ALL-IRELAND FINAL The Nineties (which are, after all, almost over) have turned out to be the one of the most turbulent decades on the playing field in Gaelic Football history. There has been no dominant power, or if there has there hasn't been one for particularly long. Only Down have won more than one All-Ireland in this decade, during which Donegal and Derry made the big breakthrough. Ulster were certainly the dominant province earlier in the decade, but all that has changed. It might be poetic justice if Galway brought the Sam Maguire west of the Shannon, completing a cycle which saw the Connacht champions as Croke Park whipping boys earlier in the decade, with John Maugham's Mayo restoring pride and self-belief in Connacht.
Usually most neutrals would be expected to support a team like Galway which hasn't won an All-Ireland in over thirty years (neither has any other Connacht team) However Kildare have a far more venerable Sam Maguire-less history, especially galling for one of the dominant forces of the early history of the GAA. In recent years their supporters appear to have been in some kind of competition with Mayo for the "Most Heartbreak in crucial Games " Award. Last year they played an incredible series of games with Meath, in which both sides seemed physically incapable of being separated by anything less then a small nuclear device, and the second of which was arguably one of the greatest of all time. That series, and coming back against Laois having had two men sent off within minutes of the start, at least proved that Kildare had the "bottle" for success.
This year however they have finally made it, with the considerable aid of two refugees from the Kingdom of Kerry, Mick and Karl O'Dwyer, not to mention various others from various counties. Under the leadership of Mick O'Dwyer (truly a man who has seen it all) they probably won't fall into the trap that Dublin fell into in 92, when only a little-known Donegal team that had won a semi-final against Mayo (one of the worst games of modern times) stood between them and the title. Dublin mouthed the usual platitudes about respect for their opponents but they just didn't believe them, and the rest is history. O'Dwyer's experience in 1982 with Offaly denying Kerry five-in-a-row with a last minute goal will stand him in good stead.
However the hype is about Kildare, they are in the novel position of favourites and perhaps they believe subconsciously that having got out of Leinster and into their first All-Ireland Final in living memory (more or less), beating their traditional betes noires of Dublin and Meath, and defeating the All-Ireland Champions, the All-Ireland is theirs. The inevitable media circus that will follow Kildare will suit John O'Mahony's team, allowing them to prepare in a relatively low-key. They came through a rather competitive Connacht championship (hammering of Leitrim aside), facing a stern test from Roscommon to get out. In the past three years now, the Connacht Champions have defeated the Champions of Munster, Leinster and now Ulster in the semi. Connacht are increasingly a force in the game. Derry were not especially inspiring in the semi-final but the great underachievers of Gaelic football are still fairly formidable, and Galway took care of them without undue fuss. In his own quiet way, O'Mahony has vast experience, having lead Mayo, Leitrim and now Galway to Croke Park.
So I'm going to stick my neck out and tip Galway to win, if only because Kildare are firm favourites and because Connacht is due an All-Ireland this decade. For those who say Galway are a young, up-and-coming team with plenty of chances ahead of them, Gaelic Football history is littered with such teams that only had the one chance.
ULSTER REVIEW In the early nineties, the GAA may as well have given out the Sam Maguire along with the Anglo-Celt Trophy on Ulster Final day, such was the apparent dominance of the men from the north. Their main competition was with each other; indeed the only team to retain the Ulster title this decade, Tyrone, are also conspicuously absent from the All-Ireland roll-of-honour. Every year a new bunch of Ulstermen came down from the hills and beat all comers. Now however all is changed, changed utterly. Ulster is littered with teams in "transition."
The self-destructive streak in Ulster football must also have something to do with it. Tyrone's Peter Canavan, one of the best forwards of the decade, missed Tyrone's one-match Championship Campaign with a triple fracture of the jaw which he sustained in a friendly, in which another player suffered three separate head wounds and a suspected skull fracture which left him unconscious for five minutes after an assault in the shower.
Down not entirely surprisingly beat Tyrone in the first round, and in their turn were beaten by a team that's been classed as "one for the future" as long as I can remember, Armagh. Meanwhile Champions Cavan came back to defeat plucky Fermanagh after receiving quite a shock. Donegal were quite fancied, manager Declan Bonner having lead them to a league semi-final and seemed to building up quite nicely if not especially spectacularly with victories over Antrim and Cavan. Derry beat Armagh to set up a Derry-Donegal showdown. Michael Lyster and the boys in RTE rained down vituperation on this game, which took place in foul conditions in Clones, with the perennially grumpy Pat Spillane threatening to use it as punishment for his pupils. It wasn't that bad if you had an interest in the teams involved, although otherwise, it probably was the worst game of the year. In the last minute both teams were at 7 points apiece with Donegal looking marginally stronger when up pops solicitor Joe Brolly with a last minute goal. Thus fractious Derry progressed to the All-Ireland semi. Donegal would probably have given a better account of Ulster football in Croke Park, and maybe with better weather on Ulster Final day they would have got the chance.
