Qualifiers - Saturday July 23rd

'We're going to Croker!'

This is a great weekend for football with some interesting clashes. The Croke Park double-bill is a hot ticket as first Derry take on Kildare followed by a rematch of the last year's All-Ireland Final with Cork v. Down. The other two matches are Tyrone v. Armagh and Wexford v. Limerick. The winner of the Tyrone v. Armagh match has a meeting with Roscommon the following week to determine the last spot of the final eight.  Let's take a look at the match-ups...

Overheard in the Snug: April 10th

Missed you last week

I was busy moving last Sunday so I didn't have time to eavesdrop in the snug. Instead I was moving heavy boxes and complaining to anyone who'd listen. Now that the complaints are out of my system I'm able to focus on an important final week of the League. I'm starting to think the League is more important than most will admit. Most shrug off the League as the time to get your house in order for the summer by trying new people in new positions. The increasingly professional approach to the game by players and management means the League is starting to be more important. Dublin have laid down a marker this spring with 6am training sessions and an undefeated campaign to show for their efforts. With the importance of the League in mind here are my points for the week.

National League Fixtures Announced

Despite the GAA not updating their own website, the Allianz GAA Football National League fixtures for 2011 have been announced on the RTE website.

The schedule also shows four matches to be held before the 'official' start to the league with the defending All-Ireland and National League champions Cork face Kerry - the reigning Munster Champions and the only team to beat the Rebels last year. Other matches to look forward to include chance for Dublin to avenge their semi-final defeat to Cork on 19 February and Cork v Down in a rematch of the All-Ireland Final on 12 March.
 
As a side note, the document released by the GAA shows a lack of pride. It is poorly formatted, difficult to understand, and is not to the standard of a world-class organisation. We'd all like to see a bit more effort from Headquarters.

All-Ireland Final 2010: Cork v Down

Another fantastic summer is coming to a close. There were some great matches this summer. The semi-finals were both great but earlier rounds were exciting as well. There was the Leinster Final controversy, Down's destruction of Kerry, and total unpredictability in Connaught.

It was a year for underdogs as all of the giants, most notably Kerry and Tyrone, were cut down by deserving teams. There is still one giant left though and I think Down have what it takes to slay Cork and make this truly the Year of the Underdog.

Match Predictions: 30 July 2010 - Quarterfinals

We are down to the final eight in 2010!  I can't wait to watch the matches this weekend.  I think Cork are the only ones who will have an easy win.  I have to agree with the oddly anonymous predictions on the Hoganstand site.  My picks for this week are Kerry, Tyrone, Cork, and Kildare.

Match Predictions: 24 July 2010 - Round 4 Qualifiers

Monaghan v Kildare  Verdict: Kildare
Monaghan will get back to their fast-paced attacking style after running into a brick wall wearing a Tyrone jersey last week.  Monaghan have to be questioning their quality and Kildare are just the side to match them score for score and finish them off in the end.  I was impressed with Kildare's win over Derry last week.  They fell behind 1-02 to 0-0 early but composed themselves and the match ended in a lopsided beating.  Of course, Derry self-destructed this summer with internal personality problems but that is another story.

Dublin v Louth  Verdict: Dublin
Dublin all the way.  Louth may have gotten robbed by that horrible mistake v Meath but their fragility was exposed in that match.  Croker is going to be rockin' and the baby-faced Louth squad will be overwhelmed.  I don't think Dublin are particularly good this year.  I just think Louth are the weakest team left in the qualifiers.

Limerick v Cork  Verdict: Cork
I would pick Limerick against any other team in the qualifiers.  I have been impressed by their balanced but aggressive play.  John Galvin is a beast in midfield and really exposed the weakness of the Kerry 8 & 9.  At the end of the MFC against Kerry, if a few kickouts didn't somehow find their way to the immobile Micheál Quirke, Limerick may well have won that match.  Still, Cork are just too good not to pick them to win.  They have the strength and skill to make it to the final again.   

Sligo v Down  Verdict: Down
I like Down in this one.  Sligo are reeling from their loss to Roscommon and don't have the physical strength to match up with Down.  Benny Coulter should have a big day provided the rest of the team feed him the damn ball.  Sligo's finesse will be slowly beaten out of them and the tank will be empty in the last 10 minutes when they need it most.