PREVIEW: Hurt of 2024 to drive Allen Gaels past Dromahair and to Smith Monumentals IFC glory

Few County Finals ever have an absolutely clear favourite and underdog but that's the situation  Allen Gaels and St Patrick's Dromahair find themselves in ahead of next Sunday's intriguing Smith Monumentals IFC Final in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada (3.30 pm throw-in).

No more than all the chatter about their Leitrim Gaels neighbours, all the talk in the Intermediate grade was of who could possibly stop Allen Gaels, the Drumshanbo men putting together a string of performances that has many believing they could more than hold their own in the senior grade.

The strange thing is that this St Patrick's Dromahair side would, in any other year, probably be hot favourites - they won the title four years ago, they have an influx of quality young footballers emerging and a battle hardened and experienced core, many of whom have twice lifted the Frank Reynolds Cup - so why are they the underdogs?

The answer to that is simple - Allen Gaels have been pulverising teams all year in championship and League and even in the semi final where, by their own admission they didn't play particularly well, they overcame a ferocious Annaduff challenge that would have seen off almost any other team and still won by an incredible 12 points!

The addition of Kieran Kilcline has been the icing on the cake for an already potent forward unit - Ciaran McMorrow & Ciaran Walsh are quality poachers while Thomas Mulvey, Caleb Duffy & Shane Walsh weigh in with scores and that's without the input of Radek & Arek Oberwan and Brian Mulvey. 

PAST DISAPPOINTMENTS DRIVING ALLEN GAELS ON SAYS JOINT CAPTAINS ADRIAN & RADEK

Defensively, there were whispers that the Gaels could be got at but even though they wobbled at times against Annaduff, lucky not to concede goals on three occasions, they held firm and repelled a Darren Cox inspired attack - no easy task.

Crucially, Allen Gaels have unusual strength off the bench for an Intermediate team and the quandary for manager James Flynn is whether to drop Jake Tobin into the starting line-up or hold him in reserve as he did against Annaduff, his impact off the bench changing the course of the game.

Tobin is just one of a host of strong players who would start in most teams and the fact that they have such options gives Allen Gaels a huge advantage and it is easy to see why they are such hot favourites next Sunday.

That normally leads to the idea of the classic GAA ambush where the unassailable giants are caught on the hop by the underdogs and if there is a team who has the potential to do just that, it is Dromahair who have battled through a crippling injury list this year and only seem to be picking up steam now.

What strikes you most about Dromahair is not their impressive forward Adam Gethins, although he is certainly worth a lot of attention, nor the impact off the bench of Gary Fowley, Michael Clancy & Oisin Conlon, and it is considerable,  but rather their resolve and resilience.

Twice in the knockout stages, they suffered under the cosh of Bornacoola and Drumkeerin in the opening 20 minutes before digging their way out of trouble and going on to win some very hard fought and tight games.

Against Bornacoola, the north Leitrim side could have shipped three or four goals and it wouldn't have been out of kilter. But a few tactical switches were made, subs brought on and suddenly, Dromahair went into the break with a healthy lead!

Drumkeerin looked as if they were going to blitz their neighbours early on, leading eight points to one but again, Dromahair clawed their way back out of the hole and when the game was up for grabs in the closing stages, their energy and ambition saw them come from behind in injury time to claim a place in the final.

The worry for Dromahair, I imagine, is that another slow start against a team with Allen Gaels incredible scoring power could leave them in a hole they are unable to climb out of - one very clear  lesson from the Drumshanbo men's games this year is that when they get on a roll, the scores fall heavily.

Does that mean manager Kenny Casey will pull a rabbit from the hat and send his team out with a more defensive posture - that would seem to go against Casey's philosophy of attacking football and going for it and maybe it wouldn't suit Dromahair's nature but it would be understandable if they were to be a tad more cautious on Sunday.

Defensively and at midfield, Dromahair are more than solid - Rory Kelly will start after his late arrival back from his honeymoon and he will add quite a bit of experience to a line that has to cope with Allen Gaels' potent forwards.

NO EXPECTATIONS ON DROMAHAIR SAYS RORY KELLY AHEAD OF FINAL

At midfield, Shaun Conlon and the evergreen Adrian Fowley will pose a very different challenge for Allen Gaels' Radek Oberwan and Brian Mulvey and this area could be the key battleground because you have got to think whoever gets the most supply into their forwards, both units are able to score.

Adam Gethins is the focal point of Dromahair's attack at just 19 years of age but it seems to matter little to him, his pace, power and hunger to go for a score every time a real danger to the Gaels defence. The Drumshanbo men will watch him closely and he will need good support from Martin Feeney, Jamie Cawley and James Clinton.

Dromahair's biggest challenge to pulling off the shock of the year is twofold - Annaduff gave Allen Gaels a powerful reminder that nothing is ever won on paper and they were put to the pins of their collars to pull through. But it is the memory of last year's final that will most inform Allen Gaels' approach to this final.

Eight points up in the final minute, three goals from Melvin Gaels turned the game on its head. It was a traumatic loss, one that could easily sink a team but Allen Gaels looked to have absorbed the harsh lesson, driving them on to greater heights this year.

That adds its own pressure and many a team have been inhibited by the fear of losing but the formbook all year has pointed to Allen Gaels. If Dromahair get a good start, I'd fancy them to make a real battle of it on Sunday but given their depth and talent, the nod has to go to Allen Gaels.