GAA: Onward ho to Croke Park and the real business of the summer. After almost three months of provincial preliminaries and back-door manoeuvres, we get down to the bare- knuckle stuff of knock-out football next weekend in Croke Park. We're down to the Big Eight.
As supporting bouts, the weekend's four qualifier games did just about enough to whet interest in what's to come. Yesterday saw Laois and Donegal progress at the expense of their respective neighbours, Offaly and Fermanagh. On Saturday, Kerry took a hop and step towards rehabilitation when they eliminated the season's most attractive outsiders, Longford, while later in the day Westmeath caused a shock of reasonable size when they bundled Galway out of the competition in Pearse Park, Salthill.
So in reverse chronological order, the news from the swings and roundabouts. The GAA said there were just over 16,000 souls in Portlaoise yesterday for the keenly- awaited derby between Offaly and Laois. It was hard to see where another chunk of spectators would have been wedged to conjure up the sort of decibel level that a full house would create.
Laois versus Offaly was a fraught occasion, a match played in a key of desperation. Offaly usually reserve their best for these neighbourly feuds, and there were high hopes yesterday when Colm Quinn put them ahead with the first score of the game.
Laois are a side in recovery, though. Dismissed as gutless earlier in the summer when they caved into Dublin, they matched Offaly through a frantic first half and led by two points at the break. The game's key statistic was a negative one.
Trailing by just two points at the break and with a good wind to assist them for the rest of the game, Offaly scored just once in the second half - an incredible failure for a side containing players like Niall McNamee and Thomas Deehan.
The game was effectively ended on the hour, ironically in the moments after Ciarán McManus had provided that solitary second-half score for Offaly. Laois pushed straight up field, cutting right through the middle. Pádraig Clancy took the last pass and slipped it assuredly to the Offaly net. Laois advance to meet Connacht champions Mayo next Sunday week in Croke Park.
Earlier in the day, Fermanagh lacked just enough scoring power to match Donegal in Brewster Park. It has been a weird and wonderful summer for Donegal and their tyro manager, Brian McIver. They didn't quite reproduce their impressive Ulster final form yesterday in what was a poor game, but they did enough to pull away from Fermanagh early in the second half, having trailed at the break.
Donegal's young team (no Devenney or McFadden this summer) have found scoring potential in all sorts of places this summer, and yesterday it was Leon Thompson, in his first start, who impressed after the break. Donegal meet Cork next weekend.
After yesterday's game McIver made a point of dedicating his side's victory to Paddy Campbell, the county's full back who missed the match due to suspension following an incident with Enda Muldoon of Derry.
McIver castigated the GAA's disciplinary bodies, the media and just about anybody else he could think of.
On Saturday evening, Westmeath travelled to Salthill more in hope than expectation. Under Tomás Ó Flatharta's guidance this summer, Westmeath have been sporadically interesting but did little to suggest their old giant-killing days were just around the corner again.
Galway included Ja Fallon fresh out of retirement in their line-up. The two-time All-Ireland medal winner had a brief comeback, suffering a bad knock under a high ball after less than a quarter of an hour.
Fallon was forced to leave the action with a broken collarbone. He left behind an uninspired Galway side whose big guns failed to operate yet again. A Gary Dolan goal in the closing stages gave Westmeath a four-point cushion, and despite a late revival from Galway, they clung on. Their reward is a glamourous reunion with their old rivals Dublin in Croke Park on Saturday week.
The most eagerly awaited of the quarter-final ties, however, will be that between Kerry and Armagh. The nation's leading football franchise has never quite gotten over the All-Ireland defeat of 2002, and with time passing and both sides apparently declining it didn't look as if this summer would offer a chance for vengeance.
Armagh have renewed themselves, however, while Kerry surrendered the Muster title earlier this month in circumstances which suggested sharp decline.
On Saturday in Killarney, Kerry hosted Longford in a game which drew over 18,000 people. Kerry were making a return to a more traditional style of play by inserting basketball international Kieran Donaghy into the full forward spot where he would act as an air traffic controller.
Donaghy was a conspicuous success, playing a key part in all four goals scored by Kerry.
Having gone through the four previous championship games without seeing a decent Kerry goal chance, let alone a goal, the Killarney crowd viewed the spectacle as a welcome peace offering from a team they had been at odds with.
Kerry scored three goals in the opening quarter of an hour, enough to hold off the challenge of Luke Dempsey's vigorous young side. The home side looked much improved on previous outings, but Longford raised some questions about the Kerry half-back line which will keep Kerry minds focused all week. Kerry have just days to get themselves right. They meet Armagh next Saturday in the tie of the round.
