WITH MAYO into the All Ireland final on September 1st the focus of attention now switches to next Sunday's clash between Meath and Tyrone when Mayo's opponents will be decided. If the pairing manage to produce a match of similar quality to that provided by Mayo and Kerry, perhaps the fading reputation of Gaelic football will be, partially at least, restored.
It will be the first ever senior championship meeting between the teams although many of the players on both sides have met at underage level, both minor and under 21.
Tyrone, who have been highly successful at under 21 level in recent times, met Meath in a semi final of that grade in 1990 when hey won 2-10 to 1-9. Current players in action on that occasion included the Devlins, Fay and Paul, Adrian Cush and Peter Canavan for Tyrone and Brendan Reilly, Tommy Dowd, Jody Devine and Colm Brady from the Meath squad.
They also met at minor level in Croke Park in 1993 when Meath won by 3-17 to 0-10. Included in line ups on that occasion were Paddy Reynolds, Darren Fay, Trevor Giles and Barry Callaghan of Meath and Brian Doohan and Gerard Cavlan of Tyrone.
There is, therefore, a certain amount of familiarity between the teams and even though both sides qualified for this stage of the competition on the same day - Tyrone beating Down and Meath, beating Dublin - the squads will have studied each other closely on video in the meantime.
Although last Sunday's match attracted a small enough crowd, in the region 35,000, the authorities at Croke Park are expecting a considerably bigger crowd on Sunday and the match will be an all ticket affair. Prices are £15 for the Hogan Stand, £16 for the Cusack and £8 for the terrace. Ulster teams always take support from other counties in the province with them while Meath also have a big following. The attendance is likely to come close on 60,000.
Tyrone, who broke a 20 year hoodoo when successfully defending their Ulster crown, will be the first team from the province to appear in consecutive All Ireland semi finals since Derry in 1976. Tyrone beat Galway in the semi final last year.
The only newcomers to the semi final stage in the Tyrone squad are Doohan and Cavlan. Only four of the Meath squad have previously participated in the All Ireland stages: Martin O'Connell, Colm Coyle, Tommy Dowd and Brendan Reilly. On their way to the semi final, Meath beat Carlow, Laois and Dublin, while Tyrone defeated Fermanagh, Derry and Down. In the National League, Meath have beaten Tyrone in all seven of their meetings since 1981.
Meath's team will be announced after training tonight. There are no changes expected from the side which started against Dublin. Trevor Giles, their right half forward, had to have treatment for a leg injury after he was injured in an under 21 semi final against Cavan - last Sunday week, but he is reported to have made a good recovery and will play in his usual position. In the Leinster final, Meath played the match without introducing any substitutes.
Tyrone are also likely to stay with their winning formula. Although they introduced all three substitutes during the Ulster final against Down, the likelihood is the players who were replaced - Stephen Lawn, Fergal Logan and Paul Donnelly - will be restored to the starting line up. All three are reported to be fit following some hard knocks in the Down match.
Following Sunday's highly encouraging win over Kerry, Mayo now seem to have an embarrassment of riches. When Anthony McGarry fell foul of a virus on Saturday, the Mayo selectors called on Dermot Flanagn, to fill the vacant corner back position. After a rather uncertain start, Flanagan showed all his old fire and guile and, by the lend, he was on top of his game, making several bold and valuable interventions.
Mayo were also forced to introduce Pat Fallon at midfield when it was learned that David Brady was unfit. It is now confidently expected that, with a full month to go before the final, both McGarry and Brady will be available for selection. They may now have some trouble getting back into the side.
Mayo brought in Kevin O'Neill for James Horan and Anthony Finnerty for David Nest or in the closing stages on Sunday, but it is expected that they will revert to the bench for the start of the final.
As in the Connacht final, against Galway, Mayo played Colm McMenamon as a deep lying third midfielder on Sunday. Kerry failed to figure out a way to curb the extraordinary amount of possession which he managed to win.
The form of Pat Holmes, who had toyed with the idea of retirement some time ago, was also a revelation and is indicative of the way manager John Maughan has got the best out of players.
. Upwards of 2,000 people are turning up at the Gaelic Grounds for Limerick training sessions as they, prepare for their, All Ireland hurling final clash against Wexford on September 1st.
The county board have been to erect a rope to prevent supporters from gaining access to the playing field. Manager Tom Ryan explained that this was being done, to protect both players and the public. We welcome our fans to come and watch us but we cannot allow them to affect the players concentration," he said.
. The Tipperary county board meets tomorrow evening to discuss the appointment of managers for the senior, junior and under 21 hurling teams following the exit of those sides from their respective championships. Most attention, will focus on the senior selection trio of Fr Tom Fogarty, Ken Hogan and John Kennedy.
