Phew. That was pretty hectic. 8 football qualifiers, 4 provincial semi finals and 2 hurling qualifers to talk about, and talking points from nearly all of them.
Provincial Semi Finals
First up, in Connacht, Mayo got the better of their near and dear rivals, but the game itself was not one of those we'll be recalling in 20 years time. The key moment arrived with Mayo's goal from full forward Alan Freeman, and it was fairly comfortable for Mayo from then on. They will be delighted to see Ronan McGarritty come on and kick a point for them, even though the O'Shea brothers did very well in the midfield battle. It was a poor game overall, but the Mayo lads will be delighted to exorcise the ghost of Ruislip, and will be a dangerous opponent for the Rossies in the final, especially as Roscommon will be favourites in most peoples' minds.
Up in Clones, a dour enough struggle ensued as well, but the outcome has led to a novel scenario in Ulster. Donegal's deserved victory has set up a final clash with Derry, and thus for the first time since 1998 neither Tyrone nor Armagh will be the Ulster standard bearers. That has to be a good thing for a province that prides itself on the competitiveness of it's championship. Donegal are not pretty to look at, and the loss of Joe McMahon through a reckless, at best, 'challenge' was a key factor, but they showed resiliance and a cool head to close out the contest after Tyrone had firstly burst out of the blocks, and secondly had come back to draw the game in injury time. Two qualities not particularly on first name terms with Donegal in recent years.
Croker saw two very different contests. Wexford survived a rocky start to see off Carlow by 14 points, and continue their high scoring gallop towards the Leinster final. They have unearthed several heirs to the Mattie Forde mantel, and in Shane Roche and his 2-4 from play, they've found another one to add to the likes of Ciaran Lyng and Ben Brosnan. Carlow will be disappointed to lose in such a fashion after starting so well, but it's a well worn cliché that goals win games, and you cannot concede 4 in a semi final and expect to win. They've been given a tough, but doable, task in the qualifiers away to Antrim, but they cannot allow their backline to be as porous again. Wexford will trouble the Dubs defence if they get ball, but they cannot allow Dublin to get off to a flyer like Carlow did. Dublin have the ability to rack up 2 or 3 goals in that scenario, and Wexford would struggle to claw them back. However, it is good to see Wexford in the Leinster Final, and they have a puncher's chance because of their forwards.
The final provincial semi final saw a real championship struggle between Dublin and Kildare. From my vantage point, on the couch, it appeared as if Dublin were always just that little bit more comfortable than Kildare on the day, and ran out deserving winners. There was good intensity in the game, and while the quality was lacking at times, particularly in the shooting department, it was great to see a nice day and a fast paced game. It felt like real championship. Kildare will be disgusted at their failure to put Dublin away, especially since they had most of the momentum in the second half, but they are not the first side to fail to make numerical advantage count, and until the late goal, Dublin seemed at ease defensively. A worry for Dublin will be their struggles around midfield again, and teams like Cork are equipped to really destroy the Dubs there. Not much point having the Brogans etc if the ball is down in your half all day. Eoghan O'Gara remains a conundrum. Undoubtedly a good ball winner, he seems to struggle with decision making, in terms of ball usage, and also in terms of needless fouling. His red card was decidely avoidable, and if he is to become a real foil for the rest of the forwards, he needs to learn to differentiate between trying hard and being reckless. Kildare won't be happy with the way the game ended, but on balance I think the correct team on the day won.
Football Qualifiers
London took advantage of the factors in their favour, including their own good form to be fair to them, and recorded their first championship victory in 34 years over a disjointed and decimated Fermanagh side. Despite the nominal advantages London had, you still have to go out and win Championship games, and the one thing they did was prove that the performance against Mayo was not a fluke. Waterford's fans might be relishing the shopping opportunities in Oxford Street, but the footballers will not be looking forward to another battle in Ruislip.
So close for Clare, yet so far away. The division 4 team twice reeled in the beaten All Ireland finalists, having stood them decent leads at the beginning of both halves, and but for a last minute, desperate, goal line clearance by CORNER FORWARD Conor Laverty, Down would have been traipsing away from Cusack Park with their tails between their legs. Down survived a similar scare against Offaly last year, and went on to the final, but this was even closer than that day in Tullamore, and Down will have to knuckle down if they are to make a good effort at a repeat trick. Midfield is a problem for the Mourne men, and Marty Clarke is probably not the answer there, but Leitrim at home in the next round gives them a chance at working at their failings.
