Paul Flynn looks forward to a double helping of provincial final fare as the Ulster and Leinster football championships are up for decision this weekend.
Armagh v Donegal (Saturday, Clones, 5.25pm)
What a game to look forward to. It's a repeat of last year but this time there are new rules and new circumstances. Armagh come into the game as All-Ireland champions and I think that brings some significance. They are now becoming a clutch team, we saw that against Tyrone game, so that’s really important to them and it will be this weekend.
Donegal have been very economical going forward and very structured at the back. Some people are asking are they too zonal in defence, and if they are this weekend that will be tested by the dynamic running of Armagh and especially the ingenuity of Rory Grugan, he’ll find the gaps, link the play and he really makes the Armagh forward unit tick, so that is going to be really interesting to keep an eye on.
Another question, can Murphy and the Donegal forwards put Rafferty’s kick-out under pressure, what Tyrone failed to do really, and if they can do that, they can really get a handle on the game. They have the firepower up front, we have seen that there will be opportunities and we know that Donegal will put them away.
That’s what makes this game so interesting, so many questions to ask, but probably the most interesting part is the two managers. Both of them are box office and they bring that extra colour to this game.
So a tight one to call. I’m going to go with a draw in normal time, and Armagh to win in extra time just to add a bit of spice to it.
Meath v Louth (Sunday, Croke Park, 4.15pm)
Who would have thought that this would be the game of the weekend, but it certainly is. Meath against Louth, the battle of the Boyne at Croker.
They reckon there could be 60,000 at this, which would be remarkable, especially if that weather keeps up.
Louth had five point to spare on Meath six weeks ago, and at that stage they had no Lennon and no Mulroy, and we saw the impact the last day they had against Kildare. Meath on the other hand had no Coffey, and he was brilliant against Dublin.
So a lot is changing over the last six weeks as Meath got the significant win over Dublin, which will give them great positive vibes for a game like this, and if they can play direct like Kildare did, they can hurt Louth. They have the inside forwards lost Costello, Conlon and Frayne, they can put up serious scores and put the Louth full-back line under pressure.
But if Louth can get that running game going, they will find holes in the Meath defence, and the All-Star Craig Lennon, if he finds the bit of space, he’ll exploit it.
This is all about managing the occasion; the biggest crowd, the biggest game of their careers, the buzz in the county is absolutely great to see, but which team that can channel that energy and make sure they perform to their ability?
Meath will probably trade off the Tailteann Cup experience, and Louth the fact that it's their third final, but it’s such a marginal one and it’s just about who can manage the occasion, and I just have a suspicion that Louth will be able to manage it a little bit better with that experience, so I’m going to go for a Louth win.
Paul Flynn was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland
Watch the Ulster Football Championship final, Armagh v Donegal, on Saturday from 5pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
