Before looking ahead to the league finals, we should probably cast our mind back to events on Super Sunday – which one could nearly call the real league finale.
We had thrilling finishes in Division 3 and Division 4, where Wexford had a Troy Parrott moment at the death to nab promotion against Westmeath, and Longford came back from the dead to somehow beat Wicklow.
In Division 2, two former big hitters – we could call them ‘waking giants’ – Meath and Cork confirmed their return to the big time.
After a tense afternoon in the top tier, Dublin fell through the trapdoor in Salthill.
It’d be hard to say that they didn’t deserve relegation. Certainly, when compared with Armagh, whose presence down there in that relegation battle was a bit of a mystery, when you consider some of the football they played.
For the Dubs, it was a tale of two halves again. Last Sunday’s game showcased once more the strange inconsistency that’s plagued them in this year’s league.
They’ve had a funny spring. They’ve had periods when they looked like they cracked it. The first halves of the last three games, in particular.
Then, at other times, they’ve looked ragged and panicky, whether being blown out of it at midfield against Armagh, or blazing dreadful wides in the second half the last day.
For those of us who still have trauma from the 2010s, watching this flaky inconsistency from the Dubs is a bit of a culture shock.
Back in our day, the main feelings whenever you played them was “f**k sake, these boys are just always on it.” Whether it was a floodlit league game under drizzle in March or an All-Ireland final in September, they were nearly always the same purring machine.
Nowadays, they’re a ball of unpredictability. Energetic one minute, sluggish the next. Efficient at times, then wasteful at other times.
Con O’Callaghan and Niall Scully leave the pitch after Dublin’s loss to Galway
They had a whirlwind start in Salthill and were 0-04 to 0-00 up before the crowd had even got their bearings. I had actually thought things were going even better for them until I realised that the wind in Pearse Stadium was blowing in the opposite direction to the way it usually goes.
There was clearly an edge to their play, given what was at stake, and this probably spilled into ill-discipline at times. Ger Brennan’s own sending off probably typified that.
It wasn’t captured on TV but I heard Maurice Brosnan in the Irish Examiner say that at one stage Eoin Murchan tried to wrestle Rob Finnerty over the halfway line to engineer a breach. (I may check with Eamonn Fitzmaurice but I presume the officials would not be awarding a free to Dublin in this instance.)
I did laugh when I heard that and I do admire the ingenuity. Though, on another level, it spoke of some desperation.
On one level, it’s a good thing that they were capable of being as narky and aggressive as they were, as it showed how much fight is still in the squad.
But it also cost them ultimately. In retrospect, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne’s red card was a key moment. Galway started to get a real stranglehold in the middle third in the closing stages.
Cian Hernon came storming into the game and with the extra man, they seemed to find it even easier to work opportunities for Finnerty.
Then Dublin’s shooting really deteriorated in the second half, albeit the conditions probably didn’t help. Con O’Callaghan was lively when he came and set up the goal but he was one of the biggest culprits, missing a couple of two point efforts and a single. Perhaps, we can give him a pass on account of match sharpness.
Brennan said afterwards that relegation wasn’t the end of the world. That’s definitely true. They’ll step down to the Ulster championship 2.0 in Division 2 next year and there’ll be no shortage of competitive games.
It’s certainly no great tragedy – provided you don’t get trapped down there for too long. With Dublin no longer the force they were and Derry and Tyrone still stuck there, it may not be as straightforward to escape as it was three years ago.
Everything that’s happened in the league has increased the intrigue around the Leinster championship. Now for the first time in yonks, we have a Leinster team in Division 1 and it’s not Dublin.
At the present time, Meath are probably favourites. The evidence of the spring is that they’ve strengthened further after their breakout season last year. One question mark is whether the fact that they haven’t won Leinster in so long might weigh on them.
Going in as favourites to a potential game against the Dubs might pose a different psychological challenge as well (we saw the Rossies didn’t exactly thrive in that scenario a few weeks ago).
Robbie Brennan’s Meath have strengthened further in 2026
Then, you’ve got Louth, the actual Leinster champions, who are on a serious roll and seem to be playing with a degree of fire in them, that they didn’t get enough respect for being the defending provincial champions. They could easily turn over the two big rivals.
Maybe, it’s my 2010s sensibility – or trauma – but I find it hard to count out the Dubs entirely. There are still some of the best footballers in the country in their ranks. But they’re facing into an uncertain summer – and beyond.
League final prognosis
In this interviews, Jim McGuinness hasn’t really done much for the marketing of the league final. The “we’re not that bothered” comments from a couple of weeks ago probably won’t be used in any promotional material for the game.
But I find it hard to believe they’re going to lie down in a national final against Kerry in Croke Park – especially when you consider the context of last year’s All-Ireland final.
I’d expect a lively encounter but Jack O’Connor’s Kerry don’t seem to lose league finals. That bulletproof aura that we said above that Dublin had lost? Kerry seem to be developing it more and more.
The league could hardly have gone better for them and with their forward firepower, I find it hard to see that Jacko won’t add another league title to the mantlepiece.
Jack O’Connor will be eyeing up yet another league title
Division 3 is probably the most important game of the weekend, given it has big implications for the Sam Maguire line-up. Kildare’s relegation means there’s only spot available for Division 3 team’s from this campaign. The shape of the provincial draws this year also make it unlikely that a team from outside the top two tiers will break into the Sam Maguire race via that route.
Wexford are on the crest of a wave after their viral grandstand finish last weekend. Down’s loss was neither surprising nor significant seeing that there was nothing on the game for them.
Down blew a Division 3 final a couple of years ago, meaning they stayed in the Tailteann that year (they ultimately won it). Conor Laverty’s side played some exceptional football last summer and we’re one of the most improved teams.
If they’re switched on, Down should complete the job and nail down a provisional spot in the Sam Maguire competition.
Division 2 and Division 4 have the feel of more ceremonial games. Carlow topped the bottom tier and looked on a fast-track to promotion at one stage down there before a couple of wobbles. I’d make them favourites against Mike Solan’s Longford.
As for the second tier, it’s a throwback seeing Meath and Cork tussle in Croker. It’s been a long road back for Cork. We played a part in their relegation back in 2016. We beat Down on the last day, while Monaghan also won to send Cork down on six points.
It was unfortunate circumstances to go down but, in truth, Cork were already on the slide by then, which was borne out in years to come. It’s been a long road back but huge credit to John Cleary and co. The Derry game was a shocker but otherwise, it’s been a terrific campaign.
Though they lost in Páirc Uà Rinn, I’m slightly more convinced by Meath’s form and credentials, though the Division 2 final is never the most stressful of games.
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