THE DRAW HAS been made for the All-Ireland senior football quarter-finals this evening following the completion of today’s fourth round action. Here’s the lowdown on the games as the business end of this year’s championship is set to kick into gear next weekend.
CORK v KILDARE
Finally after a few weeks in cold storage, Cork have discovered the identity of their next championship opponents. They will face Kildare in a repeat of their 2008 All-Ireland quarter-final, a game where Cork prevailed by 2-11 to 1-11 having had to withstand a late second-half rally by Kildare. Kieran McGeeney’s men will enter the match in a confident mood having strung together three qualifier wins on the trot and having learnt a lot about their capabilities against Limerick last week, they were ruthless in dismantling Sligo tonight.
Cork have done what is asked of them this year, maintaining their remarkable consistency in the league as they claimed their third successive Division 1 title in April. They looked good in dispatching Kerry in the Munster semi-final but learnt little from their Munster final victory over Clare. How they will cope from the inactivity since then is a key issue entering this game.
DUBLIN v LAOIS
After bettering the Leinster finalists this afternoon, Laois must now prepare to face another provincial foe. The form guides will dictate that both teams defeated Meath by three-point margins in recent weeks yet the truth is that Dublin have been operating at a higher level than Laois recently and it will be a difficult challenge for Justin McNulty’s men. Yet they have gained momentum in recent weeks and the qualifiers has served them well. The fortitude they showed in getting past Monaghan and Leitrim set them up for their best performance of the season against Meath this afternoon.
Dublin will be happy with the draw, primarily because they have avoided dangerous opponents in both Kildare and Kerry. The Leinster campaign was a mixed bag of performances but while there is scope for improvement, they have certainly developed a winning habit. Looking further down the line, they must be the favorites now to advance to the All-Ireland final, given the amount of heavyweights on the other side of the draw.
DONEGAL V KERRY
Unquestionably the tie of the round. It was the type of game both Jimmy McGuinness and Jack O’Connor would have preferred to avoid at this juncture, yet is the type of fascinating clash that everyone else will be relishing the prospect of. Donegal have enhanced their game this year and improved the attacking element of their game hugely. On the evidence of their Ulster final performance against Down last week, they are now realistic All-Ireland contenders.
But an accurate gauge of their standing can be measured by how they fare against a Kerry team who are in a far stronger state than they were a fortnight ago. The qualifier draw against Tyrone energized them and they produced a brilliant performance which was followed by tonight’s blitzing of Clare in the Gaelic Grounds. It’s going to be absorbing to see how this game pans out and particularly what tactics the teams employ to combat each other.
MAYO V DOWN
You can imagine that both these teams will be pleased at how the draw panned out. Mayo have claimed back to back Connacht titles but now need to kick on. Their defence and midfield look in good shape but there are questions persisting over their attack. The level of quality they have faced in their province must also be factored into the equation given how Leitrim and Sligo both subsequently fared in the qualifiers.
They could have been pitted against tougher opposition though but Down will be of the exact same frame of mind and will view this as a game they eminently capable of triumphing in. After the dejection of last week’s Ulster final loss to Donegal, they managed to pick themselves up off the floor to overcome the six-day turnaround and get the better of Tipperary this afternoon. Ambrose Rogers is in terrific form while Benny Coulter’s fitness is also crucially improving.
Looking forward to Donegal V Kerry. Doing my own pole so please let me know who you think will win.
Green thumbs up if you believe Donegal will win & red thumbs down if you think Kerry will win.
What should we do if we know you can’t spell ‘poll’?
Donegal is a really fit team they will give Kerry a run for their money
Anyone but Dublin!!!!!
Anyone but culchies Johnboy!!
I think John might be a bot. He posts the same message on every GAA thread.
Hey ‘John’, what county are you from?
Dubs over confident as usual, then they wonder why their so disliked???
With a draw like that, I’d be plenty confident myself, of a final spot if nothing else!
Mark
That is the reason I dont want them to win their fans are so arrogant.
When your all ireland champions, you can afford to be confident
Oh yeah and what about Popcorns comment Mayo for Sam? So if you’re from Dublin it’s arrogant but anywhere else in the thirty two it’s what? Hope?
We’re disliked because we’re confident? I can live with that! Áth Cliath Abú!!
That’s funnyMmr Deane with your Leinster rugby sign… That’s what our Munster rugby fans thought of Leinster for years until some culchies got into the ranks .
Dublin fans like being unliked. We strive for it.. Its more fun rubbing our success in people’s faces when they clearly don’t like us. Hon the County.
Donegal will have to beat Kerry, Cork and Dublin to win the All Ireland this year …………. and they will. Sam is for the hills.
You’re for the hills Joe with that analysis!!!
Very unlikely, Joe.
Nice run to the final for the dubs. Dublin v Donegal final.
Kerry v Donegal the game of the quarters old v new.
Up Kerry.
Cork, Laois, Kerry Mayo. Hard to see anyone beating Kerry now and will be great to see Dublin lose to Laois. Although a complete hammering by one of the big teams in the semis might be more fun.
Dublin lose to Laois? In yer dreams kid! And your analysis of Kerry? They scraped past Westmeath, bet a poor Tyrone team and hammered that great footballing county, Clare!!! Dublin v Cork final.
