Dublin hoping to benefit from last year's experience

GAELIC GAMES/Dublin v Tyrone: AN EXCITING final is in prospect between a novel pairing, neither of whom have previously won the Martin Cup. Dublin will be wary. This has happened before. Having lost agonisingly to Mayo, the ruling power, in the 2003 final and returned a year later to take on new and inexperienced opponents in Galway, they lost by even more and never re-emerged.

Last year’s near miss on ending Cork’s drive for five gives Gerry McGill’s team the advantage of experience. But, like Galway six years ago, Tyrone have blazed a fiery trail to tomorrow’s final, most obviously by ending Cork’s pursuit of a sixth successive title in a late goal blitz but equally effectively by coming back to secure a narrow replay win over Kerry.

Their lively, attacking play, spearheaded by Gemma Begley and Jolene Donnelly, will pose a major challenge to Dublin, whose defeat of Laois in the other semi-final was characteristically solid and resilient.

They had to fight in arrears for a long time before Lyndsey Davey’s goal wrested back the initiative and Sinéad Aherne closed out the contest.

There wasn’t much between them in the league match and it promises to be close again tomorrow. But Dublin can exert enough pressure at centrefield to inhibit their opponents and that, combined with a high work rate, can bring the first senior title to the capital.

DUBLIN: C O’Connor; R Ruddy, A Cluxton, M Kavanagh; S McGrath, S Furlong, G Fay; D Masterson (capt.), N McEvoy; M Nevin, A McGuinness, L Peat; L Davey, S Aherne, E Kelly.

TYRONE: S Lynch, E Teague, M Kelly, S McLaughlin (capt.); M Donnelly, N Woods, L Donnelly; S Donnelly, S Quinn; C Donnelly, G Begley, A O’Kane; C McGahan, S Connolly, J Donnelly.

The difference between the counties’ league status is expected to count here with Division Two winners Donegal looking to bounce back to senior status after just a year against high-scoring Waterford from Division Three.

DONEGAL: R McClafferty; D Toner, O McCafferty, K Wilson; C Hegarty, M Herron, T McCafferty; A McDonnell (capt.)), K Guthrie; G Houston, N Hegarty, K Feeney; E Ward, Y McMonigle, G McLaughlin.

WATERFORD: A Jordan; N Dunphy, G Enright, L Hogan; L Ryan, M Foley (capt.), M Wall; M McGrath, E Power; G Keneally, M Ryan, L Wall; M Delahunty, S Ryan, A Wall.

Limerick have looked the most likely winners throughout the championship and can confirm their favouritism in the first match.

LIMERICK: C Murphy; M O’Brien, S Healy, A Neary; E McGuire, Y Moynihan, P Donnelly; E Enright, S Larkin (capt.); J Garvey, M Flanagan, C Reidy; J O’Gorman, D O’Brien, MC Curtin.

LOUTH: C Breen; A McGee, S Quinn, G Lynch (capt.); P Marmion, AM Lynch, S McDonald; O Kirk, R Heeney; S Byrne, K Flood, S Lynch; M Reid, AM Murphy, C Page.

All-Ireland Intermediate final: Donegal v Waterford, 2pm All-Ireland Junior final:

Louth v Limerick, Noon