WHO CARES about the league? Well, certainly anyone who has undergone stamina sapping sessions on the training ground in recent weeks and, after yesterday's quarter finals of the National Football League, sponsored by Church and General, there were tears of joy and sorrow to distinguish between the winners and the losers.
No doubt about the big winners. John Maughan, the messiah of Clare not so long ago, is now seen as the man destined to bring his native county to the promised land. Mayo, who plied their trade in Division Three over the winter months, caused the big upset of the quarter finals by toppling Division One side and Leinster likely lads Meath.
Mayo's surprise win by 2-10 to 1-10 in a match which had two penalties, two dismissals and three bookings in the first half earns them a semi final encounter with Derry on April 21st, while Cork, who got the better of their psychological joust with Monster rivals Kerry only after extra time, will meet Donegal in the other semi final. Both matches are expected to be held as a "double header" in Croke Park.
"We have restored our pride a little bit and we have restored some self confidence to the players," Maughan reflected. "We were in danger of being out of the race altogether in terms of competing, but there is a great hunger around the county.
The Maughan magic appears to be working: a mix of experience (Messrs Flanagan, McHale and Finnerty) with youth - no fewer than six members of last year's successful Under 21 side figured in yesterday's team.
Derry, their opponents in the semi final, had to contend with one or two scares before securing victory over last year's Ulster finalists Cavan. A one point margin the vital score grabbed by midfielder Brian McGilligan in injury time was all Derry had in the end.
Derry, in the midst of their championship training for the June 2nd meeting with Armagh have not had a football at a session in recent times, and selector Frank Kearney said: "Training without the football is very hard on the legs; at the moment we are playing fantasy football in training, without the ball."
Nevertheless, the defending league champions remain on target to retain their crown - even if the Ulster championship is their stated priority. And they will be praying that full forward Seamus Downey, obviously not too deterred by the absence of footballs at training, maintains his fine form: he scored five points and was the principal destroyer of Cavan's league dreams.
Fonder Dublin star Brian Mullins was a little worried by the manner in which his adopted county had to fight for the win. "Cavan are a very good team . . . but, for our part, you can't expect everything to go in a match the way you had planned."
The meeting of Cork and Kerry proved to be a juicy appetiser for their probable encounter in the Munster championship this summer. A crowd of almost 10,000 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh watched Cork substitute John O'Driscoll fire home the crucial winning goal in injury time.
Any plans for yesterday's match to be a light weight, spring imitation of a Cork Kerry derby match were thrown to the wind by half time as the protagonists got stuck in. "We realised we were in a game at that stage," admitted Cork manager Billy Morgan. "And we said. Let's forget about July and go and try to win this one."
While O'Driscoll proved to be the Cork match winner, it was the performance of corner forward Mark O'Sullivan - who contributed 1-2 in Cork's 2-14 to 0-18 success - which created the biggest impression. O'Sullivan, who created a favourable impression in their march to the Munster title last year, and Colin Corkery, who kicked seven points, were again the mainstays of the Cork attack.
The prospect of a repeat of last year's National Football League final - when Derry beat Donegal after a replay - remains very much alive after Donegal overcame the resistance of Wicklow, newly promoted from Division Four, with the minimum of fuss.
It was a case of "mission accomplished" as far as Donegal manager PJ McGowan was concerned, as he basked in his side's 2-12 to 1-8 win in the comfort of the five-star dressing rooms in the new Cusack Stand.
"We were in a no win situation, because no matter what way we won people would have something to say. If we won by 15 points, they'd say it was a poor Wicklow team, and if we won by two or three points they'd say it was a poor Donegal performance. I'm just glad its over," said McGowan.
But even McGowan conceded that their second goal - scored by Declan Bonner from a free kick when Wicklow goalkeeper Ken Quirke dropped the ball over his line - was "lucky".
