Football for mon, hurling for fun
For real GAA enthusiasts, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the romance of the All Ireland club finals. No single day in the GAA calendar has such a wonderful tradition of throwing up pairings that can whet the appetite for a variety of reasons, and in 2010, the pairings couldn’t be better if they were chosen by hand at the start of the year. The hurling contest sees two of the most celebrated clubs in the land going head to head in the final pairing that everyone wanted to see since last year’s one-sided semi final in Thurles. Each side will line out with one of the best hurlers of the modern day in their starting forward line, and with wonderfully contrasting approaches in terms of how to hurl and create scores. They represent East vs West and the game also serves as an excellent form guide in advance of Galway’s assault on Kilkenny’s Leinster crown later this year.
Neither of the protagonists in the football decider have ever lifted the Andy Merrigan Cup meaning that this game will have all the romance of a first time winner, combined with subplots revolving around defence vs attack, David vs Goliath and urban vs rural.
However while St Galls and Kilmurry-Ibrickane are a wonderful final pairing from a writing point of view, they are also wonderful from a betting point of view – in that the romance has led the bookies to price it up as if an upset is possible, when in actual fact it’s hugely unlikely. Ask any St Galls player about All Ireland club finals and most of them will tell you that the day passes you by in the blink of an eye. The majority of this St Galls team are of course featuring in their second final, having just lost out to Salthill-Knocknacarra four years ago. It’s reasonable to assume that St Patrick’s day of 2006 was a black day in the memory for all of those West Belfast lads, but tomorrow is the day when that experienced can be harnessed and when reparation can be made, all while KIB are still getting to terms with the occasion.
This column recommended Kilmurry-Ibrickane to win the Munster decider against Kerins O’Rahilly’s but has opposed them ever since – and remains of the view that they are simply out of their depth at this stage. As this line is being typed, this columnist is all too aware that a rod for my own back is being fashioned with every tap of the keys, but all the same it is just too difficult to envisage a team like KIB winning a game like this. Portlaoise imploded, in every sense of the word, in the All Ireland semi final and if Galls can avoid doing the same, as Off the Ground expects, then they can take that crucial final step. Players like Kevin and CJ McGourty will get nothing easy off this Quilty backline, but they are well versed in the art of thriving off scraps and they can ensure that Wednesday will be a great day for Antrim football.
In the spirit of in for a penny, in for a pound, we’re going to oppose KIB one last time. A 3pt bet on St Galls minus three points at even money is the recommended bet in this game.
With their rich history, the meeting of Portumna and Ballyhale is likely to be savoured by neutrals, but from a betting perspective, the bookies seem to have got it right. Last Autumn this column recommended backing Portumna at 4/7 and opposing Ballyhale at 5/2. The easy answer would be to suggest that Ballyhale have proved that assessment wrong, but another way of looking at things would be that since then Ballyhale endured two very tough games against Oulart the Ballagh and Newtownshandrum and negotiated another very dangerous tie extremely well in beating Ballyboden St Endas. Despite clearing three hurdles of such a magnitude, they remain comfortably odds against. If you did back at 5/2, you’d have been hoping to be in a much better position for having endured so many nervous Sundays.
There is a nagging feeling that the Kilkenny and Leinster champions deserve better after what they’ve achieved, both previously and in the last six months, but the simple fact is that Portumna have been devastating in recent years and while they have been relatively untested since starting their 2009/10 campaign, they have proven that they can own the stage on All Ireland final day.
Whether you have a bet running or not, this game is simply a match to savour, not really one to punt. Four or more goals at 11/10 looks enticing enough for those who feel that a wager is mandatory when a great sporting occasion rolls around, but it’s not good enough to warrant a recommendation, and certainly not when the football provides such an excellent money making option instead.
Tags: St Galls
Categories: Gaelic Football Hurling
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