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Saturday July 11 2009
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All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 2 (7.0 unless stated)
J McQuillan (Cavan)
Down got their expected win over London last weekend but there was more than enough for Ross Carr to mull over, not least when the Exiles scored 1-4 without reply.
Laois have come in for some heavy criticism in the wake of their defeat to Kildare. Sean Dempsey has responded by making five changes, with the prodigious Donie Kingston among those to lose out even though he scored 1-5 when the sides met in the qualifiers in Portlaoise last year.
They now have a physical presence around the middle third but their stomach for a fight has been called into question which should provide all the motivation required. As ever, there is no doubting the talent in the O'Moore squad but whether that can be realised in a hostile environment like Newry remains to be seen.
Last C'ship meeting: Down 2-14 Laois 1-15 (2008 All-Ireland qualifiers Round 2).
Ladbrokes Odds: Down 8/13 Laois 13/8 Draw 15/2.
Verdict: Down.
Down -- B McVeigh; C McGovern, K McKernan, D Rafferty; T Hanna, P Murphy, C Garvey; D Gordon, S Kearney; A Rogers, C Maginn, B McArdle; B Coulter, P McCumiskey, D Hughes.
Laois -- M Nolan; C Ryan, M Timmons, R Stapleton; A Fennelly, J O'Loughlin, N Donoher; P Clancy, K Meaney; B Quigley, C Rogers, R Munnelly; MJ Tierney, C Coss, P O'Leary.
Monaghan v Derry, Clones, 3.0
M Duffy (Sligo), Live RTE2
It seems another decent crowd is likely to be drawn to Clones to Round 2 of the clash that got everyone talking earlier this summer. Both sides have claimed the negative reaction to their Ulster championship clash was over the top but privately they will know that their cards have been marked and referee Marty Duffy will be keen to keep a tight rein on this one.
The Tommy Freeman saga undoubtedly galvanised Monaghan for their clash against Armagh and the Farney men will garner their motivation from the fact that he remains suspended while Fergal Doherty and Brian Mullan are available for Derry after having their bans halved for incidents in the same game.
The Oak Leaf county have had their own problems, with Paddy Bradley back in the squad after a brief withdrawal. Bradley is not on top form but it was his goal that decided the last match and how he and the rest of the side react to the week's events is key. The extra-time against Armagh will have taken its toll on Monaghan but they seem to love having their backs to the wall and they could grind out another victory.
Last C'ship meeting: Derry 1-10 Monaghan 0-10 (2009 Ulster quarter-final).
Ladbrokes Odds: Monaghan 8/11 Derry 3/2 Draw 13/2.
Verdict: Monaghan.
Monaghan -- P McBennett; D Mone, V Corey, D McArdle; D Freeman, G McQuaid, D Hughes; E Lennon, D Clerkin; S Gollogly, P Finlay, C McManus; M Downey, R Ronaghan, R Woods
Derry -- TBA
Longford v Kerry, Pearse Park, 5.0
G O Conamha (Galway), Live TV3
Glenn Ryan's Longford battled to victory over Leitrim but they were then paired with the one team Ryan would have wanted to avoid as he looks to build in the midlands. They have nothing to lose here and they have the memory of their league win over the Kingdom, in what was Jack O'Connor's first game in charge back in 2004, to remind them of what is possible.
In echoes of 2006, Kieran Donaghy's return to full-forward is the talking point and O'Connor has been true to his word as he has reshuffled his pack. Donaghy is back beside Colm Cooper and Tommy Walsh and that full-forward line can wreak havoc.
It's a strong-looking side despite the absence of Aidan O'Mahony and captain Darran O'Sullivan. There are some gambles though, with Marc O Se in the unusual position of centre-back while it remains to be seen how Tommy Griffin fares in the No 3 shirt. If he can provide some stability there and if Donaghy is on his game, Kerry are back in business for 2009.
Last C'ship meeting: Kerry 4-11 Longford 1-11 (2006 All-Ireland qualifiers Round 4).
