MAKING A CASE FOR THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Then there were four who believe they have what it takes to win Sam

THE football championship has reached what our American cousins refer to as the Final Four, a phrase that trips more readily off the tongue than Super Eight. Maybe, that’s something to think about... And this year, there is no surprise package among the semi-finalists, such as Tipperary. If you lined up 10 pundits or experts at the start of the summer, nine would have named the four teams left standing – although few would have predicted the circuitous route taken by Mayo.

Predictability, in this instance, may not be a good thing, but it does mean we have two of the most eagerly-anticipated football semi-finals of recent times. All four teams believe they can claim Sam Maguire.

Here we assess the state of each of the contenders left.

DUBLIN

AN odd summer for the team chasing a remarkable three All-Ireland titles in a row. Diarmuid Connolly’s ‘minor physical interference’ with a linesman led to a stand-off between Jim Gavin and the national broadcaster, with the Dublin manager evoking the rights of our Republic in defence of his temperamental star.

If this was all to create a siege mentality, and ensure the team get an extra 10 per cent in their pursuit of immortality, it was transparent. And there has been no need for it, thus far. Carlow probably posed the biggest puzzle for Dublin with Westmeath wilting and Kildare being hit with two early sucker-punches.

Monaghan were supposed to examine Dublin in the quarter-finals but were a disappointment. STRENGTHS Bench Gavin’s embarrassment of riches was clear last week, as he threw a former Footballer of the Year and four-time All-Star into action. Michael Darragh Macauley and Paul Flynn were supposed to be out of the reckoning. That they are back only increases a loaded hand that already had the likes of Bernard Brogan and Eoghan O’Gara as options. Dean Rock’s accuracy Few things in Championship fill players with more confidence than a reliable free-taker. If a team knows they are likely to bank 80 per cent of their scoreable frees, confidence courses through the team. Rock is an under-rated contributor from open play but it is placed-balls where his real value lies. Stephen Cluxton Even now, in the twilight of his career, Cluxton is key to almost everything in the Dublin game-plan. He still moves the ball faster, and more accurately, than anyone else. WEAKNESSES Untested Always a problem for Dublin with their stroll through Leinster. Mona- ghan were supposed to ask questions but didn’t. One wonders what will happen if Dublin are forced to chase the game against Tyrone – how will their young players react? Diarmuid Connolly Not a weakness given his talent, but the whole soap opera around him is a headache Gavin could do without. The week ahead of the Tyrone match is likely to be dominated by speculation as to whether Connolly will start or not. UNSUNG HERO Mick Fitzsimons Not that unsung, given that he has been their best defender this year but it took time for the Cuala man to earn Gavin’s trust. Thrown into the All-Ireland final replay last year, he ended up man of the match. Not a surprise to many in the capital who wondered why Fitzsimons, the best man-marker in Dublin club football, wasn’t being utilised more. PROSPECTS Still the team to beat, but they won’t be helped by Monaghan waving a giant white flag in Croke Park last weekend. It will be very interesting to see how they react if Tyrone build a lead in their semi-final.

KERRY

IT is not Kerry’s fault that their annual passage to the semi-final as Munster champions only highlights the absurdity of the Championship system. They have played three games. Armagh played six and were out at the quarter-final stage. Carlow played five to reach the third round of the qualifiers.

All the Kingdom have done is make the most of the advantages given them by geography. Kieran Donaghy has looked good so far, but we know very little about Kerry yet as they haven’t really been tested. STRENGTHS Full-forward line If they click, the consequences for everyone else may be terrifying. Natural finishers in Paul Geaney and James O’Donoghue and Kieran Donaghy playing like his younger self. Tough prospect for anyone. Kick-passing They are still the best kick-passers in the game. Even allowing for how badly Cork played, some of Kerry’s kick-passing in the Munster final was a delight. In the wide expanses of Croker, they can utilise it even more. Belief Beating Dublin in the League final was significant. It boosted the selfbelief of a county that rarely needs encouraging. They believe it is their birth-right to be in Croke Park on the third Sunday in September. WEAKNESSES In the dark Their facile wins over Cork and Galway mean they just don’t know

