New ground for Tipperary and Tyrone but more of the same for Dublin and Roscommon
The EirGrid All-Ireland U21 football championship is probably our favourite GAA competition if we’re being honest. The grade is not only a wonderful stepping stone to senior inter county action, but eschews some of the negativity that can beset teams at the top flight.
Dublin V Tipperary, O’Connor Park; Tullamore Saturday 4pm
Dublin supporters travelling to the midlands this weekend make the trip west in confidence and why wouldn’t they?
The Leinster and All-Ireland champions are unchanged from the side that beat Kildare last time out even if Killian O’Gara is still missing through injury.
The Metropolitans are five in a row provincial champions, and have been favourites to retain their All-Ireland crown since the very beginning of the campaign.
They have amassed an impressive 7-46 on their way through Leinster, but a concern must be the amount of goals they have conceded,with a total of 6-29 registered against them.
David Byrne, Eric Lowndes, Shane Carthy, Cormac Costello and Conor McHugh all have senior experience, with a number of those players also present for Tipperary football’s high point of the last fifty years-the shock All-Ireland minor success of 2011 at Dublin’s expense.
Lowndes and Costello started that defeat, while Byrne and Scully were subs introduced on a day when the Premier County altered the football landscape.
We don’t expect too much of a psychological scar to be still present in Dublin’s case but certainly for Tipperary the fear factor of playing the boys in blue won’t be present. Colin O’Riordan, Bill Maher, Stephen O’Brien, Ian Fahey and Jason Lonergan survive in the Munster champions panel from that historic September afternoon.
In claiming only their second ever U21 provincial title this month Tipperary have proved that 2010 was no fluke, as they look to kick-on with growing confidence in the big-ball game in the county.
Colin O’Riordan is the jewel for Tipperary’s attack, but he is well assisted by Kevin O’Halloran who scored five points in the win over the Rebels earlier this month. Tipperary have played just two games to get to this stage of the season, beating Clare by 0-15 to 0-7 before their 1-15 to 3-8 win over Cork.
Tipperary ended Cork’s hopes of five-in-a-row in Munster, but face the toughest test of all this Saturday against Dublin, looking to upset the odds once again.
Even with the momentum that win over Cork generated, and the star power of O’Riordan and Jason Lonergan, we can’t see how Tipperary’s defence will hold out against Dessie Farrell’s side.
The Dublin manager should have his teamtalk well organised having seen his side lose a six point lead in 2011 against the Premier. That situation is unlikely to happen again.
Tyrone V Roscommon, Markievicz Park; Sligo, Saturday 6pm.Â
Roscommon come into Saturday’s game off the back of yet another impressive Connacht U21 success as they secured their fourth title in six years against Galway earlier this month.
Good underage work in the county seems to have been accelerated at senior level by John Evans and the Kerryman’s influence on the county’s underage set up is clearly evident.
The Rossies are the nearly men of the U21 grade over the last number of years, losing to Dublin in their most recent final appearances last year as well as 2012.
It has been their misfortune to come up against a county that is enjoying its old golden period of underage dominance in both finals which has denied so many very talented players their own Celtic Crosses from west of the Shannon
Judging Roscommon’s form going into Saturday’s game can really only be taken from that three point win over Galway earlier this month, after they hammered a sorry Sligo side by 6-18 to 0-12 in their semi final.
Clearly their goal threat is their most potent weapon as Diarmuid Murtagh rampaged to 1-6 against the Tribesmen to add to his 2-5 tally secured against Sligo,of which 2-3 was from play.
Tyrone for their part have come through arguably the toughest route to the last four having seen off Donegal earlier this month after wins over Fermanagh and Armagh by 0-17 to 0-7 and 2-12 to 2-8 respectively
Their emergence this season has ended the reign of Cavan as Ulster kingpins, after their incredible run of four provincial wins-in-a-row.
Defeating Donegal by a single point means they claimed the first provincial crown for the county since 2006.
The men from Glenties were hugely motivated having lost the previous two finals, but Tyrone always held the edge and managed to manufacture the last gasp point that sealed their 1-11 to 0-13 win.
Fears for Tyrone’s future should be allayed by players such as Lee Brennan and Daniel McNulty who between them scored 0-7 of Tyrone total earlier this month against Donegal. The Ulster won’t concede much either and a tactical battle could be on offer for supporters and players this weekend.
Roscommon’s senior advantage and experience of reaching this stage and further over the last number of years should stand to them. However Tyrone don’t get to All-Ireland semi finals to make up the numbers either.
There is pressure within the county on this group to give supporters disillusioned with the senior set up some hope as to future success heading north over the coming years. However that pressure may be a little misplaced this season at least.
Teams coming out of Ulster generally are more battle hardened than their opponents from anywhere else in the country, but this time we feel that the Rossies may prove too strong and experienced for their northern rivals in the beautiful setting of Markievicz Park
