Tipp with everything to gain in trip to Antrim

GAA: Tailteann Cup Senior Football Round 2A Preview

By Shane Brophy

ANTRIM v TIPPERARY

Corrigan Park, Belfast

Sunday, 24th April

Throw-in @ 3.15pm (E.T.)

Referee: Conor Dourneen (Cavan)

Another long journey won’t upset Tipperary in the slightest as they head to Belfast on Sunday for the second round of the Tailteann Cup against Antrim.

Having gone away to Sligo and earned a terrific victory, the players will relish hitting the road again with a place in the quarter finals, and a guaranteed home game with it, for the winners.

There is a safety net for the losers who will go into round 3 where they will play one of the winners from the four games in round 2B involving the eight round 1 losers.

Corrigan Park won’t be an unfamiliar venue as ten of the Tipp team featured on their last trip to the venue in 2024 in the Tailteann Cup when Antrim emerged 4-12 to 2-13 winners.

Among them were Steven O’Brien and Luke Boland who made welcome returns from injury late in the win over Sligo and should be able to contribute more two weeks on.

The only new injury concern picked up from the Sligo game is around wing back Charlie King but manager Niall Fitzgerald expects the Ballina clubman to be good to go.

Tipperary have already met Antrim this year in the unusual surroundings of St Flannan’s Park in Moneygall for their National League Division 4 clash in February which Tipperary won 1-13 to 1-9 with the Saffron’s finishing with thirteen men.

Antrim were a mess in the early rounds of the league, losing their first three games and were in complete disarray with some players opting off the panel. However, they have turned things around, winning their last four games.

In the Ulster Championship, they were second best to Derry but their target was always the Tailteann Cup where they edged out Carlow in round 1 in a remarkable game, 6-16 to 2-26, after extra time, in Carlow with Benen Kelly scoring the winning goal in the 92nd minute.

Of the Antrim team that played in Moneygall, ten started against Carlow with three coming off the bench with first year manager Mark Doran managing to turn things around with largely the same squad.

Tipperary have also a settled look as manager Niall Fitzgerald is really bedding in how his team wants to play, with plenty of pace from half-backs Charlie King, James Morris, and the experienced Emmet Moloney, between captain Paudie Feehan.

The growth of Joe Higgins at midfield has been one of the successes of the championship which his high fielding a potent weapon in terms of winning possession high up the field complementing the work-rate and leadership of Paudie Feehan.

Tipp aren’t afraid to use the two-point arc as well having landed seven in their three championship games so far, four last time out against Sligo.

There isn’t much to lose for either team on Sunday but there is everything to gain in terms of progressing to a home quarter final so expect both teams to go at it.

The game will form the second part of a double-header at Corrigan Park after the MacDonagh Cup hurling match between Antrim and Carlow.