday but other than that was going fairly well, albeit in too deep of a position. He was hauled off after about a half an hour though, and that is not something that will help Dublin. I believe if Dublin are to be a serious force they will need Connolly to be confident, playing close to goals, and contributing. The likes of Kerry and Cork are too good to be beaten by one man even if it is Bernard Brogan and when that one man has an off day, as he did on Sunday, even lesser teams will take them.
Hurling Qualifiers
Saturday saw the third and last round of the hurling qualifers as resurgent Galway met Cork in Limerick while up the road in Dublin, the Treaty men themselves faced off with Antrim.
First to the Limerick venue and after 5 minutes or so Galway fans would have been forgiven for thinking 'here we go again'. Paudie O'Sullivan had torched them for 1-03 inside the opening salvo and was surely making James Skehill regret an overenthusiastic dunt during the pre-match 'handshakes'. Shane Kavanagh looked all at sea, Tony Og was struggling with Cian McCarthy, Fergal Moore couldn't lay a hand on Pat Horgan and Galway's touch all around the field was woeful. Added to this, Donal Og Cusack was picking out his men from puckouts with uncanny accuracy, albeit in huge acres of space, and Cork were basically doing as they willed.
However something then happened which has happened too rarely in Galway. They took stock of the situation, failed to panic, and began to play their way into the game. Andy Smith hit over a couple of points from the left sideline, and Joe Canning began to click as he moved out the field a bit. Crucially Ger Farragher and Damien Hayes also began to move well and it was Hayes who did the most damage in the first half, including a goal, as Galway somehow found themselves 5 points up at half time. It must be said that Cork seemed to forget that Paudie O'Sullivan was on fire and he must have felt like the last puppy dog in the pet shop as he peered out from behind his helmet watching all the action bypassing him.
The second half was, apart from a brief flurry near the start from Cork (a dying kick?), all Galway. They steamrolled the Rebels, and when Cyrill Donnellan came on to score a great goal with his first meaningful touch of the sliotar, it was goodnight Irene. All that was left was for Joe Canning to embellish the display with a beautiful rise and 'no look' handpass to a colleague for an exclamation mark point that was worth the entrance fee alone.
Galway are motoring now, and looked unrecognisable as the team that lay down for Dublin. If they can keep this form up then they may well be, as advertised, the best of the chasing bunch behind Kilkenny and Tipperary.
In Parnell Park on Saturday night, we seemed to be heading for a right old tussle as Antrim and Limerick were locked together for quite a while in the first half, and indeed were tied at 0-7 apiece with only 8 minutes remaining before the break. Then came the moment of madness that probably decided the margin of victory for Limerick, if not the victory itself. Karl Stewart, the Antrim Centre Forward, was cynically hauled down by Brian Geary but instead of taking the point and the lead from the free he decided to stamp on the Limerick man and James McGrath had no hesitation, nor option to be fair, in showing the carta dearg.
After that Limerick took control and their short passing game, which was in so much trouble when it was 15 v 15, suddenly began to exploit the gaps in the Antrim team. In the remaining 8 minutes of the first half, they outscored Antrim 1-03 to 0-1.
Antrim tried to rise it in the early going in the second half but Limerick were always able to keep them at arms length and when David Breen and Ritchie McCarthy both goaled in the course of the second half the Glensmen fell away badly, to be beaten by 19 points in the end: 3-22 to 0-12. 2-12 to 0-4 was the second half scoreline and serves to illustrate the problems Antrim had when down to 14.
Limerick will need to iron out the wrinkles in the short passing game and, while Thurles is a fine big pitch with loads of space, Dublin will look to disrupt them by physically getting into them and Limerick may need to have a plan B. Hopefully Graham Mulcahy will be back by then because he will add speed to the Limerick inside line, but Donal O'Grady must be pleased with the way things are bubbling up for them. They'd have taken a tilt at Dublin for a semi final spot had you offered it to them at the start of the year.
Football Qualifiers
The round 2 football Qualifiers were also decided, well most of them, on Saturday and there were thrills and spills aplenty there too.
