Saturday, 25 January 2014

All Ireland IFC Semi Final 2014 Match Preview

The nerves are jangling, these two teams are one game away from an All-Ireland final in Croke park.....here's my preview.


Truagh Gaels Vs Geraldines
Sunday Crossmaglen 2pm

The Competition itself
Just a little indicator on the scale of difficulty of the task the Geraldines face today.
Louth teams in all-Ireland series has little or no sample size to work with. (the Gaels in 05 being a worthy outlier)
that, we know, but.
A Leinster team has never won the competition since it first started in 2004.
Right, fair enough. No biggie
Really Worryingly is a Leinster has had only one finalist.ever.

Ulster sides on the other hand have pretty stellar pedigree. In fact an ulster side has won three out of the last four years.
Gulp.
 
GErs
That said, it doesn’t mean the Haggardstown men can’t do it. These club competitions are all on the day and all the traits that have got them there will stand them in good stead.
Meticulous preparation, ever do an exam and all the question you wanted to come up, come up. That’s how the Gers will feel today. Eamon McEneaney is known for his studious research of opposing teams. The fact that he managed Monaghan recently will help even further!  Because of this, the players will know the Truagh personnel and their strengths inside out but most importantly they’ll know how to take ‘em down.
Ice cool free taking, not just Jim but Michael Rogers has also stood up the plate. It is so crucial to take every chance you get and nailing every free or 50 will give the Gers the confidence and security blanket needed in a tight game.
Their Defence has been a real unsung hero, be it collectively or individually (Hoey, Craven and Hand) in man marking top opposing threats and will have to be tight again today as Truagh have a number of forwards mentioned in Truagh Focus that can cause a lot of damage.

And finally

It is a high pressure semi final howeveer the Gers are well used to it, especially this year alone but all those big minor days out and U21 finals where they were expected to win, and did. All that Big game experience will stand to them, it has so far.

Verdict
Truagh are a senior team in the right place at the right time getting relegated in 2012 has allowed them to develop their young and most talented players.
They work supremely hard all over the place and are typified by their work ethic. So make no mistake about it, they will go into the game as favourites but, they are no world beaters and can be beaten
I believe the traits that I’ve pointed out that make this Louth team successful so far and will continue to today.
 
Best of Luck lads.
#NGA
 

 
 

 

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