All Ireland football championship qualifiers - Early Previews

Other / Editor / 03 July 2008 / Leave a Comment

Alan Rodgers of Gaeliclife.com gives you the inside line on the forthcoming All Ireland Football Qualifiers

Many of the main challengers from the past few years have been condemned to an All-Ireland Qualifier lineup that has the feel of the real Championship about it. A look at the counties involved proves the point. Meath reached the last four in 2007 while Derry, Tyrone and Monaghan all got to the quarter-finals. Now they are left to build from back in the chasing group in the last chance saloon.

The draw last weekend didn't produce the high-profile showdowns that many were expecting. Only the meeting of Monaghan and Derry has that special attraction.
Both progressed to the closing stages twelve months ago and will have counted themselves very unlucky not to have reached the semi-finals. Yet, here they are contemplating a Championship exit that will come far too early for their ambitious and frustrated fans. It's too close to call, with the result that the lucrative opportunities will probably be in short supply. Better instead to concentrate on a number of other ties where the perceived underdogs look capable indeed of causing upsets.

Limerick's home game against Meath is a case in point. The Shannonsiders played Division One football last year and ran Cork close in the Munster semi-final. On their home patch at the Gaelic Grounds, they could well be worth a flutter, although it's likely that the odds will reflect the likelihood of a close encounter. A few weeks ago Down's great win over Tyrone in Ulster had many talking up their chances. The wheels came off the wagon against Armagh, and the Mourne men could be there for the taking against Offaly. Once again, home advantage could be a crucial factor at Tullamore and the fact that few will be fancying the Faithful is worth taking into account.

Two pairings are set to offer probably the greatest chance of a big-money upset. Nobody will be tipping Louth to beat Tyrone even though that game is at Drogheda. And, the Leinster side came agonisingly close to dethroning the then All-Ireland Champions when the last met in the Qualifiers two years ago. Still, their competitiveness has declined during the intervening period while Tyrone should have recovered sufficiently from the blow of losing to Down. In this year of upsets, backing Louth is tempting.

It's a similar situation with the meeting of Donegal and Roscommon. Donegal lost to Derry in Ulster while Roscommon's form has been disastrous all year. But the Connaught side might be up for one last gasp giant-killing act. Longford won't be tipped to do much against Laois, but then again, home advantage could inspire them and the same will go for Cavan who'll relish the chance to visit Kildare.

Apart from going for one or two massive shocks in the games mentioned above, the best options might surround the likely winning margins in some of the games, most especially those between Tyrone and Louth and Donegal and Roscommon. Go for a four point or more winning margin in both games and you won't be too far away at full-time.