First out of the traps was the meeting of Limerick and Offaly down in the Gaelic Grounds, as the curtain raiser in the double header. Offaly were buoyed by a good win over Monaghan in Round 1. Limerick were devestated with injuries and dual player issues. Limerick had been destroyed by a slick Kerry team in Munster, and hadn't played since. All set up for an Offaly win then. Well, not exactly. Ian Ryan turned in a majestic exhibition of full forward line play while Offaly won enough ball to win two matches, and proceeded to kick it wide, kick it away and generally treat the ball as if it had done them a great personal harm. Steven Lavin, deployed as a sweeper when Offaly withdrew their own centre half forward to operate as an extra body around the middle, cleaned up in the first half and this led to Offaly being extremely reluctant to kick the ball at all in the second half. Pointless handpassing and panicked wides were the order of the day then as Limerick took advantage of every chance they got. All that said it wasn't until the dying moments of the game, when Limerick profited from a mistake coming out of the Offaly back line and notched their third goal, that the final result was sure. Limerick will be delighted to draw Waterford at home, and will fancy their chances of taking another step forward. For Offaly, see 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 .......
Another early throw in saw Carlow make the long trek to Casement Park to take on Antrim, and Luke Dempsey will be disconsolate that his team failed to get the result they feel they deserved. Quite a bit of feedback from the game suggested that Carlow didn't exactly get the rub of the green with some decisions, and to lose by a point after all that is a sickening feeling. Carlow will have been encourage by their early showing in the Leinster semi final, if not the following events, and won't have been in awe of an Antrim side that they are used to coming across in the League. Indeed for 54 minutes there was nothing in it, but then Mark Dougan snatched a goal for Antrim, and Carlow saw Ed Finnegan given the line in an off the ball incident.
Antrim kicked on and led 1-13 to 1-08 and looked home and hosed until Brian Murphy goaled for Carlow, and Daniel Saint Ledger added a point to leave the minimum between the sides. Agonisingly for Carlow, the clock ran down on them and they were unable to get the draw, or even the win that they coveted.
Antrim have been rewarded again with yet another home draw, their third on the trot, against Down in round 3 and will relish the step up and the chance to move a step closer to Croker.
Their opponents, Down, shrugged off the stubborn challenge of Leitrim in a much improved performance in Newry to seal their place in round 3, and welcome back the real Benny Coulter as an added bonus. Coulter kicked seven points from play to propel the beaten All Ireland finalists past the beaten Connacht semi finalists in a personal triumph for the Mayobridge man.
Leitrim were very dogged for long periods in the game and an Adrian Croal goal just after half time really put the cat amongst the pigeons. However, led by Coulter, Down reeled of 8 unanswered points and were able to wind the clock down for a comfortable 1-16 to 1-08 victory. The Mourne men still have unanswered questions around midfield, but the return of Liam Doyle plus the return to form of Coulter is a boost to a forward line which boasts formidable talents.
The shock looked on for long periods in Pearse Park as Longford took the game to Tyrone, as expected, and led by a point at half time. The Tyrone men proved their mettle, however, in the second half and ran out 5 point victors in the end. Mickey Harte will be very pleased to see the reaction he got from his players as he made several changes to the named team, jettisoning (or losing) several of the older heroes, as a clutch of newer men came in - possibly a handing over of the torch? Aidan Cassidy lorded midfield as he came in for Kevin Hughes, Colm Cavanagh replaced Brian Dooher, and Kyle Coney replaced the injured Stephen O'Neill. Peter Harte certainly seemed to benefit from the air of freshness around him as he chipped in with 6 points from play, while Mark Donnelly and Martin Penrose also prospered.
Longford put it up to the Red Hands, as we knew they would, and the Larries were efficient in the extreme with their shooting. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get their hands on enough ball around the middle third in the second half, and Tyrone used this advantage to drive on for a 1-17 to 0-15 win. Tyrone are on the march again now, following the Donegal disappointment, and their followers are much heartened by Mickey Harte's latest team selection. They may be disappointed again if Hughes and O'Neill get back fit and some of the new lads get dropped again. One must also ask would Dooher be left out of a quarter final line up for example? Time may tell, but in the meantime they get another two week layoff as they await the winners of Armagh and Wicklow.
