Credit must go to Laois for reinventing themselves since defeat to Dublin just over a month ago.

They are where they set out to be at the start of the year, but I cannot see them winning an All-Ireland title with the short-passing game.

The old problem persists: they lack the physicality to break tackles when trying to force their way downfield. Mayo employ a similar type of game so their quarter-final doesn't look an attractive prospect.

Still, Laois will take some beating. Their midfield and the full-back line were exposed against Dublin but these are no longer a major problem.

Maybe this is thanks to Mick O'Dwyer's hands-on approach in the interim. Midfield was wiped out against Dublin but Brendan Quigley is maturing into a quality player, while Pádraig Clancy's return had a huge impact, and not just his goal.

The defence has also improved immensely. Holding Offaly to one point is no mean feat. Seeing Thomas Deehan hauled off late on will have given the management intense satisfaction. The young corner forward, and his partner in crime Niall McNamee, have lit up the championship. Yesterday they failed to register a score.

Joe Higgins was superb on Deehan and Aidan Fennelly did an equally effective job silencing McNamee.

In front of them, Tom Kelly was the catalyst for the attack to click into gear.

A question mark remains about their physical stature but they were correct to carry possession with short passing into that strong, second-half wind.

Laois must also be commended for recovering from such an abysmal first-half display, which included 11 wides. The Fergal Byron penalty miss, or point, came at a period when they desperately needed a goal.

But as in the Leinster final defeat to Dublin, Offaly faded badly after half-time, whereas their opponents went through the gears.

The new midfield pairing of Neville Coughlan and Mark Daly was wiped, with Ciarán McManus having to abandon an impressive display at centre forward to help out around the middle. It slowed the supply lines, which was manna from heaven for Fennelly and Higgins.

Galway's defeat to Westmeath was the big shock of the weekend. It came down to the greater hunger and tenacity of Tomás Ó Flatharta's team.

Like Laois they have used the qualifiers as a time to regroup and rehabilitate ahead of the business end of the season.

They were a poor shadow of Saturday's performance when losing to Offaly at the start of the championship. They came from seven points behind to beat Limerick by a point. Then Dessie Dolan regained full fitness, and though he was well marshalled by Damien Burke, his influence cannot be overstated. At one point late in the second half he tracked back to his own 14-yard line to steal back possession.

Other performances of note were the Westmeath defenders Damien Healy and John Keane, who produced mighty man-on-man performances on Micheál Meehan and Pádraic Joyce.

Westmeath also took their sole goal chance, while Galway spurned three opportunities in the first half.

The loss of Ja Fallon so early also proved crucial; he had been having an effective game as a link man to the younger forwards - important, given five of the six Westmeath defenders won a Leinster title in 2003.

If that was his last game in the county colours perhaps it was a mistake to return. The risk failed to pay off. I would still hope he is remembered as one of the greatest players of his generation.

The wind may have spoiled the match but Galway lacked the hunger of old. The players who have contributed so much over the years must now ask themselves the important question about what motivates them. Some of the veterans may not reappear.

In Killarney, the new-look Kerry side produced the required performance, Kieran Donaghy having an enormous influence at full forward. His laying off to Brosnan for the goals was particularly impressive. Whether he can repeat this impact against Francie Bellew on Saturday is another matter.

If Kerry win enough ball out the field, Donaghy can lift some of the pressure from Colm Cooper's shoulders.

Although the contest was over by half-time, Longford can be proud of their performance. The 19-year-old Brian Kavanagh particularly impressed, and they shook up the Kerry half-back line - where Séamus Moynihan was under constant pressure. The Armagh attack will focus on this region.

Finally, Donegal and Fermanagh was a terrible game, with 50 frees awarded in a typical Ulster scrap.

The turning point was the injury to Fermanagh's most influential scoring forward, Eamon Maguire.

Ciarán Bonner was shown a yellow card but I doubt he intended to cause so much damage. Maguire wasn't ready for the tackle.

Brian McIver's young team showed the tactical awareness to adjust to a more direct approach. Players like Michael Hegarty, Neil Gallagher and Christy Toye took responsibility.

The weather contributed to the poor quality of play at the weekend, and with the safety nets gone, a nervous tension has crept into teams. Handling this new factor is what will separate the eight quarter-finalists.