Six days after the fall to Armagh in the senior semi-final, Tommy Lyons is hoping his Dublin under-21 side can go a step further and reach an All-Ireland final. To get there they must get past the side that have already picked up their third Ulster title in succession, and now seek likewise with the All-Ireland.
No county has been more consistent at minor and under-21 level in recent years than Tyrone. Though they have lost key members from last year's winning side - most notably midfielder Cormac McAnallen - there has been no slow-down in the emerging talent and this year's minor captain Dermot Carlin is among the newcomers already delivering at this grade. Current seniors Eoin Mulligan and Seán Cavanagh front the experience.
But, on this occasion, Tyrone look to have met their match. Lyons was quick to establish the key under-21 personnel in his senior side and five of the team that started last Sunday start this afternoon - goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton, defenders Barry Cahill and Paul Casey, midfielder Darren Magee, and forward Alan Brogan.
Last Sunday's defeat should act as a spur to carry Dublin into the final.
SATURDAY: Kerry v Galway, Ennis, 3.30 - Both teams are sprinkled with some established senior players, but one in particular could have the greatest bearing on the result: Colm Cooper. The 19-year-old from Killarney has been magically uncovered by Kerry this summer and is already viewed as their greatest prospect since Mikey Sheehy.
Cooper's talent is the biggest threat to Galway's hopes of coming through to the final, but they have a highly capable full-back line to deal with the roaming Kerry forward.
Led by senior Kieran Fitzgerald, the Galway defence certainly won't be daunted by Cooper's ability and if his scoring total is kept low then Galway have a strong chance of progressing.
Other established Kerry players like midfielder Séamus Scanlon and team captain Declan Quill will also have an influence further out the field but again, Galway have the strength to match it in senior players Joe Bergin and Matthew Clancy.
Should Cooper's influence be curtailed, Kerry, however, may still hold the winning ace in Tadhg Kennelly. Having just returned home from his Australian Rules season with the Sydney Swans, Kennelly is not named in the starting 15 nor the substitutes, but a vacancy has been left on the bench in the hope that his services may yet be utilised.
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
SATURDAY: All-Ireland senior semi-final: Waterford v Monaghan, Portlaoise, 3.30 - TWO counties that experienced great rivalry in the '90s meet again in the first of the All-Ireland semi-finals. Monaghan got the more thorough grounding in regaining the Ulster title, yet Waterford will ensure a tight battle.
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