Dublin to put things right

Dublin to win but only if they get it completely right on the day. Gaelic football is all about hunger and Dublin captain Martina Farrell all but had the Brendan Martin Cup in her grasp last October. It would have been their first title so they have been fasting ever since.

Of course, on paper, Galway have a great chance to win their maiden title, and in doing so become the 10th county to win the women's All-Ireland on its 30th anniversary.

"They've just been willing to make whatever sacrifices they had to make to go all the way this year," said manager PJ Fahy. "The commitment has been fantastic. They've been a joy to work with, The hardest part, the part I absolutely detest, has been leaving players out of the 15 for the final. If our first 15 played our second 15 there'd only be a couple of points between them, there's such little difference between the players."

Fahy has still made two changes from the side that beat Mayo in the semi-final replay with Geraldine Conneally coming in at corner forward and Marie O'Connell in at corner back. Gillian Joyce and Fiona Wynne miss out.

Dublin manager John O'Leary is going with the same players that saw off Kerry in their semi-final, when a goal from midfielder Fiona Corcoran three minutes from time proved decisive. Before then they needed an injury-time goal in extra-time from Angie McNally to get past Donegal, last year's junior champions, in the quarter-finals.

O'Leary is exuding a typical Dublin confidence in advance of tomorrow but is only too aware of the Connacht champions' threat.

"They gave us a real footballing lesson that day," he said of the National League quarter-final defeat. "They hammered us. I'd fear them because they have no real superstars, in terms of Cora Staunton, Diane O'Hora and Geraldine O'Shea, so I'm not certain where the danger will come from. They have a good midfield, but I think they are dangerous all around the pitch."

Difficult to call but if Farrell and Corcoran can get the upper hand at midfield and open regular supply lines into Mary Nevin and McNally they should be able to overturn the earlier result. Galway captain Annette Clarke will have something to say on this matter but Farrell's team seem that much more determined.

DUBLIN: C O'Connor; S Farrelly, N Comyn, M Kavanagh; N McEvoy, L Keegan, G Fay; M Farrell (capt), F Corcoran; E Kelly, B Finlay, L Davey; A McCormack, A McNally, M Nevin.

GALWAY: U Carroll; M O'Connell, R Stephens, A M McDonagh; Y Daly, A Gilmore, E Flaherty; P Gleeson, A Clarke (capt); L Cohill, N Fahy, N Duggan; G Conneally, L Joyce, E Concannon.

Kildare and Sligo meet in tomorrow's junior final, with the Leinster side hoping to make up for defeats in two of the last three finals. Sligo, playing in their first final at any grade, are captained by Jackie Mulligan who is on a soccer scholarship at the University of West Georgia.

KILDARE: E O'Brien; M O'Brien, A Hughes, C Flanagan; A Lambe, A Holton, M Moolick; B Leahy, K Leahy; S Cannon, N Early, E Dillon; S Gilabert, T Noone, J Cunningham.