Weekend football preview – 24-25 July

The fixtures

All-Ireland Football Qualifiers – Round 4

Monaghan v Kildare, Saturday, Croke Park, 3pm
Louth v Dublin, Saturday, Croke Park, 5pm
Limerick v Cork, Saturday, Gaelic Grounds, 7pm
Sligo v Down, Saturday, Breffni Park, 7pm

The previews

Monaghan v Kildare

All four provincial final losers deserve more than a bit of sympathy ahead of the fourth round of the All-Ireland qualifiers this weekend, Monaghan no less than the other three.

Banty McEnaney’s men made no secret of the fact that they were going all-out for provincial honours this summer to end 22 years of waiting. Having racked up big scores against Armagh and Fermanagh, the stage was set for a breakthrough victory over Tyrone on the familiar soil of Clones last Sunday.

However, Tyrone were the immovable object against which Monaghan’s blitzkrieg blew itself out, with star men such as Paul Finlay, Tommy Freeman and Conor McManus denied any of the space and time required to strut their stuff.

You sometimes hear players, after a defeat of such magnitude, talk earnestly about the desire to get back onto the pitch at the earliest possible convenience. Monaghan have that opportunity at Croke Park, just six days after their Ulster final defeat, but there has to be a doubt about whether the minds and bodies are sufficiently mended for a game against a Kildare side which has used the qualifiers to rebuild nicely following the dismal nature of their performance against Louth in the Leinster championship.

Last week’s display against Derry – racking up a tally of 2-17 at Celtic Park, including 2-9 in the second half alone – may have been as much an indictment of the home side as it was a statement of Kildare’s current form, but Kieran McGeeney’s men are clearly in good heart and will travel to GAA HQ in confident mood.

Teams:

Monaghan: TBC

Kildare: TBC

Odds:

Kildare 4/5 Monaghan 11/8 Draw 15/2

JOE’s Prediction: All things being equal, Monaghan would expect to get the better of Kildare. All things, however, are not quite equal, and this could be a disappointing end to a disappointing week for the Ulster men. Kildare by three or four.

Louth v Dublin

None of the other three provincial final losers gleaned as much sympathy as Louth, but after the high emotions of their controversial defeat to Meath and the days of uncertainty regarding a replay, which never looked a runner in any case, it remains to be seen whether Peter Fitzpatrick has managed to refocus the minds.

Louth did enough against Longford, were exceptional against Kildare, made light of the Croke Park hoodoo against Westmeath and were much better than Meath. They deserved a provincial title, but “deserved” means little in sport.

While strong All-Ireland contenders Cork were the short straw in the fourth round qualifier draw, Dublin were the next worst option for all the losing provincial finalists and given their traditional inferiority in Leinster, a game against the Dubs is even less appealing for Louth than it would have been for Sligo, Monaghan or Limerick.

Dublin have been slowly building up a head of steam and produced their best performance of the summer against Armagh last weekend, when they finally looked to have found some fortitude in defence.

They still have plenty of improvement to find but they should have that within them, and the atmosphere at Croker should be ramped up a bit more with each passing week.

Teams:

Louth: N Gallagher; E McAuley, D Finnegan, J O’Brien; R Finnegan, M Fanning, S Fitzpatrick; P Keenan, B White; A Reed, A McDonnell, B Brennan; C Judge, S Lennon, JP Rooney.

Dublin: S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon; K Nolan, G Brennan, B Cahill; R McConnell, MD McAuley; N Corkery, A Brogan, B Cullen; D Henry, E O’Gara, B Brogan.

Odds: Dublin 1/3, Louth 3/1, Draw 9/1

JOE Prediction: Louth mauled Kildare and were too good for Meath (regardless of the scoreboard at the final whistle), but this will be a bridge too far. Dublin by five.

Limerick v Cork

Who would envy Limerick? It’s been written within the past few weeks that, given the level of their performances against Cork and Kerry in the past two Munster finals, Mickey Ned O’Sullivan’s side could well be the third best team in the country.

Pie in the sky or not, that kind of gossip is of no solace when you share a province with the big two, and any hope of some respite was ended when the qualifier draw last weekend paired them with Cork.

Cork have conceded just 0-9 in total in their qualifier wins over Cavan and Wexford, and have clearly maintained the forward momentum after the oh-so-tight nature of their Munster championship defeat to Kerry.

Both sides have named unchanged teams so from the outside the respective camps each look in good nick, but Limerick must at least match their Munster final performance and hope for a dip in form for Cork. That looks unlikely.

Teams:

Limerick: B Scanlon; M O’Riordan, J McCarthy, A Lane; S Lavin, S Lucey, P Ranahan; J O’Donovan, J Galvin; P Browne, J Ryan, S Buckley; G Collins, I Ryan, S Kelly.

Cork: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, J O’Sullivan; J Miskella, G Canty, P Kissane; A O’Connor, A Walsh; F Goold, P O’Neill, P Kelly; D Goulding, C Sheehan, C O’Neill.

Odds:

Limerick 4/1, Cork 1/4, Draw 9/1

JOE Prediction: Cork are zoning in on a September date in Croke Park. Limerick could have put the skids on most sides in the country but it’s doubtful whether they will be equipped to stop the Rebels. Cork by four.

Sligo v Down

Like Monaghan, Sligo have had just six days to put the shock of a provincial final defeat behind them in time for the make-or-break game of their summer. Having disposed of both Mayo and Galway, it’s almost certain that Kevin Walsh’s men took their eye off the ball against Roscommon last weekend. For all that Donie Shine turned in an exceptional performance, it was all but a one-man show and a focused Sligo should have been able to react and limit that threat in time to see out the win.

They should be thankful that they’re faced with Down this weekend having avoided the big two of Dublin and Cork in the most recent qualifier draw.

The Mournemen made serious progress during the National League but they seem to have found their level in defeats to Armagh (in the League Division 2 final) and Tyrone (in the Ulster championship).

Wins over Longford and Offaly have demonstrated their aptitude for a battle, but that particular pair are arguably the worst sides in Leinster.

Sligo have plenty to prove this weekend but if they’ve managed to get the mindset right, they could get back on track. However, the six-day gap is so difficult to overcome that Down are the percentage call.

Teams:

Sligo: P Greene; C Harrison, N McGuire, R Donovan; K Cawley, B Philips, J Davey; E Mullen, S Gilmartin; A Costello, M Breheny, E O’Hara; C McGee, A Marren, D Kelly.

Down: B McVeigh, D McCartan, D Gordon, D Rafferty; D Rooney; J Colgan, C Garvey; A Rogers, K King; D Hughes, M Poland, P McComiskey; B Coulter, J Clarke, M Clarke.

Odds:

Down 10/11, Sligo 5/4, Draw 15/2

JOE Prediction: Much like Monaghan-Kildare, the losing provincial finalist are probably the better side but circumstances are against them. Down by three.