Party in the Park

It's the hottest ticket in town as stage set for a weekend feast of football. Mark Gallagher looks at the mouth-watering prospect of the four All-Ireland football quarter-finals

READY? Right then. Step up for the GAA’s weekend festival of football. The weather is gloomy, but what did you expect for a festival. That’s part of the fun. And what fun it will be. A two-day party in Croke Park, invitation only, to watch the eight best football teams in the country.

They are going into a frenzy in the capital, they say a good pair of tickets will fetch you 300 squid around Drumcondra on Monday morning. The Kingdom is approaching with caution, anticipation is feverish in Armagh and Colin Corkery’s white boots are spit shone and waiting to dazzle.

Is your chest pounding yet? Is there a race to your pulse? No. Well, what about the collision of old collegiate friends Moynihan and Joyce, the magical mystery of Sligo, the return of biblical character Kieran McDonald or the rebirth of Donegal. If you like your football, this weekend has something for you.

In each game, there are themes within themes, sub plots threatening to eclipse the plot. How will Eamon O’Hara avoid asphyxiation against those defensive hunters from Armagh? Watch as they stalk their prey, grinding down, moving in for the kill. Sligo have the hearts of lions, though. If there is a way through to Dessie Sloyan and Gerry McGowan, they will find it.

Dublin will resonate with the south Armagh lilt this evening. Their supporters, like their defence, travels in packs. It shouldn’t escape our attention in these hyped auld times that the orange army, and not the capital, provide the most passionate support on the island. It’s time for their heroes to give something back. A first victory on the new sod of

Croker will do for starters, but you should never write off the Yeats county.

The magical magpies, given the chance, will play the most attractive football of the weekend. They won’t crumble or wilt and the weekend must spin one special yarn. Can it be Sligo stand on the cusp of history or is the stage set for Diarmuid Marsden’s magic, missing all summer, to explode?

That’s the beauty of the weekend. Nobody is quite sure what to expect apart from rain. If the starters haven’t taken away all our breath tomorrow, the main course certainly will.

They still shudder when you mention last summer in Kerry. Rehabilitation has been moving along nicely. There was a hiccup against Cork, although that now looks like a disguised blessing. Yes, averaging three goals a game and nailing some beautiful scores, the Kingdom was finding its feet again.

Only for the best team in the country to hove into view. Surely, this prospect must have you drooling. Galway and Kerry. Revenge for 2000, banish the demons of Meath, Moynihan and Joyce, Walsh and O’Sé. Who’s the sharpest gunslinger in the west, Colin Cooper or Derek Savage? Whose defence will stand firmest in the face of concerted pressure?

Then, fortunately, there is respite. Our heart couldn’t withstand much more excitement. But, don’t go too far. It’s a two-day festival, remember. We are reconvening at headquarters on Monday afternoon. Cork and Mayo seems to have got lost in all the hype. On paper, it looks the least appetising of the four fixtures.

But, have we forgotten the unerring ability of Corkery, the solidity of Anthony Lynch, the unpredictability of Fionnan Murray. Cork have plenty to prove. And this is the stage to prove it. Mayo blow in from the west, a team nobody is certain about. They have been amassing pretty high points tallies, yes this is Mayo we are talking about, but they have been conceding more, too. And now, they have to travel to Dublin, to meet their bogey team. The side they can never beat. Mayo are looking to rebel against history on Monday.

AND at some point in the afternoon, the scene Mayo people are relishing will be played out. Pat Holmes will scour the line, head towards the team bench, high in the Hogan Stand, and ask Kieran McDonald to warm up. The cheer will erupt as the blonde locks fly up and down the sideline. And Cork will quiver.

We might be getting overly dramatic here, but the potential of this weekend excuses that. See, contrary to what some sections of the media would have us believe, this festival is not just about Dublin. They are allotted a major part in proceedings, but they have to share the stage. Not everyone is pleased by that, as the Dublin manager let fly this week.

“I can understand why the GAA made the decision to put two games on to be fair to other counties who are also battling hard in their neck of the woods to promote the game,” Tommy Lyons said. “The GAC took a lot of flak last year for not playing all the quarter finals in Croke Park and what has happened

“I recognise that it is important for the GAA that Dublin has this buzz, but it’s also important that the GAA is strong as a unit. I’m passionate about the GAA and the games and I’m disappointed we haven’t Croke Park to ourselves and Donegal on Monday. But, I accept seven others are entitled to be there.”

Donegal have been sitting back, watching in amusement as the hype machine exaggerates and spins out of control in the metropolis. Monday afternoon is about two teams, on an even keel, trying to get a place in the All-Ireland semi-final. It is not just about Dublin or the bitter memory of 92, but the charisma of Tommy Lyons has blinded a few people.

If the previous three acts have left us wanting more, there isn’t a better pairing to pull the curtain down on the weekend. Two young, fresh teams, trying to ensure the good times return for their supporters. Two of the most respected coaches in the GAA butting heads, the Hill divided in four, a television audience gripped.

The final chapter comes down to a shoot-out between west and east, the Sweeney/Devenney tag team on one side, Brogan/Cosgrove on the other.

Draw when ready, folks.