An Dun v Corcaigh, Saturday 23rd July

[Dubh driocht]

Good news about the black shirts.
I got dog's abuse for saying it was a consideration when we did the post-mortem on the final but footballers ( and managers) are a superstitious bunch and this is no surprise.We will, of course, need a lot more than a change of shirt and Brendy Mc Veigh will be a central figure in helping us win possession. But I think he will.We have options in every sector and revenge is always a dish best served cold.

[Kerry Mike]

The Cork Senior Football team to play Down in the All-Ireland Football Championship Round 4 on Saturday at 6pm in Croke Park will line out as follows:

       1. Alan Quirke
      Valley Rovers

2. Jamie O'Sullivan   3. Graham Canty     4. Michael Shields
Bishopstown    Bantry Blues      St. Finbarrs

5. Noel O'Leary     6. John Miskella    7. Paudie Kissane
Cill na Martra     Ballincollig      Clyda Rovers

  8. Alan O'Connor     9. Aidan Walsh
  St. Colums      Kanturk

10. Fintan Goold   11. Patrick Kelly     12. Pearse O'Neill
Macroom      Ballincollig      Aghada

13. Daniel Goulding   14. Donncha O'Connor   15. Paul Kerrigan
Eire Óg       Ballydesmond      Nemo Rangers


Blame the Cork Langers GAA page for the lack of formatting , fecked if I am correcting their mistakes.

[CompulsoryTillager]

Not a hope our backs will line out as selected

[Mourne Rover]

Having lost AI finals (u21 and senior) by a single point to Cork in consecutive years while wearing the yellow jerseys, switching to an All Black kit cannot do any harm and might even send out a message of intent.  Cork are fully entitled to be warm favourites, but it is a fact that the Sam Maguire has only been retained once in the last two decades. On the 19 occasions out of 20 when the defending champions were beaten, very few people saw it coming. However, it is very tough to keep form and fitness where they should be in the modern game over consecutive seasons,  and Cork will be more vulnerable in the qualifiers than anywhere from the last eight onwards.

Down's performances until the final qualifiers were as ordinary last year as this time round, and there were at least some signs against Antrim that we are capable of making the improvements we need for Saturday night. If we can get a goal during our periods of ascendancy, which we failed to do in the league game last Spring and in the 2010 final, anything is possible.

Our defence remains an obvious concern, and James has a big call to make over Rooney. His form in the qualifiers has been poor, and he was all at sea at Casement Park, but he is an experienced player and a more than capable one on his day. If he is rested, the obvious move would be Brannigan to wing half with Rafferty returning at corner back. Rafferty has been out for most of the year but the word is that he is completely fit again and he has never let us down in the past. The tactic of switching McKernan on to the opposition's spare man at the back has worked pretty well, but Cork are more likely to go with a fairly traditional formation and McKernan cannot leave the gaps which Antrim were able to find in the second quarter last week.

James obviously sees an advantage in using Anton McArdle to do the running in midfield and allowing King to get in the tackles , but McArdle is still very raw at this level and there is a danger that he could find Croke Park a step too far in his first championship season. Fitzpatrick has looked more like himself coming off the bench in the last two games, and would be a safer bet.

Maginn has possibly his worst game for Down at Casement, and Hughes lacked match practice when he came on, but they are quality players when fully fit and,with Doyle taking another knock last week, they will both probably need to start. Clarke, Poland, Benny and Laverty should be automatic choices, and having McComiskey and Mooney in reserve gives us a range of options. The chances of Ambrose appearing must be slim, but we live in hope.

It is possible that Cork will blow us away from the start, but they looked more than a little hesitant for the first two thirds of their last game against Kerry. They know we have players who can hurt them, and even n a half empty stadium we will outnumber their support by four or five to one. If we are still in touch in the final quarter, we will be in with a big chance.

[NP 76]

Rooney plays his best when he has a man marking job to do . When he hasnt a specific man to mark he is at sea but as we saw last year he can mark anybody on his day .

[Tatler Jack]

Surprised Cadogan is not selected. Half back line suspect. Midfield will be tested and not the same replacement options as last year.

[DownFanatic]

Just like the week before last year's All Ireland Final I am in the same quandary. I genuinely dont know whether or not we are capable of beating Cork.

I thought the Final last year would be tight but I genuinely didn't believe we could win. I think Im leaning towards this thinking again. I hate being pessimistic but I dont feel that we can beat Cork on Saturday.

As expected we stepped it up a gear against Antrim and in the end we won comfortably enough. To defeat Cork we need to step it up another gear and then some. Whether we can muster this amount of progress in the space of seven days remains to be seen.

If the named Cork team is to believed then we are up against a heck of a challenge. My biggest worry facing Cork is their ability from set pieces. They will punish us big time for any indiscretions in the backline.

Our lineup should reflect an emphasis on our big game players. McVeigh in goals fronted by Brannigan, Gordon and Gerard McCartan. The latter three face a massive challenge against Goulding, O'Connor and Kerrigan. Id have Dan McCartan in for Brannigan only McCartan hasn't seen much game time of late and might be a bit ring rusty. Rafferty would obviously be in as first choice corner back but his lack of appearances to date is obviously counting against him.

