National Football League Finals previews

Compiled by SEAN MORAN

SUNDAY

DIVISION ONE FINAL

Mayo v Cork, Croke Park, 4pm (TG4 4pm)

IT’S STRANGE to think how different the world is for these teams compared to two years ago when they previously contested a league final.

Cork have secured the elusive All-Ireland title whereas Mayo have had to rebuild and gradually reposition themselves.

James Horan’s team have now won two of their last three matches at Croke Park, against Cork in last year’s championship and two weeks ago against Kerry in the league semi-final.

The problem now is how to maintain that momentum and string together two successive wins in the stadium for the first time since 2006.

It’s not going to break either side’s hearts not to win but neither will it do them much good to lose, in particular Mayo as they seek to rubber-stamp the progress of the past 12 months.

Cork haven’t done a great deal differently during this league.

A certain amount of experimentation has been forced on Conor Counihan by injuries to key forwards but when Ciarán Sheehan and Daniel Goulding return it’s possible there won’t be many, if any, new faces this summer.

There has been one tactical variation in the use of Aidan Walsh as a full forward and although this has occasionally paid out it will be a surprise if the bulk of his championship duties take him much farther up the field than half forward.

Mayo’s work-rate and refusal to read the script last August eventually wore down Cork but the champions were weary and understrength by the end.

Still it was Mayo’s perseverance in defending throughout the field and not allowing support runners free passage that crashed the Cork machine.

The regulation league match in Castlebar followed a different pattern in that Mayo started better and yet Cork caught them at the death.

One difference between the teams that isn’t positive from Mayo’s point of view is the O’Shea brothers eventually did an excellent job at centrefield last year.

Five weeks ago neither of them were on the field for the final quarter when Cork picked up the pace around the middle and Pearse O’Neill and Alan O’Connor secured a big platform for the late win.

Due to injury neither O’Shea starts tomorrow’s final, although Séamus is recovering and on the bench.

Mayo’s attack pressurised Kerry very effectively in the semi-final, particularly in the half forwards, and with Conor Mortimer giving Killian Young a hard time but Cork have the best defence in Division One and will be a tougher proposition.

Cork need to speed up the deliveries into attack because Mayo will devour those cautious, lateral movements but a bit more urgency and intensity can make their physical advantages pay.

CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, E Cadogan; N O’Leary, G Canty, P Kissane; P O’Neill, A O’Connor; F Goold, P Kelly, P Kerrigan; C O’Neill, A Walsh, D O’Connor. Subs: Tba.

MAYO: D Clarke; K Keane , G Cafferkey, K Higgins; L Keegan, D Vaughan, C Boyle; B Moran, J Gibbons; K McLoughlin, A Moran, A Dillon; C Mortimer, C O’Connor, M Conroy. Subs: R Hennelly, M

Walsh, S McHale, P Gardiner, R Feeney, D Geraghty, S O’Shea, P Harte, A Freeman, E Varley, J Doherty.

SATURDAY

DIVISION THREE FINAL

Longford v Wexford, Croke Park, 7pm

AS the draw would have it, the counties played out a meaningless, dead rubber on the last day of the regulation season by which stage both teams had been promoted. Neither named particularly strong teams and Longford won out narrowly.

This evening, with six and nine changes respectively, will be a different encounter. David Barden is a loss for Longford, who are chasing a second successive league title having won Division Four 12 months ago, but overall this has been a positive campaign for Glenn Ryan’s team.

Back from Australia, Michael Quinn has been a significant presence even if opinions differ on whether centre back is his optimal position. He’ll be tested today on Wexford’s former All Star nominee Ciarán Lyng just as behind him, Barry Gilleran will have his work cut out on Eric Bradley who is big and aggressive.

Longford have had a more convincing league to date but Wexford have accumulated a good deal of big-day Croke Park experience and can maintain last year’s trend, which saw just one of the four divisional table-toppers actually win the title.

LONGFORD: D Sheridan; D Brady, B Gilleran, D Reilly; CP Smyth, M Quinn, S Mulligan; B McElvanny, J Keegan; P McCormack, P Barden, N Mulligan; D McElligott, B Kavanagh, S McCormack. Subs: P Columb, P Foy, N Farrell, F Battrim, M Brady, P Kelly, J McGivney, B McKeon, F McGee, R Smyth, J McKenna.

WEXFORD: A Masterson; R Tierney, G Molloy, N Murphy; B Malone, D Murphy, A Flynn; A Shore, D Waters; R Barry, C Lyng, B Brosnan; C Morris, E Bradley, PJ Banville. Subs: T Hughes, B Hearne, L Chin, S Roche, R Quinlivan, C Carty, M O’Regan, P Kelly, J Wadding, J Holmes, P Byrne, B Doyle, S O’Neill.

DIVISION FOUR FINAL

Fermanagh v Wicklow, Croke Park, 5pm

THE sense that former Tyrone legend Peter Canavan was picking up underpriced stock when accepting the manager’s job in Fermanagh, was confirmed during a regulation campaign that saw the county end up with the best record of all four divisions.

It’s been an even better season for Wicklow in the sense they have struggled in recent years – maybe through Mick O’Dwyer’s relative indifference to league outcomes – to find a level more reflective of their championship accomplishments.

Under O’Dwyer’s successor, Harry Murphy, Wicklow have managed to gain promotion and return to Croke Park to try and lift their first national silverware since the Tommy Murphy Cup back in 2007.

When the teams met early last month Fermanagh weren’t at their best but did enough to win narrowly even though they coughed up enough goal chances to lose the match.

It was, however, an aberration for a side that has the best defensive average in the league.

The prolific forward Séamus Quigley is the league’s top scorer, having amassed 5-49 but Wicklow have plenty of experience and should make this a close-run encounter but the Ulster men deserve to be favourites after their impressive league campaign up to this point.

FERMANAGH: R Gallagher; N Bogue, B Cox, N McGovern; C Quigley, R McCluskey, B Mulrone; S Lyons, E Donnelly; D Kennan, S McCabe, R Jones; E Maguire, S Quigley, T Corrigan.

WICKLOW: Tba