1. Dominant Dublin
THE NUMBERS SURROUNDING Dublin’s performance on Sunday make for intimidating reading.
23 scores, 11 different scorers and a 16 point win – the biggest winning margin since the Blues defeated Wexford by 23 in 2008 – all show just how one-sided yesterday’s Leinster SFC final was.
A 3-20 to 1-10 win is as emphatic as victories come and with nine minutes to go Dublin had actually racked up three times the total Meath had managed at that stage, a lowly eight points.
It wasn’t all good for Dublin – allegations of a biting incident overshadow the final score – but there was very little to suggest they’re in any danger of giving up the All-Ireland title this year.
This was expected to be the closest of their hat-track of finals with Meath since 2012. Instead it turned into a procession. Will their pursuit of Sam Maguire go the same way?
2. Donegal gain revenge on Monaghan
At half-time, RTÉ pundit Pat Spillane suggested the quality on display in the Ulster SFC final was ‘stale porter’ compared to the ‘champagne’ football taking place in Croke Park.
It’s egging the pudding somewhat – as good as Dublin were Meath offered very little – but Donegal certainly have a different way of approaching championship games than their Leinster rivals.
It’s also worth remembering that Monaghan represent something of a bogey team for Tír Chonaill and Donegal’s victory was their first championship success over the Farney in 31 years.
The 15 points they scored represented just about half what Dublin racked up in winning Leinster, is 10 less than Mayo’s total when making it four Connacht titles in a row and nine points less than Kerry managed when blowing Cork away in the Munster decider
However, the question Jim McGuinness and his selectors will be asking today is would any of those sides fancy their chances when faced with Donegal’s stingey defence? Now the provincial appetisers have been mopped up, we’ll soon find out.
3. Wexford win again
There was no extra-time required this weekend but Wexford were still made to sweat a little by Waterford in Nowlan Park on Saturday evening.
Indeed, after two goals in three minutes from Colin Dunford, the Déise actually held the lead with 21 minutes to go. However, Dean McGrath’s men scored just once more as Wexford held their nerve when it mattered most.
With the All-Ireland champions behind them and Limerick up next for Liam Dunne’s side, few would bet against Wexford reaching the All-Ireland semi-finals. Who would have thought that likely when they lost to Dublin at the same stage in Leinster?
4. Armagh give Roscommon nowhere to Hyde
Another team benefiting from playing high-intensity championship games week in and week out is Armagh and momentum continues to grow behind the 2002 All-Ireland winners as they followed up their defeat of Tyrone with a comfortable qualifier victory in Roscommon on Saturday evening.
A five point loss was probably flattering on the Rossies who never got going in atrocious conditions in Dr. Hyde Park and Ciaran Murtagh’s late goal was scant consolation for the home side.
The ability of Paul Grimley’s men to keep possession despite the driving rain starved their hosts of the football and once more showed the benefit of building a head of steam through the ‘back door’.
5. Clare can’t hold out in Siege of Ennis
Kildare needed seven points without reply to scrape by Clare in Ennis on Saturday evening and continue their remarkable record of just one defeat in the qualifiers since 2008.
However, far from celebrating any sort of moral victory for running Jason Ryan’s favourites so close, Colm Collins’ men will instead be bitterly disappointed they failed to score in the last 25 minutes or hold onto a six point lead with only ten minutes remaining.
Have Clare done enough to convince those in the position to do so to remove seeding from the Munster Football Championship? That’s anyone’s guess but few would have predicted the inter-county football season lasting longer than the hurling one at the start of the year and that’s still worth celebrating for football fans in the Banner.
