Sunday final 'Final' preview

Sunday 29th September
Senior Football Championship Final 2014
Newtown Blues Vs Cooley Kickhams

 3.30pm Gaelic Grounds, Drogheda

 
Okay let me tell you where I am....

Coming into this week I really fancied Cooley...i thought their power, hard work ethic and Brian White's free taking would push them over the line.

Then midway through the week, I have convinced myself it is the blues to lose!!
I went through their team looked at the match ups and couldn't see Cooley stopping them especially their forward line.

Zigging and Zagging in between my thought process was appeals, Paddy Sheelan is now certain to play and Colm Judge has had to appeal and re-appeal again.

The effect and uncertainy of Judge will have to have a negative effect on the Blues camp. Coming into a senior final or any final for that matter....you want to have as minimum fuss or distraction as possible, this has obviously not happened!

So now the prediction meter has swung and settled right in the middle!

little gains

When a game like this is so tight to call...you look at the little factors.....personnel, panels at each managements disposal....ehh they are both even steven.

Hunger/Hurt? both sides have lost senior finals in recent memory so there's nothing in it there either?The venue maybe? The Blues love Drogheda, the openness suits their style of play and will have a lot of confidence after their big quarter final win there.....but, it's not like Cooley haven't played there before....they lost a senior final there in 2010 would have trained there during the week, heck they have 5 Louth players on the team that played there umpteen times this season alone so nope, still nothing in it.

Weather conditions meah,

Referee, Dunne, from Dunleer has reffed the blues in Drogheda this season in the championship already but that's irrelevant. isn't it?

Will Cooley be fresher? will the blues have tired limbs afterall, they only won their semi
lasy Friday week! yep, also irrelevant.

So, still nothing between the sides.


deciding the decider


There's the law of averages argument floating about, just like the recent All-Ireland final between Mayo/Dublin where Cooley like Mayo players expected to turn up and win it, as they felt they deserved it after all their losses in recent past and they end up not stepping up and actually winning the game!?

If any team is like the Dubs it's the Blues, and it's not because of their sky blue jersey's they play with swagger only they can.

Then again, someone pull a rabbit out of the hat....bring someone in from the cold? pull off a master tactical stroke in the game....hell, even a mistake could turn the game. I just don't know how it's going to go.

One thing I do know is, the game will be fascinating....

The blues individual talent up front against Cooley's defensive team synergy....focus on both appealers and their outcome on the game, the titanic midfield battle for possession,  supreme free takers going at it, under the utmost pressure.

Fascinating.

but, even though it is so tight to call I don't think it will be a draw.

So I'm going to go with my trusted line when deciding a match.....whoever has the best forwards will win and for me that's the Blues.

thanks for reading all week,
now Enjoy!!