Assan and O Raghallaigh Gaels tipped to progress in U21 semis

Two eagerly-awaited DT ONE U21 Division 1 semi-finals take place tomorrow (Saturday) on the 3G at Kingspan Breffni Park. Ryan Madden previews the action. 

Castlerahan v Assan Gaels , 3G, Saturday, 20:00

 

This year’s first DT ONE U21 Division 1 semi-final will see two in-form teams in Castlerahan and Assan Gaels take to the 3G pitch in Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday evening.

With both sides coming through tough quarter -inals against St Joseph’s and Crosserlough respectively, both teams will fancy their chances come Saturday evening.

Castlerahan, who knocked out last year’s beaten Ulster finalists St Joseph's, will take real confidence going into this one.

From the 3-5 they scored in total the last day out, 3-1 was scored from men coming off the bench, which showed great depth in the squad. Also with the county experience of Enda Flanagan and Fergal Reilly they will be a tough team to stop.

Assan Gaels, managed by Damien Donohoe, know what it takes to succeed at this level after competing in three out of the last five U21 finals, and winning two.

With county minor Lewis Fay-Cooper  a good asset to any team and  the class and leadership of midfielder Bryan Magee and full-forward Evan Doughty, Assan Gaels might just have too much fire-power up front for Castlerahan to deal with.

 

VERDICT:Assan Gaels

 

Ramor United v O Raghallaigh Gaels, 3G,  Saturday, 17:00

The second semi-final in this divsion throws up a cracker where the two favourites for the championship go head to head.

Ramor United's frantic start against Cavan Gaels last Saturday, when they raced into a 10-point interval lead, proved  how much of a danger they can be. The team is backboned by the minor success of 2013 and this year and Ramor will take great heart from their win last weekend.

O'Raghallaigh Gaels (Shercock/Kingscourt Stars) will come into this one with just as much confidence as they brushed aside the strong challenge of Southern Gaels with a man less for the majority of the game.

One man who really stepped up to the mark last Sunday was Sean Burke, still a minor, who showed fantastic composure for his age to send his team into the last four.

With players like Peter Corrigan and Padraig Faulkner, who was fantastic during Kingscourt's SFC win, and the displays of Sean Burke not only last Sunday, the amalgamation will take the field with confidence.

VERDICT: O Raghallaigh Gaels