Mayo for Sam.
Well said Popcorn!
Mayo for popcorn, Kerry Donegal is mouthwatering.
The semi final line up will be Dublin, Donegal, Mayo & Kildare.
There are no “easy games” from now on.
Laois is an easy game
We’re gonna kill Laois! Up the Dubs!
Laois absolutely dominated a mediocre Meath side today.
Dublin , Kerry , Cork and Mayo in the semi finals me reckons!!!!
I think Dublin are the strongest from that side of the draw. The other side is a hard call. Kerry cork donegal Kildare. any of the 4
Anyone but the animals !
But Meath were knocked out today? ;-)
Don’t be drinking the animal juice then.n
Mayo for Sam-wiches!
I’ll give ya that one Clive :0)
We are all being unfair to the Dubs and. not recognising the dis-advantages their team has to try and win All Ireland titles. They only have a population of over 1 million to pick from, they are forced by the GAA to play ALL their championship games at home, their supporters have only to travel a few minutes to see their games and last year they only had a budget of 2 million euro to prepare their county teams. So be fair and give them a chance. Sam for the over populated hills in 2012.
The culchies won’t be happy when we win again. The Decade of The Dubs…available in all good book shops in 2020!!!
Fiction section, of course.
The decade of the Dubs sounds sweet as. These clowns don’t realise that if our young players didn’t bottle it against the Corkies, we would be going for three in a row.
Rather be a Dub for a day, than a culchie for a lifetime.
Hill 16.
And if your grandmother had balls, she’d be your grandfather!
Just a quick low down on the dubs for ye there lads don’t ye run away with yourselves. Dublin beat a piss poor Kerry performance by the skin of their teeth last year. Dublin have no naturally gited footballers other than the Brogans and that is evident in that the second they drop the intensity they fall apart. We could all say if’s and but’s but unfortunately for Dublin the history books don’t accept those words as results! So, to save yourself embarrassment I’d let the Evening Herald analysis and headlines off, it’ll only come back to bite you. As a die hard Cork fan, I am under no elusions. I still fear Kerry ten times more than Donegal or Dublin for that matter. I hate to admit it but that’s the fact. I am confident that should we get past Kildare and happen to meet Kerry we can do them but even I, a Cork man, with a more gifted team of players than Dublin by a mile, wouldn’t be calling this decade the decade of the “Corkies”.
PS: Cork is a city too, everywhere outside of Dublin village is not a rural “culchie” area so leave off the dopey and tired ole guff that belongs between the fair weather, low iq fans in the Hill!
Well wow diarmuid!
For a man who doesn’t see Dublin as a threat you certainly spend alot of time analysing them…
I was in pairc ui chaoimh earlier this year with a considerable number of dubs and about 7 cork fans and all I saw corks “natural footballers” do was hand pass the ball for 70 minutes.
Personally I’d be more worried about the dubs playing mayo than cork. I hope you lads beat Kerry personally because despite your clear arrogance there’s alot more of it in Kerry even if they do have some great footballers!
Ouch my head is killing me after typing this with my low iq and all…:)
Dubs in a bookshop!now that’s funny
@john clearly they remarks were directed at the culchie and decade of the dubs remarks. I have nothing but respect for the honest dub fan but even the most hardcore dub fan would admit that on match day at least half the hill would be doing well to even know what sport they’re watching. If you fear mayo more than cork, I’d question your judgement, given dub recent record against both.
Andrew was blowing smoke up yir h0les, looking for a reaction,and you all jumped up and gave it to him!
Irony deficiency methinks, low IQ indeed! :))
So easy to wind up.
Culchies….take the bait every time!!!
Who honestly cares.. An insignificant sport!
Why are you reading this story so?
Wind up merchants.
FIXED in favour of the Dubs. So so obvious
Did Jim Corr tell you that?
What fools you are to think that the men from Donegal will let Kerry get in their way.It will be the surprise game of this years championship. Can’t wait.
Hopefully they won’t need 3 attempts to get the job done
Donegal can defend , we can all see that but now they can also attack.
LAOIS LAOIS LAOIS!
….will LOSE LOSE LOSE! :)
It will be Dublin, Cork, Kerry & Down in da semi finals, 2 of Dublin, Cork & Kerry in the final!!!
Even a fool can work out the Dubs success rate 1977 to 2011 a total of 3 All Ireland victories …… Even a Dub can do the Maths.
1977, 1983, 1995, 2011. Doesn’t that equal 4? I’m just checking, because as a Dub I’m not too good at the oul Maths Joe!! Oh dear Joe, EPIC FAIL!!!!!!!!
Anybody can have their view , even a fool . Let’s see how it goes.
Kerry V Donegal is going to be like Beauty and the Beast.
Totally unnecessary to call Paul Galvin a beast
What fools you are to think that the men from Donegal will let Kerry get in their way.It will be the surprise game of this years championship. Can’t wait.
Kerry
Kildare Cork
Donegal
Dublin
Mayo
Down
laois
Its quite east hope this helps
What fools you are to think that the men from Donegal will let Kerry get in their way.It will be the surprise game of this years championship. Can’t wait.