September Road

A quirky look at the unfolding championship road to Spetember

Send in the clones: counties and their World Cup ringers

Antrim * Slovakia

Play better in winter than summer. Unfortunately Ireland play them next winter.

Armagh * HondurasFootball matches have been known to break out in between bouts.

Carlow * AustraliaFind it hard to hold on to their own players. Poor defence.

Cavan * USAGo largely unnoticed. Support is relatively small, but committed.

Clare * PortugalKnown for spectacular diving. Forever stuck in a Group of Death.

Cork * GreeceOver-inflated value of themselves. Constant threat of strike action.

Derry * EnglandGreat on paper, but rubbish on grass.

Donegal * NetherlandsWhen not arguing, they work well. Five minutes from next crisis.

Down * GhanaBig hopes followed by the reality of no midfield.

Dublin * South AfricaSource of a lot of noise, but not much to back it up.

Fermanagh * ParaguayLike the qualifiers but run out of steam. Surrounded by giants.

Galway * Ivory CoastOne great player. The rest told to spread out.

Kerry * ArgentinaUnreal talent, but believe the world is against them. Especially the media.

Kildare * SwitzerlandOn their day can beat the best, but if they're bad . . . they're horrid.

Kilkenny * New ZealandWonderful sporting tradition, but crap at football.

Laois * AlgeriaDraw with a big wig gave them fleeting lift. Then reality hit again.

Leitrim * South KoreaRaise their game when playing at home.

Limerick * CameroonManagers gone from heroes to zeros. Best team is never on the pitch.

Longford * DenmarkAlways a surprise when they raise their game and win, despite regularly doing so.

Louth * ChileRecent results indicate may be a force again for first time since early 1960s.

Mayo * North KoreaLittle is known about their tactics, especially by themselves.

Meath * JapanBig in their own part of the world. Reputation for being ruthless.

Monaghan * SerbiaLose to a poor team, beat a top team. Who knows what side will turn up on any given day.

Offaly * ItalyThe players are there, but the whole system just isn't set up for the 21st century.

R oscommon * NigeriaMoney issues are a constant source of disagreement.

Sligo * MexicoOne win and it's like they're world-beaters. What goes up . . .

Tipperary * SpainSurely their year? Ah, wait, no, they've blown it already again.

Tyrone * GermanyNo one knows how they keep doing it – but they do.

Waterford * UruguayHaven't been at the top of their game in more than half a century.

Westmeath * FranceLike to keep the ball in hand. Natural state is some sort of chaos.

Wexford * SloveniaDodgy defence means they can't hold a lead to save their lives.

Wicklow * BrazilBoth make for compulsive viewing, though not for the same reasons. Legendary managers.

Missing score or not, Shefflin rules

WE’RE MISSING a score, and we can’t remember where we put it. We’ve checked all the usual places – under the sofa, behind the city end terrace in Nowlan Park.

Yesterday, Henry Shefflin rose to the top of the all-time SHC scoring chart, passing Eddie Keher’s total of 35-334 (439). While some reports had the 31-year-old on a total of 436 before yesterday’s game, by September Road’s calculations (using memory of course) we had Shefflin on a paltry 435 (22 goals, 369 points).

Either way, it’s an unbelievable achievement.

While some may point to the huge number that have come by way of placed balls (of the 381 shots that left Shefflin’s hurl and went over the bar, only 114 – less than 30 per cent – were from play) that misses the point. Two points in fact. 1, His accuracy from placed ball is an art in itself, and, 2, it was often Shefflin himself that was fouled for the free in the first place.

Henry Shefflin’s SHC Scoring History

1999 4 games 1-24 (1-10 from play)

2000 4 games 1-22 (1-9 from play)

2001 3 games 1-19 (1-2 from play)

2002 4 games 1-33 (1-15 from play)

2003 4 games 3-25 (3-11 from play)

2004 7 games 6-45 (5-9 from play)

2005 4 games 3-37 (3-9 from play)

2006 5 games 2-47 (2-19 from play)

2007 5 games 1-44 (1-12 from play)

2008 4 games 1-35 (0-6 from play)

2009 4 games 2-38 (1-10 from play)

2010 1 game 0-12( 0-2 from play)