Ladbrokes Odds: Longford 12/1 Kerry 1/50 Draw 16/1.
Verdict: Kerry
Longford -- D Sheridan; D Reilly, B Gilleran, D Brady; D Masterson, E Williams, N Farrell; G Dennigan, K Smith; S Mulligan, F McGee, P Berry; P Barden, C Minagh, B Kavanagh
Kerry -- D Murphy; K Young, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan; T O Se, M O Se, A O'Shea; D O Se, S Scanlon; D Walsh, Declan O'Sullivan, S O'Sullivan; C Cooper, K Donaghy, T Walsh.
Wexford v Roscommon, Wexford Pk 3.0
A Mangan (Kerry)
Two sides that have been going in opposite directions recently. Wexford couldn't buy a win in the league and championship until last week when they edged out Offaly, while Roscommon, who have Fergal O'Donnell at the helm, started the season in fine form, reaching an FBD league final. It all seemed to be going well for the Primrose and Blue county until Mayo destroyed them in the Connacht championship last time out.
After that defeat, O'Donnell hinted that his side might have been better served if they had no more fixtures to fulfil this season so it remains to be seen what sort of mental state the Rossies are in. On the other hand, Wexford had six different scorers last weekend in the absence of Mattie Forde. Home advantage is a massive boost for them and Jason Ryan looks to be slowly getting the Model men back on track after an excellent 2008 campaign.
Last C'ship meeting: Have never met in championship.
Ladbrokes Odds: Wexford 2/7 Roscommon 10/3 Draw 9/1.
Verdict: Wexford.
Wexford -- A Masterson; B Malone, G Molloy, N Murphy; K Kennedy, D Murphy, C Morris; D Fogarty, B Doyle; S Roche, R Barry, A Flynn; C Lyng, S Cullen, PJ Banville.
Roscommon -- G Claffey; P Gleeson, J Nolan, S McDermott; S Purcell, P Domican, D Keenan; M Finneran, B Higgins; G Cox, D Connellan, D Shine; F Cregg, S Kilbride, C Cregg.
Tipperary v Sligo, Semple Stadium, 3.0, M Deegan (Laois)
The Division 3 winners against the Division 4 champions and Tipp proved they were no flash in the pan when turning Louth over in Drogheda. Despite their exploits, they will still be a sideshow in the Premier as the county's hurlers prepare for Munster final action against Waterford.
Low-key preparation might suit John Evans' men. Brian Coen and Barry Grogan are proven score-getters, hitting 1-8 between them against the Wee County, but Sligo will have taken heart from running Galway so close in the Connacht semi-final. However, captain Charlie Harrison is a massive loss for the Yeats county and Tipperary might just be that bit sharper after their outing last week.
Last C'ship meeting: Have never met in championship.
Ladbrokes Odds: Tipperary 5/6 Sligo 6/5 Draw 15/2.
Verdict: Tipperary.
Tipperary -- P Fitzgerald; P Codd, C McDonald, C Higgins;
C Aylward, H Coghlan, R Costigan; G Hannigan, K Mulryan; S Carey, P Austin, B Mulvihill; B Fox, B Coen, B Grogan
Sligo -- P Greene; P McGovern, N McGuire, N Ewing; M McNamara, R Donavan, J Davey; E Mullen, T Taylor; M Breheny, A Costello, S Davey; D Kelly, E O'Hara, A Marren.
Donegal v Clare, Ballybofey
M Higgins (Fermanagh)
Lady Luck has smiled on Donegal once more by handing them a very favourable draw. In fact, it's the sixth successive time that John Joe Doherty's side have been given home draws in the championship and the third time this year that they have been paired against Division 4 opposition, following on from meetings with Antrim and Carlow.
With the facile win over Carlow in mind, Doherty has opted to stick with the same 15, with Neil Gallagher and Ciaran Bonner left out in the cold after they were dropped from the squad for disciplinary reasons. Clare gave a good account of themselves in the Munster semi-final against Limerick, who in turn probably should have beaten Cork in the provincial decider.
