AS WE WAVE goodbye to the provincial championships, licking our chops at the hors d’oeuvres ahead of the fillet steak that is the All-Ireland championships, we take a look at some of the standout fixtures ahead in the Sweet Sixteens.
Kerry v Monaghan
Group 4, Killarney, Saturday, 3pm
Is it? Has it been? How can it be?
Hard to believe, it’s now six years ago since the first time we had a look at a round robin format in the All-Ireland Gaelic football championship.
The year when David Clifford, as everyone expected him to, arrived like a comet. After losing their first game to Galway, Kerry were already under the cosh as they headed to play their first-ever championship game in Monaghan.
They were heading for certain defeat before a diagonal ball was flighted by – deep breath – James O’Donoghue, towards, – again, gasp – Kieran Donaghy, who knocked it down to Clifford to jam into the net from a narrow angle and secure the draw.
Where Monaghan are right now doesn’t look great with a number of injuries and Rory Beggan spending more time pursuing an NFL career. But they will present a test for Kerry, and it might be one of the last times we get to see the majesty of Conor McManus.
Clare v Cork
Group 3, Ennis, Saturday 6pm
With Donegal and Tyrone in the group alongside the two Munster sides, there will be a fight to the death to make it out of the group stages.
In the same stage last year, Clare lost all of their games — Donegal and Monaghan by five, and Derry by six — leaving the stage knowing that they hadn’t done themselves justice.
It was in these stages that Cork achieved a huge amount of respect as they, Kerry and Mayo all emerged with identical records of two wins and one defeat.
Reaching the quarter-finals was a landmark for John Cleary’s men, but Clare will feel there was slippage in 2023 after reaching the 2022 quarter-finals.
There will be a desperation from both sides here.
Donegal v Tyrone
Group 3, Ballybofey, 25 May, 7.15pm
Ballybofey has often been the graveyard of Tyrone ambitions ever since Jim McGuinness arrived on the scene.
In fact, Tyrone’s win in the final round of the Super 8s in 2018 was the first time in 21 championship matches that Donegal had lost on that turf, a record that could be traced back all the way to McGuinness’s announcement.
Since then, Donegal have gone back to inflicting more pain, with the Covid straight knockout of 2020 being the prime example.
After knocking them out of Ulster, Tyrone will have motivation aplenty and will be expecting the likes of Peter Harte, Frank Burns and Conor Meyler back from injury.
A local skirmish in store.
Louth v Meath
Group 4, Inniskeen, 25 May, 5.30pm
Well, Meath are in with the big boys now, and they will have to take what is coming to them.
Winning the Tailteann Cup was a boon in confidence, but you might wonder where Meath rate their own levels of belief after a fairly dispiriting league campaign, before the almost inevitable smackdown from Dublin in Leinster.
The Colm O’Rourke project needs a few big moments to convince that it is making progress. Emerging out of Group 4 would constitute that, which means it all comes down to a day in Inniskeen where they find out everything about themselves.
Louth will and should take immense pride in their Leinster final performance and Ger Brennan is impressing already as a manager. This might be a thorny enough group for a few teams yet.
Derry v Armagh
Group 1, Celtic Park, 1/2 June
By the time these two meet, Armagh will have gotten the show back on the road at home to Westmeath and you never know, they might have grown even closer in the face of the latest heartbreak.
Derry won’t give a stuff for any of that though. The lingering embarrassment they feel about the defeat and surrendering of their Ulster crown to Donegal will fuel their rage.
Word that Eoin McEvoy is an injury doubt for the upcoming match against Galway is a worry, but they will be ready and primed for a proper assault on the All-Ireland title.
Dublin v Mayo
Group 1, Neutral venue, 15/16 June
It’s been a while. Too long? Just enough, perhaps.
Either way, a meeting of Dublin and Mayo is always going to be box office no matter where it happens. Having it in a neutral venue makes it an exclusive event.
Word already is that Portlaoise is too close to Dublin, and eventually the fixture boffins will settle on Dr Hyde Park as the venue.
There’s little doubt that Dublin have recharged and rejuvenated after they looked exhausted and rattled in their 2021 loss to Mayo. And perhaps Mayo have gone back.
But this will be gold dust.
– Updated 8.28pm: This article was updated to correct some incorrect fixture details.
