Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

With close matches in the football championship making up for the lack in overall quality, it’s been a very entertaining summer, writes Emmet Moloney...

The recent lack of quality in the football championship has long been compensated by a common mediocrity which sees a kick of the ball between plenty of teams. It hasn’t really been the case in any hurling much this year and it doesn’t really promise to be the case until the hurling final. We hope.

It is with this in mind that we look ahead to a weekend in Croke Park of the big ball. Big days out for Roscommon, Donegal and especially Limerick. Although all of those teams have played in Croke Park recently, it is still a novelty and a thrill for them to be there on the big day. As it should be. As the championship is designed to be.

The first of those for the shredder is Roscommon. The Rossies were poor against Mayo but naturally were still in the game to the last breath. They meet the qualifier juggernaut that Tyrone can be. Surely no upset here. The winners will play Dublin and that should be an end to either of them.

The Connacht men have made recent progress but have been a little bit flat this year. Only the most optimistic could see them overturning Tyrone on Saturday. To do so, everything must go right from the start. Goals must go in and players must play with a freedom that Connacht teams haven’t managed in Croke Park for some time.

Mickey Harte’s squad, on the other hand, can look drab in this and still win comfortably. That’s what will happen. Of the four games down for decision this weekend, this is the only one that isn’t on live television. This mightn’t be a bad thing.

Donegal and Kildare is the Saturday evening top-of-the-bill encounter and rightly so. There will be people from the Guinness Book at this match because the world record for the amount of hand-passing in one game is sure to be beaten. No matter. This game should offer attractive fare.

Kildare are my new favourites for the All-Ireland because of the spirit and sheer physical effort they put into every performance. They won’t win Sam Maguire, of course, but they are guaranteed to put their supporters through the ringer before September is out. They are worth following. Probably the most honest team left in the race, the team that beats them will earn it.

Will it be Donegal? Here’s the rub: these two have similar game plans and similar objectives. Defend in numbers without the ball and travel in numbers with the ball. There is a deliberateness about both sides and where’s the harm in that? Traditionalists in football who call for the return of the catch and aimless kick are ignoring the modern physical make-up of football teams. Super fit, super fast and super strong, the modern inter-county football team are entitled to have a strategy to protect the ball when they get it. Both Donegal and Kildare do the basics well. They apply the claustrophobic treatment without the ball and they attack in waves with it. They are both fond of the hand-pass.

You’d suspect that Kieran McGeeney is a bit further down the road with his team than Jim McGuinness is. Kildare are well travelled and Croke Park suits them while Donegal placed a lot of eggs in the Ulster title basket. This has the makings of a fascinating contest. The vote goes to Kildare.

On Sunday, I fear for Limerick and Mayo. Kerry and Cork are their foes and both are only dying to get at each other in the All-Ireland semi-final. The Rebels have never beaten Kerry in Croke Park and, until they do, there is a stain on their copybook.

The Rebels, on the other hand, are All-Ireland champions, so the Kerrymen will want to put that record straight. Not to mention their inconclusive Munster final in Killarney. These two have always had history and the recent stuff has a bit of an edge to it.

Why are we talking about the two of them and looking past Limerick and Mayo? Because neither realistically has a chance. Cut it out and put it up on the dressing room wall if you want, but Limerick had Kerry at home this year and couldn’t raise a gallop against them. It’s an All-Ireland quarter final and it’s Croke Park – all neutrals will be hoping they do themselves justice, but they are up against it.

They have shown great fight and heart getting past Offaly and Wexford, no mean feat for the footballers of Limerick, but this is a step too far. What a pity that their talismanic warrior John Galvin isn’t around to rattle the Kerry midfield because with him Limerick carried a threat in previous meetings in Killarney and the Gaelic Grounds. But that threat is gone.

This time last year Kerry were ambushed by Down. That won’t happen this Sunday. Three first-half goals for Limerick and we can start to dream, but it’s not going to happen.
Gooch and Co won’t kill themselves, but this game will be over by half-time. We wish it weren’t so.

Mayo are the only potential fly in the ointment to a completely routine Sunday for Kerry and Cork. And that potential is small. They will be helped by the lack of expectation, The Sunday Game talk about Cork and the outside, remote, very unlikely event of Cork taking them for granted.

One of these days, and I’d love to be there to see it, Mayo will deliver when their supporters actually expect it in Croke Park. Like they did when beating Dublin back in 2006. Until then they can only beat Cork if they kick about two wides, take every green flag opportunity and the right option all the time. It’s too tall an order. Cork will win very well or just plain ugly. Either way, they will win. Sunday could be a very damp squib in Croke Park.

It’s that time of the year again. The time of year when we need a Roscommon, a Limerick or a Mayo to cause the shock and shake up the football championship. It won’t happen this weekend.

Is there any hope? Well, we’re most certainly due a draw in the football championship!To catch Emmet's latest column, get 'The Irish Farmers' Journal' every Thursday...