If they can carry that line of form through they have a real chance, but the loss of five players since that defeat has severely hit Frank Doherty's side. Donegal are traditionally very strong in Ballybofey and that should continue here, but their luck in the draws has to run out at some stage. They will remain an unknown quantity until they meet more proven opposition.
Last C'ship meeting: Have never met in championship.
Ladbrokes Odds: Donegal 1/12 Clare 7/1 Draw 14/1.
Verdict: Donegal.
Donegal -- P Durcan; F McGlynn, N McGee, K Lacey; B Dunnion, E McGee, M Maguire; C Toye, K Cassidy; R Kavanagh, L McLoone, D Walsh; C Dunne, M Murphy, S Griffin.
Clare -- D O'Brien; L Healy, C Whelan, M McMahon; Gordan Kelly, K Dilleen, Graham Kelly; G Quillinan, G Brennan; E Coughlan, D Russell, P Reidy; M O'Shea, T Ryan, D Tubridy.
Westmeath v Meath, Cusack Park
M Sludden (Tyrone)
Westmeath fans need no reminding of their championship record against the Royals. They have never beaten their near neighbours in championship football but Lake County selector Pat Flanagan welcomed the draw and the incentive to become the first side to beat Meath gives them a chance of salvaging their season, despite the damaging defeat by Dublin.
The only chinks of light from that hammering was the performances of young corner-forwards Conor Lynam and John Connellan and they could cause a porous Meath full-back line some trouble while Meath have no obvious candidate for the job of picking up danger-man Denis Glennon.
Meath learned nothing new about themselves when beating Waterford in Navan last weekend and certainly aren't just two points off a now rampant Dublin side. They will meet somewhere in the middle, but expect the Royals to just edge it and continue the misery for Westmeath.
Last C'ship meeting: Meath 1-11 Westmeath 0-5 (2003 Leinster quarter-final replay).
Ladbrokes Odds: Westmeath 2/1 Meath 1/2 Draw 15/2.
Verdict: Meath.
Westmeath -- G Connaughton; F Boyle, K Gavin, J Keane; M Ennis, D Heavin, D O'Donoghue; D O'Shaughnessy, D Duffy; P Sharry, D Dolan, D Harte; J Connellan, D Glennon, C Lynam.
Meath -- P O'Rourke; C O'Connor, A Moyles, E Harrington; S Kenny, C McGuinness, C King; N Crawford, B Meade ; P Byrne, J Sheridan, S Bray; D Bray, B Farrell, C Ward.
Wicklow v Cavan, Aughrim
D Coldrick (Meath)
Mick O'Dwyer continues to work the oracle with Wicklow and after their impressive win over Fermanagh with just 13 men, they have been installed as favourites.
That they pulled off that win, after also losing a couple of players to serious injury in the Westmeath game, is testament to the character in the Garden County. All of their forwards who started against the Ernesiders got on the scoreboard and a home draw against a Cavan side that disappointed against Antrim was welcomed by the legendary O'Dwyer.
The Breffni men failed to put back-to-back Ulster championship wins together once again but Tommy Carr is in it for the long haul. They are slowly changing their style but were out-thought and out-fought by Antrim in the provincial semi-final and could struggle to cope with Wicklow's momentum.
Last C'ship meeting: Have never met in championship
Ladbrokes Odds: Wicklow 8/11 Cavan 11/8 Draw 15/2
Verdict: Wicklow
Wicklow -- TBA
Cavan -- TBA
All-Ireland SHC qualifiers -- Phase 2 (extra-time if necessary)
Wexford v Limerick, Wexford Park, 5.0,
M Wadding (Waterford)
Fit-again Keith Rossiter and Darren Stamp return to replace Doc O'Connor and Michael Jacob in a much-changed Wexford side, which sees Harry Kehoe debut at midfield and Eanna Martin and PJ Nolan replace Stephen Banville (sick) and Tomas Watters (injured) up front.
