Up for grabs! This weekend's Sam Maguire quarter-finals assessed
Declan Bogue
NOW THAT WE are down to the last eight, a weekend of cut-throat football awaits in Croke Park with all the challengers for Sam Maguire fetching up.
Here, we run the rule over the games.
Donegal V MonaghanSaturday, 4pm
Back when this championship still sang Falsetto, these two met in Clones. Back then, Donegal were fresh and squeezed by Monaghan by two points.
They have played six games since and although the win over Louth was one that they delivered on autopilot, it’s very hard to escape the sense that Louth clearly landed with horrendous preparation. Even the light joshing afterwards from Ger Brennan about the bus swinging by Benbulben for a sightseeing expedition spoke of someone who had ticked his boxes for the year.
Are Donegal tired? They are certainly narky. Manager Jim McGuinness’ demeanour and lack of sangfroid led to Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s description of his ‘rattiness.’
Perhaps it all serves a purpose. But eventually, this yellow-pack Mourinho stuff burns itself out. See Duff, Damien for further details.
What is of more concern is the condition of Michael Murphy. A number of, let’s just say robust challenges had gone unpunished this year until he picked up a yellow for a high challenge against Louth.
Are referees now on high alert? And given that Murphy was expected to be a mere ornament on the Donegal team in 2025, it’s curious that he has played such a central role. He’s played it brilliantly. He’s a superb player. But Croke Park will be the most severe test of the legs yet.
Monaghan, who had five weeks off after their Ulster defeat to Donegal, before breezing by Louth, Clare and Down with no injuries to report, will fancy themselves.
To beat Donegal, you need line-punchers and they have them in Stephen O’Hanlon and Micheál Bannigan, while Jack McCarron has taken on the responsibility of a Mansy-less attack, with Monaghan grabbing 53 two-pointers so far this season. This could be combustible.
Verdict: Monaghan
Dublin V TyroneSaturday, 6.15pm
What has united these two over the last two years is an inconsistency from game to game and even within games.
It’s all about presenting a picture of either team, and Tyrone can comfort themselves that they were a mere score away from Armagh in the Ulster semi-final, and they went up to Ballybofey and got the business done.
However, their awful showing against Mayo the week after that win over Donegal shows the fluctuating levels of energy and emotion in this present system.
Without Brian Kennedy, they really struggled on their own kickout against Mayo and were glad to have him back for the Cavan win. There’s an imbalance to the team thought with the all-Trillick half-forward line of Seanie O’Donnell, Matthew Donnelly and Ciaran Daly, subject to severe in-game surgery. The return of Conor Meyler is an enormous plus, though.
Losing to Meath has forced Dessie Farrell to demand more leadership from his more raw charges. Peader ÓCofaigh-Byrne and Theo Clancy have responded. Ciaran Kilkenny looks like a late-career Michael Jordan taking things personally and they have welcomed back the likes of Paddy Small and Eoin Murchan back recently.
The flop against Armagh has been addressed. They are back in the big house for what they hope will be three more games. Watch out for them.
Verdict: Dublin
Meath V GalwaySunday, 1.45pm
The two teams that have adapted to the new rules the best of all face off.
Meath’s victory over Dublin in Leinster forced a rapid rebranding of what they were capable of as a team following an underwhelming opening league campaign. The provincial final loss to Louth was the only blip as they were superb in the group stages.
With 48 two-pointers this season, they can point to many players on the verge of household name status such as the athletic Ciaran Caulfield, their youthful captain Eoghan Frayne, the excellent kickers Ruairí Kinsella and Jordan Morris. It’s a great pity that Ronan Jones, Jack Flynn and James Conlon – Man of the Match in the win over Dublin – are currently out injured.
But apart from all that, can you imagine a team that have beaten both Dublin and Kerry in championship football being priced at 13/5 to get the better of Galway?
Pádraig Joyce’s great survivors just keep going. They have certain players coming into great form with the likes of Cillian McDaid. Matthew Thompson has been a brilliant addition and the return of Peter Cooke rescued them from a total malfunction against Down in Newry.
So much depends on what shape Shane Walsh’s shoulder is left in after a bang from a Down opponent though.
Verdict: Galway
Armagh V KerrySunday, 4pm
David Clifford’s rallying call to the Kerry fans to get behind this team was a timely one, as they face probably the most vociferously-backed county in the competition.
We know what we have with Armagh; a team who are playing on house money by this stage, having struck for an unlikely Sam Maguire last year. They have the assurance of champions and yet they aren’t relying on the team that brought them there; instead they have been thrilled by the emergence of the likes of Darragh McMullan and Callum O’Neill, while others such as Jarly Óg Burns have gone with demented determination after starting places.
The defeat to Galway in the final round of the group stages was the first time they had been beaten in regulation time of championship football since 24 April 2022. But let’s face it, there was little on the line.
Kerry aren’t known for trying to hide the length of their injury list but it doesn’t look great, with Mike Breen, Paul Geaney and Tony Brosnan all out. Having said that, they had Sean O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Connor and Paudie Clifford all back in action in their stroll against Cavan.
Jack O’Connor will simply love where his team seem to be in the public imagination.
Any team facing Kerry begins preparations with one question; who marks David Clifford? Unfortunately for Armagh, they are short-stocked, with Aaron McKay and Barry McCambridge out of commission.
Decisions, and indeed, decisions.
Verdict: Kerry
The 42