Longford made their superiority count with a strong breeze in the second half against a young Cavan side which lost their discipline as the game went against them, but in honesty a one point lead at half time was never going to be enough for Cavan. Longford proved far too strong in the second half, and ran out easy victors as the home side were reduced to 13 men. A fine volleyed finish from Brian Kavanagh was the highlight of the game, but in truth it was over at that stage. Cavan are in the throes of rebuilding, again, and will need to take advantage of their Ulster Championship winning under 21s, while Longford will look forward to the visit of Tyrone to Pearse Park, and have matured into a solid, doughty Championship side over the past few years. You earn your victories in Pearse Park, as Derry, Mayo and Dublin have all discovered in recent years.
In the second game in Kingspan Breffni Park, it was a virtuoso display from Meath's recalled corner forward Cian Ward. Long regarded as a dead ball expert, he proved his eye for a goal, or 4 goals to be precise, as he powered the Royals to victory over Louth in a game that never really lived up to the hype. It looked promising for Louth early on, albeit with a strong breeze advantage, but from the moment Ward cracked home his first goal, Meath looked likely winners. Louth did manage a reply before half time through the impressive Darren Clarke, but you sensed Louth needed to be 6 or 7 points ahead to hold on. As it was, Ward struck again before half time, and the die was cast. Shane O'Rourke was promising in Midfield for Meath as well, and himself and Brian Meade may be a partnership to work with for Banty. They have another big game in the next round at home to Galway, and may have a couple of their injured forwards back for that engagement. Meath could be a dangerous animal yet. Louth will be disappointed at this championship season, after the highs and lows of last year, I'm sure successive defeats to Leinster opponents was not on the agenda, but such are the vagaries of championship football. Peter Fitzpatrick may need to consider whether he can combine a professional life, a TD's life and a football manager's role, but that's a decision Peter should be allowed to make himself, he has earned that.
Laois proved too good for a disappointing Tipperary outfit in O'Moore park, and they will be encouraged by the form of Padraig Clancy, Ross Munnelly, MJ Tierney and Donie Kingston. Those are the names we need to be reading about if Laois are going to be a force in the back door, and on Saturday night they were too strong for the Premier. John Evans was happy to admit that his team were outplayed on the night, but did highlight the loss of several young players to America for the summer following the loss in Killarney. I understand John's point, but these days a young fella offered a handy job in America, with a chance to kick football at a level he is comfortable is always likely to have his head turned. Throw in good weather as well, and it's almost a no brainer for the young fella. Young lads think their county careers will go on for ever, so a summer in America is hardly going to kill their county hopes. Laois will be looking forward to welcoming Kildare to O'Moore Park in the next round, and unless Kieran McGeeney can get his troops geed up after the disappointment in Croke Park, his old comrade from Mullaghbawn and Armagh, Justin McNulty, will fancy his chances of dumping them out.
Dessie Dolan's absence from the starting lineup was a huge blow to Westmeath in their tilt with Antrim in Casement Park, and a difficult assignment was made that much more arduous immediately. Antrim then proceeded to turn in a very competent display, and Westmeath were simply unable to live with them, despite Dessie's introduction, and thus became the only Leinster county to lose to a county outside the province in round 1. Antrim will be content with this performance, in that it banishes a negative, sterile outing in Ballybofey, and will be confident about facing another Leinster side, Carlow, in Casement Park in 2 weeks time.
Yet again Aughrim lived up to it's reputation as a graveyard for the ambitions of travelling sides, as Sligo were the latest to feel the pain of defeat in this intimate, innocuous looking venue. But stadia don't win games, and it was Wicklow's performance which was the determining factor in sending Sligo spinning over the precipice, and possibly into a period of managerial change and rebuilding. Kevin Walsh has done well enough in Sligo, and they will be kicking themselves that 2010 did not see the Nestor Cup return to Sligo having disposed of both Galway and Mayo. However that defeat to Roscommon seems to have signalled a sea change in their fortunes, and they are now a Division 3 side, with no wins in their last 4 championship games, including defeats to Roscommon, Down, Leitrim and Wicklow. That is depressing reading for Sligo fans, and may be enough to cause unrest in the Yeats County. Such considerations are far from Wicklow's minds at this stage, as they extend Micko's stay, and will not be phased by a difficult assignment in Armagh in the next round. Underdogs without a doubt, they will nonetheless be encouraged by their own win, and Armagh's defeat to Derry. A special word for super sub Conor McGraynor, who lashed home a great goal to give Wicklow breathing space. Barely finished his leaving certificate, that is one way to celebrate!
