League matters
Just nine short weeks ago, 33 teams set out at the start of the front-line competitive season and phase one of same will end for three quarter of those teams tomorrow. For the eight teams — Dublin and Roscommon being the only absolute certainties — that will contest league finals in a fortnight’s time, the spring series can already be deemed a success yet we brace ourselves for the “it’s only the league” chorus over the next few days.
The existential debate brought about by the beginning and end of the national football league each year is one of the great curiosities of the GAA world, yet the integrity of NFL 2011 cannot be questioned, with 23 of the top 24 teams left with something to play for this weekend.
Before we get to crunch the numbers and without wishing to tempt fate, perhaps we should acknowledge the welcome lack of debate on issues relating to indiscipline during the course of this year’s league campaign. Apart from the conspiracy theories in relation to Westmeath referee Pat Fox’s absence from league action, the sanctioning of Marc Ó Sé and the absence of other sanctions for others, a justifiable frustration about the fussiness of certain referees and equally justifiable confusion regarding the tackle, it has been an unremarkable and controversy-free campaign on the disciplinary front.
The glorious potential of the long-term adoption of “hawkeye” technology and next weekend’s Central Council motion on the enforcement of specific match bans for indiscipline rather than the traditional time-based suspensions has the capacity to make this one of the more incident-free seasons of recent times. We live in hope.
Now for the number crunching and the stats. The standout figure ahead of the final weekend of league action is Dublin’s whopping 14-73 in the ‘scores for’ column. It tells a story of Diarmuid Connolly’s reemergence as a supporting actor for scorer in chief, Bernard Brogan. It also points to significant contributions from Tomás Quinn and Kevin McManamon. But the overriding narrative is the unproven nature of these three forwards in the championship so there won’t be any complacency on Dublin’s part — especially with the alarming leakage of 6-77 (nearly 16 points a game) at the other end. With much of last year’s championship defensive sextet on the way back, those who have auditioned unsuccessfully for defensive solutions in the league will probably find themselves part of the championship precipitate over the coming weeks.
The other standout figure from the Division 1 table is the meagre 4-63 conceded by the much talked about Kerry defence. Considering they were missing their best man-marker, Marc Ó Sé, for two games in mid March (conceding an average of just 10 points), that they were experimenting with a new centre back (Eoin Brosnan), that they introduced some new backs (Enright, Lyne, Maguire and O’Connor) during the campaign, that they’ve had a new goalkeeper for the last two matches and that they’ve yet to start two consecutive matches in 2011 with the same backs — it’s been a satisfying and a revealing campaign for Kerry. With such defensive meanness during a period of upheaval and experimentation, it becomes apparent that they are now very comfortable with their defensive system under Jack O’Connor, irrespective of who’s selected. The work ethic of Donnchadh Walsh and Darran O’Sullivan should not be underestimated in considering Kerry’s defensive excellence and it is perhaps revealing only Tyrone and Kildare (two teams with similar formations and defensive philosophies) have conceded less in the top three divisions. There is a nagging sense that a lively top-of-the-ground type of team with fresh legs such as tomorrow’s opponents, Down, could still trouble an ageing Kerry defence and Dublin’s 3-10 in the wide expanse of Croke Park should serve as a warning shot for anyone in the Kingdom getting too carried away.
Reigning league champions Cork are sailing through this campaign and merely confirming what we already knew. They’ve gone from being a team on the cusp this time last year to a confident, assured team whose key players for this year’s championship (Michael Shields, Patrick Kelly and Daniel Goulding) are playing well within themselves, only tapping into the reservoir when they feel the need to flex the muscles — as they did to devastating effect against Down last month. Cork could find themselves in another league decider tomorrow despite themselves.
At the foot of the Division 1 table Galway’s 1-20 last weekend skews what has been an ultimately disappointing campaign return for them. They reached ground zero with an abject 0-8 in a gutless display against Kerry a few weeks back. Pádraic Joyce’s arrival on the scene since has turned this weekend into a fight to recover what’s been lost since early February. They might just pull off the impossible against Dublin tomorrow but you sense the long-term development of this team is best achieved in the more forgiving environment of a lower division.
