Four things to watch for in the NFL this weekend
Peter McNamara looks at what fans can expect from an intriguing weekend of football in the Allianz League.
Bernard Brogan replaced Cormac Costello at half-time in Fitzgerald Stadium last Sunday and if he starts against Tyrone tomorrow night he could light up Croke Park.
Everybody is aware of Brogan’s excellence, of course, yet, he stripped sharper in the face of the All-Ireland champions than he has seemed for quite a while following a number of niggling and frustrating injuries throughout the last few campaigns.
Brogan, arguably the most lethal inside forward in the country at full tilt, registered 1-2 and may tear Mickey Harte’s full-back line apart at headquarters.
Both of these sides have not been the most disciplined thus far, in the eyes of match officials anyway, and it will be interesting to see which approach referee Padraig Hughes takes to controlling matters in Letterkenny.
Traditionally, of course, Ulster derbies have tended to be tempestuous affairs.
However, it is heading towards the business end of the league now and accruing points is obviously to the forefront of minds.
Were any player or players to be dismissed for their respective team, it could be costly longer-term and not just on Sunday.
Cork blitzed Kerry in the league last year winning 2-18 to 1-11 in Tralee and finished first in the regular season of the Allianz NFL Division 1 campaign while Kerry avoided relegation in sixth place.
And yet, by the time the rivals met at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the Munster final, Kerry had tweaked their gameplan sufficiently to ensure they departed Leeside on provincial final-day having orchestrated a 12-point victory.
However, the signs are Cork have learned defensive lessons in the interim.
This meeting may provide evidence of that theory.
If Brian McIver is seeking to find the true worth of his full-back line on Sunday comprising of Oisin Duffy, Niall Holly and Dermot McBride then he sure as hell could not have picked a more ruthless opponent in Mayo.
That particular triumvirate will be under huge pressure at Celtic Park, assuming the westerners’ offensive unit retain their ridiculously potent standards.
Mayo have registered 2-11, 1-7 and 3-15 in their three league outings so far and on the occasion they scored 1-7 the Connacht champions hit a notable 15 wides against Tyrone.
