IF the GAA are aiming to dispel the notion that the provincial competitions are on their last legs, they have a strange way of going about it.
Staging the draw for the All-Ireland SFC before champions have been crowned in Ulster, Leinster, Connacht or Munster was daft.
2
2
Particularly in the case of the Galway and Mayo teams who will contest today’s Nestor Cup decider — it is sure to have been playing on their minds in the build-up.
While the value of a provincial medal is no longer what it once was, players should at least be allowed to pursue one without being distracted by games that are still some weeks away.
Derry, Westmeath and the losers of next weekend’s Ulster final between Donegal and Armagh will face the winners of today’s game in Salthill, which is not an attractive proposition when compared to what awaits the losers.
Although the Connacht runners-up will have to face Dublin, games against Roscommon and Cavan make that a far more appealing lane to be in for the Sam Maguire race. It is an easier draw, make no mistake about it.
Trying to work out the logic in rushing through the draw before the provincial finals have even been played would leave you scratching your head.
With the bigger picture in mind, it also creates doubts over whether both teams will be going full tilt to win a Connacht title like they ordinarily would.
Not for a second am I suggesting that they will go out with the intention of being beaten.
But the fact that it is no longer the be-all and end-all will surely impact the mindset.
Most read in GAA Football
I know from experience that Pearse Stadium can be an awful place to play a game if the conditions are in any way unpleasant.
Hopefully the weather plays ball and the notorious Salthill wind will not have a negative impact on the spectacle.
Galway are a team who have been struggling to work out how to put their best foot forward since contesting the 2022 All-Ireland final.
At that stage, all the signs pointed towards them being a team capable of pushing on and possibly even going a step further. But injuries notwithstanding, they have not made any progress.
Sligo deserve enormous credit for the calibre of their performance in the Connacht semi-final against a Galway side who trounced them by 14 points in last year’s final.
Still, there would have to be serious concerns for any top team who needed a stoppage-time goal to get the better of Division 3 opposition.
When they are on form, Damien Comer and Shane Walsh are two of the best forwards in the business. But keeping them fit has been a major issue that Galway have not been able to resolve.
Even though Mayo have not been setting the world alight either, it is difficult to build a strong case in favour of Galway.
MARITIME LAW
Mayo’s status as marginal favourites is justified. They just seem to be in a better place than the Tribesmen and they have a little bit more firepower too.
Aidan O’Shea has been in good form and he is probably at his best when deployed as an inside target man. It will be interesting to see if they will persist with that instead of shifting him around the field again.
Ryan O’Donoghue has also been excellent, particularly with the accuracy of his free-taking.
His low centre of gravity makes him very difficult to contain. He has everything and you would expect him to play a big role.
At a time when the pressure is now probably beginning to mount on Galway boss Pádraic Joyce, delivering a third Connacht title on the spin would go some way towards relieving it — at least until they enter the All-Ireland series.
Joyce is a legend of the game — not just in Galway, but nationally.
However, given that Kevin McStay and Mayo went to Salthill last year and knocked Galway out of the Championship, the natives will be getting restless if they keep failing to perform in big games.
And no one, irrespective of their iconic status, is immune to criticism when standards are not being met.
Even if they are beaten, Galway have to produce a display to prove that they still have the capacity to compete with the top teams. Less than two years since they found themselves within 70 minutes of Sam Maguire, that is now unclear.
BANNER DAY
The big question in the Munster final will centre around how long Clare can stay with Kerry because last year’s meeting of the teams was no contest at all.
Cork really put it up to an unconvincing Kingdom team who struggled for much of their semi-final. There would have been plenty of positives for Clare to take from that game as they look to boost their chances of an upset.
Mark Fitzgerald will want his team to go at Kerry right from the start — to get in their faces, to get the home crowd behind them and to convince the visitors that they are not going to have it easy in Ennis.
If there are only a couple of points in it at half-time, it would give Clare some hope coming out after the break.
They might compete for long periods of the game but the last 15 or 20 minutes is when they need to make it count.
Regardless of the outcome, Clare have Sam Maguire football to look forward to again.
Bearing in mind that they have plenty of young lads on board after losing several key players from last year, that opportunity can only aid their development.
David Clifford was not at his best for Kerry against Cork.
And at times during the National League he did not reach his usual high standards either.
But I would not have any major concerns about his form. When we reach the business end of the Championship, Kerry will still be there and we will see a different David Clifford.
Cork showed that there are vulnerabilities about Kerry. But this is the time of year when you want to learn what needs to be worked on so Jack O’Connor will not be too worried.
The real Kerry will not have to stand up for another while yet.