Finally, great credit to Offaly footballers who arose from the ashes of the Wexford debacle, and no doubt stung by criticisms, valid and invalid, from within the county bounds, they preduced a great performance to blow away a stodgy Monaghan side. Offaly can play football when they are motivated to do so, and in Niall McNamee they have one of the most mercurial forwards in the game. Supported by the likes of Ken Casey, Niall Smyth and the irrepressible Ciaran McManus and Karol Slattory, Offaly should have enough to trouble most teams. The problem, as far as frustrated faithful fans are concerned, is that too often the total is less than the sum of the parts. However, there are signs that the derision which greeted a qualifer campaign is being consigned to the dustbin, where it belongs. Last years encouraging show in defeat versus Down, coupled with this great win over a Monaghan side that ran Tyrone close in Ulster, shows that at least nowadays you can reasonably expect the qualifiers to get serious attention from this Offaly side. Tullamore didn't show us anything we didn't know about Offaly, Niall Smyth's and Ritchie Dalton's impressive midfield display aside, and it is now up to the lads themselves to reproduce this level consistently. From Monaghan's perspective, too many men missing, too poor a performance, and crucially, too low an intensity to live with Offaly on the night. Back to the drawing board for them, and it's a trek we in Offaly know all too well.
Hurling Qualifiers
As expected Antrim had a little too much firepower and experience at this level for a game Carlow side, and while racking up 23 points is a good tally, and was enough for a comfortable 8 point winning margin, you sense that Antrim will have to be troubling the umpire with the green flag if they are to advance any further. Bigger guns than Carlow await in the next round.
Down by the Lee, it was another sickening moral victory for the Offaly hurlers, as they just failed to end Cork's summer on a scoreline of 2-17 to 2-16. Offaly really have only themselves to blame, as with Cork reduced to 14 men, the Faithful hit too many silly wides to really punish their opponents, and therefore Shane Dooley's late goal, which Donal Óg won't want to see again, only served to further emphasise what might have been. It is heartening to see Offaly produce performances against big teams like this, but Cork are not the major force in hurling, as they were in the mid 2000s, and sooner or later Offaly have to win a game like this, preferably sooner. Galway, Dublin, Waterford and Tipperary have all had reason to breath a sigh of relief after surviving a struggle with Offaly, but we need to start making them curse their luck, rather than thank their lucky stars. Cork are the latest to be relieved, but in stark terms, they march on to a Phase 3 qualifier, while Offaly will be watching on TV. Thin margins, but major consequences.
Hits and Misses
Thankfully a lot more hits than misses this week. I prefer to focus on the positive, especially as so much good happens every week. But there's always one!
Hits
Cian Ward. As mentioned above, the Meath corner forward gave a virtuoso display. He didn't feature in Meath's disappointing defeat to Kildare in the Leinster Championship, but was given his chance in a restructured Meath forward line for the clash versus Louth. His response? Oh, just 4-3, with two goals coming off each foot. That'll do Cian, Maith thú.
Offaly Footballers. See above. This was do or die in many peoples' minds. There was a negative perception about the footballers within the county, and from those looking in from outside. Some of it was not of their making, but some of it certainly was. An 8 point spanking of Monaghan goes a long way to answering some of those critics, but it needs to be the start of a pattern, not an exclamation point in an argument.
London Footballers. Great to see the dedicated ex pats in London finally reap some championship harvest after a long 34 year barren period. Alright Fermanagh were in a bit of a mess, and the ideal team at the ideal time, but they are still due respect as an inter county football team, and a representative of Ulster. To claim their scalp was a great day for manager Paul Coggins, his backroom team, the supporters, the county board and of course, most importantly, the players. A melting pot of different footballing approaches and outlooks, fuelled by economic circumstances at home, and brought together under the one banner to strike a blow for all county boards operating away from Ireland. Great stuff.
Conor Laverty. Down almost came a cropper in Ennis, and that they didn't is due in large part to the performance of Conor Laverty. Most corner forwards I know would be fairly happy with themselves to contribute 1-3 from play, but Laverty was switched on enough to track his marker, Laurence Healy, all the way back in the last minute of injury time, with Down leading by a point. Healy got a tough to a high ball, Down 'keeper Brendan McVeigh was beaten, and Clare were on the brink of a huge shock until Laverty intervened with a diving, last ditch, goalline clearance to preserve the win. Match winning contribution indeed.
