Sunday’s GAA preview

The fixtures

NHL Division Two Final Clare v Wexford Sunday 5pm (live on TG4)

NHL Division One Final Cork v Galway Sunday 7pm (live on TG4)

Connacht Football Championship Galway v New York Sunday 9pm (GMT)

Cork v Galway

After the shadow boxing that took place in the clash between the counties a fortnight ago when both had already qualified for the league decider, it’s time to get down to the real thing with a Division One title at stake. Given the hurling pedigree of both counties, it is an amazing statistic that this will be the first time they have met in a Division One league final but that hasn’t stopped there from being some memorable encounters between them over the years.

John McIntyre has made thirteen changes from the side that faced Cork in Pearse Stadium with only Joe Canning and Andy Smyth surviving in the starting XV. Tony óg Regan will man the centre of the defence, meaning John Lee must be content with a place on the bench.

Denis Walsh has made eleven changes to the Cork side and will hand the inexperienced Eoin Dillon the unenviable task of marking Joe Canning.

Giants Michael Cussen and Aisake Ó hAilpín have both occupied the full forward berth at different stages during the league campaign, but it’s Ó hAilpín that’s given the number 14 jersey this time around with Cussen starting further out the field at right half forward.

No doubt McIntyre and Walsh will both deliver predictable platitudes before and after the game about how the league pales in significance to the championship, but they should remember that last year’s epic final was contested by Kilkenny and Tipperary, who also went onto the contest the All-Ireland decider last September.

The table doesn’t lie and both of these sides are in the final on merit, having impressed during the league campaign. At the end of a bumper day of sport on Sunday, this could be the best of the lot.

Cork: D Óg Cusack; S O’Neill, E Dillon, B Murphy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Óg Ó hAilpín; T Kenny, L McLoughlin; M Cussen, K Murphy, C Naughton; B O’Connor, A Ó hAilpín, P Horgan.

Galway: C Callanan, D Joyce, S Kavanagh, O Canning, D Barry, T Óg Regan, D Collins, G Farragher, D Burke, A Harte, C Donnellan, A Smyth, D Hayes, J Canning, I Tannian.

The odds:

Cork 1/1, Galway, 10/11, Draw 10/1

JOE prediction: With Joe Canning around, anything’s possible, but we have a slight inkling that Cork will complete a football and hurling league double.

Clare v Wexford

The Division Two decider features two teams who feel that they should be competing higher up the ladder, but with only one promotion place on offer, one of these teams will be back hurling in Division Two next season.

It’s a situation that has irked Wexford bainisteoir Colm Bonnar, who justifiably feels that losing finalists should also gain automatic promotion, but that’s a matter for another day. In Thurles on Sunday, the additional prize of promotion should serve as extra motivation to both sets of players.

Clare went through Division Two unbeaten and dropped only one point after drawing with Bonnar’s men earlier in the campaign. They have delayed naming their team until tonight (Friday) as manager Ger O’Loughlin awaits news on the fitness of centre back James McInerney.

Wexford trio Paul Roche, Keith Rossiter and Darren Stamp have all shaken off injuries and are fit to line up in Sunday’s decider, which will serve as the curtain raiser to the Division One final between Cork and Galway.

Wexford (SH v Clare): N Carton, P Roche, K Rossiter, C Kenny, R Kehoe, D Stamp, M Travers, H Kehoe, C Farrell, A Shore, E Quigley, D Lyng, R Jacob, S Banville, P Atkinson.

The Odds:

Clare 4/7, Wexford 13/8, Draw 10/1

JOE Prediction: Sparrow’s Clare side to maintain their unbeaten record and leave Wexford languishing in Division Two for another campaign.

 

 

Galway v New York

The Tribesmen travel to the Big Apple for Joe Kernan’s first championship match in charge as Galway manager. Kernan couldn’t have asked for an easier opener, for although the Exiles will put it up to their more illustrious opponents, as they always do in Gaelic Park, anything less than a Galway victory will be a shock of epic proportions.

Newly appointed captain for the year Michael Meehan misses out and in his absence Joe Bergin will captain the side. Padraic Joyce returns to the side after limited involvement in the league campaign while there are championship debuts for Eoin O Conghaile in goals and Eoin Concannon in the full forward line.

Galway: E O Conghaile; K Fitzgerald, F Hanley, A Burke; D Meehan, G O’Donnell, D Burke; B Cullinane, N Coleman; G Sice, F Breathnach, J Bergin; E Concannon, P Joyce, N Joyce.

The Odds:

New York 20/1, Galway 1/500, Draw 25/1

JOE Prediction:

It’s inevitable isn’t it? Galway to come away with a comfortable victory.