Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Gladiatorial battles whet the appetite for do-or-die phase
Michael Murphy’s leadership was to the fore for Donegal throughout their victory over Mayo, especially in the final quarter. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie
- Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator (2000)
TIME was it could be a struggle to fill a Monday newspaper column. Nowadays there is enough material to write a daily missive. After another helter-skelter weekend of football championship action, there is plenty to ponder.
Derry and Mayo gone. Meath are flying. Cork survive. A Con O’Callaghan-powered Dublin ominously move forward after a ferocious battle in Newry. An injury stricken and flat Kerry are now facing the prospect of three weeks in a row to get back to an All-Ireland semi-final. Monaghan and Down played out a classic high scoring encounter. Hats off to everyone involved in the action for keeping the rest of us enthralled.
I was in a rocking Dr Hyde Park for the latest version of the modern Donegal and Mayo rivalry in a breathtaking championship match. It was very different from the open nature of the Monaghan and Down game. It was an intense, in your face battle. Championship fare. Bodies dropped as the managers looked over their shoulders to see who was next up. Ultimately, Donegal prevailed. Barely.
Ciarán Moore was outstanding throughout the second half as he repeatedly drove from deep. His power, pace and athleticism was a sight to behold. He isn’t shy on the skills department either. While he had kicked an earlier point on a few other occasions he deferred to teammates and passed the ball rather than shooting, sometimes taking the impetus out of the move. For the match-winning score he elected to back himself, and kicked an iconic score after the buzzer had sounded.
Shaun Patton’s return was critical for the Ulster champions. We all understand the importance of his kickouts. For the record he won 76% of his restarts, from which Donegal mined eight points. The highlight was the rocket over everyone that set up the late goal chance that Patrick McBrearty spurned. However it his shot-saving ability that was missed most when he was absent with injury. They conceded three goals in two games. In the four matches they played in the Ulster championship they had only conceded two.
Mayo did get a goal but they cut them open on another couple of occasions only for Patton to deny them. This is definitely something Jim McGuinness will be looking to tighten up for the rest of the season. While the Mayo finishing wasn’t exactly elite Patton still kept them out. He also caught a two point effort from Ryan O’Donoghue in the first half. In a game of such tiny margins all of this was significant.
Michael Murphy’s leadership was also to the fore throughout the match, none more so than in the final quarter. When he gave away the sloppy handpass that lead to David McBrien’s goal it could have rattled him. And his team. Characteristically, instead he went into overdrive. When Oisín Gallen went off he moved closer to goal and was involved in everything positive for his team for the rest of the match.
For Mayo it was heartbreak. When Fergal Boland kicked a magnificent outside of the boot (his stick shot) equaliser with the clock approaching the red, it looked as if they had done enough to survive and move forward to next weekend. However there was time for one more play. And just as happened against Dublin at the same venue, in the same game last year, they coughed up a score at the death.
Last year it ended in a draw, but they survived and moved forward. This year it was the exit door. Ultimately it was the no-show and loss in Castlebar against Cavan that undid them. Since that loss they have been excellent. They were willing to go man-on-man all over the pitch with Donegal and put them under severe pressure, leading to some of the aforementioned mistakes. Yes they turned over too much ball in the final third (14) and some of their shooting was as questionable as usual but their effort and bottle could not be questioned. They exit the championship with their heads held high. Once the dust settles they will have plenty to critically and honestly analyse with regard to the future. That is for another day, though.
Saturday's action threw up plenty of talking points, chief among them Kerry’s defeat in Tullamore. It is important to give Meath kudos before analysing the Munster champions. Robbie Brennan, Conor Gillespie and co deserve huge credit. In 2024, Meath lost to Dublin by 16 points in the Leinster championship, and later were defeated by Kerry in Navan in the group stages by 15. They beat both this year, which is quite the turnaround in 12 short months. They are a team that have all the tools to take full advantage of the new rules. They can kick two-pointers, they are strong in the middle of the field and have pace all over the pitch. Most of all they are young and hungry. They are on a real upward curve.
Meanwhile, Kerry have stalled. They lacked bite and intensity. There will be some serious hard talking done this week. Their season is on the line. Believe it or not, I think this can be the making of them. It can be argued that the extra week is far from ideal, but if we take a step back for a second and think about it this can help them big picture-wise. There is no A v B next weekend or anything else to be worried about. It is raw knockout championship which always narrows the focus, and should bring the best out of them. It has to. Win over the next two weekends, by whatever means necessary, and get back to an All-Ireland semi-final. Manage that and they will be ideally prepared for the final assault on Sam. Fail, and they are out of it.
At half-time in their match with Armagh in Breffni Park, Galway looked as if they were about to limp out of the championship. The All-Ireland champions were flying and the Connacht champions were inexplicably flat. Again. They missed two penalties. After everything that group had been through defeat would have felt like the end of the road. Instead they reacted and rallied. Shane Walsh was outstanding in the second half. Rob Finnerty’s finish for his goal was sublime. He took an extra solo to compose himself and put it on the deck to slide it past Ethan Rafferty. Next weekend will tell us whether this win is indeed a resurrection or if it is was merely a stay of execution.
Speaking of Rafferty, he is a joy to watch. When the rule around the 12 v 11 was changed last March, it was felt it would negatively impact on him. In fact, the first game after the rule change, Blaine Hughes returned to goals against Kerry in Tralee. Rafferty was back for the next match and has been there since. His all-action style makes for compulsive viewing. He saved a penalty, another one-on-one from Matthew Thompson, was excellent on his own kickout in the first half, was errant from the tee in the second period and kicked seven points which varied from two point bombs off the ground to a beauty from play. To top it all off in the second half he won a long Galway kickout, burst forward, played a one-two with Jarly Óg Burns and kicked an inspirational point from play.
Cork also had a hugely significant win over Roscommon in Portlaoise. Had they lost and exited it would have been a major regression from a clearly talented and able group. The moments on the pitch after the win were telling. Ian Maguire’s celebration with Ruairí Deane clearly showed what it meant to the veterans. The small loyal band of supporters that had made the trip invaded the pitch and it was also evident what it meant to them, most of them probably family members who would appreciate just what those players put in to compete at that level. Even as a Kerry man I was happy for them.
And to answer Maximus’ question, yes we are entertained. Very much so.
- Thanks to Brian McClelland and RTÉ for the stats.
