Every year the GAA season is littered with teams who showed immense promise in January, only to fall away abysmally as the year progressed. Indeed 2009 was remarkable in that even in July, followers of form would have been very hard pressed to pick out the All Ireland football championship winners. As such, it’s fair to say that strong performances at this time of year go largely unremarked. Nonetheless, while performances in the preseason competitions may be of little or no merit when it comes to picking the All Ireland winners, as we never tire of telling you here on Off the Ground, a 2/1 winner in February pays just the same as a 2/1 winner in Croke Park in September, so in this column we’re going to do a brief assessment of the eye catchers in the January sales and see which bargain basement purchase might weather suprisingly well in the Spring.
First we look west, where Galway footballers appear to have made a bright start under Joe Kernan. Any new manager with the reputation of the Crossmaglen man is likely to bring about a lively response from his troops in the early stages as players fight to catch the eye of the man who will make or break them, but even so two very solid performances against Leitrim and Sligo have illustrated the level of depth that’s available to Kernan as he looks to set the Galway ship back on course for honours this season. Nicky Joyce carried a disproportionate share of the scoring burden last Sunday, but it’s unreasonable to expect miracles in the absence of Michael Meehan and when the younger players return from the college teams, Kernan will have plenty of attacking weapons to work with.
A sustained run for NUIG in the Sigerson Cup, as is quite possible, might not help matters too much but even so Galway could make a decent start to the league. A first round trip to Mayo beckons and it’s a brave man who ignores home advantage in any meeting of Galway and Mayo, but if Monaghan beat Cork in round one, there could be value in backing the Tribesmen to really cut loose against the Farney boys in round two.
In Leinster, Dublin look strong, Louth have taken up where they left off in last year’s O’Byrne Cup and Kildare look ominously powerful, but it’s DCU who have stolen the show with two comprehensive wins in the midlands. The north Dublin college have firmly wrested the favourites’ tag from UUJ in the Sigerson Cup and will see their mettle tested in no uncertain terms in coming weeks.
It’s in Ulster where we have two county teams going strong, and after three rounds of the McKenna Cup, it’s hard to know if Down or Fermanagh have been more impressive. Ladbrokes have reacted to Fermanagh’s three wins from three by installing them as favourites to win Division Three of the NFL, but that could be a little premature yet. Right now they look way ahead of Offaly who will entertain the Erne County in week one of the league, but Offaly were in a very experimental mode last Sunday against DCU and could easily have fared a lot better but for a few very badly timed mistakes. That game is no gimme, and in general, Fermanagh’s draw has been very unkind to their chances of bouncing back up to division two.
They entertain Roscommon and Sligo in Brewster Park, teams they could easily have beaten away from home, while they must travel to Casement Park, to in-form Louth, to Offaly and all across the country to Wexford. They cannot win this division without at least two wins from those four games, and unless they get something out of Tullamore in week one, they’ve little or no chance of recovering to mount a serious comeback. Fermanagh’s current form has been electrifying, but their style is too easily counteracted while the return of Rory Gallagher may not be the panacea it may appear. This is one team of springers who should be watched and no more, for now at least until they put more tangible results on the board.
GAA historians would have no such worries about Down, who generally speaking have punched above their weight once they’ve managed to escape the morass of Ulster football. This year is shaping up to be a particular nice year for the Mourne men with Martin Clarke playing some fantastic football in midfield. The youngster from An RÃocht could be crowned king himself if he continues to play as he has, while Down’s forward line is no less potent with Paul McComiskey seemingly delivering on his undoubted potential and adding another string to an all ready well armed bow..
This column tipped Kildare each way to win division two some weeks ago and that recommendation remains solid, but it would almost be worth holding off until after round one right now, such has been Down’s form. On paper, Kildare will be expected to pick up the two points in Newbridge, but Down’s scoring potential is such that they can win anywhere, and just might. Kildare’s midfield will be a huge test of Clarke and Down in general, and it’s safe to say that if Down get any kind of result out of St Conleth’s Park, the resurrection is very definitely underway in Down.
