Jason Sherlock Football Column - Aug 20

An All Ireland semi-final fixture of Dublin v Cork has a very special meaning to me.

I have vivid memories of one semi-final in particular. It cemented my "grá" for the Dubs and looking back at it now, it had a major bearing on where my sporting ambitions would lie. It might be a surprise to some but I am not talking about the 1995 semi-final although there's no question that day had its own significance.

I can still recall sitting in the Hogan Stand with my uncle Eddie for the 1983 All Ireland semi-final. There used to be seats at the very front of the stand over a little wall that were at the level of the pitch, I loved sitting there because you couldn't get any closer to the action.

With Cork leading by a goal and time running out, I remember Ray Hazley receiving the ball down in the old Nally Stand corner and crossing it over to Barney Rock. When Barney finished to the net, my despair turned to ecstasy and Hill 16 erupted like I had never seen before.

Unfortunately the replay was not such a pleasant experience for me as I was unable to attend. The replay that was fixed for Páirc Uí Caoimh coincided with our summer holiday to Butlins and despite my protestations, my mam forced me onto the train to Mosney! I remember phoning my uncle from the payphones in Butlins and being in tears as he told me of how the trip to Cork had been so good.

My uncle Eddie's description of how all the Dublin supporters' buses were cheered through towns on the way to and from the match and how the Dublin supporters behind one of the goals renamed the terrace "Hill 17" has never left me and in a lot of ways ignited my passion in the GAA.

I had the experience of my own "away" trip a few years ago when we travelled to Thurles to play Kerry. Despite losing out after a replay, the whole experience was special and it was pleasing to hear so many people say after that it reminded them of '83 all over again.

"Looking ahead towards the first of our semi-finals it is very interesting to see that all four teams have come through the back-door route meaning that no provincial champions represented."

There has been a lot of comment on how fair the current system is and I have experienced both sides of the coin. My view is that if some counties don't see winning their province as a priority, it devalues the merit of a provincial title. On that basis, the association has to ensure that winning a provincial title is as important to a team as it always has been.

It has been a great feeling being able to look forward to this game as a Dub knowing that Dublin have finally beaten one of the "big three". Their victory against Tyrone was based on work rate, intensity, being clinical and a fair share of luck going Dublin's way. However it would be foolish to get too carried away as Tyrone were uncharacteristically wayward in front of goal.

To me the turning point was just before half-time when a Martin Penrose effort came back off the bar and Sean Cavanagh's point attempt was blocked down by Barry Cahill. One wonders whether Dublin would have had the same belief if Tyrone had gone in at half-time in front.

Cork rarely showed the form against Roscommon that have made them All-Ireland favourites. Although always comfortable, it wasn't until the last 20 minutes or so when a combination of fatigue in the Roscommon players and the physicality of the Cork players kicked in and they ran out comfortable winners. Cork demonstrated the depth of their squad again with all their substitutes making an impact.

"It is great having so much versatility but who do Cork go to in the last 10minutes when they are looking for a score?"

If you look at all the other big teams they have a couple of forwards that you know are going to get the scores at the business end of a game. The likes of the Bernard and Alan Brogan, James Kavanagh and JohnDoyle or Benny Coulter and Martin Clarke are all instrumental figures but my big reservation about Cork is whether they have players like these that they can depend on.

"Like most games, the big key to this game will be the midfield battle."

If Dublin get on top in this sector they will have the opportunity to put the Cork defenders on the back foot and they will be forced to focus on defending. On the other hand, if Cork are dominant in midfield it will give their half back line a licence to burst forward and Dublin will have a difficult task in curtailing this. Cork are so versatile that their scoring threat can come from any outfield position on the pitch and a key-part to their game-plan will be the fitness of Graham Canty.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the last time these two sides met in a semi-final as 1995 evokes so many happy memories for all Dublin fans that are old enough to remember. In that first 20 minutes, Cork started at such a pace that it was literally hard to take a breath in.

The goal I scored that day was a testament to Keith Barr's quick thinking in taking a free immediately and putting it into a dangerous position in front of the Cork goal and Mick Galvin's unselfish running by taking himself and his marker away from the ball and leaving the space for me.

The goal itself seemed to knock the belief out of the Cork team and they were never the same threat for the rest of the game.

"I think Dublin's best opportunity for victory this Sunday will be to raise the green flag themselves and feed off the huge atmosphere and desire that the Dublin supporters will undoubtedly bring to Croke Park."

It is a very tight contest to call with both teams having a number of questions to answer. Dublin have to show that they can improve on their performance from the Tyrone game particularly when they have possession.Cork arrive to Croke Park on the back of some less than inspiring performances, their challenge is to show that they have another gear that we have yet to see so far. If there is going to be a winner this Sunday it may well be Cork but I think it might take another day to separate these two teams.

Verdict - Draw