Before a ball was kicked in 2022, we all pencilled in a Dublin-Kerry semi-final, so here we are now.
It’s the game that everyone wants to see, the biggest fixture in Gaelic football.
Both teams are coming into it a bit unsure of exactly where they are at having cruised through their provincial championships and now find themselves nursing injuries to key players when they are needed most.
READ MORE: Check out our GAA section here
Kerry have had the biggest test of either so far, however, that coming in the quarter-final against Mayo and, for 50 minutes, I was surprised at how poor they looked. But they stepped it up in the closing stages and Jack O’Connor will hope that they have flushed the dirty diesel out of their system by now.
David Clifford certainly did not look right that day and, while I expect him to play, he may have trained very sparingly in the last few weeks. Add to that the lay-off he had between the Munster semi-final against Cork and the Mayo game and it’s hard to see him operating at full tilt tomorrow. But David Clifford operating at 70-80% can still be a match-winner.
Jack Barry’s success in curtailing Brian Fenton in the past makes his return particularly crucial. If he is fit to start he will probably come in for David Moran, who will add to Kerry’s formidable looking bench.
This is the one area where Kerry are now notably stronger than Dublin, with Killian Spillane, Tony Brosnan, Paul Murphy, Micheál Burns and Adrian Spillane all serious options for O’Connor coming down the home straight.
Dublin have injury concerns of their own with big question marks over Con O'Callaghan’s fitness in particular. If he doesn’t play then it could be fatal for them.
We saw throughout the League and again against Cork last time out that they just don’t look the same team without him. The attack carries far less menace.
The news on James McCarthy seems to be more positive and I expect him to come back into the half-back line with Brian Howard moving up to the half-forward line.
An interesting aspect of this game will be how both teams engineer their extra defender. Tadhg Morley and Jonny Cooper won’t have the luxury of being able to drop off their man and protect their full-back line, as is afforded to them by the majority of the teams they play. Whichever team can protect their full-back line best will have gained a significant foothold.
For Kerry, it just feels like a game they simply have to win, which adds pressure, something that they haven’t carried too lightly in recent years. With no All-Ireland since 2014 and having won five minor titles in the meantime, they can’t kick the can down the road much further.
This is the ultimate test for them and the type of game they have been waiting almost a year for. This is essentially what O’Connor was brought back for - to put Dublin back in their box.
It’s a game that could define this team going forward.
I believe that the impact from the bench may be just enough to swing it their way in a game of inches.
Galway have enough firepower to reach the final
You often hear it said, across various codes, that it’s tougher to lose a semi-final than a final.
For both Galway and Derry this weekend there might be some relevance in that. This is a golden opportunity for both to reach the final and get a shot at a heavyweight for the title.
In their League meeting in March, Galway dominated from start to finish and, playing with a strong breeze, blitzed Derry early with three first half goals. Will that have any major relevance today? Not hugely, but Galway certainly will have no fear of Derry.
The deeper you go into the Championship the more important the match-ups become. Let’s just say James Morgan had a take-no-prisoners approach to marking Shane Walsh in the quarter-final and Walsh didn’t look right after picking up a knock on his ankle in the first half.
I suspect it will be Brendan Rogers who will pick him up to try and put him on the back foot and make him defend, which he won’t want to do.
That would leave Chrissy McKaigue doing what he does best, closer to goal on Damien Comer with Shane McGuigan likely to be marshalled by Sean Kelly down the other end.
For Pádraic Joyce, one of the most pleasing aspects of the Armagh game would have been the performances of Rob Finnerty, Matthew Tierney and the tour de force display from Cillian McDaid. It shows that his team is evolving and not as reliant on what would be perceived to be their main men.
A concern I’d have for Derry is where the scores are going to come from if Shane McGuigan is held by Kelly. He scored eight of their 13 points against Clare with only two more points from play coming from their six forwards.
Goals have been really important to Derry this year and they will need a couple I feel to win this one.
But I just think Galway will have more firepower to take them to their first final since 2001.
Cavan can edge first Tailteann Cup final
History awaits for either Cavan or Westmeath as the first ever winners of the Tailteann Cup this afternoon.
It will be very interesting to see how well supported these teams are for what could be a cracking game of football.
Cavan weren’t overly impressive in their semi-final win over Sligo and looked surprisingly open at the back. On another day they would have been punished heavily.
One of Cavan’s main weapons is that they generally attack from all over the field and they had 11 points from 11 different scorers in the opening 35 minutes against Sligo which is something I haven’t seen before.
Westmeath had it much more comfortable against an out of sorts Offaly and in Ronan O’Toole, Lorcan Dolan and John Heslin they certainly have the firepower to punish any slackness at the back this time around from Cavan.
I expect this to be extremely tight and wouldn’t rule out extra time, but I just fancy Cavan to edge it.
Friday night in Roscommon no setting for a minor final
The All-Ireland minor final between Mayo and Galway took place at Hyde Park last night and it just didn’t feel right.
Playing a game like that on a Friday night for a start cheapens the occasion. It felt like it went under the radar and the rising stars of our game deserve better than that.
And even after the great occasion that last Sunday’s minor hurling final in Kilkenny was, I still believe that these games should be played in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.
READ NEXT:
Shane Lowry hoping to quiz Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus while aiming low at St Andrews
Kilkenny defeat even more crushing than Munster final heartache for Clare's Tony Kelly
Rafael Nadal to withdraw from Wimbledon as Nick Kyrgios to be given bye to final
Danny Mandriou move to Lincoln confirmed as Dara McGuinness joins Stoke
Boynesider Ryan Brennan enjoys the 'fuel and fire' of taking on Dundalk
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
