1. Tyrone don’t get caught in an upset
Since Tyrone’s last All-Ireland title in 2008, Mickey Harte’s team have won two Ulster titles and competed in four of a possible five All-Ireland quarter finals.
While their ageing team has been unable to replicate the highs of years gone by, they have been consistent. The only five teams to have beaten them in the five seasons previous to this summer were Dublin, Mayo, Donegal, Kerry and Cork.
Furthermore in their eight qualifier games since 2008, they have won seven. So as Louth come to town on Saturday the chances of an upset seem very unlikely. While Tyrone may not be the team they once were, they remain ferociously consistent and once more you’d imagine it would take one of the big teams to beat them again this year.
2. Louth like their wee expectations
Louth manager Aidan O’Rourke questioned his team’s ability to cope with a favourites tag after their fifteen point thrashing at the hands of Kildare earlier this month.
Off the back of a poor league campaign, losing five and drawing two of their seven Division 2 games, the Wee County went into their opening round clash with Westmeath with little belief in them outside the camp.
A convincing win over Westmeath though left many considering Louth causing a further upset against Kildare in the quarter-final, but within fifteen minutes Louth trailed by 1-7 to 0-3.
Similarly a year earlier an impressive first round victory over Laois was followed up by a disappointing loss to Wexford. So if we’re to go on what their gaffer is suggesting – as underdogs against Tyrone – surely we should expect a big performance from Louth today.
Aidan O’Rourke: “I’m always a little wary, during the week that there was a feeling that this was a game we were going to win and maybe last year going in to the game against Wexford there was a similar feeling.”
3. Westmeath to get a win?
Westmeath are facing a winless 2014 season if they cannot get one over on Cavan in Breffni Park today. Competing in Division 1 of the league will no doubt stand to this young panel, but seven losses from seven games was not an ideal preparation for the Leinster championship campaign this year.
A disappointing loss against Louth now means that a team containing the likes of Dessie Dolan, John Heslin, Dennis Glennon and Ger Egan face a miserable championship exit before the start of July.
4. How good are Waterford?
It’s hard to know where exactly Waterford team are at. They have been on the receiving end of some terrible results in recent years while also producing bright qualifier displays.
After losing out to Kerry in last year’s Munster semi-final by 4-21 to 1-4, Waterford then brought Galway to within a point in the qualifiers in Salthill.
This year, after initially drawing with Clare, an early black card to midfielder Shane Ahearne in the replay killed of Waterford’s chances of a first Munster championship win in four years.
This weekend’s clash wih Carlow provides them with a fighting chance of picking up a championship win, and showing that they really are an improving team.
