GAA Football Championship preview: Can anyone stop Dublin?
By Sean McCarthy
Last Updated: 27/05/16 3:31pm
The 2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship gets underway this weekend, with games taking place in both Leinster and Ulster.
We take a look at the four provinces and ask whether anyone can stop Dublin from retaining the Sam Maguire Cup.
Connacht
Mayo will be looking to claim the Nestor Cup for the sixth time in a row and should have no problems overcoming London in the quarter-finals.
Roscommon, tipped by many as contenders this year, had the scare of their lives when they narrowly avoided defeat in the preliminary round against New York.
They face neighbours Leitrim in the quarter-finals and should perform to the standard expected of them. The winners will face Sligo in the last four, while Mayo will face Galway.
Both Mayo and Roscommon should get through to the final. The Rossies last won Connacht in 2010 but while they will keep within touching distance until the end, Mayo should retain their Connacht title and set a new record.
Leinster
It's not a case of who will win, more a case of how much Dublin will win by.
The Dubs have won the Delaney Cup for the last five years and 10 of the last 11 years, with only Meath's win in 2010 stopping them from being on the brink of 12 titles in a row.
Jim Gavin's men are not unbeatable but they are so far ahead of everyone else in Leinster they will not get properly challenged until the All-Ireland semi-finals, where they could meet Kerry.
The draw wasn't kind to Meath and Laois as they are on the same side as Dublin. However, in a rare move, the Leinster Council have moved Dublin's game out of Croke Park and they will face the winners of the Laois v Wicklow in Nowlan Park. This will be the Dubs' first game outside Croke Park since 2006.
Meath should see off the challenge of Louth, although the Wee County are still bitter about the controversial 2010 Leinster final defeat, and will face Dublin in the semi-finals. There is nothing a Meathman loves more than trying to beat the Dubs but in reality, the Royals are a shadow of their former greatness and Dublin will win in third gear.
On the other side of the Leinster draw, Kildare and Westmeath will be aiming for a Leinster final appearance.
Westmeath have had a terrible few years in the league, going straight down from Division One to Division Four in three years. However, they have some very good attacking players like John Heslin and Shane Dempsey.
The Lake County provided the football championship with one of the games of the summer last year with their first victory over rivals Meath. That got them to a Leinster final and they will have serious ambitions to get back there this season.
Munster
Apart from Clare in 1992, Cork and Kerry have shared the Munster title since 1936 and the draw sets up another potential final between the two heavyweights.
Munster champions Kerry have won the provincial title 77 times to Cork's 37 and it's hard to look beyond the Kingdom claiming a 78th crown this year. Cork are a shadow of their former glories and it looks like the fourth round of the qualifiers for the Rebel County.
Of the rest, Limerick should beat Clare but suffer defeat to Kerry. Tipperary, on form, will lose to Cork.
While Dublin will dominate in Leinster, it has only been that way since 2005. Munster has Kerry or Cork as title holders in 114 of the 127 years of the Munster Championship.
Ulster
Ulster football comes in for a lot of criticism but it is the only genuinely competitive province, with a number of counties capable of claiming the title.
Defending champions Monaghan should see off the challenge of Down in the quarter-finals and Donegal are expected to reach the last-four.
On the other side of the draw, Tyrone should overpower Derry and Armagh take the win against Cavan. In this semi-final, Tyrone have too much experience for Armagh and Donegal should send Monaghan into the qualifiers.
In the Ulster final, Tyrone have a great chance to add to their 13 provincial titles and win it for the first time since 2010.
The race for Sam
If Kerry and Dublin win their provinces as expected and get over a qualifier in the quarter-finals, it will be a repeat of this year's league final where Dublin destroyed Kerry.
It frightened some in the Kingdom to see how far ahead the Dubs were of their team but a repeat performance could be on the cards in this semi-final.
In the other semi-finals, Mayo should see off a promising Tyrone and get back to an All-Ireland final.
Mayo have always had the talent, and more coming through from the U21s to follow the path in recent years of Evan Regan, Diarmuid O'Connor and Paddy Durcan. These players do not look out of place alongside established stars like Cillian O'Connor and Aidan O'Shea.
Dublin are a machine addicted to progress under Gavin but winning the Sam Maguire is one thing, retaining it is a completely different objective to achieve. Donegal stopped them in their tracks in 2014. Tyrone and Mayo are the best equipped of the other teams to do it this year.
The tactics needed to win against them include pushing up and stopping goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton from giving quick short kick-outs to his backline. This allows Dublin to build an attack from the back, something they are exceptional at.
Mayo pushed the Dubs all the way to a replay in the semi-final last year and it looks like it could be a Mayo v Dublin final.
The Dubs are without Rory O'Carroll and Jack McCaffrey this season; they have been significant players for the Metropolitans.
Mayo have been labelled 'bottlers' in recent years. This is their chance to bury that and win Sam for the first time since 1951.
Who do you think will win the provincial and All-Ireland championships? Let us know using the comments box below if you are viewing on skysports.com. Alternatively you can tweet us @SkySportsGAA.