Veteran star Ollie Moran is surprisingly relegated in three Limerick changes. Paul Browne and Denis Moloney also lose out to Wayne McNamara, Donncha Sheehan and Gavin O'Mahony and Seamus Hickey reverts to wing-back.
The sides have only met three times in the championship since 1955 and Wexford have won all three, including that famous 1996 All-Ireland final.
Last C'ship Meeting: Wexford 4-10 Limerick 2-15 (2001 All-Ireland quarter-final).
Ladbrokes Betting: Limerick 8/11, Wexford 5/4, Draw 10/1.
Verdict: Limerick.
Wexford -- D Fitzhenry; M Travers, P Roche, K Rossiter; D Stamp, R Kehoe, C Kenny; H Kehoe, D Lyng; PJ Nolan, W Doran, R Jacob; D Redmond, E Martin, S Doyle.
Limerick -- B Murray; D Reale, S Lucey, M O'Riordan; S Hickey, B Geary, M Foley; G O'Mahony, D O'Grady; W McNamara, J Ryan, N Moran; D Sheehan, D Breen, A O'Shaughnessy.
Clare v Galway, Ennis, 7.0
C McAllister (Cork)
Damien Hayes has been passed fit after a calf injury and Galway are unchanged from the side which had such a terrific tussle with Kilkenny, despite goalkeeper James Skehill's availability. Tony Griffin's move to midfield is the big talking point in Clare, with Jonathan Clancy switched to corner-forward and Colin Ryan, so good against Tipp, now on the wing.
Galway have only beaten Clare twice in 11 championship meetings -- in the 1961 Munster championship and the 2003 qualifiers -- but they beat them 4-16 to 0-19 in the NHL and will hardly get a better chance than this.
Last C'ship Meeting: Clare 2-10 Galway 0-14 (2007 qualifiers).
Ladbrokes Betting: Galway 4/11, Clare 5/2, Draw 10/1.
Verdict: Galway.
Clare -- P Brennan; P Vaughan, J McInerney, G O'Grady; P Donnellan, B Bugler, A Markham; B O'Connell, T Griffin; T Carmody, D McMahon, C Ryan; N Gilligan, D Barrett, J Clancy.
Galway -- C Callanan; D Joyce, S Kavanagh, O Canning; F Moore, J Lee, A Cullinane; E Lynch, K Hynes; A Callanan, C Donnellan, A Smith; D Hayes, J Canning, N Healy.
Christy Ring Cup final (extra-time if necessary)
Down v Carlow, Croke Park, 4.0
T Ryan (Tipperary).
Defending champions Carlow beat Down in the league earlier this year and look to have beaten stronger teams en route, including cutting loose with six goals in their semi-final replay aginst Kerry.
Last C'ship Meeting: Down 3-13 Carlow 0-19 (2008 Christy Ring group).
Ladbrokes Betting: Carlow 5/6, Down 11/10, Draw 9/1.
Verdict: Carlow
Nicky Rackard Cup final (extra-time if necessary)
Meath v London, Croke Park, 2.0
O Elliot (Antrim)
The Exiles feature former Meath senior and All-Ireland junior winner Fergus McMahon -- the first man to lift the Nicky Rackard Cup for them in 2005 -- in defence. Meath, who have already lost a hurling final (Division 3A) this year, have been hit by the loss of rising star Stephen Clynch (suspended) but are looking to prove that they should be ranked higher.
Last C'ship Meeting: London 3-15 Meath 0-20 (2006 Christy Ring group)
Verdict: Meath.
(extra-time if necessary)
Tyrone v Donegal, Croke Park, 12.0
T Carroll (Offaly)
Donegal have gone to great lengths to try to get manager Eamonn Campbell back from suspension for the inaugural final of this fourth-tier competition.
Tyrone have noticeably racked up 10 goals en route but Donegal slaughtered them 3-19 to 0-9 back in Division 3B back in March and with a place in the Nicky Rackard at stake, it'll be hammer and tongs.
