Dublin have been flourishing in both codes in the league so far this season, but they could be in for a rude awakening this weekend.
By Ciaran Brennan
Let’s be absolutely clear about the challenge facing Dublin tomorrow night. The footballers of Down will see this year as a disappointment if they do not win the Sam Maguire Cup. That’s how highly-rated James McCartan’s men are in Ulster.
And the hurlers of Kilkenny, having dominated the noughties, will not look forward to their second long hard winter in a row without the McCarthy Cup on the sideboard.
Forget all that guff about the League. It does matter….it’s like size.
League success pays dividends down the line
When a team gets this far, and are still in a position to reach a League final, that’s exactly what they want to do. Just look at the teams that have played in an All-Ireland final over the last half a dozen years and their approach to the League.
Last September’s beaten finalists in both codes will look on victory tomorrow night as an essential stepping stone on the road to their ultimate goal….autumn silverware.
Dublin can call on the ravenous Bernard Brogan for this game (against Down) and it should be interesting to see where Diarmuid Connolly plays.
Dublin hurling manager Anthony Daly certainly won’t find any comfort in the comments of his opposite number Brian Cody. The Kilkenny boss has said that winning the game is “crucial” to keeping alive their hopes of reaching the final and has tagged it a “serious, serious test”.
Pat Gilroy’s footballers face similarly upbeat opposition. Returning Down goalkeeper Brendan McVeigh has described the team’s first game back at Croke Park since last year’s All-Ireland final defeat as one of probable “mixed emotions” but states that the team’s sole focus will be on “looking for a win and the two points”.
Down on the up
A few weeks ago, Down made the trip to the Munster capital and played some great stuff before falling to a late scoring surge from Cork. Last time out they tightened up at the back and completely dominated Monaghan.
With the Down forwards showing signs of getting into a Championship groove, none more so than Marty Clarke, a somewhat leaky Dublin defence, (as was evident in their last game against Mayo), will have to be on their toes to stem the tide.
Dublin can call on the ravenous Bernard Brogan for this game and it should be interesting to see where Diarmuid Connolly plays. The St. Vincent’s clubman has put in an impressive shift over the last couple of games and is a serious scoring option. Connolly is something of a flaky player by nature, but the manner in which he took his hat-trick against Mayo was the sign of a player at the very top of his game.
However don’t be surprised if Down, with a team closer to their probable Championship selection, just edge this one and take the points under the Saturday night lights.
Injury crisis
Anthony Daly must wonder why his panel has been hit with so many injuries. It seems not a day goes by without an update from the Dublin camp of another player gone down.
In recent days alone they’ve had bad news confirmed on Stephen Hiney, Conor McCormack and Joey Boland.
Kilkenny themselves have received some knocks and are without multiple All-Ireland and All-Star winners Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney. But one suspects that the replacement well is somewhat deeper down by the Nore and for that reason, plus their deep seated desire not to be beaten twice in a row by Dublin (Walsh Cup, sshhh), expect Kilkenny to take the points and top spot on the League Table.
So it’s Jedward as the only winners from the capital tomorrow night!
Elsewhere in hurling, take Galway over Tipperary, Offaly to beat Waterford but only just, and Wexford to surprise everyone, including themselves, and beat Cork.
While in football, Armagh over the freefalling Galway, Kerry to collect full points from their trip to Monaghan and Cork to do likewise but only after a big struggle against James Horan’s much improving Mayo outfit.
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