'Something ominous' in the way Dublin are grinding out results, says Eamonn Fitzmaurice
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Eamonn Fitzmaurice reckons there is 'something ominous' about the way Dublin are grinding out results as they face into a crunch All-Ireland quarter-final encounter with Tyrone next weekend.
And Fitzmaurice says he 'wouldn't be surprised' if there was a shock in either the Meath versus Galway game or Monaghan's encounter with Donegal.
The former Kerry All-Ireland winning manager also believes 'team to beat' Armagh is 'the right game' for the Kingdom after last year's All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Kieran McGeeney's side.
It was already known that Kerry would face Armagh, but this morning's draw threw up a huge tie in the shape of Dublin against Tyrone.
Tyrone comfortably defeated Dublin in the League earlier this year, but Dessie Farrell's side are coming off back to back Championship wins over Cork and Derry, while they also defeated Galway in Salthill with a last gasp Tom Lahiff point.
Surprisingly, it's the first time they've won back to back games since February 22, when they followed up a one point Division 1 win against Kerry in Tralee by comfortably disposing of Derry at Croke Park.
Dublin also left Con O'Callaghan out of last weekend's victory over Cork, and didn't even call on him when it got tight.
O'Callaghan was forced off injured in the win over Galway, missed the Armagh defeat and returned to spark Dublin to victory over Derry.
Speaking on RTE radio after the draw, Fitzmaurice said: 'The Tyrone/Dublin game is obviously going to be a massive game. The last league game, Tyrone beat Dublin above in Healy Park and played very well.
'It's kind of a fresh Tyrone team coming in against a Dublin team that had a couple of weeks (of games).
'Dessie took the risk of keeping Con back last weekend, a key player, and it will probably pay off for them now, because the Dubs with him are obviously a different team.
'There is something ominous about the Dubs at the moment. They are grinding it out. They are showing a different side to themselves, but they are getting the job done.
'Tyrone are coming fresh to Croke Park as well and they have forwards that are capable of doing a lot of damage up there.'
Speaking about the Kerry/Armagh game, Fitzmaurice continued: 'It's a game that certainly the Kerry players and management would have been waiting for all season. Maybe they wouldn't have expected to have gone through the preliminary quarter-final.
'They have a few injuries and everything else, but there are no excuses from here on in.
'Armagh are obviously the team to beat at the moment, but that opposition is right for Kerry and certainly the way they played (against Armagh) in the league game in the middle of March, it kind of inspired them to go to new levels.
'I'd be hoping from a Kerry perspective that it will be something similar next weekend.'
Fitzmaurice says that Donegal could have done with a week off. Jim McGuinness side have played more Championship games that anyone else their year.
This weekend's encounter with Monaghan will be their ninth, while their opponents will be playing just their sixth game.
Donegal, Kerry, Galway and Dublin are all facing into their third game in two weeks.
'In some circumstances I think it is (a disadvantage), but not for Kerry to be honest,' said Fitzmaurice. "I think they needed the game, particularly with the way they played against Meath the previous weekend.
'They were better off having a game and flushing it out of their systems and getting ready for next weekend.
'Some of the other teams, Donegal in particular, could possibly have done with a weekend off, considering the amount of games that they've played recently.
'I actually think the Cavan game was good for Kerry and hopefully it will have them in a good position.'
Donegal defeated Monaghan in the Ulster quarter-final back in April, but there were only two points in it at the end.
'Gabriel Bannigan (Monaghan manager), after that game, he was very disappointed with how Monaghan had played in the first half,' said Fitzmaurice.
'They were six down at half-time, but they played very well in the second half. Again, you have a team coming with energy versus a team that are slightly fatigued, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was a shock somewhere along the line between those two games in particular (Donegal v Monaghan and Meath v Galway).'
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