where they are at – no matter how many intense training games go on in Fitzgerald Stadium. Defending down the middle This has been perceived as one of Kerry’s chief weaknesses for a number of years. And the number of goal opportunities that both Cork and Galway were able to create suggest it hasn’t gone away. Mayo will be more clinical. UNSUNG HERO Tadhg Morley He will likely be detailed to keep tabs on Aidan O’Shea next weekend and what a battle that will be. The Templenoe man is maturing into an indispensable part of their defence. PROSPECTS Who knows? There was a lot to be concerned about in their performance against Galway, but if the three inside-forwards click, they could easily drive them towards glory. Fitzmaurice will need to work on a plan to contain Mayo’s runners, though.

MAYO

WHAT drama would there be in the football Championship without Mayo? Twice, they stared death in the face this summer and came through the other side, while last weekend’s performance was a reminder to everyone what they are capable of, if they play the running game that suits them best. STRENGTHS Resilience They never know when they are beaten. A side with less heart and spirit would have been beaten by Derry or Cork in the qualifiers. Running from deep The way Keith Higgins destroyed Roscommon in the first half of last week’s replay illustrated that Mayo’s greatest strength remains their running game. And the only problems that Cork posed Kerry in the Munster final was when they ran at them. Interesting. Peaking at the right time It was like a switch flicked in the Mayo dressing-room last weekend, and they re-discovered the energy and vim that was missing from their game for most of their summer. Maybe it’s all part of the plan. WEAKNESSES Mileage Before they wiped Roscommon from Croke Park, the argument was that Mayo were running out of road. Too many miles on the clock. One performance, as scintillating as it was, doesn’t dispel those concerns. Same old faces This has been a complaint of Mayo for years. They are still depending on the same old reliables. Shane Nally and David Drake came off the bench to fire over points last Monday, but they will be held in reserve again next week. UNSUNG HERO Tom Parsons Parsons is one of those players that you don’t know how much you miss until he is not there. Superb last Monday, knitting the middle third together for Mayo, always using the right option. PROSPECTS Wouldn’t it just be typical of Mayo if this was the year – when they danced with death more than once – that they finally ended the most famous sporting famine in this country? Maybe, just maybe.

TYRONE

HAVE they done enough to justify a place in the top four? Mickey Harte has railed against the perception of his team as ‘defensive’ and given they are firing tallies like 3-17 and 1-21 on their summer journey so far, Harte has some justification in taking issue with the lazy tags that have hung around his team STRENGTHS Game-plan Players have an utter, unflinching belief in the game-plan that Harte has devised – and when a team has utter conviction in the manager’s plan, that can often supersede tiredness or weary legs. Fitness If Tyrone do go all the way this year, Peter Donnelly’s reputation will grow even further. Their system needs incredible fitness and they appear to have it all over the field. Emotion Sean Cavanagh has already claimed this will be his last year. What better way for him to end than with a Celtic Cross? There may be a sense of destiny about Tyrone this year. WEAKNESSES Firepower Given the totals they have been firing, this seems strange to say but the idea of playing Mark Bradley as a sole attacker at times may come back to haunt them in latter stages. Unproven They have won the last two Ulster titles but this Tyrone team are still unproven when all the chips are down and the heat is on in Croker. They were found wanting last year. UNSUNG HERO Tiernan McCann Remember when rufflegate made him public enemy No1? Now, he personifies everything that’s likeable about this Tyrone team. Athletic, dynamic, with loads of football. PROSPECTS Difficult to believe Harte has yet to be handed an extension given how he has built yet another new team and made them contenders. May have to win a fourth All-Ireland for his county. If they get past Dublin, you wouldn’t back against them.