Jarlath Burns may have been away with the fairies – as usual – when claiming comparisons between the storms in egg cups involving Ger Brennan and Jim McGuinness was “Irrational”. If anything the McGuinness incident was worse in that he actually confronted a Kerry player. But sure the Ulster old boys club looked after each other once again.
However, in fairness to the Glenties man, it is wholly irrational to suggest that neither he nor Kieran McGeeney can adapt their prototype. Yes, Jimmy set about winning matches by following the Mickey Harte manuscript to poison football, indeed he stall fed it, but it’s unfair in the extreme to claim he’s incapable of change.
After all, in Gavin Mulreanny, Shaun Patton, Michael Langan, Michael Murphy, Ryan McHugh and Ciaran Thompson he has at his disposal some of the most prolific and efficient two point shooters in the game since the concept first flew in to illuminate a game that was dying on its feet.
Good and all as Donegal have unquestionably been with the new regime – as have Meath, Mayo and Louth, to name but three – I would wager that it was Mr Burns’ own county who implanted the very idea of two point scores as they thrived themselves and in so doing busted the myth that the blanket was the only course of action.
A point analysed exhaustively in this space here: https://boylantalkssport.com/2022/06/16/armagh-saving-gaelic-football-one-long-ball-at-a-time/ over four years ago now, and eventually encouraged and most likely prompted the Brains Trust of the Association to realise that they still had a glorious product to offer if only emphasis was placed in a different direction.
Which, thankfully, it has had to be on foot of Jim Gavin’s football revolution. But then, as was pointed out in the above linked piece, Dublin at their zenith of five or ten years ago did any amount of long kicking, both in terms of passing and shooting, but the Euro never seemed to drop with their contemporaries outside of those from the Orchard County.
Now, while I could not subscribe to the theory that McGuinness and/or McGeeney are incapable of change, a theory that would absolutely carry weight, however, might be the reality that both counties do not have the depth of resources which are now very obviously a prerequisite to having any chance of being competitive at the highest level.
Perhaps as best evidenced by the fact that in the midst of the chaos of the match against Dublin going to extra time, McGuinness plumped for Ciaran Thompson, even though the citog forward had played little or no football played this year due to injury.
Moreover, the fact that players such as Shea Malone and Max Campbell were introduced, withdrawn and then put back on again would suggest that (a) Jim hasn’t full confidence in them to leave them out there, and (b) he has even less so in whatever other personnel he had left sitting in reserve. It’s also worth pointing out that Dublin knew exactly what they were doing in getting Mr Murphy off the field for the beginning of extra time.
And more luck to them. For one thing, if it was your team in the same position you’d expect them to do the same thing and if they didn’t you’d be quite disgusted. For a second thing, there’s no bousy has got away with as much underhand dealing throughout his career than the ‘victim’. So he had it coming to him, and then some.
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As for Armagh, to a certain extent, they too were undone by a lack of backup. Albeit in their case, those circumstances themselves were down to a somewhat eerie, unfathomable cacophony of happenings. Which, without getting into the nuts and bolts of what’s what, left them short of Blaine Hughes, Aidan Nugent, Aidan Forker, Stefan Campbell, Niall Grimley and Rian O’Neill.
In contrast, by way of offsetting that, it would be on point to say Dara McMullan, Tomas McCormack and Cian McConville have been the only three to have broken through into Geezer’s go to gang. So that still left a fair chasm to be dealt with in terms of experience and class.
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So to Mayo. Now, not all that long ago, the notion of the green and red being anywhere near the business end of the Championship, let alone 140 minutes away from winning it, would’ve been a justified target for derision.
No longer however. Sometimes in life, there are people who have that something which drives those around them to run harder, jump higher and expend that extra fluid ounce of sweat.
Andy Moran is all of that and more for Mayo. Always has been. Indeed, the Ballaghadreen man even made quite the impact during his brief spells with Leitrim and Monaghan.
Another great litmus test of a manager’s standing is the quality of people they have in their entourage. Again, Andy accomplishes that with the firey Colm Boyle on board.
Having said all of the above, mind you, I would contend the greatest asset Moran has at his disposal are the players under his baton. That might seem like pointing out the blatantly obvious, so please allow me explain.
Relatively (or completely) new lads such as Jack Livingstone, Sam Callanan, David McBrien, Jack Kearney and, obviously, Darragh Beirne and Kobe McDonald don’t have the baggage, the pressure or the expectation of some of the county’s most valiant but battle scarred warriors.
The impetuousness of youth is never a bad thing to have on your side either. Especially in the current iteration of Gaelic football where being ballsy enough and good enough to go for and execute scores from further out the field are must have qualities.
In Mayo’s case, that has manifested as the youngsters, from the revelation between the posts to the two marquee forwards pulling the tried and trusted up by the bootstraps and – as is the case with Louth – creating an atmosphere wherein anything seems possible.
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For Dublin, the opposite would appear to be the case. Older heads like Davy Byrne, Brian Howard, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully, Paddy Small, King Con and Cormac Costello have mentored, coaxed, cajoled and – perhaps mostly – convinced budding blues Charlie McMorrow, Lee Gannon, Eoin Kennedy, Sean Bugler and – somebody who has completely taken my eye so far this summer – Sean Guiden, that they belong and can compete at that highest level. As an aside, for anybody not overly au fait with the Dublin club scene, watch out for a lad called Ethan Dunne. A game changer in the making for sure.
Anyway, being drawn against the auld enemy from the Kingdom could be seen as both the best and worst possible draw for Ger Brennan’s free styling troops. On one hand, time and tide has proven that the form book goes out the window and matches take on a life of their own when the two giants rumble like thunder.
On the other hand though, if the Dubs were to run into Kerry in full destructive mode – if they have such a setting this term – it could have shuddering consequences for this Dublin group of players. Not only on the day, but further down the line. In comparison for example, it is not inconceivable that last year’s heavy defeat by Donegal at the same stage may have left more of a mark on Meath than may have been realised at the time.
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Then again, I suppose it’s how you respond to such setbacks that is truly defining of your status. Which leads us nicely into Louth. How many, if any, teams would have been able to cope with the managerial upheaval foisted upon the Wee County in recent seasons. Indeed, not only cope with it but prosper through it.
Remember, Mickey Harte, after leading them to one if not two league promotions, left them high and dry by jumping ship and diverting to Derry. Whom the slithery old snake also left in the lurch by departing the town he obviously didn’t love so well after one season and heading for Offaly.
Thus, the somewhat unlikely figure of Ger Brennan arrived at the foot of the Cooleys and, although maybe not going as far as they might have thought themselves, their defenstration of Meath in Inniskeen was the first inclination that they may be about to take genuinely meaningful steps forward for the first time in generations.
Which they of course did when usurping the same opposition in last year’s Leinster SFC Final. Mind you, looking from the outside in, I would contend that Gavin Devlin’s troops are a better team now than they were with Brennan a year previous.
That might seem odd given that they lost their provincial title at the second hurdle of defence against Dublin in Portlaoise. But that is actually the reason why.
Put simply, the manner in which they have rebounded from same. Yes, they’ve had a bit of luck along the way – Sam Mulroy’s goal agalnst Armagh, might well have been chalked off – but it’s what you do with that luck when you get it that counts.
On that score, to be fair to Devlin’s crew, they have jaw dropped everybody in how they have turned things around with Dublin, stunned Armagh and wore down Monaghan.
Change the names around and you could say the same aboutn Mayo – taking down Monaghan, Meath and Cork against all odds. The meeting of the two sides who have illuminated the football summer should be an occasion to savour.
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