So, then, the case is not yet closed. Dublin are officially vulnerable. That was certainly the way it looked in the second half of last Sunday’s Leinster semi-final as an 11-point half-time lead over Meath was dissolved to just three with two minutes of normal remaining.
On a sweltering Sunday afternoon at Croke Park, it was the All-Ireland champions who were doing most of the sweating.
Class prevailed in the end as Dublin retained possession for the majority of the five minutes of added time and ended up winning by six. But, without Jack McCaffrey, John Small and Eoin Murchan the transition from defence to attack is not as smooth and snappy as it has been for most of the last decade.
MATCH REPORT: Senior Footballers get past Meath to book Leinster Final spot
https://t.co/QYyJ2k8zEP#UpTheDubs pic.twitter.com/rHpt6RRV1z
— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) July 19, 2021
There is obviously the Stephen Cluxton conundrum too. Has he retired or hasn’t he? In fairness to Evan Comerford, he has coped with the uncertainty with aplomb and has looked assured in almost everything he has done.
Dean Rock looked sluggish, though, and the Dublin bench is lacking options. There is finally some hope for the chasing pack and a David Clifford-inspired Kerry are poised to pounce.
Excitement in Ulster
The Munster final should be a mere formality but Ulster is where all the drama has been. The provincial semi-final between Monaghan and Armagh was unquestionably the game of the championship so far.
The Farney army face Tyrone in the Ulster final. A bizarre few minutes last Sunday saw Michael Murphy miss a penalty and then receive a red card for a wild kick and with that Donegal’s race was run.
Tyrone kicked 0-23 and with Cathal McShane and Daragh Canavan fighting hard for starting slots, they will enter the Ulster decider as 20/39 favourites.
Dublin are the champions, but the road to seven in a row is looking a lot bumpier now.
Mayo to March On?
Mayo are 4/6 favourites to retain their Connacht title in a repeat of the 2020 provincial final against Galway. There was just a single point between the sides last year – 0-14 to 0-13 – but revenge could be on the menu at Croke Park.
Up until now, Mayo have not missed Cillian O’Connor. They accumulated 3-23 in beating Sligo and then left Leitrim looking dazed as they kicked 5-20 in a 24-point drubbing. It was a case of Cillian O’Connor who?
Connacht Senior Football Final Week!@MayoGAA
@Galway_GAA
Tickets available here:https://t.co/ekmhCtlZfZ pic.twitter.com/h6NkFDIrOD
— Connacht GAA (@ConnachtGAA) July 21, 2021
But O’Connor has always been the one forward they could rely on to stand up and be counted in the big games and the likes of Ryan O’Donoghue, Darren McHale, Darren Coen and Tommy Conroy still have to prove they can do it on the big stage. Galway’s rearguard unit is a much tighter and slicker outfit.
Don’t Doubt Galway
Most of the lines in the post-mortem from the Connacht semi-final was how poor Roscommon were. Galway got little credit for emerging from Dr Hyde Park with a five-point win, but on a wet and windy afternoon, they looked quite polished in their attacking play.
Shane Walsh only scored two frees and Damien Comer just registered a single point so it was refreshing to see the likes of Matthew Tierney, Paul Kelly and Robert Finnerty come of age.
This Galway team remains underestimated, whereas Mayo might just be overrated. At 17/10, an upset could be in the offing.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
