Two provincial finals and four Round Three Qualifiers are down for decision, so here’s how ourselves, and a few big names, think it will go.
After getting all five games correct last week, we enter this weekend’s bumper weekend of Gaelic Football in high spirits. But with six big games on the slate, it’s going to be very tricky to repeat the trick. Thankfully we have the expertise of eircom’s ambassadors to help us, and you, pick a few winners on eircom’s Win, Lose or Draw game.
To join in on the fun via the experience more website, click on this link, enter the code CTYVG and you’ll soon be going head to head with the experts, and us.
Right, here we go…
Donegal v Monaghan
The Ulster Football final is one of the sport’s biggest days. It has been dominated by three teams for the last 15 years, meaning you have to go back to Derry’s 1998 win for a year when a team called Armagh, Tyrone or Donegal didn’t win the Anglo-Celt.
That run could continue as Donegal go for three in a row in Clones in Sunday. Monaghan, without an Ulster title since 1988, are standing in their way. They will have seen how Down ran them close with a very disciplined defensive performance in the semi-final and they will hope that they can roll that out in even more impressive fashion than James McCartan’s men.
But even allowing for Donegal appearing to be a little bit off being the All-Ireland winning force they were last year they will have the hugely influential Karl Lacey back for his first start of the 2013 Championship and that has to be bad news for Monaghan.
It will be, typically, a gritty, physical and tight Ulster final but at the end, we expect Jim McGuinness’s winning run in Ulster to remain intact.
A man who knows a fair bit about Ulster finals, Tyrone boss Mickey Harte, thinks the same.
“I expect that Monaghan will have gained confidence from how close Down were able to push Donegal. They’ll probably apply a similar template to try and contain them as well. Monaghan will believe they’re in with a shout here but I think that the experience that Donegal have gained over the last 3 years will be enough to see them through to the last eight”.
JOE Prediction: Donegal
Mayo v London
Undoubtedly the story of the GAA summer, London’s completely unexpected trip to the Connacht final is a tale we will all remember for years to come. But the Fairytale of London will meet a brutal reality on Sunday in Castlebar.
Mayo are looking way beyond Connacht this year and the manner in which they blitzed Galway and Roscommon suggest they mean real business this year. Andy Moran is back in the team and with the best will in the world, there is only one way this will go. Right?
Roscommon’s Donie Shine agrees:
“You might see London sticking with them for the first 20 minutes. It might be tight at that stage. Mayo should pull clear and win the game fairly easily.”
JOE Prediction: Mayo
Kildare v Tyrone
The juiciest Qualifier this weekend, this could be a titanic struggle in Newbridge. Kildare’s Qualifier record under Kieran McGeeney is as well known as ‘Get Lucky’ at this stage but it is based on the fact that the Lilywhites are superb at disposing of inferior opponents.
They come unstuck against the top rank, and that’s what they face on Saturday. Tyrone would much rather be in Clones the day after but they have negotiated the back-door route so far with very little fuss and the gem that is Stephen O’Neill is back in their forward line.
Kildare have been conceding too much all year, including 0-15 to Louth last week. O’Neill, with a little help from his Red Hands colleagues, can easily rack up more and at the back the Ulster side should be too tight for a rather blunt Kildare attack. We wouldn’t rule out a draw here but we’ll go with Tyrone.
Two men who will be involved in Newbridge give their take.
Kildare’s Johnny Doyle: From the neutral point of view you could understand why people would say it’s a very tough task for us to get our game face on to face Tyrone, especially after the drubbing against Dublin. Most people will give Tyrone the nod and I can understand that because you’re just judging form. But with a little bit of experience and composure, Meath could have been Leinster Champions last week so you just don’t know. Prediction: Kildare
Tyrone’s Mickey Harte: I was in Newbridge last Saturday where I saw Louth and Kildare serve up a wonderful game of football. We know Kildare pretty well now anyway – this is our third time to play them this year. We also played them twice last year. I don’t think there’ll be anything strange or new from either side. It’s a question of who brings their best game to Newbridge on Saturday night. That’s who will be playing Meath.
It speaks for itself. We’re two Division 1 sides playing each other at this stage of the competition. Somebody’s going to fall and somebody’s going to go through. You can’t sneak your way into the last 8. You’ve got to win your way there. That’s where we find ourselves. Prediction: Tyrone
JOE Prediction: Tyrone
Wexford v Laois
Possibly the hardest of the weekend’s Qualifiers to call. Laois have gone from a shellacking at the hands of Louth in Leinster to racking up 6-30 in two Qualifiers to date. Wexford are coming through games, like last week’s win over Longford and an earlier victory over the aforesaid Louth, by much tighter margins.
There is every possibility that those tough tests will have hardened Wexford more than the easy defeats of Carlow and Clare have helped Laois.
Colm Cooper finds it hard to call too: You could probably make arguments for both teams. Maybe Wexford at home would get a slight advantage but I think Laois will really be up for this one too. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this one going to extra time. If I was to put my head on the block at that stage, I think Laois might just sneak through.
JOE Prediction: Wexford
Derry v Cavan
After defeat on the opening day to Down, Derry have turned Celtic Park into a bit of a fortress, with both Sligo and the second visit of Down managing to score only 0-8 each. That puts huge pressure on teams but Cavan might just have enough.
They have had a bad habit of going for very long periods without scoring and that could be very costly but they also have a wide range of scorers (10 different players against Fermanagh in the last round). Derry will look to James Kielt and Eoin Bradley to keep their scoreboard ticking over. A look at the League table suggests this should be a home win but we reckon this one will be a draw.
Unlike us, Mickey Harte doesn’t sit on the fence.
“Well firstly had my predictions gone well, this fixture would see Down playing Fermanagh! I still think that Derry at home at Celtic Park are very difficult to beat. Cavan are an up and coming side who still have a bit to do to be up to the level of Derry’s proper form. The incentive of meeting the losing Connacht Finalist en route to the quarter final will spur both teams on and while I think this young Cavan side will push Derry close, they won’t have enough to pull off the win. Derry for me.”
JOE Prediction: Draw
Galway v Armagh
Speak to any Galway football fan now and they will tell you they are far from happy at the summer so far. The mauling by Mayo seems to have scarred them and very nervy wins over Tipp and Waterford have made fans even more jittery. For the third Qualifier game in a row they are at home but Armagh arrive in Salthill with a fierce head of steam behind them.
They put eight goals past Leitrim and while we don’t expect a repeat of that, Jamie Clarke should have another good day.
JOE Prediction: Armagh
