The shadow boxing begins for heavyweight contenders
The themes of the day were ‘leadership’ and ‘engagement’, though the sitting was polarised by a heated debate on the current football Championship structure.
Players quickly agreed that the present model is ‘broken’, out of date, though by the time the meeting wrapped up there was still nothing near consensus on what the solution might be.
Suffice it to say, the All-Ireland quarter-finals are here to stay, no matter what sort of overhaul is coming down the line.
The qualifier series may have run its course since first being introduced in 2001 but the quarter-finals, also brought in at that stage, are going nowhere. It is the stage of the season when the championship truly starts.
Even those lucky to be there or living on their wits begin to get giddy — they know they are just three steps from heaven.
One of the surest things in championship football is that Kerry will be alive and kicking in early August. They are the only team with a perfect record of qualifying for the quarter-finals, 14 out of 14.
Behind them, Dublin, Cork and Tyrone are also in double figures while Mayo and Donegal have regularly enjoyed August football.
The sight of at least one unexpected county at this stage every season is what gives the bulk of teams hope entering 2015, however. This could be their year.
In 2003 and 2004 it was Fermanagh, Sligo did it in 2002 and 2007 while Limerick, Cavan and Laois have all reached the quarter-finals since 2011.
Counting Monaghan as an established force now, this year’s breakthrough teams were Galway and Armagh and where they go from here in 2015 is the question on everyone’s lips.
They will be aware that, generally, breakthrough teams that reach the last eight don’t do so the following year. Cavan (2013), Laois (2012), Limerick (2011), Roscommon (2010) and Wexford (2008) all failed to exit the qualifiers the following season.
Galway and Armagh are unique cases though — their respective history and tradition means they expect to be involved at the business end of the Championship every season.
After unexpected lean spells, they both bridged six-year gaps in 2014 by reaching the quarter-finals and appear perfectly placed to push on. Whisper it softly but these two counties believe glory days may even be on the horizon.
Those feelings stem from the appointments of local heroes as managers; Kevin Walsh in Galway and Kieran McGeeney in Armagh.
Bookies have responded by essentially declaring the two counties the best of the rest in the All-Ireland title race, the most likely team to break from the pack and hunt down the big five or six.
Galway midfielder Tom Flynn can feel that expectation growing around him out west.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s there alright,” said Flynn. “In fairness, Armagh have already experienced success in the recent past and every year in Galway the public expect, regardless of how the previous year went, that there is a chance we will come good. We’re two counties with that bit of history. So we’d be hopeful that this year we will take it a step further again. It’s definitely one of our goals.”
Like McGeeney in Armagh, Walsh is a former All-Ireland winning talisman for his county who cut his teeth in management with a rival county.
The feeling of goodwill towards the two-time All-Ireland medallist is palpable as he seeks to lead a young Galway team backboned by Flynn and Fiontan Ó Curraoin at midfield to success.
“Kevin was there with Galway for the ‘98 All-Ireland win, he has a massive following from the Galway public,” said Flynn. “Even his appearance recently with Killanin in a club game just solidified him even more as a cult hero.
“He absolutely has the respect of the public. He played the position that I play as well so he’ll definitely be able to give myself and Fiontan or Paul (Conroy) a few tips on how to improve.”
But while Flynn and Galway are targeting a return to the quarter-finals and beyond, provincial success is almost as important giving their unique relationship with neighbours Mayo. “We were actually saying on the way down to the GPA meeting that until we win a Conacht title, I don’t want them restructuring the Championship!” said Flynn.
“That’s one of our goals for sure, to close the gap and give Mayo a crack.”
If they can overcome Mayo, it’s hard to see them stumbling in a subsequent Connacht final and not making the All-Ireland’s last eight. Armagh will have to do it the harder way. The Ulster draw is, typically, a brute, pitting the 2008 winners against Donegal or Tyrone first up.
Further down the list of contenders, Tipperary are best placed to become the 22nd team to play in an All-Ireland quarter-final. They came so close this year, losing a thrilling final round qualifier to Galway.
All-Ireland quarter-final qualification since their introduction in 2001 (out of 14 seasons)
* Kerry 14
* Dublin 13
* Cork 11
* Tyrone 10
* Mayo 9
* Donegal 8
* Armagh 7
* Galway 6
* Kildare 5
* Meath, Laois 4
* Monaghan, Roscommon, Derry, Westmeath 3
* Down, Sligo, Fermanagh 2
* Cavan, Limerick, Wexford 1
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