THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR CLASS

With this year's All-Ireland Championship about to get really interesting, the sides with the strongest benches have an ace up their sleeves heading down the back stretch

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WITH three minutes left of last Saturday's pulsating Championship match in Newry, Dessie Farrell turned to Nathan Doran and told him his time had come.

Now outside of Dublin GAA circles, Doran's name is largely unknown. The trend throughout 2025 has been for football people to talk about those who had left the Dublin scene rather than those who are there.

Doran had earned his stripes but being a 67th-minute sub in a game Dublin appeared to be home and hosed in was not the way to become officer class.

Yet that is what he became. After Brendan Rogers cut the gap from three points to two, Derry suddenly had a lifeline.

One shot was all they needed to secure a draw. Twice they went for it from just outside the arc. And twice Doran was there to strip possession away.

"He was immense," said Farrell afterwards. "For a fellow who's had such little experience, I'm delighted for him because he knew that he wanted this and he was chomping at the bit to get his opportunity.

"And I don't think there'll be two bigger plays from a rookie in this year's Championship than you saw Nathan deliver there."

Except there may well be because never before in Championship football have benches been as relevant.

That much was clear two weeks earlier in precisely the same area of the field in Páirc Esler when Down played Louth.

Only seconds were left on the clock when Louth's Tommy Durnin lined up an equalising score. “Adam Crimmins appeared from nowhere,” said Down selector Mickey Donnelly afterwards.

And that's just the point. Players like Crimmins and Doran are appearing from nowhere, getting their opportunities in massive games because of an intense schedule and also the increased pace of games under football's new rules.