If you attempted to pick a winner back in April, more than likely your horse is still running. De La Salle and Ballygunner are slightly favoured for this weekend's semis but by no means are they bolting clear of the field. An all blue county final wouldn't be regarded as a seismic shock. The fourth semi final meeting of the noughties between Salle and Sion will verify their title credentials. There is a freshness about the Ballygunner and Dungarvan pairing that brings the possibility of more fireworks after the conclusion of the All Ireland football final on Sunday.
Saturday 20 September
De La Salle v Mount Sion (5.30 at Walsh Park)
Mount Sion hit their third semi final on the trot in better shape than last season and boosted by a strong team effort against Abbeyside.
Anthony Kirwan had some hard calls to make in the aftermath of the Dungarvan game. The reworked defence restricted their opponents to just seven points from play. Austin Gleeson settled into the number six shirt and Owen Whelan benefitted from the move to wing back. Man of the match Martin O’Neill bossed the middle for the second half and struck over three from play. Five of the starting six forwards scored. Eoin McGrath was by far the most effective at eleven. Richie Foley played a prominent role for Abbeyside last Sunday yet still conceded four points to McGrath. He is buzzing at present and maximising every possession.
The next question for Kirwan is whether he sticks with the short puckouts used most noticeably during the first half. The absence of obvious targets from high deliveries suggest that they may look to free up their corner backs again. De La Salle should be on their toes and force Ian O’Regan to go long.
Allen Dillon's side remain the favourites to land ultimate honours but their quarter final display raised a few alarm bells. They hit 1-16 but accumulated 18 wides (nine in each half). They cannot be slow out of the blocks again as they found themselves five points down to Tallow after the first quarter. A fortnight of hard work should get that flat performance out of their system.
John Keane spared them embarrassment with a stunning goal and an assuredness in possession that appeared absent from the other front men. Their marquee forwards certainly didn’t deliver to their expected levels last time. Jake Dillon is unlikely to strike five wides again and John Mullane will make more plays.
Free taking will be an important element to a game unlikely to overwork the scoreboard operator. De La Salle experienced difficulty in that department last time and had to try out three different players. Will Shane Ryan earn a starting berth here after sitting out the entire sixty two weeks ago? By comparison, Martin O’Neill slotted nine out of ten chances last Sunday and any fouls from midfield upwards will be dispatched.
The central area is set to be extremely congested on Saturday evening. Salle will pin their hopes on ruling this territory. Shane McNulty has proven his worth going in both directions and Dean Twomey is returning to something approaching 2012 form. Kevin Moran can also offer more from centre back. The impact of the bench will also influence the final outcome and De La Salle hold more in reserve here with their injury troubles clearing up. In a one-score game, Salle’s star quality in attack and deeper squad may just secure a fourth final appearance in seven attempts.
Odds: De La Salle 8/15 Draw 9/1 Mount Sion 17/10
Prediction: De La Salle
Sunday 21 September
Ballygunner v Dungarvan (6.15 at Fraher Field)
This has the makings of a shootout and shouldn’t disappoint in that regard. Two of the liveliest forward divisions left in the competition and both are likely to go for broke and go for goal. Dungarvan have raised 14 green flags just one more than their opponents.
Ballygunner have done very little wrong in their bid to amend the events of 2013. 2-14 was the right response to an underwhelming first half showing against Lismore. Eight different players contributed. Pauric Mahony and JJ Hutchinson did the heavy lifting but Brian O’Sullivan and Conor Power also shot five points between them. Hutchinson stated his case to management through a second half injection of 1-3 and will surely make the chosen fifteen.
Lismore did expose some deficiencies in the last line of defence with Dan Shanahan and David Prendergast making inroads during the second quarter last Sunday. Barry Coughlan has been operating at wing back in recent games but Fergal Hartley may be tempted to restore him to number three.
Pace and youth are two lethal commodities that the Blues are in possession of. The distribution of scores between the six forwards looks impressive on paper. They don’t entirely depend on one member because each are chipping in evenly. Patrick Curran (3-21) leads the way but Cathal Curran (5-13), Cormac Curran (2-21) and Gavin Crotty (3-17) are close behind. Ryan Donnelly on 1-13 has scored in every game and Michael Kiely has grabbed six points.
James O’Connor trusted his young full back line to take on Passage and they frustrated their markers. Kevin Daly will probably take on Brian O’Sullivan who has hit a tidy 2-24 from play this season. How to deal with Pauric Mahony is arguably a bigger tactical call. Ballygunner have defeated Dungarvan in the last two meetings at Fraher Field and Mahony masterminded both by drifting into open space unhindered. Mahony scored eleven points in the group game last August and posted three points from play during the first half five months ago. Will Jamie Nagle perform the man marking role or will O’Connor assign a midfielder to mind Mahony and free up Nagle? The workrate of the two forward lines will also be worth watching as both teams will be eager to interfere with the quality of ball.
A ruthless streak is still missing in the Dungarvan ranks when they get on top. Significant wide tallies remain bothersome. Nine second half misses nearly allowed Passage complete an audacious comeback. Ballygunner usually take full advantage of any sign of weakness.
The group game can be dismissed slightly but Dungarvan cannot allow Ballygunner stride clear again. With an eleven point half time lead they had the game sewn up in April. A more composed Ballygunner get the vote.
Odds: Ballygunner 8/15 Draw 9/1 Dungarvan 17/10
Prediction: Ballygunner
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