Few can live with Kerry in full flow

SLUGGISH Cork surrender their All-Ireland crown to sparkling Mayo, while Kevin Cassidy’s point from distance means Donegal are still in the championship following an extra-time defeat of Kildare. Some big fish are still swimming out there, though, with Tyrone recovering from a disappointing first half to eventually see off Roscommon and Kerry showing a clinical approach to put Limerick to the sword..
This weekend's All-Ireland Football Championship winners and losers are spread throughout the four provinces.


WINNERS
Mayo
THE men of the west are the talk of the town and no wonder: James Horan’s Mayo knocked out reigning All-Ireland and National League title holders Cork 1-13 to 2-6 and it was no fluke, no twist arising from a last-minute goal.
Mayo strangled the Cork attack which had put 2-20 on Down, holding the red and white to a single point in the second half.
 Boss James Horan deserves huge credit, given his side’s first championship game was an extra-time win over London. Mayo steadily improved and his masterstroke, putting man of the match Andy Moran on Michael Shields was the key move of Sunday’s game.

Donegal
JIM MCGUINNESS and Donegal are having the last laugh these days. They needed extra-time to see off a dogged Kildare last Saturday evening and they’re now in an All-Ireland semi-final, but it was the gutsy way they rallied to outscore Kieran McGeeney's side in the closing stages of extra time which have endorsed the Ulster Champions’ credentials as All-Ireland contenders.
True, the suffocating style employed by McGuinness has provoked plenty of criticism but it was Kildare who fell back while Donegal stormed forward in the  closing stages of the quarter-final. The Ulster champs face the winners of Dublin versus Tyrone next weekend; on current form they’ll fear neither in the last four of the competition.

Kerry
MAYO will hog the headlines but the well-oiled Kerry machine looks as ominous as ever. Manager Jack O'Connor commented after the 1-20 to 0-10 victory that his side needed a decent run out after nearly a month's rest since winning the Munster title, and decent just about covers it. O'Connor will be delighted Paul Galvin and Tomás O Sé got a full game under their belts, and that the likes of Darran O'Sullivan and Bryan Sheehan accounted for the bulk of the scoring.
There are few sides that can live with Kerry when they hit top gear and as July turns to August the Kingdom haven’t put in a full 70 minutes. Yet they’re still just one match away from an All-Ireland final appearance; no wonder they’re favourites to lift this year's Sam Maguire.

Darran O'Sullivan
A PALTRY crowd at the Aviva Stadium witnessed a moment of magic after 46 minutes of the Dublin Super Cup encounter between Manchester City and Inter Milan on Sunday afternoon. David Silva executed a terrific reverse pass that flummoxed the Italian defence and allowed Edwin Dzeko to stride through and score. The exquisite pass from the Spanish international brought the Aviva to its feet and drew instant applause.
Across the city at Croke Park Kerry's Darran O'Sullivan flicked a back-heeled shot with his right in-step (while in mid-air) into the bottom corner of the Limerick net. The stadium rose as one to acknowledge a brilliant individual goal from an amateur intercounty player. The most beautiful aspect of O'Sullivan's strike was not its execution but the fact thousands of children will attempt a repeat on their local GAA pitches throughout the remainder of the summer.

Kieran McGeeney
EVEN in defeat on Saturday night the Kildare manager cut a dignified figure in his after-match media interviews, thoug for the second year running the Lily Whites have been on the receiving end of a debatable refereeing decision which eventually swung the game their opponents’ way. Last year Down’s Benny Coulter’s goal could have been ruled out in Kildare’s semi-final defeat for a square ball, while on Saturday night Tomás O'Connor had a perfectly good effort ruled out for Kildare. For a square ball, yet. Will they ever catch a break?

Roscommon
THE Rossies can cheer up. They were more than a match for Tyrone for much of Saturday night's encounter, and any side that boasts the talents of Karol Mannion and Donal Shine has a bright future to look forward to. See? It’s not all about Ming Flanagan up there.


LOSERS
Cork
CORK ended up with 110 handpasses in last Sunday’s defeat to Mayo, an indictment of their approach when it came to feeding a dangerous full-forward line. With the game slipping away they failed to play in quick ball and a forward line already lacking three key forwards couldn’t find an answer. Cork managed a point in the second half and left with a whimper, not a bang.

Conor Counihan
THE Cork manager faces a tough inquest following his side's surrendering of their All-Ireland title after such an insipid showing at Croke Park on Sunday. Counihan was slow to make changes from the sideline as Mayo gained momentum during the second half, while the removal of Noel O’Leary, yellow card or not, looked rash. The decision to leave full-back Michael Shields on the influential Andy Moran was also surprising.

Follow Ger McCarthy on Twitter: @offcentrecircle

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/Ow8QbDCkTE8/post.aspx

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