Underdogs are improving...

Dazzler88

just think its great to see so many of the weaker counites doing so weel this year.I was delighted to see Wicklow winning on Saturday,only a few years ago they were one of the weaker teams in the country and it just goes to show with the right man(Micko) behind you anything is possible.It aslo makes the Championship more interseting,you get sick seeing the Kerry and Tyrone teams doing well all the time..The day of the Underdog is here.

blackbelt

If Wicklow,Roscommon,Antrim and Limerick are getting stronger,it should be no surprise given how each team has spent years and years in the doldrums.

I'm not one to discredit these teams and I know the good feeling that must be in these counties but one has to objectively look at each team and account for why and how they are here at this stage of the championship.

Antrim have a lot of players who are on the UUJ and St Galls team.Both teams have plenty of success and this year we are seeing these players bring some of that form to intercounty level on the Antrim team.They beat Donegal who are a strong side and then put a below average Cavan team away.They then succumbed to a Tyrone side who didn't get out of first gear.They are still there but I can't see them beating Kerry and unless they do,they will only be remembered for getting to an Ulster Final (poor province this year) for the first time since 1970,beating a good team in Donegal and a poor Cavan team.

Roscommon,who are usually long gone at this stage,had a good win against Leitrim in Carrick On Shannon.Carrick On Shannon is a bit of a fortress by a weak team like Leitrim but usually teams have to struggle to win there and Roscommon did that.They then go out and get annihilated by Mayo and have bounced back well to beat an injury struck Wexford team that are going backward.If Roscommon can beat Meath,they will then have to get past Limerick.Should they get past Meath and Limerick,it will only be then that they are considered a surprise package in the championship.I don't think they can beat both teams.Should they get past Meath,I'd give them a real chance then.

Limerick so far have beaten an extremely poor Clare team and an improving Tipperary team that could make some ripples in the next few years.They then pushed Cork all the way and could have won a Munster Final.However,they were only really in the final as they avoided Cork/Kerry in an earlier round and the fact is they didn't win the province.They have beaten 2 teams,one poor and one emerging,improving average team.Cork always struggle against weaker teams and Limerick had the chance to make them pay but didn't.I'd be confident that they could beat Meath again in the next qualifier.Up to this point,it is not surprising that Limerick are still here but they need another win to really get the momentum going again in Limerick.

Wicklow to me are the only team punching above their weight at the moment.They should have beaten Westmeath and with a bit more belief they would have.They have been taking Ulster casualties such as Fermanagh,Cavan and Down.All of these teams are a division higher than them in the National League and would be ranked higher than them in the championship pecking order.Micko has done wonders for Wicklow and they have a good forward line in Hannon,Glynn and co. In other years,they would have been gone but hopefully they can continue their story.I think Kildare on form will be too much for them but they beat them last year and will be confident they can repeat that feat again.Micko has some knowledge of the Kildare team too.

So in relation to the OP and the thread title,yes some of the underdogs are improving while some of them have beaten teams they were expected to beat.Some of them have beaten a good team that seem to be in decline but the stronger teams are winning their provinces and what I would have liked to have seen is Limerick or Antrim winning Munster and Ulster but it never transpired this year.

Het-Field

Im still cynical about purported improvements of the smaller teams. Granted,Roscommon, Westmeath and Laois have all taken provincial titles, I still believe the backdoor method has been of huge benefit to smaller counties.

Equally, it has made the likes of Meath look better then they actually are.

homerjay2005

every year, theres always 2 or 3 teams that do very well. this year its limerick, wicklow and antrim, its different every year. fermanagh, sligo, longford, have all had great qualifier runs.even wexford last year did great stuff.

in all fairness, limerick have been around for years, hammered meath last year and should have beaten cork this year and kerry in 2004. people dont realise that limerick beat cork in 2003.

but no doubt, the qualifiers allow some surprises each year, but given the size of the championship and the amount of games, there defo are always going to be good runs from teams.

i think the likes of cavan, down, roscommon, meath, donegal are not actually that good when it comes down to it and the gap between division 2 and 4 is non existent anymore.

K-9

Barring the top 7/8 teams, there isn't a lot between any of the rest. Antrim was just a matter of getting discipline sorted and commitment and pride back in the jersey.

I know people moan about the Qualifiers, but when you see scenes like Wicklow yesterday, it has been a God send for the GAA.

Sligo, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Donegal, Down, Wexford etc. have all had extended runs in the Championship that wouldn't have happened under the old system.

LeoB

The back door is great but there is no point in just resting on their laurels and being happy to take a scalp of a "bigger" county.

The danger as it goes on is one of these teams will get a severe hiding and it will put them back which I would not to see happening. Tyrone at full tilt yesterday would have trounced Antrim.

The important thing for Wicklow who are the weakest county left is to ensure Tony Hannon and Leighton Glynn and other players visit schools and clubs and encourage kids to play.
Club teams are fairly good in Wicklow and the other counties and this is where in time with the right structures in place they will become more competitive in the years ahead. Wicklow did have a 5 year plan a few years ago and it seemed to work and Antrim have good coaching structures in place. This summer can only be good for both counties. Alas I think this is where it ends.

grenache

While Wicklow and Antrim's improvements are a recent phenomenon, Limerick football has been on the up since the beginning of this decade. It can be traced back as far as 1995 when a football development board was established. We have made the final 12 of the championship four times this decade. Considering we were rated 30th out of 32 counties only a decade ago, this is huge progress. Were it not for a raft of retirements and player defections to the hurling squad around '06, Limerick would by now have a Munster title. Now with the younger players finally blending with the elder ones, I believe we are very near a major breakthrough, its merely a matter of time. You can only have so much bad luck. If we do not win a title within 5 years, i will be more than surprised. Its also a little bit disingenuous for people to say that Cork always struggle against weaker teams - they didn't struggle against Monaghan or Kildare in the league! It was Limerick's work rate and desire that made Cork look bad in the Munster final. And people saying Limerick were only in the final as we were kept apart from Cork/Kerry? Given the way Kerry are playing this year, had we gotten them at the GG in the first round, i think we would have taken them. No longer will we be the also rans in Munster, and with Tipp's continued improvement, there will be at least 4 competitive teams in Munster for the foreseeable future. Long may it continue.