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Allianz League talking points

Dermot Malone

Dermot Malone

There were some significant results in Round 3 of the Allianz Football League over the weekend, none more so that Monaghan's victory over Kerry in Killarney. 

That propelled them to top of Division One, with Galway, Louth, and Wexford leading Divisions Two, Three, and Four. 

Here are some of the main talking points from another entertaining weekend.

The Monaghan footballers are pound for pound champs

Monaghan’s superb win over Kerry in Killarney was yet another testament to the county's ability to punch above its weight when it comes to football.

They now top Division 1 of the Allianz Football League, which is a serious achievement when you consider Monaghan has the fourth smallest population in the country.

The county’s ability to maximise its resources is down to a number of factors.

For starters, their club programme is one of the best run in the country. Of the 18 League matches their senior club play, county players are available for all but four starred games.

The scheduling of fixtures is well-organised and they have a seriously competitive senior football championship.

All that produces good quality players, and the final piece of the jigsaw is that the county senior team itself is so well run.

Team manager Malachy O’Rourke is one of the very best in the country and he’s working with a seriously committed group of men.

This Monaghan side is ferociously hard-working, tactically shrewd, and they have a clutch of players like Conor McManus, the Hughes brothers, and the Wylie brothers who provide the sort of X-Factor that wins you tight games.

They’ve probably been too reliant on the score-taking of Conor McManus in the past, but there have been signs so far this year that the weight of responsibility on his shoulders is being eased.

Players like Jack McCarron and Gavin Doogan have been bedevilled by injuries for the past couple of seasons, but they’re now showing just how big an impact they can make when fully fit.

Monaghan are top of the Division 1 table on merit, and it’ll be difficult to budge them from it.

Donegal’s transition period may not be a lengthy one

Through a combination of retirement and unavailability, Donegal have lost Rory Kavanagh, Christy Toye, Neil Gallagher, Eamon McGee, Colm McFadden, David Walsh, Leo McLoone, Odhran MacNiallais, and Anthony Thompson from last year’s panel.

That’s a massive haemorrhaging of both experience and quality which is why it was reasonable to expect that Donegal might struggle for the next year or two to retain their status as one of the top teams in the country.

On the basis of their performance on Sunday against Dublin though, that period of transition may not be as painful or lengthy as might have been expected.

New kids on the block like Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Caolan Ward, Paul Brennan, Jason McGee, Micheál Carroll, Jamie Brennan, and Ciaran Thompson all stepped up to the mark to varying degrees against Dublin and clearly have huge potential as footballers.

Michael Murphy looks to be in the best shape physically he’s been for some time, Neil McGee, Paddy McGrath, and Frank McGlynn are still trucking impressively, while the cousins Ryan and Eoin McHugh continue to go from strength to strength.

When you put all of that together it’s a powerful enough cocktail. So even though this new-look Donegal team might be too inexperienced to win major silverware this year, their future looks very bright.

Niall Scully has made an impressive start to 2017 with Dublin.

Niall Scully has made an impressive start to 2017 with Dublin.

Niall Scully has grasped his opportunity with both hands

Niall Scully was given a chance to impress for Dublin in the O’Byrne Cup this year and made the most of it by being the team’s best player over the course of their winning campaign.

That earned him a place in the team for the Allianz League, and, once again, the Templeogue Synge Street clubman has shone.

He was Man of the Match in Dublin’s first game of the campaign against Cavan, performed solidly in Round 2 against Tyrone, and was their most dynamic forward in yesterday’s draw with Donegal, scoring 1-1.

Scully ticks all the boxes you want in a modern-day half-forward. He’s played much of his football as a defender in the past, and that nous means he has an instinctive understanding of where he needs to be and what he needs to do when the opposition have the ball.

And when he wins possession himself, there’s a really classy look to how he moves. Quite often he solos with one foot and then delivers the ball with the other, so he’s a consummate two-footed footballer.

And, as he’s proven consistently so far this year, he’s more than capable of clinically taking a score whenever the opportunity arrives.

Dublin already had a wealth of attacking weapons at their disposal, but if Scully can sustain this form he’s capable of being a regular in the side this year.

Nothing wee about Louth’s improvement

Louth must rank as the most upwardly mobile football team in the country at the moment.

Division 4 Allianz League champions last year, they’ve now won three games from three in Division 3 and are on course for successive promotions.

Team manager Colin Kelly deserves a lot of credit because last year he made the brave decision to put his faith in youth and promote a host of new players to the panel.

And the new-look team he’s built aren’t just winning, they’re winning in some style by racking up big scores thanks to the efforts of exciting forwards like Ryan Burns, Paraic Smith, Jim McEneaney, and Eoin O’Connor.

Big things are expected of other young players on the panel like Sam Mulroy, Ross Nally, and Kevin Carr, so Wee County clearly have the wherewithal to be keep getting better.

They’re currently the most prolific team in all four divisions with a scoring difference of +19 after three matches.

When you consider they were hammered 3-21 to 0-7 by Tipperary in the 2015 All-Ireland Football Qualifiers, the progress they’ve made since as a team is very commendable.

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