Beasts circling as Big Four ready for final hunt

RTÉ News​

17-05-2025

So now we know.
At the start of the season, we were all in the dark with the most open All-Ireland field in years and a brand-new game. Not so much now.
Now there is unanimity in recognition that there are four big beasts in the competition. As the old king of the jungle appears mortally wounded, Kerry, Galway, Donegal and Armagh are the lions stalking their prey.
Galway
Last year's beaten finalists are back and in rude health. This being Galway, rude health means only two of their main men are injured.
The form of goalkeeper Connor Gleeson and the size they can call on across the middle gives them a serious platform on kickouts. Defensively they have one-man marking magician in the form of Johnny McGrath whose reputation as the death knell on good days out for forward is now well established.
They have running power in the form of Dylan McHugh, Sean Kelly and the likes of John Maher who has to be one of the most effective players in the country in his role as selfless midfield battering ram.
Up front, shorn of their star men, they have still been hitting high notes or, rather, long notes. Of the top teams they are by far the keenest to let go from distance and in Paul Conroy have probably the best proponent of that art in the game.
Galway's key questions are threefold; Can they get the key men back and incorporate them seamlessly? Will they cope with the fierce, tactical arm wrestle that will come from Armagh or Donegal? And possibly the biggest one of all, can they get themselves across that winner's line?
That famous fine line between success and failure only seems to grow each time you try and fail to cross it. They need only look up the road to see a sorry tale of near misses. Their story is yet to be written but it really feels like it's now or never.
Kerry
Kerry, in a very un-Kerry like way are letting us know that they are very content with themselves at present. League and Munster champions without having their full team on the pitch and rules supposedly returning us to traditional football of those worn-out Golden Years videos. It's a long way from the usual yerra's from the deep south!
Defensively they are okay and will be strengthened if Tom O'Sullivan can get regular games. Their midfield has been under the microscope in recent years, so the emergence of Joe O'Connor with the returning Diarmuid O'Connor is a real boon.
But as ever, it is up front where the real Kingdom riches lie. Paudie and David Clifford, Seanie O'Shea, Dylan and Paul Geaney. Without question, it is the best attack of the top four. On paper anyway.
Kerry's challenges though are not insignificant. Firstly, that defence. It looks functional, but not blessed with the same number of top-class man-marking killers of joy that the other three have.
Their love for the kicking game and goals is beautiful, effective and plays well with the purists. Will it beat the pragmatic defence the likes of Donegal or Armagh will surely bring when it is so well sign-posted? Have they a plan B?
I don't think they win an All-Ireland without one and, potentially crucially, will their group give them the sort of stern examination that they need ahead of the big battles that lie in wait?
Donegal
Jimmy McGuinness. Michael Murphy. Ulster Titles. Yep, Donegal are contenders and are riding the crest of momentum that is eerily familiar to their 2012 triumph.
Their ruthless focus on the important tasks was clear for all to see when they pulled up the horses and forewent a national league title so not to disrupt their preparations for Derry.
It was shown again in the Ulster final, where they had shored up the defensive holes that Derry and Down had both exposed. Donegal have been closer than any of the other top four to full strength. This means there is less surprises to come, but it also means they have less work to do to get their balance right and allows them to drill down into the issues as they arise.
And there are a few. Their attacking quality is open to question or at least its form is. Paddy McBrearty, Oisin Gallen, the O'Donnells, Jamie Brennan all are serious players, but none are consistently performing to their best at present.
At least two of them need to hit top form if that All-Ireland is to be won. On top of this there are queries regarding their shyness in getting goals and the worrying fade-off in the second half of the Ulster final where they twice lost significant leads.
Armagh
The shimmering silver of Sam Maguire sitting in the cabinet usually says it all. Instead, it has taken Armagh's continued excellence to dispel the notions of fluke associated with last year's triumph.
Go back to this time last year and how many thought they were even contenders? Yet this year they are stronger. New players have emerged - Tomás McCormack, Callum O'Neill and Darragh McMullan, while old players have been reborn e.g. Ross McQuillan, Oisin O'Neill and Stefan Rafferty.
For these reasons I don't buy at this notion that have only half their starters from last year. The strength of their panel is such that if you swap a player in or out, the team's level is the same.
In fact, those players coming in are hungrier with a point to prove. Win-win for McGeaney. The one player that can shift the dial walked with a kit bag into Clones last week- Rian O'Neill is made for the new rules. Size, skill and shooting range he genuinely has it all.
There are questions for Armagh, namely shooting efficiency and lack of goals. They are not terminal issues, but they are niggles that will need addressing. The kickout failures in the first half against Donegal can't be happening again and they will need to develop their ability to chase the game rather than sit in their defensive arc.
Get to work on these issues and a potential back-to-back title can be landed. Something none of their fierce rivals in Ulster have done since Down in the 60's. Oh, how they'd enjoy that!
The scene is set for the big beasts and the final hunt. I can just hear David Attenborough's hushed tones as they ready themselves to pounce. The game has rarely felt more alive.