BOTTOM OF THE CLASS
Mayo, Tyrone and Kerry will no doubt fear the summer exams, as they are sitting...
THEY may have got an unexpected midterm break at the weekend but it will be a case of heads down for the next three weeks for the senior class in football’s Allianz League.
It is a term, even allowing for last weekend’s interruption, which has hurtled along at a rapid pace but even though there are no exam results yet, it is already evident that some managers have learned more than others
So here is Sportsmail’s mid-term report and markings on the Allianz League senior boys’ class.
JIM GAVIN (Dublin)
BODY OF WORK: Excellent. His position at the top of the class is now cemented to the point that he is in danger of being confused as the tutor.
Early fears that he might return from an extended sabbatical distracted have proved ill-founded as he has started the new term with such a flawless attitude that he is operating off a 100 per cent success rate.
WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: It is not just that he is winning, but who he has been winning with.
Early days, but the flexing of his muscle in the introduction of Brian Howard and Colm Basquel, and the continued development of Niall Scully and Bryan Fenton, has served as a reminder that the best most likely is yet to come.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: All study and no play makes Jim (right) a dull boy. Throwing a hissy fit because RTÉ would not allow him study time in their library suggests he needs to chill every now and again, if only to give the others a chance.
CIAN O’NEILL (Kildare)
BODY OF WORK: For a boy who has just made the stepup to the senior class, his application has been better than his results.
Then it would want to be a given as he has flunked four tests out of four, but hardly in the manner that invites despair.
WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: Apart from picking a fight with the wrong boy on his first day, he has shown in the last three tests — which he had failed by a cumulative margin of four points — that he is worthy of being at this level.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: He needs to find a little steel when the heat comes on because losing in tight games — remember last year’s qualifier defeat to Armagh? — has developed into something of a habit.
And he has to take responsibility for silly mistakes — not least his captain’s Eoin Doyle gum shield faux pas — rather than blaming the teacher.
ÉAMONN FITZMAURICE (Kerry)
BODY OF WORK: Better than expected but not as good as he hoped. In truth, a bright start to the term had as much to do with good fortune — they should have lost to Donegal and defied a numerical disadvantage against Mayo — than any dazzling brilliance. He is, however, a notorious crammer, which is why he can only be judged come the final round. WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: He has not been afraid to embrace risk, giving a raft of talented young players such as Jason Foley, Gavin Crowley, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Barry O’Sullivan, Sean O’Shea and David Clifford extended game-time.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: He has to learn from some painful lessons from the past, not least in trying to build a defence that can sustain itself without sucking the lifeblood out of the attack.
Early signs are not good after giving up five goal chances to Galway, while next up he faces a grilling from the top boy in the class.
DECLAN BONNER (Donegal)
BODY OF WORK: Much to admire in the courage and conviction of this mature student — this is his second time in the class — and while that might not be reflected in results, the potential in his work continues to shine through.
Has delivered on his promise to make learning fun again, but, of course, that philosophy will only be tested when he gets to sit the harder summer tests.
WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: He has got his team playing with a new sense of ambition which was never more evident than in the second-half against Dublin when they went for it. This approach is bringing the best out of some, not least Paddy McBrearty, who has been the outstanding strike forward in the whole shooting match this term
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: There is a price to be paid for throwing the defensive shackles off and it was evident last weekend when Kildare cut through for three goals — which could have been more — far too easily.
MALACHY O’ROURKE (Monaghan)
BODY OF WORK: Demands to be given a class prize for his sustained excellence — he has already sealed next year’s scholarship for a fifth term in the top class — in defiance of modest resources.
His game-plan requires more study-time than most, but he serves as a reminder that if you put in the hard work, the rewards will take care of themselves.
WHERE HE IS EXCELLING:
His capacity to manage transition so subtly that you hardly know it is taking place is one of his greatest gifts.
A couple of years back, they were a one-man attack, but now Conor McManus has Jack McCarron and Conor McCarthy — the latter who is likely to play a more pivotal role this season — for support. WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: He has established Monaghan as a bona fide top eight team, but while they hit that mark as well during the summer it is generally to make up the numbers than contend.
The new summer exam format might just play to their strengths for supplementing swagger with stamina
STEPHEN ROCHFORD (Mayo)
BODY OF WORK: He is not a fan of continuous assessment and is steadfast in his belief that there is only one exam worth passing.
To be fair, he tends to invest so much in trying to graduate that he can hardly be blamed if he does not feel the need to give his best in the mocks. WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: In truth, no place really apart from keeping on keeping on. The wonder, given the age profile, body clock issues and size of his panel is that he has not flunked this test already, but it is the strength of his
group that they always know when to raise their game.
That knowledge, and the promise shown by corner-back Eoin O’Donoghue, qualifies as his only room for comfort. WHAT HE NEEDS TO
WORK ON: Long-term, he needs to follow Fitzmaurice down a road of selfdiscovery but Mayo’s pathway is likely to be paved with less gold.
Short-term, he needs Keith Higgins back, Seamus O’Shea to crank one more season out of a creaking body, Cillian O’Connor to become the player of three years ago and Andy Moran to be the one of last year. That’s a lot to be getting on with.
KEVIN WALSH (Galway)
BODY OF WORK: For all the talk that Walsh (left) might need some remedial support to keep pace, he has hit the ground running and the new boy in the class is now sitting at the front with the cleverest boy. His biggest achievement, though, is how he has changed his perception in the playground where once his team were the target of bullies but not any more. WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: Much has been made of the defensive structure that has provided stability, but it only works because of the pace which the likes of Sean Kelly, Shane Walsh and Eamon Brannigan provide that makes them so lethal on the counter.
Add in the promise shown by Sean Andy O’Ceallaigh and they are going better even than their results.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK
ON: When the questions get harder, he has to convince that his defensively-nuanced game-plan can operate with effect when playing against the very best.
After all, it is one that been tried and failed in the recent past.
MICKEY HARTE (Tyrone)
BODY OF WORK: Not good for a student whose great strength is his abhorrence of slacking off, so he tends to give as much in the first term as the last.
It has been an ordinary opening to the term and once more he is in a battle to stay in the senior class, but even if he survives this test how much has he left for the next one? WHERE HE IS EXCELLING: Hard to know, although giving Lee Brennan some game-time might be to the long-term benefit of an under-resourced attack, as may the return of a now fully fit Conor McAliskey. Well, it is nice to be nice.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK
ON: Conventional thinking, especially after last year’s no show against Dublin, is that he has to return to a more orthodox, expansive game-plan.
But that is to make the very big assumption that he is blessed with the natural talent to execute.