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I know the championship is a little over a month old but I spotted a link to the Indo's predictions from Frank Roche and Paul Curran and there are a few scarily accurate predictions (Roche) and a few hilariously off the mark ones (Curran). Pay particular attention to his prediction and comment for Footballer of the Year!

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaa-championships/gaelic-football/sam-2008-1369856.html



Frank Roche

Q4 WHO IS SET FOR A MIGHTY FALL?

Meath. Punched above their weight last summer. Now suspensions and injury leave them prone to a Wexford ambush, with no guarantees of another back-door recovery.

Q7 EARLY SUMMER AMBUSH?

Fermanagh at home to Monaghan on May 25. Could a poor league finish foretell a dip in Farney fortunes? With local derbies, anything's possible.


Paul Curran

Q4 WHO IS SET FOR A MIGHTY FALL?

Derry. League Champions in any other province would be looking forward to a long summer but Donegal lie in wait.

Certainly the tie of all the first round games.

Q5 WHO WILL BE FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR?

Paul Galvin. We'll see a more disciplined approach this year from a man every manager would want on his team.

Q7 EARLY SUMMER AMBUSH?

Galway to be shocked by Roscommon in Pearse Stadium on May 18.


Q9 YOU WANT LESS OF?

Tommy Lyons on TV!

Just heard details there of the Mayo panel for championship. Don't have a full list of names but two notable points. James Nallen is in. Ciaran McDonald isn't.
This would appear to signal the end of McD's inter-county career. The end for one of the best players of his generation.
Thanks for the memories Ciaran. You ensured that following Mayo was always entertaining. Its so unfortunate that he ends his career with Mayo without the ultimate success coming his way.
But you will always hold a place in the hearts of Mayo fans and, I'm sure, fans of football all over Ireland.

See that Mayo are playing Clare in a challenge on Saturday night. It's under the new lights in Ballinrobe, at 6.30. Wonder what sort of team Johnno plays? Badly need to try to unearth a few forwards after the Donegal game.

Ballaghaderreen's Barry Regan hasn't been given a run yet and he's given Aidan Kilcoyne very little game time since the FBD either. Is there anyone else who hasn't been given a right run yet?
There's very few who can be pencilled in for the forward positions yet. Dillon is a banker, Trevor Mort looks good and you'd have to think McD is to when he comes back from injury. That apart you cannot say that guys like Conor Mort, O'Neill, Ger Brady etc will be definitely on the starting XV for championship.

Think we're looking slightly better in defence, Liam O'Malley is the real deal, BJP looks settled, Gardiner and Keith Higgins are definite starters. That's four from six, Heaney should regain his form and then you have guys like A Higgins, G Mullins, J Kilcullen all in the shake up.

Full-back still far from solved however. If its horses for courses then you could see Kilcullen on the bigger men but if sharper and faster men are at full-forward Liam O'Malley could be the man.