The marquee team of Division 2, Tyrone, have had reason to welcome the off-Broadway campaign they’ve put in up to now. Losing the first two league matches had alarm bells ringing for just a little while but, almost as if vivified by the indignity of another season away from the top flight, they’ve recovered admirably by re-learning the best of old habits and are now in a great position to launch themselves back into respectability by taking two points off Meath, the great disappointment of NFL 2011, in Navan tomorrow.
The value of forming good habits in spring has not been lost on Donegal manager Jim McGuinness either. The Tír Chonaill men along with Dublin and Roscommon are the only unbeaten teams in all four divisions. There has been a heavy emphasis on a solid defensive formula in Donegal since the start of the league and restricting Tyrone to just two points from play in Omagh was an early signpost to progress. Dublin found out last year that having such an emphasis on defence needs to be balanced by committing more bodies to attack at critical stages and Donegal, too, will find out soon enough Michael Murphy’s shoulders are only so broad. Justin McNulty’s policy of flooding the backline with blue and white jerseys might reap a dividend tomorrow and it certainly will make life uncomfortable for Murphy and for Donegal.
When all is said and done, and when 75% of the teams have clocked up another national league campaign by 4pm tomorrow, NFL 2011 will be seen for it is — a competition to be exploited to get the house in order for the championship. I don’t know if it will ever return to the days of nearly a decade ago when — mainly due to Tyrone and Mickey Harte’s commitment — it appeared to be dignified by the full attention of all major players. The reality is the big teams all had overriding imperatives back then and winning trophies was part of that process. By winning the double last year, Cork appeared to contradict those who would uncouple league and championship form but their demeanour this year tells a different tale. It’s been a strange campaign. With just a round to go, it could get stranger.
CORK’S objective is simple – beat Armagh and they’re into a second successive league final. After a spate of injuries, Conor Counihan has named a familiar-looking side for tomorrow. The carrot for Counihan is not the title per se but the chance to get back to Croke Park, cut Dublin down to size and win in front of a large, opposing crowd.
THE prospect of Monaghan staying up is a stretch but try tell them that. After securing their Division 1 status last weekend, Mayo have nothing to fight for and should Monaghan beat them they’ll keep their fingers crossed Galway defeat Dublin and Cork topple Armagh. Relegation will then be decided on score difference.
THERE’S bound to be a sizeable crowd in O’Moore Park as second-placed Laois face Division 2 table-toppers Donegal. On eight points with Derry and Tyrone, who faced relegation threatened opposition, Justin McNulty’s side must win to remain in the promotion hunt. Getting the best use of Kevin Meaney is key. He snuffed out Stephen O’Neill’s threat at full-back in the Tyrone game and then became the go-to man when moved to midfield.
BEATING Tyrone in Navan might just keep Meath in Division 2 as the other relegation battlers Sligo and Antrim face promotion-chasing counties. What happened to the Royals in the second half of last week’s game against Derry is a mystery. They performed marvellously against the wind before the break, then threw it all away. Yet there have been shoots of recovery in recent games. The importance of Graham Reilly’s return is one such positive but Tyrone aren’t the sympathetic type.
LIMERICK have found their feet but may pay for their sluggish start with relegation to Division 4. They have the ability to beat league leaders Wexford at home but such is their inconsistency, nothing can be ruled out. The defeat to Westmeath in Newcastlewest last weekend stunted the momentum created after back-to-back wins over Cavan and Louth. Beating Wexford could bring Cavan and Tipp into the relegation equation. A draw could see them squeeze Cavan out on the head-to-head rule, providing both they and Waterford lose. Lose and they’re gone.
THE only team to take a point from promoted Roscommon, Longford might feel entitled to join them in Division Three next season if it weren’t for their defeat to Clare and draw with Wicklow. They would qualify on 10 points but with Wicklow and Carlow a point behind they can’t afford to slip up. They can take care of Carlow when they face the Barrowsiders in Pearse Park but a draw is unlikely to be enough if Wicklow win as just one point separates them on scoring difference. But the odds are staked in Glen Ryan’s favour.