Cormac Reilly. I can hear the cries of indignation from Kildare already, so let me clarify. I don't believe Reilly had a great game, and I think there were some soft frees awarded during the game. The replay of THE free at the end was a bit inconclusive I thought, as there may well have been more contact before the ball came in. However, I'm not awarding him a hit on the basis of his performance. What impressed me about him was his willingness to stand by his opinion, and to have the courage of his convictions in awarding the free. I was dismayed to hear a pundit I like, Kevin McStay, claim that you 'can't give a free in the last minute of a game like this'. In fairness to McStay, he retracted somewhat that evening, but nonetheless, I believe that if a referee spots a foul, and is happy to back himself, then he must give the free. It's a slippery slope to start using the closeness of a game as a barometer of whether an incident is a foul or not. In this case Reilly thought Brogan was foulled, and rightly or wrongly, was brave enough to make a call he knew would be unpopular. He'd have had no negative media feedback if he'd allowed play to continue, so I think it's a positive mark on his integrity that he did what he believed was right.
Miss
Mayo v Galway. OK, we're amateur players, conditions were abysmal, and it was a clash between two teams on a low ebb confidence wise. However, we play these games all our lives, we mostly play them in Ireland, where rain and wind is not unheard of, and they were still two inter county senior teams. I'll not labour the point, but suffice to say I have not seen such a poor display of handling, passing from the hand and foot, free taking, decision making and overall ineptitude in some fairly basic skills in a long time. I'm sure both teams are better than this, I know they are, and I'm sure they'll improve in their next outings, hopefully in more summer like conditions, but that was very poor fare for Galway and Mayo.
Best Wishes
On a more sombre note, and reminding us that no matter how intense we get about sport, it is just that, sport, I'd like to send my best wishes, for what they're worth, to two people.
Firstly Ger Loughnane, the great Clare hurler and leader of men as manager in their All Ireland successes in 1995 and 1997. Ger is facing a health battle at the moment, and I'm sure he'll bring the same single mindedness and determination he brought to bear with the Banner. Remember his famous half time interview as Clare trailed Offaly in 1995 'We *will* win this'? Ger, you will win this.
Also best wishes for a speedy recovery to young Mark McGovern, a club man of Belcoo in Fermanagh, who was injured in a clash during a game in San Francisco. Mark was playing with the Ulster club in San Francisco when the incident happened, and remains in hospital since.
Obviously thoughts and prayers are with the two lads, and I hope to hear better news from them shortly.
Other sports
It's a quiet season in other sports at the moment, particularly States side. It used to be true, and may be still, that there were only 2 days in the year without a major league sports game taking place. Those days are the day before and after the Baseball All Star game. As that game is approaching fast, it means that NHL, NFL and NBA are all on their off season.
The closest to resuming is the NFL, but the lockout continues. Last week's owners meeting was allegedly 'productive' but there seems to be no definitive news emanating from either camp. As such the travelling roadshow of negotiations is due to continue, this time Minnesota hosts the 5th round of negotiations. The NFL is bound to be conscious of two things. 1) The NCAA football season is around the corner, and will take some fan dollars if the dispute starts to impact on the season, and 2) We are getting close to impacting on the scheduled start of training camps. Given that Free Agency needs to be sorted out before the season starts as well, time is of the essence at this stage.
Speaking of MLB, as I was above, there are some interesting divisional races in progress as we near the break for the All Star Game. In the American League East, the usual suspects battle it out at the top, with the Yankees holding a half game lead over the Red Sox. The AL central sees the Detroit Tiger, behind the pitching of Justin Verlander, lead the Cleveland Indians by 1 game. The Texas Rangers, beaten in the World Series last year, hold a game and a half lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
In the National League, the East is being led by the Phillies, who have the best record in baseball at 49-30, and they hold a 4.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves. In the Central, the Milwaukee Brewers are 3 games ahead of the Saint Louis Cardinals, while over in the West, the World Series Champions, the San Francisco Giants are 2 games clear of the rejuvenated and surprising Arizona Diamondbacks.
