Where will SAM rest in at the end of Sept??

[In the Onion Bag]

My gut says and my semi final money will be on the first ever All Leinster final with Kildare shading it narrowly. 

Reckon its worth €30 anyway.  What would be the odds?

[Farrandeelin]

Down, because of their Croke Park tradition.

[borderfox]

Really hope Kildare do it though if I was a betting man id have to say Cork

[leenie]

 Down and cork all ireland with down winning.

tyrone and cork in the minors with tyrone winning

[45 metres]

I think it is Cork's to lose right now.

[full moon]

She left Albert Square quite a while ago...

[Capt Pat]

I don't like saying it is Corks to lose. They are not that good. Better to say it is Corks to win. They have the best midfield, strength in depth in a numbef of areas. No great players but a lot of good ones, so if anyone gets injured or suspended they can be replaced.

The Dubs will wun if they beat Cork. I can't see Down or Kildare winning out this year.

[donelli]

In his fire engine 

[balladmaker]

Cork by a country mile, followed by Kildare in second place.  Reckon Kildare will do a job on a Down team already well into bonus territory.

[ardchieftain]

Cork by a country mile  !!!! ?
and you base this on what exactly ?

[Banana Man]

How is it Cork's to lose?? I don't understand this shite talk about how great they are, they were very poor yesterday and couldn't beat arguably the poorest Kerry Team in a decade.

As for Down in bonus territory, catch a grip, Down have never lost an all-ireland senior final, played five won five, if Down beat Kildare which they more than likely will then Sam is on his way back to the mournes

Any word on Early's injury? Massive blow to Kildare if he's out but midfield is where Down are excelling at present and it could spell big trouble for Kildare

[mylestheslasher]

I thought Cork at the start of the year but something doesn't look quite right to me and my gut is now telling me Kildare are in with a real shout but they will get nothing easy against Down. I would not be suprised if Dublin beat Cork - I'd rate that game 50:50.

[Tony Baloney]

How is it Cork's to lose?? I don't understand this shite talk about how great they are, they were very poor yesterday and couldn't beat arguably the poorest Kerry Team in a decade.

As for Down in bonus territory, catch a grip, Down have never lost an all-ireland senior final, played five won five, if Down beat Kildare which they more than likely will then Sam is on his way back to the mournes

Any word on Early's injury? Massive blow to Kildare if he's out but midfield is where Down are excelling at present and it could spell big trouble for Kildare

"Bonus territory" this year you clown, not in the entire history of Down GAA! Wee James himself said he didn't see them going as far as beating Kerry this year. They've been hit and miss (more miss) this past few years so, yes they are in bonus territory!

[AZOffaly]

What a great weekend of football. Where does it leave us now in terms of the ultimate destination? I don't know, but it is certainly a lot more interesting than in almost any year since 2003 when you just knew in your gut that either Tyrone or Kerry were going to be taking Sam back with them in September.

I tipped Kildare to have a big year this year, but through the front door, rather than the qualifiers. They have to sort out the malaise affecting them at the start of the game, you can't be giving teams head starts every day without it coming back to haunt you. Kildare have scoring forwards, good options in around midfield, and a defense that has come to terms with all attacks they've face, bar Louth, eventually. It looked like they were going to get roasted by Meath, but a couple of changes, and a bit of re-focus, and suddenly it was shut down city.

Dublin are probably the one team that is sneaking in under the radar, but all that is going to change now. When you see empty seats at a double header including Dublin v Tyrone, you know expectations were low in the capital. PAt Gilroy had a crisis of confidence in his system back at half time against Wexford, but after the MEath game he decided to get back to what he had planned all year, which to make Dublin hard to score against first, and worry about scoring yourself later.

Cork have meandered through, but the last 20 minutes there against Roscommon had the feel of Kerry's last 20 minutes against Antrim in Tullamore last year. After that game I turned to a fella watching the match with me and said 'That could be the making of Kerry', and this year I got the same sense watching Pearse O'Neill powering through and burying that goal. That might be 'the' moment for Cork, but I still think that they are weaker than they have been for the past 3 years, and ironically this may be the year to do it.

Down. Great to see. Long timers on here will be aware of my oft-stated fondness for the Mourne men, and with my Kerry connections this weekend was a no lose situation. I was chatting to Declan O'Sullivan on Saturday night, and they had no complaints at all on the day. Down were impressive around the middle, and when the game opened up, they showed what dangerous forwards they have, in the Down traditiion of movement, skills and accuracy. I do think that Down's defence might be a little suspect if they come under pressure, it was looking ominous there when Kerry clawed back the 1-3 to 0-0 to 1-3 to 0-4, and could have been 1-4. That would concern me if that was replicated against any of the remaining teams.

The two semis will be very interesting games, and I'm looking forward to them. Kildare and Down should be a good open game, with huge importance being put on the middle third. If Kildare can win around there, I think their forwards will be able to score enough to beat Down, but if Down can ensure at least parity there, I think they can win it.

Dublin - Cork will be an interesting tactical battle. I think you'll see Cork trying their tried and tested strong physical running game at the heart of Dublin, while Dublin will try to suffocate them, and get the ball quickly into Brogan and O'Gara. I think Shields or Canty will handle O'Gara though, and while Dublin have had no pressure on them so far, with Kerry and Tyrone gone, and Tyrone at the hands of Dublin, suddenly the 15 year famine is within reach, and that will bring it's own pressure for a young team. The one think Gilroy does seem to have done with the Dubs is remove that paralysing inbuilt pressure, and it will be interesting to see if they can cope when external pressure comes on from the media and fans.

All in all it is fascinating, but if I had to pick one team that has momentum, scoring forwards, and freedom to express themselves, I think I'd go for Kildare.

[Dinny Breen]

All in all it is fascinating, but if I had to pick one team that has momentum, scoring forwards, and freedom to express themselves, I think I'd go for Kildare.