Meath survived a scare, and an insipid performance, against Galway in Navan on Saturday evening as they, too, booked their place in the next round thanks to an 0-11 to 0-10 win in a hardfought tussle. The Royals kicked some poor wides in the first half but still led by 4 at half time, 0-08 to 0-04, and seemed set fair for a handy victory. However Galway took over in the second half and, indeed, pushed into a 1 point lead, 0-09 to 0-08. From then on the pendulum swung back and forth, and Galway took a late lead through corner back Johnny Duane with 3 minutes remaining. Brian Farrell and Stephen Bray, however, kicked the vital late points that saw Meath home. Meath will be relieved to get over this hurdle, and relieved to see Bray back in harness. Cian Ward wasn't able to replicate his performance against Louth, (but how could he?), and Meath still won. Shane O'Rourke and Brian Meade were impressive in the first half, but faded as Galway gained the upper hand, so there is still a lot of work to be done with the Royals. They don't have much time to sort themselves out as they've drawn Kildare in the next round, but Meath will relish welcoming Kieran McGeeney's men to Navan.
In Ruislip, Waterford brought the London dream to a crashing halt with a professional 1-17 to 0-13 win with ex dual star Gary Hurney grabbing 1-03 from play, including an early goal which gave Waterford breathing space all the way through. It was Waterford's first win in the qualifiers and, in addition to Hurney's haul, they can thank the accuracy of newcomer Paul Whyte and his 7 points. After Hurney's goal, and playing with a breeze in the first half, Waterford built up a lead that London never really threatened, despite good work from Mark Gottsche, Eoin O'Neill and Padraig McGoldrick. Rocked by the sending off of Paul Geraghty in the closing moments of the first half, London were killed off entirely when Ciaran McCallion also saw his second yellow, and Waterford cruised to the final whistle.
London will look back with some satisfaction at this year's championship and will doubtless hope to earn that elusive Connacht victory next season as the next logical step forward. Waterford, for their part, will not be daunted by a trip to the Gaelic Grounds and , as underdogs, will be aiming to pull off an minor upset.
In O'Moore Park, the battle of neighbours Laois and Kildare turned into a stroll in the evening sunshine for the Lilywhites as Laois found themselves unable to cope with Tomás O'Connor. O'Connor, the son of Offaly Midfielder in 1982 Tomás senior, caused havoc on the edge of the Laois square and the Kildare tactic of hitting him early and often paid off in spades in the first half particularly.
It promised to be so different from the start as Kildare struggled to get into the game early on, and Laois surged into the lead with points from Munnelly and Kingston before Kildare really got going. But when they did get going, they really got going. Tomás O'Connor set up Eoin O'Flaherty who was fouled (barely) for a penalty and John Doyle stroked home Kildare's first score to give them a lead they scarcely deserved at that stage. Donie Kingston levelled, but then Tomás O'Connor got Kildare's second goal and gave them a lead they would not surrender. Indeed they held a 3 point lead at half time, 2-03 to 0-06 and, after the restart, Kildare's now familiar second half surge saw them power away from Laois and clock up an impressive 1-13 after the break. Laois could only manage 4 points in reply and, in truth, they were were powerless to do anything about the ferocity with which Kildare hit them in that second period. Kildare fans will be heartened to welcome back long term injury absentee Mickey Conway, and will also be delighted to see James Kavanagh come on as a sub and move so well, including a well taken goal.
Kildare will be nervous about the trip to Navan, and you still feel that Johnny Doyle in midfield is a necessary evil at this stage. If Daryll Flynn is close to coming back, that could really inject a major boost into Kildare's quest for honours.
Finally, we must mention another chapter in the story of Micko. Written off by all commentators, including myself, the great man brought his team up to Armagh to face a stiff test against the home team and came away with a draw that could have been a victory, easily, in normal and extra time. True, the goals helped Wicklow's cause and true, Armagh came back well in both cases to get their draw but when you think of a Division 4 team going away to a strong Division 1 team in the championship and giving them a torrid time like this, it does reinforce the legend of Micko.
