Dublin must get strong start to have any chance

GAELIC GAMES/Dublin v Tyrone:THE GAA All-Ireland football championship finally takes off today with two interesting quarter-finals and the biggest crowd of the season due at Croke Park. All of the main contenders are present and after a difficult season Dublin are where they need to be and in a more comforting context than in recent years.

In 2008 and ’09 they went in as favourites against the teams that went on to win the All-Ireland, more because of their opponents’ perceived shortcomings than any profound belief in Dublin. Today, shorn of the Leinster title, they are underdogs against the three-time champions. Their progress through the qualifiers has granted Pat Gilroy’s side a certain modest momentum and high hopes that a new-look outfit can make a competitive mark against one of the championship heavyweights.

High points have been work- rate, much improved speed on the counter-attack and a positive contribution from the bench. The problem with these assets is Tyrone own the patent. Working hard only gets you to the starting tape against the Ulster champions, who have been harassing and dispossessing opponents so long that it comes as second nature.

Dublin’s main chance in this is to hit the ground running and in crucial contrast to what happened last week against Louth, take the initial chances. Two years ago they also had opportunities but squandered them before Tyrone closed the show at a relatively early stage.

Alarm bells will have rung at the manner in which Bernard Brogan was shut down by Louth as well as brother Alan’s dancing so exclusively to his own music.

Eoghan O’Gara and Bryan Cullen stepped into the breach to supplement the scoring but today there’ll be more space in the premium level bars at half-time than near Tyrone’s goal and instinctive finishing will be critical to Dublin’s hopes of making an impact.

The quick hands and express counter attacking that turned over Louth possession so effectively will have to operate in a far tighter time frame to register an impact on the Ulster champions.

Michael Macauley, who has blossomed after a traumatic run of injury, and Ross McConnell did exceptionally well against a rated centrefield in Paddy Keenan and Brian White but it doesn’t look as if there’s 70 minutes in them and the less mobile duo of Darren Magee and Eamonn Fennell experienced difficulties in keeping the clamps in place, albeit that today’s opponents are more workmanlike.

For all of their outright favouritism Tyrone aren’t without question marks. The unusually poor league campaign has been forgotten, although the Division One meeting between the teams, which Dublin dominated to an eye-popping extent, will presumably have some effect whether to settle the outsiders’ confidence or motivate Tyrone.

Unfortunately for Dublin, Cian O’Sullivan is still absent with a suspect hamstring (although now on the bench), as he was a major player in the win up in Omagh and that ability to fly around the defence, take ball and move, is a significant loss to the team.

Tyrone have former footballer-of-the-year Stephen O’Neill also on the bench but his heel injury has seriously undermined his ability to sharpen up in training so he is likely to need a fair bit of match practice before posing the sort of menace with which he has been associated at his best.

Similarly Brian McGuigan has had his most productive moments coming into matches rather than lining out (this is his first start since the 2008 match) and were his brother Tommy fit, he would be starting.

Other big players are back in form though. Conor Gormley and Philip Jordan have been playing fine football and if Seán Cavanagh has been subdued his class means he is always capable of catching fire. Dublin will hope for a competitive display to wipe the slate clean after two demoralising years but Tyrone’s ambitions run a bit higher than that.

Just the ticket: Just over 70,000 are expected this afternoon. Stand tickets €35 and terrace (€25). Children €5. Students and OAPs (€25). Various packages available on www.gaa.ie.