Keith Dugganhears Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney talk up their semi-final opponents, Down

KIERAN McGEENEY knows what is coming. Week after week, Kildare have been on the road, negotiating a way through the qualifiers but now, after this latest demolition job, comes four weeks off and a chance for All-Ireland fever to spread across the plains of Kildare.

Not since Mick O’Dwyer was the boss of Lilywhite football have hopes been so high. Kildare against Down is not an All-Ireland semi-final many people would have banked on a few months ago but it is one to keep everyone guessing. The Kildare manager smiled as he thought of his old rivals from his playing days with Armagh.

“I know Wee James (McCartan) fairly well and if nothing else he is one of the most competitive people I have ever met. Down love Croke Park and I am sure they will all be booking hotels for the All-Ireland but sure we will give it a lash anyway.

“There was huge expectation when I first came. Kildare love football. It is in their blood. But it has to be tempered with fact. And Kildare have two Leinster titles in 60 years and one All-Ireland in 80 years so it is very easy to temper expectations with stats like those.”

McGeeney managed to keep a straight face when he said he “saw clips” of Kerry and Tyrone’s sudden disappearance from the championship. But as the heavyweights faltered, Kildare cruised on. Hugh Lynch, who so impressively stepped in for Dermot Earley, was sitting beside McGeeney in the press room. His display substantiated the sense it is going to be extremely difficult to knock Kildare out of stride.

“We lost Dermot today and in fairness, the boys stood up and they showed great character,” McGeeney acknowledged. “We won’t know what happened, we will have to see. Hughie – it’s funny, we had a wee conversation during the week and he didn’t believe me. Maybe he believes me now! You know, things happen in football. Chances come and chances go and you have to be ready.

“Mick Foley was the same today when he was required. Just because the chance hadn’t come for him but he got in today and he did well. Hughie came in and put his body on the line and that is what you are looking for against the likes of Meath.”

The big story of this year’s championship has been the dominating drive of the teams that came through the qualifiers. McGeeney believes the approach to the second chance has become more sophisticated than in the early days. “A lot of teams take it as a learning process. It can be a constant learning curve as you come through it. I think we played in seven games and we have a four-week break now and we will see how we deal with that and how Down deal with it. It is hard to say.

“I think it is that teams have just got better with dealing with loss and coming through. Everyone wants the big one now, especially the top teams. Mickey Harte makes a fair point about the provincial champions getting a second chance.

“There is no better example of that than ourselves and Armagh – seven Ulster titles and one All-Ireland, often beaten by the back door. But there is probably no perfect scenario.”

Meath’s strange summer ends. Eamon O’Brien offered a fair and reasonable verdict.

“The ball wasn’t getting into our forwards in a way we wanted it going in. We were under pressure from Kildare trying to play the ball in. We started brilliantly but weren’t able to kick on.

“We need to look at that because it is an issue for us but Kildare were a far better and superior team today.”