Dublin will be the same but hope to be different

DUBLIN v ARMAGH:  BY ANNOUNCING an unchanged team for the first time this year, Pat Gilroy isn’t fooling anyone into thinking all those puzzling questions about Dublin’s form have suddenly been answered. Quite the opposite, actually.

How long, for example, before Eamonn Fennell, Conal Keaney and Bryan Cullen are introduced this afternoon? How long will Paul Flynn and Niall Corkery last at wing forward? How long before Armagh start to threaten Dublin’s goal? What if this game had been in Crossmaglen?

Word is Gilroy may well be forced into some changes even before the throw-in. Ross McConnell is nursing a back injury and Flynn an ankle sprain, and they’ll be given late fitness tests. Fennell hasn’t trained since last Saturday’s win over Tipperary due to a hip injury, and although listed among the substitutes, there is no guarantee he will see action.

Michael Darragh MacAuley and Eoghan O’Gara both retain their places at midfield and full forward respectively after relatively impressive debuts last week, but they’ll be made work a lot harder for possession against an Armagh team who certainly won’t fear Dublin, and of course who have beaten them in the previous two championship meetings this decade.

All of which makes for a very interesting afternoon in Croke Park, even though the predicted attendance is not now expected to rise much above 30,000 – although it should definitely better the 22,048 last Saturday.

Most people’s reference point to this game is the 2002 All-Ireland semi-final, which Armagh famously won by a point – 1-14 to 1-13 – and only after Ray Cosgrove missed a great chance to equalise at the end. Armagh went on to win the All-Ireland, but the following year handled Dublin a little more comfortably, also in the third round of the qualifiers, 0-15 to 0-11 – although the big turning point there was Stephen Cluxton’s sending off for kicking out at Steven McDonnell.

Believe it or not, David Henry, Alan Brogan and Cluxton are the only survivors from that Dublin team, and Armagh only have three survivors too in Paul Hearty, Andy Mallon and McDonnell.

Unlike Gilroy, Armagh manager Paddy O’Rourke has made changes from their slightly laboured second round win over Fermanagh. Finnian Moriarty retains his place at left half back, after replacing Kevin Dyas at half-time the last day.

Kieran Toner’s inclusion at midfield sees Malachy Mackin move to right half forward, at the expense of Joe Feeney, and Brian Mallon, who came on late against Fermanagh, is named at right corner forward, with Gareth Swift switching to left half forward in place of Francis Hanratty, who drops out of the panel altogether.

Dublin’s defence has been seriously threatened in their three games so far this summer – against Wexford, Meath and Tipperary – and yet there was nothing particularly daunting about Armagh’s attack the last day, with only four players contributing to their 0-11 total.

Instead they’d want to produce something like the 2-14 amassed against Donegal, where Jamie Clarke made a name for himself hitting 2-2. Clarke however is largely untested in Croke Park, and that leaves a lot more pressure on McDonnell and Swift.

At the other end, we know Dublin can score. Home advantage will also unquestionably count for Dublin and on that basis and their greater artillery up front, they should earn their place, the hard way perhaps, in the fourth round.

Tickets for this evening’s double-header (the Dublin-Antrim hurling qualifier begins at 3pm) will be on sale at the GAA ticket office, 53 Lr Dorset St, from 10am. Prices: Stand €25; Terrace €20; Family tickets: Stand: Adults €25 and Children €5; Wheelchair tickets are free and the assistant’s tickets is €25. Usual student and senior citizen concessions apply.

DUBLIN:S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, Rory O'Carroll, P McMahon; K Nolan, G Brennan, D Henry; MD McAuley, R McConnell; N Corkery, A Brogan, P Flynn; B Brogan, E O'Gara, K McManamon.

ARMAGH:P Hearty; A Mallon, B Donaghy, V Martin; P Duffy, C McKeever, F Moriarty; C Vernon, K Toner; M Mackin, A Kernan, G Swift; B Mallon, S McDonnell, J Clarke.

Referee:Joe McQuillan (Cavan).