Na Fianna vs St Martins Preview
Na Fianna will host St Martins in a Leinster Senior Hurling Championship semi-final this weekend. The sides will play their last-four tie at Parnell Park in Dublin and this has the potential to be an electrifying game between two great hurling teams.
It’s a battle between the reigning Dublin and Wexford SHC champions. The Model County is traditionally a hurling stronghold, but it’s Na Fianna who enters this game as a big favourite. St. Martin’s is out to prove they’re not here to make up the numbers. They’ll believe they can upset the odds and shock the hurling world.
Na Fianna vs St Martins Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Na Fianna is one of the country’s most famous GAA institutions. The Glasnevin outfit is traditionally a football powerhouse. However, they’ve just won back-to-back Dublin championships. They’ve yet to repeat this success in the provincial tournament but have a great chance to make a final by beating St. Martins.
They have an elite club-level manager in Niall Ó Ceallacháin. Their bainisteoir is in his final campaign with Na Fianna before taking the Dublin county job. He is desperate to sign off with a Leinster title. He inspired his team to a 3-20 to 1-15 victory over Clough-Ballacolla in the quarterfinal.
The game was relatively close until the 55th minute, with five points separating the sides. AJ Murphy and Jonathan Tracey scored the goals that proved too much for their Laois opponents to overcome. Clough-Ballacolla enjoyed a bright start with ‘Picky’ Maher showing his quality. Ultimately, their efforts were in vain against a top-hurling side.
Our Senior Hurlers return to the pitch on Sunday in Parnell Park as we take on @cloughballacollagaa in the @officialleinstergaa Hurling Championship Quarter-Final.
Our lads are looking for massive Na Fianna support on the day, so get your colours on and get down to the Neller! pic.twitter.com/BsFzebHZOC
— CLG Na Fianna (@clgNaFianna) November 14, 2024
Meanwhile, St Martins is traditionally one of Wexford’s strongest hurling clubs. Like Na Fianna, their county success has yet to translate, as anyone betting on the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship would know. They defeated Naas in their quarterfinal with Rory O’Connor scoring 11 points. His frees proved deadly as the Kildare side were makers of their own destruction.
St. Martins won 1-15 to 0-13 in this intense but low-scoring clash. They hope to become the first Wexford champions since Oulart-The-Ballagh in 2015. St Martins will also take positivity from winning away from home. However, there’s a big difference between St Conleth’s Park and Parnell Park.
Na Fianna vs St Martins Predictions
Predicted Score: Na Fianna 2-15 – 1-12 St Martins
Na Fianna are massive favourite to beat St Martins on our sports betting platform. We agree they will win, but we think this will be a more competitive game than the odds suggest. The Wexford side represents a step up in class from Clough-Ballacolla and will bring the fight to Parnell Park.
Nonetheless, our hurling prediction is that Na Fianna will defeat St Martin’s and progress to the Leinster final. Their home advantage at Parnell Park is huge. These sides couldn’t be from more different environments. St. Martins hail from the tiny village of Murrintown so this could overwhelm them.
Na Fianna has some of the best hurlers who could walk into most teams in the country. AJ Murphy and Ciaran Stacey offer a dangerous goal-scoring threat. We think the goals will be the difference in this game. St Martins will struggle to close the gap if Na Fianna takes the lead.
However, victory isn’t inevitable for the Dublin team. St Martins can take hope from Clough-Ballacolla’s bright start in the quarter-final. However, they also saw how difficult it is to stop Na Fianna when they gain momentum. They can’t waste scoring opportunities because this could be a close encounter.
Rory O’Connor is an elite free-taker, so Na Fianna must not give away too many fouls. Tones goalkeeper Jonathan Tracey is also excellent in dead-ball situations. He scored a great penalty in the quarterfinal and could be a key figure on both sides of the field.
We predict that Na Fianna will win this game without dominating. St. Martin’s will make them work hard for their victory, but eventually, the Dublin outfit will pull away. Niall Ó Ceallacháin won’t leave anything to chance.
