All Ireland Junior Football Championship final preveiw

Louth will provide the sternest of tests for Antrim at Croke Park on Sunday at the Wee County aim to emulate what their Senior Footballers did earlier this season won the Leinster Senior Championship. Like Antrim Louth have new management in place since last November and they have had a great run so far, narrowly missing out on promotion to Division 2.

New manager Kevin Larkin and his backroom team have been unbeaten since losing to Down at the end of February. They went on a run then that has seen them retain their Leinster Junior title, beating Carlow in the final and like the Saffrons they are just one game away from an All Ireland title.

Like the Antrim management team of Chris Scullion and Mickey Devlin, Larkin has been full of praise for his team and their work-rate during the season.

“Getting to the All Ireland final was obviously our goal at the start of the year,” Larkin said. “But it’s easy to work with a group of players like that. Their dedication, their drive, their commitment, they’re just fantastic…they really are.”

“It won’t be anything new to them. They’ve played in Croke Park plenty of times, so we’ll take that factor out of it and it’s just another game.

“We’re just looking forward to the week now. We’re not wishing away the days. We’re kind of taking it in our stride and enjoying every bit of it.

“Naturally there are going to be nerves, but like I’ve said, this group of players are used to big, big games. Even in the National League we had big games against the likes of Wexford and Laois and yes there will be nerves, but our players are well used to that and we’re going to overcome them on Sunday.”

Larkin is all too aware of the challenge that Antrim will provide his side on Sunday – Division 4 champions, Ulster Junior champions and on a 16-match unbeaten run of their own – but he says the focus starts with Louth and their own performance and that Sunday’s game is not about righting the wrongs of last year’s All-Ireland defeat, but winning and getting up to Intermediate level.

“Antrim are a fantastic team,” said the Louth boss.

“They’ve beaten teams like Fermanagh and Leitrim and they beat a good Sligo team in the semi-final as well. But we’re going into this game with one thing on our minds and that’s the win.”

The Antrim duo of Mickey and Chris will no doubt be in the same frame of mind and keeping their unbeaten run going is their main aim. Their team has a clean bill of health going into the game, they have great mixture of youth and experience and will go into Sunday’s final in confident mood.

With the early start to the game they will travel down to Dublin on Saturday afternoon and complete the journey into Croke Park early on Sunday morning.

The Saffrons face a tough task but they have shown all season that they are capable of taking on any side. An upcoming Sligo team put it up to them in the semi-final, but when things got tough they found an answer, and that will stand them in good stead.

Mickey and Chris and their backroom team have been excellent all season and within one win of completing the perfect year. Go ahead and bring it home!

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE MEET & GREET NIGHT IN GLENAVY LAST WEEK CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/zGYtZGosAj8d7S/?invite=50955a3f-b0d2-4a04-b348-531f82be5420