Obviously with a 162 game season, there's a lot of time to go before the playoff picture is anywhere near decided, but it's interesting to see so many familiar names at the top of the standings.
Provincial Semi Finals
First up, in Connacht, Mayo got the better of their near and dear rivals, but the game itself was not one of those we'll be recalling in 20 years time. The key moment arrived with Mayo's goal from full forward Alan Freeman, and it was fairly comfortable for Mayo from then on. They will be delighted to see Ronan McGarritty come on and kick a point for them, even though the O'Shea brothers did very well in the midfield battle. It was a poor game overall, but the Mayo lads will be delighted to exorcise the ghost of Ruislip, and will be a dangerous opponent for the Rossies in the final, especially as Roscommon will be favourites in most peoples' minds.
Up in Clones, a dour enough struggle ensued as well, but the outcome has led to a novel scenario in Ulster. Donegal's deserved victory has set up a final clash with Derry, and thus for the first time since 1998 neither Tyrone nor Armagh will be the Ulster standard bearers. That has to be a good thing for a province that prides itself on the competitiveness of it's championship. Donegal are not pretty to look at, and the loss of Joe McMahon through a reckless, at best, 'challenge' was a key factor, but they showed resiliance and a cool head to close out the contest after Tyrone had firstly burst out of the blocks, and secondly had come back to draw the game in injury time. Two qualities not particularly on first name terms with Donegal in recent years.
Croker saw two very different contests. Wexford survived a rocky start to see off Carlow by 14 points, and continue their high scoring gallop towards the Leinster final. They have unearthed several heirs to the Mattie Forde mantel, and in Shane Roche and his 2-4 from play, they've found another one to add to the likes of Ciaran Lyng and Ben Brosnan. Carlow will be disappointed to lose in such a fashion after starting so well, but it's a well worn cliché that goals win games, and you cannot concede 4 in a semi final and expect to win. They've been given a tough, but doable, task in the qualifiers away to Antrim, but they cannot allow their backline to be as porous again. Wexford will trouble the Dubs defence if they get ball, but they cannot allow Dublin to get off to a flyer like Carlow did. Dublin have the ability to rack up 2 or 3 goals in that scenario, and Wexford would struggle to claw them back. However, it is good to see Wexford in the Leinster Final, and they have a puncher's chance because of their forwards.
The final provincial semi final saw a real championship struggle between Dublin and Kildare. From my vantage point, on the couch, it appeared as if Dublin were always just that little bit more comfortable than Kildare on the day, and ran out deserving winners. There was good intensity in the game, and while the quality was lacking at times, particularly in the shooting department, it was great to see a nice day and a fast paced game. It felt like real championship. Kildare will be disgusted at their failure to put Dublin away, especially since they had most of the momentum in the second half, but they are not the first side to fail to make numerical advantage count, and until the late goal, Dublin seemed at ease defensively. A worry for Dublin will be their struggles around midfield again, and teams like Cork are equipped to really destroy the Dubs there. Not much point having the Brogans etc if the ball is down in your half all day. Eoghan O'Gara remains a conundrum. Undoubtedly a good ball winner, he seems to struggle with decision making, in terms of ball usage, and also in terms of needless fouling. His red card was decidely avoidable, and if he is to become a real foil for the rest of the forwards, he needs to learn to differentiate between trying hard and being reckless. Kildare won't be happy with the way the game ended, but on balance I think the correct team on the day won.
Football Qualifiers
London took advantage of the factors in their favour, including their own good form to be fair to them, and recorded their first championship victory in 34 years over a disjointed and decimated Fermanagh side. Despite the nominal advantages London had, you still have to go out and win Championship games, and the one thing they did was prove that the performance against Mayo was not a fluke. Waterford's fans might be relishing the shopping opportunities in Oxford Street, but the footballers will not be looking forward to another battle in Ruislip.
So close for Clare, yet so far away. The division 4 team twice reeled in the beaten All Ireland finalists, having stood them decent leads at the beginning of both halves, and but for a last minute, desperate, goal line clearance by CORNER FORWARD Conor Laverty, Down would have been traipsing away from Cusack Park with their tails between their legs. Down survived a similar scare against Offaly last year, and went on to the final, but this was even closer than that day in Tullamore, and Down will have to knuckle down if they are to make a good effort at a repeat trick. Midfield is a problem for the Mourne men, and Marty Clarke is probably not the answer there, but Leitrim at home in the next round gives them a chance at working at their failings.
