PEOPLE are still talking about last Sunday's League final, but the Championship, all of a sudden, is upon us again - three teams will be gone by tomorrow night, barring draws. It's going to be a fascinating summer and the last team standing on the last Sunday in September will have achieved something special.
And they will have earned any holiday they get because the physical demands of a Championship campaign are exhausting. The endurance required to play 70 minutes of Championship football is tremendous.
Rest periods in the modern game are very short because of the quick frees, quick sideline kicks and, in general, the constant movement of the ball. It can be safely assumed that any team with serious ambition will by now have reached very high levels of fitness.
That is just one basic requirement. Other basics are mobility, strength and pace. Players, no matter what the position, have to be comfortable on the ball and, increasingly, they have to be versatile. A full back, for example, needs to be quick enough to play 40 yards out from his square. Half backs are expected to overlap and shoot points, midfielders also need to take scores, as well as help out in the full back line, and forwards need to be able to tackle like defenders.
Meath last year showed the criteria mentioned above such as speed, mobility and versatility. They also showed an ability to win tight matches, mainly because they had forwards good enough to take their chances. That is a priceless asset and it's where most teams ultimately fall down. If you cannot convert attacking opportunities you are not going to be a winner. In particular, the unopposed kicks, they have to go over the bar.
Dublin are obviously Meath's biggest threat in Leinster. I always thought that the work ethic Pat O'Neill inculcated was a huge asset, their non-stop running and support play. But I feel this Dublin team has not nearly fulfilled its promise.
Their display against Meath last year was heartless, it was a completely different effort from the Pat O'Neill era when they would out-run and out- work their opponents. That has to come back, they need to have that relentless effort and ferocious appetite for battle. They won't be successful without it, but if they can get it back I would give them a chance of going the whole way.
Of the rest in Leinster, I would go for Kildare. 1 think they have what it takes to do well in Championship with obvious pace throughout the field. There are question marks about the ability of key players to produce it on the big day, but they could be an outstanding team. They are a lightweight side, but they can overcome that if they move the ball quickly and play a high tempo game.
The draw, however, has not been favourable to them. Laois will fancy their chances of beating them in the first round and even if Kildare overcome them, they meet the winners of Dublin and Meath in the semi-final.
Louth are on the other side of the draw and have a great opportunity to make it to the Leinster final. I expect them to get that far, although Offaly, if they come through their preliminary games, will be a dangerous threat. If Louth do make the final they have a great chance in a one-off situation.
Ulster is not the all-conquering province it was in the early `90s. But I feel there's so much potential in Derry it baffles me why they haven't won more Ulster titles, at least in recent years. I feel they might do it this year. They let the league go, they weren't full-blooded by any means in the quarter-final against Laois, so it seems me they are concentrating totally on the Championship.
I have a sneaking feeling that Cavan are going to be very close this year, they'd be my number two fancy in the province. They are a coming team, they've got a favourable draw and I like the look of their forward line - it's got speed and scoring potential. They might not have the experience and hardness that Derry have got through years of campaigning, they're not quite at that level yet. I wouldn't rule Tyrone out but they had two good chances to go all the way. It's difficult to see them taking a third Ulster title in-a-row and midfield is still a big problem for them. Donegal have gone back and Down are still persisting with most of the same faces from `91 and `94.
The key game in Connacht is the first one, between Mayo and Galway. I think the winners of that will come through. Galway, in terms of skill and scoring potential, have possibly got more than Mayo. But Mayo, because of last year, will be fiercely determined. I think they've built up a strong bond among themselves, particularly because of the hard training they've gone through under John Maughan, and they will desperately want to go one better than last year.
They are strong in most positions so they will be difficult to break down. They have big problems finishing though. But I think what they've gone through last year will stand to them. They know they left it behind and if they're true sportsmen they won't be satisfied with last year. It will drive them on.
In Munster, Clare play Cork in one semi-final and while Clare had the element of surprise last year, they don't this year and that doesn't make it any easier. If Tipperary beat Limerick tomorrow they meet Kerry in the other semi-final. They usually give Kerry a good game, but I think most people are expecting a repeat of the league final, which featured Kerry and Cork, in the Munster final.
Kerry will come out of last Sunday's game with great confidence. There's so much hunger in Kerry to win the Sam Maguire that I don't think they're going to take Cork for granted just because they beat them in a league final. But, psychologically, Kerry are in the driving seat after last Sunday and they have to be favourites to win Munster now. They are a young team, still developing, but they are in the top five in the country now and they will win major titles in the near future.
