Panel strength proves key as fringe men stake claims

As football has evolved in recent years, many aspects of our game have changed and one of the most prominent developments has been how much counties now measure themselves on the strength of their squad rather than the strength of their team.

In previous generations, there was a core group of 15 to 17 players that were responsible for how their side fared on any given day, now we hear managers refer to the depth of their 30-man panels.

Going into Saturday night’s game, there had been much made of both Jim Gavin and Conor Counihan’s named teams.