Precious little to choose between Na Piarsaigh and Cushendall

Croke Park, 2.0 – Live, TG4

It is the lot of Antrim champions to be perennially under-fancied when it comes to the springtime dealings of the club championship. It happened to Loughgiel four years ago when they were underdogs in both semi-final (coincidentally against Na Piarsaigh) and the final against Coolderry and they came through both times. Cushendall don't have to look far for motivation here.

The general assumption that they’re mere cannon fodder seems more than a little patronising, especially given that they have just as much history of making All-Ireland finals as Na Piarsaigh, ie none. If they were coming up against an established All-Ireland powerhouse, you could make a case for the lop-sided nature of the previews and the betting (Na Piarsaigh 1/3, Cushendall 3/1). But the Limerick side are just as new to Croke Park on Paddy’s Day as they are.

On top of which, Cushendall’s semi-final trouncing of Galway side Sarsfields must go down as impressive form. They held the Galway champions to 1-1 from play all afternoon and were much the more coherent side in a second half where they outscored Sarsfields by 2-8 to 1-1. It’s hard to shake the feeling that you could have switched the two semi-final results and Na Piarsaigh would be coming in here getting lauded for their ruthlessness.

As it is, the Limerick side had to lower the bucket right to the bottom of the well to find the goods to overcome Oulart the Ballagh in their semi-final.

It took extra-time and a couple of helpful refereeing calls going their way for them to come through.

They are more fancied because they have bigger intercounty names than Cushendall. But there is really damn little between them and if the Limerick champions do get across the line, it will be more likely down to grit rather than glitz.

Verdict: Na Piarsaigh