Last C'ship Meeting: Tyrone 2-12 Donegal 2-11 (2008 Nicky Rackard group).
Verdict: Donegal.
all-IRELAND SENIOR CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP
(Group One) Kilkenny v Cork, Nowlan Park, 3.30
Champions Cork can expect a tough game from Kilkenny following the Cats' three-point win over Tipperary. Still, the Leesiders are firing on all cylinders again this year and will be hard opposition for any team. For Kilkenny this is a big test. Home advantage should work in their favour and with Jacquie Frisby and Colette Dormer in good form they will give it their all. However, they will have to be at their very best to topple the titleholders.
Kilkenny -- C Ryan; L Fennelly, C Doherty, J Frisby; L Lyng, A Butler, E Aylward; C Dormer, A Dalton (Capt); T Muldowney, K Power, A Dunphy; M Quilty, E Keane, A Neary.
Cork -- A Murray; J O'Callaghan, R Buckley, C Foley; J Duffy, M O'Connor, S Hayes; O Cotter, B Corkery; E Dillon, G O'Connor, U O'Donoghue; S Burns, A O'Regan (capt), R Moloney.
(Group Two) Wexford v Galway, Wexford Park, 7.0
Wexford will be hoping home support from the All-Ireland SHC qualifier between Wexford and Limerick will help them over the line in this top-of-the-table encounter.
Both Galway and Wexford are strong contenders for the O'Duffy Cup this year and while the two teams should qualify for the semi-finals, the battle here is to see who will finish first and second. Veronica Curtin is back to her best for the westerners, while the Purple and Gold will be looking to star forward Una Leacy.
Galway -- S Earner; R Glynn, A Kelly, T Manton; A M Hayes, S Cahalan (capt), L Ryan; N Kilkenny, S Tannion; B Hanney, T Maher, O Kilkenny; V Curtin, S Donoghue, A Connolly.
Wexford -- M D'Arcy; B Holohan, D Codd, C O'Connor; Á Codd, M Leacy, A O'Connor (Capt); C Murphy, M O'Leary; U Leacy, J Dwyer, K Kelly; U Jacob, R M Breen, M Hearne.
tomorrow
Leinster SFC final
Dublin v Kildare, Croke Park, 4.0
P McEnaney (Monaghan), Live on TV3
In May 2008, Kildare faced a stark choice after losing to Wicklow in the first round of the Leinster championship: dissolve or develop. Wicklow had won their first Leinster SFC game at Croke Park while Kildare had produced one of their worst performances for years, so it was a time for detailed self-assessment. The impressive result of the re-build is that 14 months on, they head for a Leinster final off a league-championship record which reads: Played 13; Won 9; Drew 2; Lost 2.
It's a spectacular surge, yet it comes with an asterisk as none of the 13 teams they played were of Division 1 status. Their championship wins this season were against Offaly, who are very much on a downswing, Wexford, who won no game all year up to last Saturday when they beat Offaly, and Laois, who aren't exactly convincing these days. That raises the big question as to whether Kildare, who made a late change to their starting 15 last night with Ken Donnelly coming in for the injured Eamonn Callaghan, can now move up a level.
Life on the All-Ireland grind has been tough for Dublin but their command of Leinster is as secure as it has been at any time since the 1970s. Indeed, if they win tomorrow they will have secured the five-in-a-row for the first time since 1978.
Just as there are doubts about the quality of the opposition Kildare beat, there are queries about Dublin's victims too. Meath don't carry the menace of old anymore while Westmeath were embarrassingly fragile in the semi-final. Kildare will definitely bring more substance to their challenge. Kieran McGeeney has not only solidified the defence, he has also got Dermot Earley playing as well as at any time in his career at midfield while the attack has averaged 2-15 per game so far in Leinster.
If they maintain that strike rate tomorrow, they will win. However, it's unlikely they will get as much possession or have anything like as much time to convert it into scores. Ultimately though, it's the Croke Park factor which may decide the day. It's a home venue for Dublin and that is always worth a few points. It could prove crucial on the pressure points tomorrow.
