1. All on the line in clash near-neighbours
Reigning Laois champions Portarlington look to defend their crown against fierce rivals and neighbours O’Dempseys on Sunday at MW Hire O’Moore Park. The last time they faced each other in the decider was 1963 when O’Dempseys won out 2-5 to 2-3.
Portarlington are on a quest for three in a row. Their semi-final was a nail-biting one-point victory over county titans Portlaoise. In injury time, Kieran Lillis looked to have scored a crucial goal only for an outstanding Scott Osborne save.
That Scott Osborne save from Kieran Lillis in the Laois Senior Football Semi Final between @PortGAA and Portlaoise with commentary from @moore_tomas and Padraig Clancy for anyone who missed it or wants to see it again @LaoisToday @SmallerFishGAA @willocallaghan pic.twitter.com/QxzyLtFoph
— Brian Ramsbottom (@TheOneRam) September 25, 2022
O’Dempseys have only tasted senior county success twice in their history, the last coming in 1980. Less than five kilometres separate the clubs and the end of a 42-year wait or a treble is on the line. What more could you want from a county final?
2. Dublin hurling heats up
Parnell Park hosts both semi-finals in the Go Ahead Dublin senior hurling championship this weekend as Kilmacud Crokes play Ballyboden St Endas on Saturday while Cuala take Na Fianna on Sunday.
Holders Kilmacud have gone undefeated this year despite the significant change from the 2021 final. Just seven of that side started in their quarter-final triumph. They face a seasoned Ballyboden who secured a four-point win in a highly entertaining quarter-final clash with Lucan Sarsfields.
On Sunday, outright favourites Cuala meet last year’s beaten finalists for the second time this year. In the group stage, Na Fianna lost out 1-25 to 2-15. Cuala were without Con O’Callaghan and Sean Moran for that tie.
But Na Fianna had their share of absences too. The Currie brothers did not play while Paul O’Dea went off injured. Colin Currie is back and in form, fresh from hitting 1-4 against St Vincents in their last outing. The prospect of O’Callaghan tussling with Liam Rushe is another intriguing game within the game.
3. Familiar faces seek more glory in Galway
In 1998 and 2001, John O’Mahony and Stephen Joyce were on a management ticket that secured Galway All-Ireland SFC titles. The duo are still going strong in the county.
After a hugely disappointing 2021 campaign, John O’Mahony was appointed as manager of Salthill Knocknacarra last December. They went on to win four of their five group games this summer, at times playing some superb football.
Intercounty players Tomo Culhane, Cathal Sweeney and Robert Finnerty are all in form while the likes of midfielder John Maher have put forward a strong case to be recalled to Padriac Joyce’s set-up. Maher made his Galway debut in the 2020 league when Mayo ran out 15-point winners and has been a crucial figure in the Salthill engine room this year.
That game is part of an eagerly anticipated Saturday doubleheader. It is followed by a repeat of the 2021 decider with Mountbellow-Moylough taking on Corofin.
Meanwhile, O’Mahony’s former selector Stephen Joyce has led CLG Oileáin Árann to back-to-back Galway intermediate semi-finals in the past two years and they are at the same stage again on Saturday when they Kilconly in the first of this year’s semi-finals at Pearse Stadium.
4. Heavyweights collide in Wicklow
The Wicklow football county final sees Baltinglass take on St. Patrick’s in Aughrim, with the game streamed live on Wicklow GAA TV.
The sides are two of the top three most successful clubs in the county. Baltinglass are set to compete in their third final in a row, just once in the past ten years has a county final taken place without either of these teams featuring.
Kevin O’Brien is the manager of Baltinglass. Wicklow’s only All-Star, O’Brien oversaw the county minor’s run to the Leinster semi-finals in 2018 and was over their U20s last year. As a player, he was part of a dominant club side that won an All-Ireland in 1990 and is now looking to herald another golden age as a manager.
5. Loman’s look to launch again
In TEG Cusack Park on Sunday, St Loman’s go in search of their third county title in a row in what is their eighth successive final. A stretch of dominance that has failed to reap Leinster club success. They came closest in 2017, going down by a single point against Moorefield.
Last year the club, who can call upon intercounty stars like John Heslin, Ronan O’Toole and Sam McCartan, set out with the goal of winning a county title and reaching a Leinster final.
They hadn’t competed in the province since 2017 but a slow start proved costly as they suffered disappointment in the first round against Portarlington. Victory this week would provide another opportunity for a Leinster campaign.
Not that they will carry any complacency. Their opponents, The Downs, last tasted success in 2005 but the sides last met in the group stage with where Loman’s were well beaten.
To their credit, Westmeath GAA have done their part to build the hype. The game is available to stream while the county organised an up-for-the-game preview event at the Annebrook House Hotel on Friday night with current and past players.
