There are just four teams remaining in the inaugural Tailteann Cup and by this evening we will know the finalists for the 2022 competition.
Despite initial trepidation that teams wouldn't buy into the new tournament, a series of thrilling games have provided real hope that it can become an important fixture in the GAA calendar.
SUNDAY
Cavan v Sligo, Croke Park, 1.45pm
Offaly v Westmeath, Croke Park, 4pm
ONLINE
Live tracker on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News Now app.
TV
Live coverage of both semi-finals on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 1.30pm.
RADIO
Live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
Sligo need something extra to rumble Breffni Blues
Go back 25 years and Cavan were preparing for a very different semi-final at Croke Park as they prepared to take on the might of Kerry in the All-Ireland series.
Current Breffni boss Mickey Graham came on in the dying embers of that clash in August 1997, and while he’ll be on the sidelines this time around, he’ll be hoping his side can go at least one step further and reach an All-Ireland final.
It’s not the competition they wanted to be in at the start of the year, of course, but they licked their wounds after the Ulster semi-final defeat to Donegal and have produced nine-point wins against fellow Ulster sides Down and Fermanagh.
"There was initial disappointment after Donegal," Graham told RTÉ Sport. "It took a while to get over that and you are always wary of the first game back, but since then we have found momentum."
Not surprisingly, the Galligan cousins – both All-Stars in 2020’s run to the All-Ireland semi-final – have been key in bringing Cavan to this stage.
In the first round against Down, goalkeeper Raymond Galligan produced a stunning kicking display and ended the day with 0-07 to his name. Against Fermanagh, Thomas Galligan won the throw-in, drove down the centre of the Erne defence and fired low to the net. He’d add five points after that.
Cavan’s favouritism for the competition outright means that they are heavily fancied to get the better of Sligo, but the Yeats County have taken a path to Croke Park that suggests that they have the character to compete.
They needed extra-time to defeat London and then extra-time and penalties to get the better of Leitrim with goalkeeper Aidan Devaney proving the hero by saving two spot-kicks.
Manager Tony McEntee is bringing a young squad to Dublin with 22 clubs represented and seven players aged 21 or under. Very few have Croke Park experience while most of the Cavan squad have a couple of appearances under their belts.
"It’s great to be here but we have to hope now our players come here and do a job. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the occasion or the game," McEntee cautioned.
Little to separate teams in Leinster derby
Offaly and Westmeath know each other very well at this stage, very well indeed – and that should lead to competitive Tailteann Cup semi-final. Their last five clashes have included a draw and two one-point wins. Expect more of the same.
Faithful boss John Maughan did some good groundwork in the lead-up to the Tailteann Cup, painting a positive picture of it at every possible opportunity. A novel date with New York – the first time the American side played a championship game in Ireland in 21 years – was a nice experience too, especially as they won 3-17 to 0-11.
Some of the under-20 players who claimed last year’s All-Ireland crown have been given a good run with Rory Egan and Keith O’Neill starting in the quarter-final while Cathal Flynn and Morgan Tynan came off the bench.
Maughan, captain Johnny Moloney and vice-captain Ruairi McNamee were mic’d up by AIB for that clash, but it’s probably best they had been turned off by the time the manager got news this week that Niall Darby had picked up a serious injury at training on Tuesday night.
"This weekend shows there is an appetite for the Tailteann Cup..."#RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/GZAcpnvwnD
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 29, 2022
It’s simply rotten luck for the 34-year-old who has soldiered through good and bad since making his debut in 2008. Few deserved a big Croke Park date more.
"I have met a lot of good lads in my time and Niall is arguably one of finest I have ever come across," Maughan told RTE Sport.
"He is the ultimate professional and I went home shattered after he picked up the injury at training."
While Offaly must do without a key player, Jack Cooney will be able to welcome Kevin Maguire back from suspension.
Maguire was sent off early in the narrow first-round win over Laois and also sat out the 1-21 to 2-13 quarter-final win over Carlow. A groin injury has kept Ray Connellan out of the competition to date, but he could make a return here.
"There are loads of different reasons why a win would be great but the main one is that we would go further and have more time together. One more win and we would have three more weeks together and reach the last game of the season," Cooney said.
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Follow the All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-finals on Saturday, Galway v Cork (1.45pm) and Clare v Wexford (3.45pm), via our live blog on rte.ie/sport or on the RTÉ News app. Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player commencing at 1.15pm with live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
Follow the Tailteann Cup semi-finals on Sunday, Sligo v Cavan (1.45pm) and Offaly v Westmeath (4pm), via our live blog on rte.ie/sport or on the RTÉ News app. Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player commencing at 1.30pm with live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
