Tyrone loss could end up being a positive

The further away from the Tyrone game we get, the more positive I’m becoming. I’ve even come to think — in the grander scheme of things — that defeat wasn’t all that detrimental to our chances of progressing deep into the All-Ireland Series.

This new championship structure is already proving to be a fantastic addition. Three of the four games last weekend made for terrific viewing. The peak of the competition will come in a couple of weeks when we’ll have eight mouth-watering fixtures, four of which will be knockout games.

By the time you read this, our opponents in Round 2B will be known. Whatever way the cards have fallen, we have a realistic shot at winning the next game. Yes, Kerry in Killarney is the one everyone wants to avoid. Anything else gives us a serious opportunity to get back on track.

The Tyrone defeat could end up being a positive. Look at them. They’ll face a really tough assignment whatever way the draw goes. Imagine getting Armagh or Donegal away. In the event they lose that game, they’ll be out a week later against a team who have won their Round 2B game. That’s the kicker.

Playing a week after a defeat is a notoriously difficult proposition in championship football. Remember Clare in Salthill in 2016?

If we can get back up and running with a win in this next game (against Monaghan), we’ll enter Round Three then with momentum and face a team coming off the back of a defeat only a week earlier. The prize on offer will be a place in the quarter-finals. The pathway is there for us. We just have to walk it.

Will we do it? I’m feeling positive in that regard. We’ve hit performance levels this summer which are up there with the best teams in the country. So much so that an away fixture in the Kingdom is probably the only one you’d be really concerned about.

Much of the beauty of this All-Ireland Series now is that there is a raft of teams playing at a similar level. Put Armagh, Donegal and Kerry at the top of the pyramid. Throw a blanket over everyone else.

Put simply, and this has been said many times over the years, we just want to see teams of a similar level playing against each other in meaningful matches. That is what we are now getting, by the bucket load.

On Saturday, Cavan and Westmeath were on GAA+ at 5 p.m., the same time as the Champions League final. Had this been two years ago, I’d have been very tempted to watch a good chunk of the soccer game.

Now, in this new game, you can’t take your eyes off it. In the 70 minutes, I flicked twice to see how Arsenal were doing — each time when there was an injury holding things up in Mullingar. It’s another measure of how good Gaelic football has become that soccer is very hard to watch by comparison.

GREAT MOMENTS

Each contest over the weekend was lit up by great moments. Who is this Conor Casey guy who came on in midfield for Cavan? He was superb. He hit an outstanding two-pointer after fielding a kickout himself. Then he hit an even more outrageous score near the death to help push the game into extra-time.

Unfortunately for Casey, it was he who was dispossessed in the build-up to the goal which sealed the deal for Westmeath in extra time. It was a terrific tackle by John Heslin, which forced the turnover. It was one of many good examples over the weekend of the value of tackling high up the field.

The next match on Saturday evening, Armagh and Derry, wasn’t nearly as exciting, mainly because Derry couldn’t come close to matching Armagh’s scoring efficiency. They had enough possession, but weren’t nearly as slick as their Ulster rivals.

The standout moment for me was the wonder-goal scored by Tiarnan Kelly for Armagh. It was as sweet a strike as you’ll see. It was another great example of the benefit of the advantage rule — he took on the low-percentage shot knowing he had earned a scorable free anyway.

Louth probably produced the performance of the weekend in defeating Dublin. That last-minute leap and fetch by Ciarán Byrne was spectacular. It feels strange to say it when thinking of their dominance only a few short years ago, but there’s a real feeling that there’s now a soft under-belly to this Dublin team. If you keep in the game with them for long enough, they’ll eventually wilt.

The final game of the weekend, Mayo versus Monaghan, was a strange one. Have Mayo recovered from their crushing defeat against the Rossies in Castlebar? They looked slicker in attack anyway. Their shooting was superb.

Yet, as good as they were up front, they were woeful at the back. They offered up chance after chance to Monaghan. The only problem was that the Farney men had a bad day in front of the posts.

There were a few highlights in terms of great pieces of skill. Mayo had some brilliant two-pointers, especially from Kobe McDonald and then Ryan O’Donoghue. Jack McCarron had the best double of the day though, with a delicious dummy, which sent two Mayo defenders the wrong way, before stroking the ball over in the second half.

It was a great score, but was bettered again by a fantastic goal by Bobby McCaul for Monaghan, with a great fetch and finish after two super kick passes took the home side the whole length of the field.

I think most of the teams in Round 2A will fancy their chances if they are drawn against Mayo. Monaghan are a similar proposition to Mayo in many respects. You’ll get chances against them, but you better put them away when you can because they have a knack of hanging in games and coming with a late surge. An improvement in their scoring efficiency is definitely required if their summer is to continue.

Of the other losing teams, Derry are the most interesting for me. They are dark horses. They do a lot right, but their basic ball handling and shooting just aren’t where they need to be.

That can improve quickly in teams, and I’d imagine that’ll be their focus in the next fortnight. If there’s to be another big upset to come in this championship, don’t be surprised if Derry cause it.