Under Discussion: Tipperary’s successful start to their All-Ireland title defence, Mayo's major scare in Ruislip and the rest of the weekend’s GAA championship talking points.
Chatting are: Terry Reilly, Diarmuid O’Flynn, Liam Horan, Fintan O’Toole, Brendan O’Brien and Enda McEvoy.
TERRY REILLY, Irish Examiner assistant sports editor: WE'LL start with Cork and Tipperary, what's the verdict on Tipperary, are they still the team to beat this year?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN, Irish Examiner GAA writer: Without question, even more so after yesterday's events. Very slick, quick hands, feet and minds, a hugely impressive display against a good Cork team.
LIAM HORAN, Irish Examiner GAA columnist: I thought it was a very efficient first game by them. They're a very tight unit, and they dealt very well with Cork. It was a great effort by Cork, but it was so obvious that Tipperary are just a step or two above their standard right now. Tipp look like a very mature outfit.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: What most impressed, on a day when hopefully the standard for the championships was set, was the way they came back from Cork’s comeback. Even before the final goal they were back in the driving-seat, all their big wheels turning - Eoin, Lar, Noel up front especially.
FINTAN O’TOOLE, Irish Examiner GAA writer: They were clinical in the first-half when it really mattered in scoring 2-3 without reply before the break. Eoin Kelly looked very hungry for possession. Was really impressed with Seamus Callanan all through, clearly he is hugely motivated to stake a claim from the start after being a sub last year and missing this year's league through injury.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Seamus got man-of-the-match, wouldn't quibble with it though I gave it to Patrick Maher - such a worker, so brave, so effective.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN, Irish Examiner GAA writer: There's a great photo of Declan Ryan in our Championship supplement today puffing his cheeks out in relief at the final whistle. That's a huge win for him personally and should ease the pressure on him - for a while anyway.
TERRY REILLY: What about Cork, there's talk they made som errors on the line, not least the odd Horgan substitution?
LIAM HORAN: I'd say the tide was nearly out at this stage, in fairness.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: The Horgan substitution didn't really impact on the game as it was in the 69th minute but still a strange call to take off your leading forward. Thought Lorcan McLoughlin was going well and starting to dominate midfield with Patrick Cronin when he was withdrawn during the second-half as well.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I would say they'd lost it even earlier with the substitution of McLoughlin, who was having a great game, maybe he was injured or exhausted? Certainly the Horgan and O'Sullivan move was baffling, the talk of Thurles afterwards. Could have understood them throwing in big Cussen just to change the look of things, but not what they did.
TERRY REILLY: So does this ease the pressure on Denis Walsh. Can Cork fans now see progress with a team going through a major transition?
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: He's had his fair share of critics but that was some performance yesterday given the turnover in the team during his time in charge.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: They did well in the move of Brian Murphy to corner-back, but again, very late. I don't think Denis is under any pressure though; it's his final year and he will see it out - let's see what he can do.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: There were positives yesterday in the young players he threw into action. McDonnell and Egan were solid in defence, McLoughlin did well at midfield and Luke O'Farrell after quiet start still managed to win three frees that were converted into points.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Would like to see those newcomers now get run of games in qualifiers rather than wholesale changing. Faith needs to be kept with full-forward line in particular.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Good point. I've been saying it all year, the players are in Cork, and if they hold their heads up now, they can still do real damage this year. They lost by eight points, a bit glossy, Tipp lost by ten last year, also a bit glossy. The championship starts in July, remember that.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Given the performance of some of the younger players, can I ask Fintan and Diarmuid if there are many more up-and-comers waiting to be drafted onto the senior set-up in Cork? How does the future look the next two or three years?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: One that should come into the reckoning for the qualifiers is Conor Lehane. He's sitting his Leaving Cert next week which ruled him out of yesterday's game.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Conor Lehane the most obvious, yes - we should also mention Stephen McDonnell, who had a fine game yesterday. A couple of young Newtown lads also, Jamie Coughlan, Ryan Clifford.
TERRY REILLY: Brendan, you were in Wexford Park, will the Model men put it up to Kilkenny? It was very tight at the break?
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Home advantage and a huge crowd in Wexford Park should be worth a few points to them but hard to see Kilkenny getting too worried about them on Sunday's evidence. Antrim just collapsed with little help from Wexford.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Antrim seemed to be well in the game at half-time, any reasons for their second-half demise?
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: A lot of theories floated around about Antrim - playing in Division Two, the young profile of the team. It was fairly inexplicable. They lacked the belief that they could beat a side like Wexford, which I think will be a factor when Wexford play the Cats.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: I actually tipped Antrim yesterday, after what they did to Laois in Portlaoise. Was I made to look even more foolish than I am, especially given that from a few weeks back I've been saying that Kilkenny, if not at full strength, could be vulnerable in Wexford?
LIAM HORAN: Kilkenny will go for the early, and late, kill, I'd say. A lot of pent-up frustration there.
TERRY REILLY: Enda what do you think? Are Tipp the real deal? Are Kilkenny vulnerable to Wexford?
ENDA MCEVOY, Irish Examiner hurling columnist: Firstly, Tipp's performance yesterday was more than acceptable. If Kilkenny are vulnerable this summer, they're unlikely to be caught by Wexford. In fact, going to Wexford Park is the kind of challenge they need right now.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Agree Enda, Wexford in Wexford is the perfect preparation and test for Kilkenny.