Longford made their superiority count with a strong breeze in the second half against a young Cavan side which lost their discipline as the game went against them, but in honesty a one point lead at half time was never going to be enough for Cavan. Longford proved far too strong in the second half, and ran out easy victors as the home side were reduced to 13 men. A fine volleyed finish from Brian Kavanagh was the highlight of the game, but in truth it was over at that stage. Cavan are in the throes of rebuilding, again, and will need to take advantage of their Ulster Championship winning under 21s, while Longford will look forward to the visit of Tyrone to Pearse Park, and have matured into a solid, doughty Championship side over the past few years. You earn your victories in Pearse Park, as Derry, Mayo and Dublin have all discovered in recent years.
In the second game in Kingspan Breffni Park, it was a virtuoso display from Meath's recalled corner forward Cian Ward. Long regarded as a dead ball expert, he proved his eye for a goal, or 4 goals to be precise, as he powered the Royals to victory over Louth in a game that never really lived up to the hype. It looked promising for Louth early on, albeit with a strong breeze advantage, but from the moment Ward cracked home his first goal, Meath looked likely winners. Louth did manage a reply before half time through the impressive Darren Clarke, but you sensed Louth needed to be 6 or 7 points ahead to hold on. As it was, Ward struck again before half time, and the die was cast. Shane O'Rourke was promising in Midfield for Meath as well, and himself and Brian Meade may be a partnership to work with for Banty. They have another big game in the next round at home to Galway, and may have a couple of their injured forwards back for that engagement. Meath could be a dangerous animal yet. Louth will be disappointed at this championship season, after the highs and lows of last year, I'm sure successive defeats to Leinster opponents was not on the agenda, but such are the vagaries of championship football. Peter Fitzpatrick may need to consider whether he can combine a professional life, a TD's life and a football manager's role, but that's a decision Peter should be allowed to make himself, he has earned that.
Laois proved too good for a disappointing Tipperary outfit in O'Moore park, and they will be encouraged by the form of Padraig Clancy, Ross Munnelly, MJ Tierney and Donie Kingston. Those are the names we need to be reading about if Laois are going to be a force in the back door, and on Saturday night they were too strong for the Premier. John Evans was happy to admit that his team were outplayed on the night, but did highlight the loss of several young players to America for the summer following the loss in Killarney. I understand John's point, but these days a young fella offered a handy job in America, with a chance to kick football at a level he is comfortable is always likely to have his head turned. Throw in good weather as well, and it's almost a no brainer for the young fella. Young lads think their county careers will go on for ever, so a summer in America is hardly going to kill their county hopes. Laois will be looking forward to welcoming Kildare to O'Moore Park in the next round, and unless Kieran McGeeney can get his troops geed up after the disappointment in Croke Park, his old comrade from Mullaghbawn and Armagh, Justin McNulty, will fancy his chances of dumping them out.
Dessie Dolan's absence from the starting lineup was a huge blow to Westmeath in their tilt with Antrim in Casement Park, and a difficult assignment was made that much more arduous immediately. Antrim then proceeded to turn in a very competent display, and Westmeath were simply unable to live with them, despite Dessie's introduction, and thus became the only Leinster county to lose to a county outside the province in round 1. Antrim will be content with this performance, in that it banishes a negative, sterile outing in Ballybofey, and will be confident about facing another Leinster side, Carlow, in Casement Park in 2 weeks time.
Yet again Aughrim lived up to it's reputation as a graveyard for the ambitions of travelling sides, as Sligo were the latest to feel the pain of defeat in this intimate, innocuous looking venue. But stadia don't win games, and it was Wicklow's performance which was the determining factor in sending Sligo spinning over the precipice, and possibly into a period of managerial change and rebuilding. Kevin Walsh has done well enough in Sligo, and they will be kicking themselves that 2010 did not see the Nestor Cup return to Sligo having disposed of both Galway and Mayo. However that defeat to Roscommon seems to have signalled a sea change in their fortunes, and they are now a Division 3 side, with no wins in their last 4 championship games, including defeats to Roscommon, Down, Leitrim and Wicklow. That is depressing reading for Sligo fans, and may be enough to cause unrest in the Yeats County. Such considerations are far from Wicklow's minds at this stage, as they extend Micko's stay, and will not be phased by a difficult assignment in Armagh in the next round. Underdogs without a doubt, they will nonetheless be encouraged by their own win, and Armagh's defeat to Derry. A special word for super sub Conor McGraynor, who lashed home a great goal to give Wicklow breathing space. Barely finished his leaving certificate, that is one way to celebrate!
