Navan fixture boob is an opportunity missed

THERE’S potentially a major OG in store with the decision to put the Super Eights up against the World Cup final next week.

And looking at this evening, the fixture makers have surely made an even bigger error. You couldn’t really have had a better scenario for a qualifier double header in Navan – a big pitch and a big ground. With the capacity of around 17,000 – the Fermanagh v Kildare and Monaghan v Laois games should both be on in Pairc Tailteann together.

I think we’ll get six to eight thousand in for Fermanagh v Kildare this evening and the same tomorrow so they don’t make sense as stand-alone fixtures. It could have been an all-ticket double-header, with an electric atmosphere.

Turning to the game itself, if Kildare are turned over it will do them massive damage, having worked so hard to beat Mayo. Fermanagh are simply not as good a team.

The big pitch won’t suit Rory Gallagher’s (left) strong defensive system. I only realised how average they are when I saw them against Donegal and I take Kildare to win by four to six points.

And as for Monaghan, it’s just the luck of the draw – they got to hammer Waterford and Leitrim and in Laois they’re playing a third Division Four side to get to the Super Eights. They haven’t been tested and that doesn’t help, but hey, you’d rather be lucky!

Monaghan have to be careful because they do tend to drop their guard against lesser opposition.

But Malachy O’rourke will have them tuned in because if they lose it could spell the end for plenty of his players.