AIB Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final
Full Time Score
Na Fianna: 3-20
Clough Ballacolla: 1-15 pic.twitter.com/eiu3QbABuo— Laois GAA (@CLGLaois) November 17, 2024
Na Fianna fans may think they’ve faced better competition in the Dublin SHC. However, this is disrespectful to St Martins who are from a strong hurling county. It’s also worth noting that other teams always motivate themselves to higher levels when they face Dublin opposition. We may see this at the weekend.
Hurling is a wild sport as we saw last weekend when Castletown-Geoghegan defeated Thomastown. Anything can happen in this game. Check out the live betting odds because they may be more attractive if St. Martins takes an early lead. The dream from Dublin experienced this last weekend themselves but turned the tide.
Na Fianna vs St Martins Betting Tips
Na Fianna is a big favourite to win this hurling game on our online sportsbook. They enter this fixture as one of Leinster’s strongest teams. It’s 4/11 for them to secure an outright victory against St Martins. This means that a €10 stake would make a €3.64 profit if successful.
This isn’t the most lucrative reward because we think St Martins could be a sterner test than the bookmakers believe. It may be wise to apply for a promotion or a handicap to secure better odds. However, betting on Na Fianna is probably the most sensible decision.
St Martins will see themselves as live underdogs. The lower odds may work in their favour because it takes the pressure off. Most people are predicting a Na Fianna victory. It’s 13/5 for St. Martin’s to pull off one of the shocks of the hurling season. This time, a €10 stake would see a €26 profit.
There are many other hurling markets to check out ahead of this game. Hurling and Gaelic football games are intense battles and sometimes tempers flare. Consider a bet on the number of black cards. This is a fresh match-up, so there’s no serious history between these clubs, but the stakes are very high.
Another option is an over-under bet on the number of points or goals in this game. We think both teams will score at least one goal. We’re also expecting significant points total but fewer than 30 overall. St Martins may try to keep the score low, but this will be a struggle against Na Fianna’s firepower.
https://twitter.com/offtheball/status/1858218547123552526
Remember to look at the individual players too. We fancy AJ Murphy to be Na Fianna’s top scorer. He’s been outstanding this season against Kilmacud Crokes and Clough-Ballacolla. Rory O’Connor is the safest pick to be St Martins’ top scorer. He takes their frees and has a superb conversion rate.
You could also bet on the first and second-half winners. This is more lucrative than a simple moneyline bet on the overall winner. We expect Na Fianna to win both halves. It would be a surprise if St. Martin’s led at the break. Na Fianna has a great defence with Liam Rushe and Peter Feeney solid at the back.
There are several other big hurling games in the Leinster Championship this weekend. Westmeath’s surprise package, Castletown-Geoghegan, faces Offaly’s Kilcormac-Kiloughey in one tie. However, perhaps the most eye-catching matchup is between Borris in Ossory-Kilcotton and Lisdowney.
Na Fianna Team News and Predicted Lineup
Niall Ó Ceallacháin won’t fix what isn’t broken. He’ll start his strongest lineup unless there are injuries in midweek. Expect to see them use their bench effectively throughout this match.
- Predicted Lineup: Jonathan Tracey, Kevin Burke, Conor McHugh, Sean Burke, Paul O’Dea, Liam Rushe, Peter Feeney, Brian Ryan, Sean Currie, Jack Meagher, Colin Currie, Donal Burke, Gavin King, AJ Murphy, and Ciaran Stacey.
St Martins Team News and Predicted Lineup
St. Martin’s has one significant injury doubt. Joe O’Connor departed the field in the 40th minute against Naas. He was on a yellow card, so it remains to be seen how significant this will be. O’Connor only played at the end of the Wexford SFC because of a recurring injury, so this is one to watch.
- Predicted Lineup: Dylan Byrne, Eoin O’Leary, Paddy O’Connor, Philip Dempsey, Daithí Waters, Conor Firman, Joe Barrett, David Codd, Joe O’Connor, Barry O’Connor, Jack O’Connor, Darren Codd, Jack Devereux, Kyle Firman, and Rory O’Connor.