Finally, great credit to Offaly footballers who arose from the ashes of the Wexford debacle, and no doubt stung by criticisms, valid and invalid, from within the county bounds, they preduced a great performance to blow away a stodgy Monaghan side. Offaly can play football when they are motivated to do so, and in Niall McNamee they have one of the most mercurial forwards in the game. Supported by the likes of Ken Casey, Niall Smyth and the irrepressible Ciaran McManus and Karol Slattory, Offaly should have enough to trouble most teams. The problem, as far as frustrated faithful fans are concerned, is that too often the total is less than the sum of the parts. However, there are signs that the derision which greeted a qualifer campaign is being consigned to the dustbin, where it belongs. Last years encouraging show in defeat versus Down, coupled with this great win over a Monaghan side that ran Tyrone close in Ulster, shows that at least nowadays you can reasonably expect the qualifiers to get serious attention from this Offaly side. Tullamore didn't show us anything we didn't know about Offaly, Niall Smyth's and Ritchie Dalton's impressive midfield display aside, and it is now up to the lads themselves to reproduce this level consistently. From Monaghan's perspective, too many men missing, too poor a performance, and crucially, too low an intensity to live with Offaly on the night. Back to the drawing board for them, and it's a trek we in Offaly know all too well.
Hurling Qualifiers
As expected Antrim had a little too much firepower and experience at this level for a game Carlow side, and while racking up 23 points is a good tally, and was enough for a comfortable 8 point winning margin, you sense that Antrim will have to be troubling the umpire with the green flag if they are to advance any further. Bigger guns than Carlow await in the next round.
Down by the Lee, it was another sickening moral victory for the Offaly hurlers, as they just failed to end Cork's summer on a scoreline of 2-17 to 2-16. Offaly really have only themselves to blame, as with Cork reduced to 14 men, the Faithful hit too many silly wides to really punish their opponents, and therefore Shane Dooley's late goal, which Donal Óg won't want to see again, only served to further emphasise what might have been. It is heartening to see Offaly produce performances against big teams like this, but Cork are not the major force in hurling, as they were in the mid 2000s, and sooner or later Offaly have to win a game like this, preferably sooner. Galway, Dublin, Waterford and Tipperary have all had reason to breath a sigh of relief after surviving a struggle with Offaly, but we need to start making them curse their luck, rather than thank their lucky stars. Cork are the latest to be relieved, but in stark terms, they march on to a Phase 3 qualifier, while Offaly will be watching on TV. Thin margins, but major consequences.
Hits and Misses
Thankfully a lot more hits than misses this week. I prefer to focus on the positive, especially as so much good happens every week. But there's always one!
Hits
Cian Ward. As mentioned above, the Meath corner forward gave a virtuoso display. He didn't feature in Meath's disappointing defeat to Kildare in the Leinster Championship, but was given his chance in a restructured Meath forward line for the clash versus Louth. His response? Oh, just 4-3, with two goals coming off each foot. That'll do Cian, Maith thú.
Offaly Footballers. See above. This was do or die in many peoples' minds. There was a negative perception about the footballers within the county, and from those looking in from outside. Some of it was not of their making, but some of it certainly was. An 8 point spanking of Monaghan goes a long way to answering some of those critics, but it needs to be the start of a pattern, not an exclamation point in an argument.
London Footballers. Great to see the dedicated ex pats in London finally reap some championship harvest after a long 34 year barren period. Alright Fermanagh were in a bit of a mess, and the ideal team at the ideal time, but they are still due respect as an inter county football team, and a representative of Ulster. To claim their scalp was a great day for manager Paul Coggins, his backroom team, the supporters, the county board and of course, most importantly, the players. A melting pot of different footballing approaches and outlooks, fuelled by economic circumstances at home, and brought together under the one banner to strike a blow for all county boards operating away from Ireland. Great stuff.
Conor Laverty. Down almost came a cropper in Ennis, and that they didn't is due in large part to the performance of Conor Laverty. Most corner forwards I know would be fairly happy with themselves to contribute 1-3 from play, but Laverty was switched on enough to track his marker, Laurence Healy, all the way back in the last minute of injury time, with Down leading by a point. Healy got a tough to a high ball, Down 'keeper Brendan McVeigh was beaten, and Clare were on the brink of a huge shock until Laverty intervened with a diving, last ditch, goalline clearance to preserve the win. Match winning contribution indeed.