I'm not one that worships at his altar, but I freely admit the man impresses me with his energy, his drive and his belief in himself and his team. He had no fears of going up there, and he will have no fear of welcoming them back down to Aughrim. Armagh are used to hard battles in Ulster, but even they must be a little unnerved by the prospects of a visit to the graveyard of so many teams over the years. Add in the Micko factor and you can see all sorts of potential reasons for another great day.
Micko has hinted that he wouldn't be necessarily retiring from the game when Wicklow's time is up in the championship and, even though I disagree with the populist vision of Micko to a certain extent, I do appreciate what he's done and I hope he stays on somewhere as long as he enjoys it.
Hits and Misses
Onto this weeks hits and misses, with some great individual performances.
Hits
Lar Corbett. Wow. What do you do? Go man on man and he bursts past you. Go zonal and he runs into spaces. At the moment the best forward in the game, and a goal machine on a team of goal machines. Jackie Tyrell may be eying him up, but at the moment he is unmarkable.
Joe Canning's flick. Second time in a row for Joe to make this list, and I was delighted to be in the Gaelic grounds to see this outrageous piece of skill. Winning well, Joe went out at full speed to pick up a ball near two Cork men. In the blink of an eye he had reverse passed the ball to a colleague running in to score from half way, but it was done so quickly that John Gardiner followed Joe for a good few steps before he realised it was gone.
Ian Ryan. We had a Limerick hurling corner forward here last week, and this week it's a footballer. Ian Ryan has had a few up and down years since he burst onto the scene against Meath on that evening in Limerick a few seasons ago but on Saturday he was immense. While Offaly laboured to use the ball properly Limerick knew exactly what they had to do to get their scraps into the dangerman, and he was lethal. Ryan contributed 1-07 from play and was the difference between the teams. As an Offaly man it was torture watching him, as a football man it was a pleasure.
Wexford's backs. When you see Bernard Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly and Eoghan O'Gara being taken off and Mossy Quinn coming on and being taken off again, you would expect that Dublin would lose. The Wexford backs did their bit. But for an unfortunate mistake and some criminal misuse of possession out the field, Wexford would be Leinster Champions.
Misses
I'm glad to say I have no misses to report this weekend. One could be harsh and go after Waterford or Davy, but in fairness I prefer to give the credit to Tipp. I've said it before, Hurling is a cruel game when it starts to go away from you, and the potential for a good team to rack up huge scores is obvious. Waterford will have better days, and maybe sooner than we think.
Other sports
US Sports
You may have been reading last week when I mentioned that Derek Jeter was chasing the magical 3,000 hit mark. Well I'm glad to report that, in case you missed it, the Yankees shortstop achieved the milestone in some style. At home in Yankee Stadium, Jeter came to the plate against the Tampa Bay Rays with 2,999 hits.5 minutes later he was being feted all around the world of baseball as he drove his 3,000th hit over the fence in left field for a home run. A home run on the 3,000th hit, now that's the way to do it.
Some people wonder about the significance of this milestone but, while being the 28th to do something doesn't seem that big of a deal, when you consider that over 17,200 players have played major league baseball and only 27 had ever reached that mark, it puts it in some context. Then you must consider that Jeter becomes the first Yankee to do it despite the great names, that even nonbaseball fans would recognise, that have been with that storied franchise over it's history. Men like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and others have worn the pinstripes with pride and achieved great things, but they never achieved this.
Maith thú Derek Jeter.
In the NFL, the sense is that we are approaching end game in the negotiations.It appears as if a deal is almost there, with the Rookie wage scale being the final major hurdle, according to various reports stateside. Hopefully this is true, as we are approaching training camp time now, and if the teams can't sign free agents and do their work at camp, the season itself will start to be in jeapordy.
One final thing. I had a good reaction to my baseball primer last week, and if anyone would like to ask me a question, or ask me to run through other primers on NFL, NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball or whatever, please feel free to ask and I'd be delighted to do so. I know that the organisation of these sports can sometimes be as confusing as the actual rules of the games themselves, and you need to know who's who and what's what before you can appreciate the competitions as they are played out.
You are too hard on your own county regarding past years. 2010 in particular, they reached round 3 where they only narrowly lost to the eventual All-Ireland runners up, and were the team that give Down the toughest test in the qualifiers.
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