Donegal display All-Ireland credentials and more weekend GAA talking points
Monday 10 June 2019 19:09, UK
Following the weekend's GAA action, we take a look at the major talking points.
Donegal display All-Ireland credentials
Donegal blitzed Tyrone from the early stages on Saturday evening, and in truth the second half was just about keeping the Red Hands at bay.
Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty have class in abundance, and will cause problems for any defence this summer. But it was Jamie Brennan who did the damage in the first half.
Declan Bonner's side spent their springtime in Division 2 of the National League, and it looks like that stint away from the cut and thrust of the top tier has benefited them no end.
Should they retrain their Ulster title, they'll be in a Super 8s group with the Munster champions. Right now, it looks like Tír Chonaill could have a big say in this championship.
Leinster Football Championship continues to underwhelm
Many were reasonably surprised about Kildare's relative competitiveness against Dublin at Croke Park on Sunday, as they trailed by four points at the break before succumbing to a 15-point defeat.
Kildare seem to be alongside Meath as the Dubs' greatest challenge in Leinster right now, but the All-Ireland champions progressed to the decider without ever leaving second gear.
36,126 were in attendance at HQ, a significant dip on similar ties in recent years.
Is there a future in the provincial championships with one-sided games becoming so frequent?
Two managers bow out
Eight teams exited from the championship following the weekend's first-round qualifiers, and this led to two managerial resignations.
Liam Kearns and Paul McLoughlin departed from Tipperary and Wexford respectively, following losses to Ulster opposition.
Kearns' time at the helm will be fondly remembered in the Premier County, after he led them to an All-Ireland semi-final in 2016, and followed it up with league promotion the following year. However, they endured a disappointing 2019 campaign, suffering relegation and exiting the championship with losses to Limerick and Down.
McLoughlin spent two years in charge of the Model County, failing to register a championship win.
Cork click
Amidst all the talk surrounding Waterford's woes, the Rebels ruthlessly took care of business on Saturday evening in Croke Park.
John Meyler must certainly have been pleased with how the Rebels went about their task, and moved clear in the second half as they eased to victory.
It further underlined the Rebels' depth, as the bench made a telling impact. Conor Lehane, Tim O'Mahony and Shane Kingston all made a case for starting berths, and Cork look like they're in a good place ahead of their must-win tie in Ennis.
Clare knocked to the canvas
Waterford's subsequent form has put real context on Clare's opening day victory in Walsh Park, and right now the Banner look in disarray.
Clare failed to raise a glove against their two fiercest rivals in recent weeks, losing to Tipperary and Limerick by a combined 31 points.
For a team that came within inches of reaching an All-Ireland final last summer, they look nowhere near that level right now.
Of course, the caveat is that a win over Cork could possibly see them through, so they are by no means out of contention. However, they are facing into a week of introspection ahead of their Cusack Park date with the in-form Rebels.
Sky Sports' live GAA coverage continues on Saturday, June 15 with Leinster Hurling Championship action.
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