Garvey, McKernan and Rooney would make up my halfback line. Rooney would be matched with O'Neill to try to negate his aerial influence while Id put Garvey on Kelly who I believe is Cork's best player. McKernan would then pick up Goold who is the least threatening of that forward line.

King will obviously lead the midfield and although many mightn't be keen on it Id throw Peter Fitzpatrick in to accompany him. Both lads should be hellbent on redeeming themselves from last year's AIF in that sector. Anton McArdle is far too inexperienced while Fitzpatrick has three AIF's under his belt at Minor, U-21 and Senior.

Selecting 6 forwards throws up a conundrum and thats why I think Wee James and Co will have a rotation system in place that will utilise all ten who are in contention. Id go for Poland at centre half flanked by Hughes and Clarke. Benny should be target man on the edge of the square with Laverty and McComiskey in the corners. Mooney and Maginn are quickfire options to fire off the bench if we need fresh legs to take the game to Cork. Doyle and Carr are also available if needed but this type of game mightn't be suited to their style.

We have enough in our package to go for a fully blown 70 minute humdinger with the Rebels. I hope to f**k im proved wrong but I think they might just be one step ahead of us.

[southdown]

Id love to see Canty on Coulter after canty's display in the Munster final

[MK]

How about Doyle at Centre Half Forward-stronger on the ball with a great pass albeit maybe not as mobile as Poland

[ardtole]

I have had more negative than positive vibes about the Cork game but the closer we get to Saturday the more confident I am getting. I remember watching Cork at this stage of the season last year and they struggled badly with Limerick and Roscommon. They have a few players out injured, like ourselves, but our main players seem to be on the mend and ready for some action. My biggest fear is that this game could be a week too early and another 7 days would have them in better shape.

In the all ireland last year, Cork were able to bring on Derek Kavanagh, Nicholas Murphy and Graham Canty. In any mans language that is a wealth of power, experience and 3 long careers of hurt and desire to eventually win an All Ireland. I thought they starved Down of posession when they were on the pitch last september. This year however Kavanagh has retired, Murphy is injured and Canty is starting, they will not have these 3 experienced lads to come on fresh and close the game out for them.

With the possibility of Down introducing Ambrose in the 2nd half and possibly mooney or McCommiskey (if he doesnt start and had a very good aif last year} the sub bench might be more beneficial to us this year. I hope so anyway.

[BarryBreensBandage]

Down played nothing in the second half of the AIF, won feck all in midfield and still only lost by a point.
So I agree with the posters that state that Cork aren't all they are made out to be.

70 minutes of hard football will beat Cork, but Down have to go at it from the start, no messin.

We will know after fifteen minutes whether they are up for avenging the previous U21 and AIF defeats.

[PAULD123]

I think energy and drive are the key components here. If we try to match Cork man for man then we will lose. The way to beat them is fro all the players to be constantly at them, never give them a moments piece. The question would be if we have enough stamina to last 70 minutes of that sort of high octane football.

Because of their reputation and obvious power, I feel Cork are used to teams backing off them to try and defend deep. So I reckon that the only option is to harry and hassle them. No doubt there is speed in our forward line if we can get turn over or dirty ball. We will have Mooney and McComiskey to come on so the forwards know they can afford to burn themselves out if they have to. Laverty is much faster than John Clarke ever was.

As someone else pointed out Cork's bench has always been wisely used. All season they have used Nicholas Murphy to replace a midfielder (normally Walsh). That allows Walsh to give his max and when he starts to tire they can replace him. They will not have that option on Saturday.

I don't know, we are still a 4/9 shot and probably deservedly so. Cork are in better form, they have the better track record, they have class all over the pitch, they are physically stronger, they are full of confidence, they have experience of fightbacks before and won them. I have to say hand on heart I think we will come up short (and I am far from a negative supporter). But we will be competitive and you just never know what happens with a lucky bounce or break of the ball.

I just hope the lads go out there and play it with the attitude Armagh did against us, getting stuck in and playing at 100% from the throw in. If they do that, then we won't be too far away.

[redandblackareback]

Down played nothing in the second half of the AIF, won feck all in midfield and still only lost by a point.
So I agree with the posters that state that Cork aren't all they are made out to be.

70 minutes of hard football will beat Cork, but Down have to go at it from the start, no messin.

We will know after fifteen minutes whether they are up for avenging the previous U21 and AIF defeats.

Mc Ardle is not ready for this level, although with Corks injuries they have to rely on O Connor and a unpredictable Walsh to put in big shifts. Introducing a new midfield in a now fully fit Ambrose and Fitzpatrick with 20 to go, replicating what Cork did in last years final could be key!

[bridgegael]

surely if ambrose was fully fit, he would have got game time against antrim.  so i'd be surprised to see him at all on sat.

[NP 76]

I feel the same about Ambrose myself Bridgegael . He would of been eased into games with ten mins building up 20 to a half  . It would be a serious ask to expect him to come on against Cork and be flying after almost a year out . We will have to rely on a mid fied ranging from nos 5 to 12 to stand any chance of winning this game not just 8 and 9