MUNSTER REVIEW With all due respect, it definitely was a draw of two halves in Munster, with Tipperary, Clare, Limerick and Waterford in one side and the traditional big guns of Cork and Kerry in the semi-final. Of course Clare showed in 1992 and last year against Cork (remember one of the most dramatic last minute victories in any sport anywhere at any time?) and this has been the decade of the upset, but the traditional Power reasserted itself. Tipperary would probably ultimately be happiest with their Championship campaign, the draw gave them plenty of work to get to the final and they took care of Limerick, Waterford and (a minor shock) Clare en route to the final. At this stage the hurlers had fallen to Waterford and the footballers were in the unusual position of centre stage.
Meanwhile Cork and Kerry met in one of the great rivalries. Cork's All-Ireland double of 1990 is a distant memory and they were a pale shadow of Rebel County teams of the past. Kerry put in a good team performance, with Maurice Fitzgerald having a quiet game (indeed season) by his standards but nevertheless grabbing a goal. In the final Tipp inflicted a few moments of doubt on Kerry, especially when they grabbed a goal, but there wasn't much doubt about the eventual victors, as the 31-time All-Ireland Champs motored on out of Munster.
CONNACHT REVIEW It was hard to avoid the sense of the torch passing to a new generation in watching the Galway/Mayo first round game in Castlebar. Mayo had restored Connacht football to respectability, playing in three All-Ireland finals within twelve months; Galway were a "coming team", Corofin were the All-Ireland Club Champions and in a strange way destiny seemed to be with Galway. After a brilliant first half, the game and Mayo petered out in the second with only five points scored in the second half, four for Galway. Mayo were not helped by Pat Fallon breaking his leg in the run up to this game. The end of an era perhaps for Mayo football, unbelievably there were some mutterings against John Maugham, after bringing Mayo from a state of ruin a few years ago (remember the trashing they received at the hands of Cork?) to serious All-Ireland Contenders he deserves at the very least time to consider his future.
In the past year or two Sligo have emerged as a potential force in Connacht. A young team, hopefully free of the inferiority complex that dogs Counties in Sligo's position (although they had some excruciatingly unlucky defeats at underage level), were beaten by only a point by Mayo in the Connacht final last year while playing badly, and indeed if the referee, possibly Jimmy Cooney in disguise, had understood the concept of extra-time who knows what would have happened. This year they were favoured to reach the Final after a League campaign which saw them claim the scalps of Dublin and Kerry. In the first round, Sligo played London in front of British Sports Minister Tony Banks in Ruislip. The Exiles surprised many with the quality of their play and posed a stiffer challenge to Sligo than perhaps anticipated.
Next Sligo encountered a Roscommon team evidently angry at being basically written off. Over two games, Sligo fortunate to get a replay the first day, the young Sligomen were taught a lesson and that success didn't come easily. It would be nice to say that the Roscommon games will stand Sligo in good stead in future, however they've had all too many "learning experiences" over the years. Meanwhile Galway trashed Leitrim in the most one-sided game of the entire Championship (unless the final springs a surprise) and were red-hot favourites.
But again Roscommon didn't lie down. Over two games and into extra time the sides were inseparable until an unfortunate blunder by the Roscommon goalie allowed Galway to get the goal that would separate the sides.
LEINSTER REVIEW By the end of May the footballers of Carlow, Wexford, Longford, Offaly, and Wicklow were facing an idle summer. Having trained just as hard as the players of any other county, and with support as fervent as any other, it seems a pity that so many teams are consigned to such idleness. Such is life in Leinster; it was July 5th before Kerry played a game. Especially galling for League Champions Offaly, whose attacking style was brilliantly nullified by Meath. Kildare and Dublin played out an exciting if error-ridden draw, a game Dublin might have won with more of a midfield presence. Kildare overcame Dublin in the replay and made short work of Laois, who had looked quite handy in disposing of Westmeath. Laois yet again have made their way to an All-Ireland Minor Final (putting on the tipster hat again, they'll probably win) but one hopes they aren't too impatient to see underage success translated into senior success and force minor players up a grade before they're ready.
Now Kildare were beginning to feel confident, the hopes were high and the bandwagon began to roll. Dublin were always a bogey team for them, Meath had only beaten Wicklow's conquerors Louth by a point. In the end the game was tight but this time instead of a Meath comeback in the last minutes, Kildare scored a goal and two points to win their first Leinster title in a very long time indeed.
Seamus Sweeney, 7/9/98. The All-Ireland Football final will be on Sunday 27th of September
