JOHN O'KEEFFE casts his eye over the Down team for Sunday's All-Ireland final against Cork
1 Brendan McVeigh (An Ríocht)Age: 31. Height: 6ft 1in. Weight: 13st.
Occupation: Insurance clerical officer.
A solid physical presence and excellent one-on-one. Quick reflexes noticeable in fine saves in quarter-final. Vocal and a good organiser. Kick-outs can’t be faulted, but, like Cork, he has excellent targets.
2 Daniel McCartan (Burren)
Age: 27. Height: 5ft 11in. Weight: 13st 4lb.
Occupation: Dentist.
Consistent defender and tenacious tackler. Clever reader of the game and not afraid to get out in front of his man. Suspect in the air, though, when the ball comes in long from out the field.
3 Dan Gordon (Loughinisland)
Age: 26. Height: 6ft 3in. Weight: 14st 2lb.
Occupation: Teacher.
Couldn’t fault him since his conversion from midfield despite inexperience. Well capable of dealing with the overhead threat. Not sure how he’d cope with a smaller, quicker forward, but showed versatility in semi-final.
4 Damien Rafferty (Newry Shamrocks)
Age: 29. Height: 5ft 9in. Weight: 12st 7lb.
Occupation: Company director.
One of those who gets on with the job and has no obvious weaknesses. Tight marker with good pace and comfortable on the ball. Potential clash with Goulding would be his biggest test to date.
5 Declan Rooney (Burren)
Age: 25. Height: 6ft. Weight: 12st 1lb.
Occupation: Joiner.
Well capable of taking ball forward, but instinctively a stopper. Competent, sensible and physically strong, he doesn’t lose possession. Better suited to Pearse O’Neill as he could struggle for mobility on Patrick Kelly.
6 Kevin McKernan (Burren)
Age: 22. Height: 6ft. Weight: 13st 7lb.
Occupation: Electrician.
Outstanding this year. Not the tightest marker, but reading of game and decision-making excellent, as is ability to make meaningful breaks, which was valuable against Kildare when his early scores steadied the ship.
7 Conor Garvey (Mayobridge)
Age: 23. Height: 5ft 11in. Weight: 12st 7lb.
Occupation: Mechanic.
No frills man-marker and very secure in possession even though he’s not a ball-playing defender. Content to let others take care of the counter-attacking while he takes on the serious restraining work.
8 Peter Fitzpatrick (Ballymartin)
Age: 22. Height: 6ft 2in. Weight: 13st 8lb.
Occupation: Bricklayer.
No wonder they were relaxed about Ambrose Rogers’ injury before the Kildare match. Gave a quality display and showed his credentials as a fielder and runner. Wouldn’t worry about his lack of physicality.
9 Kalum King (Bryansford)
Age: 25. Height: 6ft 3in. Weight: 15st 7lb.
Occupation: Trainee accountant.
A revelation so far. Very mobile for a big man and excellent under kick-outs, not so much catching as breaking down opposition ball around the middle. Responsible for countless turnovers.
10 Daniel Hughes (Saval)
Age: 28. Height: 6ft. Weight: 11st 11lb.
Occupation: Accountant.
Tremendous ability to nip in and move breaking ball from midfield at pace. Great awareness of when to pass and nearly always takes the right option. Close to goal can kick scores, but conscious of defensive responsibility.
11 Mark Poland (Longstone)
Age: 25. Height: 5ft 9in. Weight: 11st 7lb.
Occupation: Plasterer.
That early goal will always be remembered in Kerry. Clever movement off the ball and can pop up anywhere. Gives good support to the inside line and creates space for Clarke around the 40, allowing him direct operations.
12 Brendan Coulter (c), (Mayobridge)
Age: 26. Height: 5ft 11in. Weight: 12st.
Occupation: Bank official.
Has carried Down single-handedly for years and if anyone deserves a medal it’s him. Sometimes gives the impression that he feels he needs to win it on his own and doesn’t always pass when that’s the best option.
13 Paul McComiskey (Dundrum)
Age: 22. Height: 5ft 9in. Weight: 12st 7lb.
Occupation: Trainee accountant.
Good ball-player and a sensible heads-up footballer with menacing pace who now reverts to his normal position. Works hard, but has become more of a creator than scorer and sometimes lacks ambition in finishing.
14 John Clarke (An Ríocht)
Age: 27. Height: 6ft. Weight: 13st 7lb.
Occupation: Sales manager.
Lacks that yard of pace to lose his marker and, as a target man, he’s not winning enough ball, although his brother looks for him instinctively. Lends physical presence to a light attack, but needs to score more.
15 Martin Clarke (An Ríocht)
Age: 22. Height: 5ft 10in. Weight: 13st 3lb.
Occupation: GAA development officer.
If he can exert control, it will go a long way to winning the All-Ireland. So much of their good play is directed by him. Would like to see him get on the end of moves, as he’s also very accurate.
