Dublin v Wexford, Croke Park, 4.00pm
Dublin’s demolition of Louth makes a march towards the Leinster Football title seems all the more inevitable this year.
The Dubs meet Wexford today and should avoid the scare they received aginast the Model men in the last two years.
The victory over Louth was a reminder of the strength, pace and performances the Dubs can produce in Croker and they look like the side to stop in this year’s All-Ireland.
Pat Gilroy has named an unchanged team for today's game. With the likes of Cian O’Sullivan and Eoghan O’Gara, just some of the players who feel they should be in the starting XV, waiting in the wings, it shows just how strong they are for when things go wrong.
Jason Ryan again faces the uneviable position of masterminding a win over the Dubs and how daunting it must be for the Wexford players.
David Murphy makes a welcome return to the Wexford starting line-up. Paddy Byrne and Ciaran Lyng also come in and they have Aindreas Doyle, Joey Wadding and P.J. Banville waiting in the wings so their panel is not exactly weak either.
Murphy’s inclusion is vital and he will need to help the inexperienced Lee Chin cope with such a big occasion against the strong Dublin midfield.
Wexford have responded to this occasion in the last two years but seeing it out is something they have missed out on.
Ryan has stated the obvious and will try to get his players to restrict Dublin early on, avoiding the brutal way Louth were disposed of early on in the quarter-finals.
He told the Wexford People: "We will have to look to how competitive we have been over the past few years and bring the positives forward, which would be a huge plus.
"From the start, we'll have to look to keeping it tight in defence as we know how dangerous their forwards are given the least bit of space.”
The Dubs are looking to reach a seventh Leinster final in the last eight years and it is hard to see anything other than a victory for the All-Ireland champions.
It may not be as convincing as their previous game, but another finale awaits Gilroy’s men.
Verdict: Dublin
