Anything is possible for Mayo and the rest

The debate over whether this iteration of the football championship is the best we’ve seen in the modern era is a difficult one to settle, but there’s one thing that does make this year special. And it’s this: every single team in the quarter-finals this weekend has a genuine chance of reaching an All-Ireland final.

This summer has been different and, because of the unpredictable nature of things to this point, it presents an enormous opportunity for the teams left standing.

For Mayo and Galway, they need to seize this moment and make the most of how things have opened up.

The draw on Monday morning threw up a very balanced looking set of fixtures, with Louth and Monaghan's tie a particularly novel pairing that will accelerate the hype in both counties this week.

Cork will be tricky opposition for Mayo and they're very difficult to size up. The Rebels have a high ceiling and possess a huge two-point threat, which means Mayo’s defence will have to press that little bit higher on the likes of Steven Sherlock. Around the middle, they have a mobile and physical presence where Colm O’Callaghan may be poised to return this weekend after his suspension.

But, for all of Cork’s ability, they lack consistency. Their win over Donegal was highly impressive, but their display against Kerry in the Munster Championship was anything but. Indeed, even against Limerick in the early part of the campaign, they played superbly in the first-half before dropping out of the game after half-time. They attained promotion from Division Two in the league, but collapsed in their away fixture against Derry where they conceded 1-31 and lost by 20 points.

In an overall sense, it's absolutely incredible how the narrative has shifted in the space of ten days.

Donegal, after their hammering of Kerry, looked unbeatable. Since that Killarney display, they’ve been beaten in back-to-back fixtures by one team that was in Division Two (Cork) and another heading there next season (Dublin). That Donegal’s season is over before the quarter-finals is a major shock.

Armagh were installed as many people’s favourites for the outright prize after their Ulster triumph and subsequent business-like defeat of Derry. Enter Sam Mulroy and Louth to derail the hype train, before Kerry applied a knockout blow with devastating efficiency in Killarney last Saturday.

The men from the Kingdom are now odds-on to retain Sam Maguire and it’s hard to argue it’s not theirs to lose. But remember, this is a team that shipped two hammerings in the space of the last three months to Donegal.

The calculation is relatively simple over the next month. If Kerry play to their maximum, they will win the All-Ireland. But don’t for a second believe other sides left in the competition think they’re unbeatable. In this new world that Gaelic Football finds itself in, no one is unbeatable. And Kerry haven’t shown enough good form in this championship just yet to suggest this is going to be a cakewalk.

That’s why Mayo and Galway need to go for broke and believe ahead of next weekend that anything – anything – is possible over the next six weeks.

Mayo have to believe that they can ride the crest of a wave fuelled by Saturday’s comeback win over Meath. Andy Moran’s team got somewhat fortunate in that Meath were harshly reduced to 14 men when Ronan Jones got his marching orders, but they still had to apply the pressure on the scoreboard. That wave of momentum they generated turned a very average looking side into one that’s capable of taking big scalps in the coming weeks.

Mayo were always able to generate that sort of momentum under the old rules and it was what they thrived on. Under the new rules, momentum is an even more precious phenomenon. In Croke Park, that can take you a long, long way.

There’s a sense from the Mayo camp that they have the tools to thrive in the environs of Croke Park. But they need to go there and play with a real purpose and vigour, going direct and testing the mettle of the opposition by using the pace at their disposal, instead of the more pedestrian style they adopted in the opening half last Saturday evening.

All of that being said, if Mayo are in a good position, Galway are in a better one. This has to be their time.

They’ve been to two All-Ireland finals and lost. They’ve dominated the province and they’ve remained highly competitive in Division One. There’s only one box left to tick and they have all the tools to realise the dream over the next month.

To make it happen, they need to keep their key players fit and, on that score, so far so good. Damien Comer may not be able to play a full 70 minutes, or even a full half, but his impact in the final 20 minutes could be crucial. It almost was against Roscommon and against Westmeath, in the face of a real comeback, he came and plucked the crucial last kickout.

Galway now need to display a ruthless edge. A case in point was last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Meath, a game in which they struggled but still found a way to nudge themselves in front down the closing straight. Yet they still allowed Meath to regain the lead and, eventually, win the game. Galway need to display a killer instinct if they are to land the big prize.

Defensively, there’s a lot to like about Jack Glynn and Johnny McGrath’s ability to tag key opposition forwards and Cian Hernon has filled the gap left by Sean Fitzgerald at full-back. Similarly, John Daly’s return to fitness has given them a solid option at centre-back, who is also able to play that quarter back role in delivering quality ball to one of the most talented forward units in the country.

Their opponents this weekend, Dublin, will be on a high after last weekend’s defeat of Donegal, but how will the bodies be after the extraordinary effort required in extra-time? Galway should have enough to get over the line.

This has been one of the great football summers – and it’s only going to get better.