Eight of the best? Back in early spring, this column suggested we might have few surprises in the race for the senior football championship of 2005. It went further and suggested the traditional pairings of Cork and Kerry in the south with Galway and Mayo in the west, were shoe-ins for the last eight. Leinster obliged also - Laois were favoured to defeat the Dubs but no matter - both are still alive today. Up north would be the most difficult task - Tyrone looked good to me but I could find no such confidence in Armagh. Thus, I went for Fermanagh, reckoning the league exertions of the Orange County would prove a bridge too far. Silly me then. As August fast approaches Armagh has just annexed their fifth provincial title in seven attempts - fair togging by any standard. And the hallmark of the modern northern champions is replicated every day they play - resilience. They chiselled a draw the first day out and won the replay with a performance of character, bloody mindedness and defiance that you rarely see in a team so long on the road. The draw for round four is now completed and we will have interesting pairings all round. Once upon a time the beaten provincial finalist exited at this stage through exhaustion but the new provisions allow for some rest and recuperation so this year should mark a big improvement in their fortune. Let's start with Mayo then. A poor performance against Galway will heap a lot of pressure on the team as they face up to a Cavan side that has shown considerable improvement once they exited the championship for the first time. Mayo will need to answer many questions before their fans will row in behind them and many of those posed will concern qualities such as resilience, character, mental strength and so on. Simply put, Mayo must perform and get back to winning ways Sligo got a horrible draw and though they too are learning quickly on the scenic route this is one destination too far for the men from the west. Cork served up a very good display in defeat versus Kerry and they will have a say at quarterfinal stage. Perhaps even further. Tyrone and Monaghan is yet another northern pairing in a qualifier round - how does this keep happening? Monaghan is a team on the up and will challenge for top-flight honours in the coming years. But not this one. Tyrone will feel they were robbed in the Ulster final replay and will be all out to ease their way back to quarter final day in Croker - I expect them to do so with a little to spare. Finally, Laois square up to Derry and this is the most difficult game to predict. Derry came very close to unseating Armagh but their inaccuracy in front of goal haunted them. Paddy Bradley has remained very much in the groove and if they can add another hotshot or two then they will have real possibilities. But Laois are the more balanced side and their strong and free running game is difficult to counter act. I expect them to come through in what is rightly billed the tie of the round. The last eight then-the carnival of championship football should see the following match ups: Kerry v Mayo Galway v Cork Armagh v Laois Dublin v Tyrone What a scenario that presents. Kerry look good at this stage but the other three would be nearly impossible to name a winner at this stage. It all promises to the most exciting conclusion to the championships for many years for the inescapable fact we may well have the best eight teams in the country remaining. And with the really big fish (Armagh, Kerry and Tyrone) kept apart for now the semi-finals are flagged as real heat seekers. As recent high profile matches prove, some of the results are decided by the decisions of the referee and at this time of the year, as the stakes get higher, he has a very significant role to play in the unfolding drama. In light of the errors made during the provincial finals, I will return to this topic next month and outline the current state of the nation among the men in black. For now, roll on August and September-big crowds guaranteed (the Dubs will need a day all to themselves for every game they play in from now on), colour, excitement and noise. The GAA summer - hard to trump it! The demands of managing a club Last year I managed a club senior team here in Roscommon. I expect it will be my last time in charge at this level. Simply, the time required looking after an ambitious senior team is more than I am willing to give. The landscape at senior club today is unrecognisable to that of ten years ago. There are generally better facilities, better structures and the popularity of the club championships at provincial and national level has raised the bar considerably. But the biggest challenge today is trying to cope with the expectation levels of individual players. The thirty man inter county panel has a lot to answer for - one cannot go down the street without bumping into yet another member of 'the county panel'. Which is all fine and dandy until they are discarded once the championship panel is established. They return to the club scene having failed selection, endured dejection and urgently requiring injection if they are to be of any use to you at all. They pass their every waking moment telling the lads all about the professional set-up and why, considering the effort we are all making, this panel deserves the very best. Any self respecting senior club panel will want a full issue of the best training and leisure kit around, bollards and discs, fluorescent cones, bibs and at least ten footballs until, the shooting is sorted out (it never is!). The medical team should be well informed - none of yer old GPs and a couple of painkillers/anti-inflammatory tablets. No indeed - we will need access to every conceivable scan (brain scan?), masseur, two physios and a sports doctor. All the better if the manager knows Pat O'Neill and Gerry McEntee personally - it should help jump the queue. A new one on me, but apparently available for some years now, is the idea of corporate membership of the best hotel leisure facilities in the town - here we are talking the most modern versions of the swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, steam and of course the de rigueur weights room. Will we ever have a moment to do a bit of training I ask myself? The idea that we might tog out and do a bit of skill work rarely crosses the mind - if it isn't something you can measure the interest seems to drop. Ah, nothing else for it then but more of the bleep tests. You should end up with the biggest, fastest and strongest squad in Ireland. Problem is few could shoot a point, even with a rifle!! Tweet

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