It’s the BIG KICK OFF in the Tantrum Cup this weekend.
Some mouthwatering fixtures here. The GAA will make a packet on the subscriptions for that Kildare v Longford game.
CASH COW.
Should be a carnival atmosphere in Ballinamore. Surely the biggest event there since the kidnapping of Don Tidey.
Saturday 11 May
Kildare v Longford, Hawkfield, 6pm - GAAGO
Leitrim v Waterford, Ballinamore, 6pm
Down v Limerick, Newry, 4pm
Sligo v Wexford, Markievicz Park, 3pm
Fermanagh v Wicklow, Brewster Park, 3pm
Offaly v London, Glenisk O’Connor Park, 2pm
Sunday 12 May
Laois v Carlow, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 3pm
Antrim v Tipperary, Corrigan Park, 2.30pm
Carlow are due a win against Laois. I’d be worried about tomorrow, but steeled by the fact that there’s 2 Graigue men in the starting line up. You always need a few Graigue men there to remind the rest whats at stake.
I think they reached a semi-final the first year but Offaly have shown a real disdain for the Tailteann Cup thus far. They were poor against Wexford last year as well.
There’s no county like Offaly to hold second tier competitions with disdain. Their u20s were murdered a few weeks ago in the Leinster football version of the Tailteann Cup. Club league games are contested with less fervour than your average training session.
By fecking Carlow as well. A few weeks after Offaly had beaten Kildare.
I certainly didn’t expect them to lose by 14 points to London though. It finally looked like some of that U20 magic from 2021 was filtering through to senior when Bryant and Egan featured heavily in the win against Laois. Underage results are far less of an indicator than they used to be.
The new manager (U20 winning one - bit of a my way or the highway) had made a big deal a few months ago of lads committing for the year and not heading away stateside like a few did last year after losing in Leinster
Ex Donegal player Michael Carroll on the subs bench for London today. His brother James plays his intercounty football for Kilkenny. Both brothers came from the Gaoth Dobhair club who won the Ulster club championship and were then coached by Donegal’s sub goalkeeper in 2012 Michael Boyle who was also London’s coach today.