All Ireland Football Quarter Finals Preview

Success is falling nine times and getting up ten - Jon Bon Jovi

Cork versus Kildare
This encounter will be a hugely titanic affair. Cork and Kildare are two rather similar teams who have reached the quarter finals in completely contrasting manners.

Cork have entered the Championship on the back of another League success, their third Division One title in a row. The Rebels once again dispatched of Kerry in the Munster semi final by five points. They, hence, disposed of Clare with ease in the Munster final. The shadow boxing is now over though. Kildare should present a far tougher test for the 2010 All Ireland Champions.

However Kildare's championship journey has already been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. Having defeated Offaly by 13 points in the Leinster quarter final, they were overwhelming favourites to overcome Meath in the semi final.

As ever though, the Royals tore up the script and were deserving 1-17 to 1-11 victors. Since then Kildare obliterated Cavan, but were moments away from elimination as Limerick put them to the pin of their collar. Kildare powered through in extra time but were once again unconvincing in their victory over Sligo.

So what should we expect this coming weekend? I think Kildare will have to include the enigmatic Seanie Johnston if they are to succeed in the open spaces of Croke Park. They have been crying out for an out and out scoring threat for years and if ever they were going to start him why not now? They will also need Emmet Bolton to assume the mantle of being one of the best half backs in the country and hope something breaks off Tomas O'Connor.

It is also hard to predict how Cork's form will be coming into this game. They really haven't been tested in a very long time. I would expect Kildare to burst out of the blocks and throw everything they have at a rusty Cork in the opening exchanges.

Will it be enough? I do not think so. Cork are such a powerful team and are still narrow All Ireland favourites in my eyes. They will do enough to weather the Lilywhite storm and make the most of their purple patch when they need to. As ever with this Kildare team though, don't expect them exit the Championship scene quietly.

Dublin versus Laois

The biggest mismatch of the quarter finals? Certainly Dublin are favourites, but it was hard not to be impressed by Laois in their dismissal of Meath.

They had a clear game plan, stuck to it and were more than worthy winners. It was also good to see Ross Munnelly kicking some excellent points even if he was aided by  a strong breeze.

Some may say they haven't beaten any teams of note on their sojourn this season, but no Laois team of the last five or six years would have made it this far regardless of who they played in the qualifiers.

However it will take a monumental effort for them to defeat a Dublin side who have scarcely got out of third gear all season. In a sense they probably would have preferred a non Leinster side to get a greater indication of where they stand at the moment. They have only really put the foot on the accelerator when they have needed to.

They haven't been overly impressive thus far, but with key players like Bernard Brogan and Michael Darragh McCauley in good form you would have to expect Dublin to overcome a gallant Laois side with something to spare come the final whistle on Saturday evening.

Mayo versus Down
Both sides will look upon this as an ideal draw. Down would not have wanted to draw the reigning All Ireland champions and they certainly did not want to draw their bete noire of recent times that is Cork. Likewise I think Mayo will be content to avoid any of the big guns until the semi finals.

Down to their credit are one of the few teams who have defeated the dastardly six day turnaround of losing a provincial final but winning the qualifier the following Saturday. Down are an interesting team. The have quite a good underage record over the past decade and of course they reached the 2010 senior All Ireland decider.

Indeed they were a breath of fresh air that year. However it seems as if they still nursing the hangover of their success that year. Their victory over Monaghan was truly sensational, but that is the problem. It was out of the blue, a freak. Monaghan should have coasted home that day. Instead Down came back and won. Their prize was a royal trouncing by Donegal. One of the most one sided Ulster finals of the past decade.

Mayo on the other hand continue to progress nicely in a quiet manner. Two Connacht titles in a row may not mean much to the likes of the rest of the country, but winning is a habit and it is something Mayo are doing on a far more regular basis. Andy Moran continues to play like he is one of the best forwards in the country whilst Alan Dillon was also back in good form in the Connacht final.

Added to this they can also boast victories over Kerry, Dublin and Cork over the last 12 months. It is actually set up for them nicely to reach an All Ireland final should they overcome Down. Much has already been made of Dublin's "easy" draw to the All Ireland final. However there will be so little expectation on Mayo and Dublin will find it hard not to have one eye on another All Ireland final such is the expectation placed upon their shoulders.

That story is for another day though. First the Westerners must dispose of an inconsistent Down team. I think they will have too much and expect would Mayo to win by a margin of five or six points.

Donegal versus Kerry
Without question this is the tie of the round. Will Donegal be the team to place the final nail in this Kerry team's coffin or will the Kingdom dish out a lesson that befits all up and coming contenders. Whatever else happens it will truly be a memorable occasion.

It is hard not to be impressed by this Donegal side and their manager Jim McGuinness. It was only 2010 when a mediocre Armagh side thrashed them  by 2-14 to 0-11 in the early stages of the qualifiers. Fast forward two years and they are back to back Ulster Champions and one of the leading contenders to win the All Ireland.

Indeed they were pilloried for their "negative" tactics last year but you cannot argue with their results. Furthermore this year they have scored over 18 points in three of their four matches including their demolition of Down in the Ulster final where they amassed a staggering 2-18.With the likes of Colm McFadden, Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty in the forward line, they have plenty of ammunition. The evolution continues.

But what about Kerry? Gone, finished, cynical, their ship has set sail. It is hard to see them winning the All Ireland this year, particularly with the draw they have been handed. As all great teams find out, it is much harder to maintain consistency as time goes on.

That does not mean there is one more big performance in them though. Croke Park brings the best out of these proud warriors and knowing that this is perhaps the last chance saloon for a number of players makes Kerry all the more dangerous.

Added to that, when at full strength Kerry still have the best set of forwards in the country. They could do with Paul Galvin who played against Tyrone though and not the one who played against Clare. The addition of Darran O'Sullivan would add that extra bit of cutting edge to their samurai sword of an attack which is led by the deadly Colm Cooper.

This is a hugely difficult game to call. I think Donegal might shade it by two, but expect Kerry to put every last sinew of energy and effort on the line. This one should go down to the wire. Bodies will collide, blood, sweat toil and tears. Triumph, despair, agony and ecstasy. One of the most exciting weekends of inter county football in years awaits.