Last C'ship clash: Dublin 2-13 Kildare 2-11 (2002 Leinster final)
Ladbrokes odds: Dublin 1/2; Kildare 2/1; Draw 15/2.
Verdict: Dublin
Dublin -- S Cluxton; D Henry, D Bastick, P Andrews; P Griffin, G Brennan, B Cahill; R McConnell, D Magee; P Flynn, A Brogan, D Connolly, J Sherlock, B Brogan, C Keaney.
Kildare -- T Corley; H McGrillen, M Foley, E Bolton; M O'Flaherty, B Flanagan, M Conway; D Flynn, D Earley; J Kavanagh, P O'Neill, R Sweeney; A Smith, K Donnelly, J Doyle.
Munster SHc final
Tipperary v Waterford, Thurles, 4.0
J Sexton (Cork), Live on RTE 2
It says a lot for the competitive nature of the Munster hurling championship that Tipperary haven't retained the title since picking off three-in-a-row in 1987-'89.
They will attempt to correct that tomorrow and, in the process, reinforce their position as second favourites behind Kilkenny for the All-Ireland title. And since the Leinster and Munster champions have a bye to the All-Ireland semi-finals, the incentive to succeed extends far beyond the honour of being crowned provincial champions. Waterford are peeved over the general consensus that Tipperary have been second best to Kilkenny since the start of 2008 and point to last year's All-Ireland semi-final showdown to support their case that they are better than Tipp. They were on form that particular day but in terms of overall consistency, Tipperary have been superior.
Still, big days define teams and if Waterford repeat last year's semi-final success tomorrow, it will seriously dent Tipperary's reputation as the team voted most likely to trouble Kilkenny.
Can Waterford do it? They have beaten Tipperary in four of their last five championship clashes since 2002 so they will certainly have self-belief, a precious commodity which Waterford are extremely good at exploiting, especially if the game opens up and they start spraying balls into John Mullane and Eoin Kelly.
The same applies at the other end where Noel McGrath, Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett present a formidable full-forward presence. So with both sides heavily front-loaded, it will all come down to which defence copes better. There's a harder physical edge to Tipperary this year, as displayed against Kilkenny in the league final.
Tipperary will be determined not to allow Waterford to set the physical agenda and if they succeed in doing that, they have enough key men both in the first 15 and the subs to wear down a Waterford team for whom the absence of Ken McGrath is a serious blow. Perhaps even a fatal one.
Last C'ship clash: Waterford 1-20 Tipperary 1-18 (2008 All-Ireland semi-final)
Ladbrokes odds: Tipperary 2/5; Waterford 12/5; Draw 17/2.
Verdict: Tipperary
Tipperary -- B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Curran, C O'Brien; D Fanning, C O'Mahony, P Maher; J Woodlock, S McGrath; P Kerwick, S Callanan, J O'Brien; N McGrath, E Kelly, L Corbett.
Waterford -- C Hennessy; E Murphy, D Prendergast, N Connors; T Browne, M Walsh, A Kearney; S O'Sullivan, K Moran; S Prendergast, S Molumphy, J Nagle; J Mullane, E Kelly, J Kennedy.
Leinster MFC final
Dublin v Kildare, Croke Park, 12.25,
E Kinsella (Laois)
Dublin looked impressively fit when hitting 3-2 in the second period of extra-time in their semi-final win over Offaly and their greater power should see them through.
Verdict: Dublin
Munster MHC final
Tipperary v Waterford, Thurles 2.0
C Lyons (Cork)
John O'Dwyer is the star of the Tipp show while Willie Ryan also looked impressive against the Rebels. Waterford have a proven performer in John Mahony and he can be the Deise's driving force but they will have to be at their best to pull off a shock here.
Verdict: Tipperary
COMPILED BY MARTIN BREHENY, CLIONA FOLEY
AND DONNCHADH BOYLE
