The season is taking shape The end of June marks the completion of the first sorting out process in the football championship. The preliminary rounds, provincial quarters and semis are in the rear view mirror and all is ready for the local finals in July. Once upon a time they meant huge crowds and great excitement as no second chance was allowed. The arrival of the new system has certainly taken the edge off them. And around this time every year GAA officials decide to dump a wheelbarrow full of teams into a bowl (is that possible?) and pull the teams for Round 1. We agree the removal of eight teams from the 2007 Qualifiers is more than a little unfair. After all, Wicklow, Offaly and others had to get to the provincial final to stay involved (never on from a long way back) and thus do not get a second chance. I have little sympathy however for the counties involved. After all, these decisions and the new systems were discussed at a special congress and if their delegates slept through the process, tough luck. At any rate they had the 2007 NFL to sort out their position and I suppose, to quote Alan Hansen, league positions rarely lie. The upside of the new arrangements is the quality of teams in the one bowl for the draw. With the removal of the eight Division 4 teams (for NFL 2008) from the championship proper with them set for the Tommy Murphy Cup, there was little chance of a soft landing. And yet the major sides such as Armagh, Mayo and Donegal managed to avoid each other and got fixtures they will be happy enough with. One of the most common theories put forward for the relatively tame exits of some of the pre season favourites is the serious mileage on their clocks. If that is true, then there are dark days ahead indeed because the Qualifiers guarantees yet more miles. Perhaps they are old models and there simply are no spare parts available. But one can make a theoretical argument for a simple passage by any of these recovering giants. If the subsequent draws are as favourable, any of the three mentioned could find themselves up against the winners of Westmeath and Longford (Round 2) and thereafter versus perhaps Sligo in a Round 3 game. So, they might get back to Croke Park without any real test and if this is not quite the route they might have hoped for, they would still arrive at an All Ireland quarter final - nice work if you can get it. The quality of the football played so far this season has been fair to average and the big story of championship 2007 has been the matter of indiscipline on the field of play by players, teams and managements. It really has gone too far and a stop had to be called for. We agree that the disciplinary code stands up to close scrutiny but there are concerns all the same. The length of time to reach closure is too long but it must be accepted the players under threat of suspension are often the reason why. The real problem lies in the area of video evidence and the indiscriminate use of it. We might revisit that subject later on in the year but for now let's concentrate on the football being played. All the favourites for the All Ireland are up and running and in pretty good shape. Kerry are where they nearly always have been for over a century - Munster champions and preparing to launch an attack on the All Ireland series. Tyrone and Dublin, despite the odd wobble, are sailing along nicely and can certainly plan for early August in Croke Park. We will know a little more about Galway in a few weeks time and if their complete forward line tick they have to be contenders. I believe they are a team that will rattle the very best around. And side-by-side with the provincial finals we will watch the qualifiers unfold. There are teams in the pot with poor form when it comes to this second chance saloon. Readers of this column will know I am always amazed at the attitude some teams bring to the back door scenario. Number Mayo, Meath and Cavan among them and how a team puts nine months of intense preparation into a championship, loses and then fails to regroup for a second chance continues to puzzle me. It really does not make any sense and this is an aspect of the back door system many counties fail to embrace. Perhaps it is the terrible disappointment suffered in an early round defeat to a keen rival but we must recall the exploits of Galway (2001) and Tyrone (2005) when they regenerated into an unstoppable force and brought Sam Maguire back to their county against all the odds. But when all is said and done who will win out in the provinces? This piece goes to print just after the final whistle for the Munster final which Kerry won. But I think Cork still have genuine expectations for 2007 and will not be surprised if they get to the September final. Monaghan may well beat Tyrone in Ulster but Tyrone will have the longer trip over the ground. Galway will win in Connacht but only after a struggle-they are not playing well enough just yet to dismiss a side such as Sligo. And that leaves the peoples champion with it all to do. The Dubs are sitting pretty in yet another Leinster final and we expect they will win their third title in a row. It is a sign of the standard in the province-undefeated in all championship games under Paul Caffrey, but the bigger picture is the All Ireland. And that is certainly for another day… Tweet

Most Read Stories