Cormac Reilly. I can hear the cries of indignation from Kildare already, so let me clarify. I don't believe Reilly had a great game, and I think there were some soft frees awarded during the game. The replay of THE free at the end was a bit inconclusive I thought, as there may well have been more contact before the ball came in. However, I'm not awarding him a hit on the basis of his performance. What impressed me about him was his willingness to stand by his opinion, and to have the courage of his convictions in awarding the free. I was dismayed to hear a pundit I like, Kevin McStay, claim that you 'can't give a free in the last minute of a game like this'. In fairness to McStay, he retracted somewhat that evening, but nonetheless, I believe that if a referee spots a foul, and is happy to back himself, then he must give the free. It's a slippery slope to start using the closeness of a game as a barometer of whether an incident is a foul or not. In this case Reilly thought Brogan was foulled, and rightly or wrongly, was brave enough to make a call he knew would be unpopular. He'd have had no negative media feedback if he'd allowed play to continue, so I think it's a positive mark on his integrity that he did what he believed was right.
Miss
Mayo v Galway. OK, we're amateur players, conditions were abysmal, and it was a clash between two teams on a low ebb confidence wise. However, we play these games all our lives, we mostly play them in Ireland, where rain and wind is not unheard of, and they were still two inter county senior teams. I'll not labour the point, but suffice to say I have not seen such a poor display of handling, passing from the hand and foot, free taking, decision making and overall ineptitude in some fairly basic skills in a long time. I'm sure both teams are better than this, I know they are, and I'm sure they'll improve in their next outings, hopefully in more summer like conditions, but that was very poor fare for Galway and Mayo.
Best Wishes
On a more sombre note, and reminding us that no matter how intense we get about sport, it is just that, sport, I'd like to send my best wishes, for what they're worth, to two people.
Firstly Ger Loughnane, the great Clare hurler and leader of men as manager in their All Ireland successes in 1995 and 1997. Ger is facing a health battle at the moment, and I'm sure he'll bring the same single mindedness and determination he brought to bear with the Banner. Remember his famous half time interview as Clare trailed Offaly in 1995 'We *will* win this'? Ger, you will win this.
Also best wishes for a speedy recovery to young Mark McGovern, a club man of Belcoo in Fermanagh, who was injured in a clash during a game in San Francisco. Mark was playing with the Ulster club in San Francisco when the incident happened, and remains in hospital since.
Obviously thoughts and prayers are with the two lads, and I hope to hear better news from them shortly.
Other sports
It's a quiet season in other sports at the moment, particularly States side. It used to be true, and may be still, that there were only 2 days in the year without a major league sports game taking place. Those days are the day before and after the Baseball All Star game. As that game is approaching fast, it means that NHL, NFL and NBA are all on their off season.
The closest to resuming is the NFL, but the lockout continues. Last week's owners meeting was allegedly 'productive' but there seems to be no definitive news emanating from either camp. As such the travelling roadshow of negotiations is due to continue, this time Minnesota hosts the 5th round of negotiations. The NFL is bound to be conscious of two things. 1) The NCAA football season is around the corner, and will take some fan dollars if the dispute starts to impact on the season, and 2) We are getting close to impacting on the scheduled start of training camps. Given that Free Agency needs to be sorted out before the season starts as well, time is of the essence at this stage.
Speaking of MLB, as I was above, there are some interesting divisional races in progress as we near the break for the All Star Game. In the American League East, the usual suspects battle it out at the top, with the Yankees holding a half game lead over the Red Sox. The AL central sees the Detroit Tiger, behind the pitching of Justin Verlander, lead the Cleveland Indians by 1 game. The Texas Rangers, beaten in the World Series last year, hold a game and a half lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
In the National League, the East is being led by the Phillies, who have the best record in baseball at 49-30, and they hold a 4.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves. In the Central, the Milwaukee Brewers are 3 games ahead of the Saint Louis Cardinals, while over in the West, the World Series Champions, the San Francisco Giants are 2 games clear of the rejuvenated and surprising Arizona Diamondbacks.
Obviously with a 162 game season, there's a lot of time to go before the playoff picture is anywhere near decided, but it's interesting to see so many familiar names at the top of the standings.