ENDA MCEVOY: The other interesting thing from yesterday was the fact that Dublin won - and didn't win by 10 points. That is something their manager will be pleased with as opposed to annoyed with. The second-last thing Dublin needed yesterday was an easy victory.
TERRY REILLY: They were always likely to struggle after the league final win but was yesterday's performance against an injury-wrought Offaly acceptable?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: The manner of Offaly's comeback will douse the Dublin hype ahead of the Galway match. At one stage with ten minutes left and eight points up, it looked like Dublin would run riot.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Offaly could have won that game. Dublin still have to sort out their concentration levels.
ENDA MCEVOY: But that is part of the learning process for them.
LIAM HORAN: Enda is spot on there. Dublin needed to be tested. I thought they stood up to it pretty well, considering they haven't a huge amount of experience of winning big championship matches.
ENDA MCEVOY: Let's face it, we're going to see one Dublin performance this summer where all the little things go wrong for them.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: The thing is, they're still winning; lost a game like that to Antrim last year.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: On a related note, how did that umpire give that first point for the Dubs? It was miles wide and we had more confusion for Niall McNamee's penalty against Wexford on Saturday. Forget the new coats, it's same old, same old...
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Hawkeye, and the sooner the better.
TERRY REILLY: Few dodgy decisions by the umpires, wonder how stringent the course they did was?
ENDA MCEVOY: Well, the main criterion for being an umpire is still being friendly with the ref, isn't it?
TERRY REILLY: On to the football, another dark day for Mayo football in London? Any word on the ground Liam about what went wrong?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Are you an insider or an outsider at this stage Liam? Their Plan B doesn't seem to be working, or too early to say?
LIAM HORAN: I wasn't over, as the saying goes, but word is they were just completely flat. It was very worrying: this was the day to start kicking on from the Longford debacle last year, and it ended up being nearly a disaster.
TERRY REILLY: Anyone buy into the emigration line? Surely not giving the travelling times to training?
LIAM HORAN: Plan B hasn't been implemented yet, so it's not related to that. But Mayo is at a very low ebb, perhaps historically so. I don't see the enthusiasm to tackle that. It's easy to blame James Horan, and undoubtedly he had a bad day yesterday, but the problems with Mayo football are much broader than that.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: London's league form this year would suggest they still have some way to go before they start progressing.
LIAM HORAN: I'd say emigration is a factor alright, but as Colm O'Rourke said last night, preparing a team in London is very difficult. They have a huge turnover of players from year to year. It was a magnificent effort by them yesterday.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: The fact is that one of these days everything is going to click for either London or New York and some Connacht team is going to be flying home with their tails between their legs.
ENDA MCEVOY: Liam, I've always wondered. what would happen if Mayo did win an All Ireland? Would Mayo people actually be able to cope with the situation?
LIAM HORAN: It'd make Euro '88 look like the PTAA annual pilgrimage to Knock Shrine. But, seriously, Mayo should be winning All-Irelands on a reasonably regular basis. Not one ever 50 years.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: On a purely football level, the fact that Mayo used seven freetakers yesterday was an alarming statistic.
LIAM HORAN: I think the problem with Mayo players now is that the team has come through some desperate defeats - Meath 2009, Sligo/Longford last year, NFL final last year, all of that has taken its toll. They could beat Galway. Plus, James Horan is putting in a very decent effort, and he is analytical by nature. But it will take some time before Mayo return as a national force
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Speaking of things taking a toll, that loss to Armagh on Saturday must be an almighty blow to Down and now it looks like they will lose Marty Clarke again in the near future for a second time. September seems a long time ago now.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Difficult to see them getting through the qualifiers to reach another All-Ireland final now. Impressive stuff from Armagh though, Billy Joe Padden and Jamie Clarke are helping to take the scoring heat off Stevie McDonnell. Charlie Vernon was magnificent at midfield as well.
TERRY REILLY: Down are in serious trouble though, Clarke going, McCartan falling out with the press, was last year a flash in the pan?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Down are going to have to tighten up their defence if they are to make meaningful progress for the rest of the summer. I don't think they have the backs to do that though.
LIAM HORAN: It's a long road now for Down. They had an element of surprise last year.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: I'm still not convinced by Armagh though. As you said, everyone knows the Down defence is a weakness and I think Armagh will be too reliant on McDonnell and Clarke. They need Billy Joe to play like that every week.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: True but considering how bereft of ideas Armagh looked up front against Dublin last year, Saturday was a huge improvement in that respect. There'll be bigger challenge in Ulster for them yet but that's a good start.
LIAM HORAN: Billy Joe has great attributes - most notably he's a team player. His contribution on Saturday was a series of simple things, done well, to good effect.
TERRY REILLY: Wexford look a good bet for the Leinster final, Westmeath next and then the winners of Louth and Carlow. 2-16 is a huge score to put up against Offaly in Tullamore on Saturday.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Yeah, Wexford looked good but they will be alarmed at the amount of goal chances they offered Offaly. It could still be any one of Wexford, Westmeath or Louth that make that provincial final.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/zRYiLnVWCpg/post.aspx
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