St Marys Ardee vs Cuala Preview
Cuala will face St Mary’s Ardee in the Leinster Senior Football Championship Final this weekend. Both sides are hoping to taste provincial glory for the first time in their histories. It’s a gigantic game with more than just bragging rights on the line.
Dublin’s Cuala enjoyed an impressive campaign and enters this game as favourites. Louth champions, St Marys, hopes to become the fourth team outside Dublin to win a Leinster title since 2010. They know they’re up against it but believe they can beat anybody on their day.
St Marys Ardee vs Cuala Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Cuala is one of the most in-form teams in the nation and an All-Ireland favourite. They came through the gauntlet of the Dublin Senior Championship and defeated the mighty Kilmacud Crokes in the Final. Since then, they’ve marched through the provincial stage with wins over Naas and Tullamore. However, Tullamore made them work hard for their place in the final in a valiant display.
They hosted the Offaly side at Parnell Park and won 1-10 to 0-10. This was a close encounter with Peter Duffy’s 10th-minute goal being the key moment. Both sides defended well, as Tullamore maintained their discipline against their opponents. They didn’t allow their surroundings to intimidate them.
Con O’Callaghan was crucial for Cuala as he scored four points with three from open play. Tullamore kept fighting and levelled their points tally, but couldn’t get the crucial goal. Harry Plunkett scored six points for his side, proving prolific from frees. Ultimately, it was a decent test for Cuala ahead of their first-ever Leinster final.
Meanwhile, St Mary’s Ardee scraped into the final with the narrowest of victories over Westmeath champions St. Loman’s in Mullingar. They won 0-15 to 0-14 in a tense encounter. It was a back-and-forth game with resolute defending that went to the brink. Sean O’Callaghan scored the game-winning point in the fourth minute of added time.
Mastery 🧠
You know it’s coming 👀
But you still can’t stop it 🛑🙃
How many players has Con O’Callaghan done this to through the years? 🤔
Is there a better player at beating defenders 1-on-1? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/tpVbBPE0Wj
— Peter Wright – S&C Coach (@peteyperform9) November 26, 2024
It was incredibly tough for St Loman’s as Sam McCartan missed an equaliser with the last kick of the game. Ronan O’Toole and John Heslin also hit the woodwork as they lost by the finest of margins. Ciaran Keenan finished the game as St Mary’s top-scorer with four points as they spread scores around the field.
St Marys are the first Louth side to play in a Leinster final for 22 years. They also hope to become the first-ever Leinster champions from the Wee County. However, they are three-in-a-row winners in Louth. Meanwhile, Cuala is emerging as a powerhouse in the capital and secured its breakthrough this year. 10 of the past 14 winners of the Leinster SFC hail from Dublin.
St Marys Ardee vs Cuala Predictions
Predicted Score: St Marys Ardee: 0-12 – 1-14 Cuala
This will be a pulsating Gaelic Football Final between two highly motivated teams. St Marys Ardee and Cuala know they’re close to the greatest moment in their club histories. We believe this will be a relatively tight game, but our Gaelic football prediction is that Cuala will win.
Austin O’Malley has too much quality in his panel. We believe their depth will be an enormous problem for St Marys. The first half will be relatively close, but the final half-hour is when Cuala pulls away. O’Malley has more options on his bench than his opposite number, Cathal Murray.
Con O’Callaghan is having the season of his club career. The dual-star had a quiet quarter-final but stepped up again against Tullamore. He’ll want to be the key man in this game. He also has something of a point to prove after a red card in the Dublin SFC final against Kilmacud. O’Callaghan has an opportunity to become an icon in Dalkey.
However, they’re facing dangerous opponents in St Marys Ardee. There’s a feeling that the Louth side has matured this season. Last year Kilmacud turned them over easily. The previous year, they lost to the Downs in Westmeath too. But this season they’re winning games despite adversity.
Their coach insists they’re not going to Croke Park to make up the numbers. However, they make more mistakes than Cuala, and this is risky. They can’t afford to fall behind like they did against St. Loman’s. Cuala will make them pay because they’re a clinical team and everybody knows their role.
‘It was a really tricky night…I’m just delighted our lads stuck to our own patterns and found a way’ – Cuala manager Austin O’Malley says his team had to work hard for victory over Tullamore pic.twitter.com/dMuJfIiZTx
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) November 23, 2024
If you are going to bet on the Leinster SFC we predict Cuala will score the game’s only goal. Their defence has been excellent this year. Meanwhile, Con’s brother Niall could steal the headlines. He scored 1-5 against Naas as they booked their spot in the semifinals. They have potential scorers all over the field.
Luke Keating is another serious goal threat for Cuala. Meanwhile, Ryan Scollard has enjoyed a strong campaign in goal for his club. However, the Louth side also has talent with Robert Leavy, Tadhg McDonnell, and RJ Callaghan, ready to play a big part. This should be a fascinating game that could go either way.
Cuala is the early favourite to win this game. But the odds may shift if Ardee snatches a shock first-half goal. Check out the live betting options because many things can happen in GAA games. From black cards to injuries, Gaelic football is never boring!
St Mary’s Ardee vs Cuala Betting Tips
Cuala is a big favourite in our online sportsbook to win this game. The Dublin champions are 4/11 to defeat their Louth rivals in this showpiece event. A €10 stake would make a €3.64 profit. Betting on Cuala to win outright may seem logical but the returns aren’t huge.
Don’t forget that Cuala didn’t have it all their own way against Tullamore. The Offaly side made the Dubs fight for their spot in this final. They’re facing highly motivated opposition in a much-improved Ardee side. However, we expect them to have enough to beat St Marys.
You can enhance your returns by selecting a handicap wager on Cuala. A -4.5 handicap could be a strong selection because they should enjoy a dominant final half-hour. You could also go for an over-under wager on the total number of points in this game.
Some players may favour backing St Marys at 11/4. There’s no denying that this is far more lucrative than betting on Cuala. A €10 stake could see a substantial €27.50 profit. They’re up against it in this game but the opportunity to make history doesn’t happen every day.
Other Gaelic Football markets include selecting the winners of both halves and odd or even points totals. We predict Cuala will carry a narrow lead into the break before putting more distance between Ardee in the second. However, St Marys will stay in their face for most of the final in a brave but futile performance.
This could be a feisty encounter. In his most recent final Con O’Callaghan earned a red card against Kilmacud Crokes. Cuala also engaged in the dark arts against Tullamore. It wouldn’t shock us if the referee involved himself in this one. Passions flare when the stakes are so high. We think there will be at least four yellow cards in this match.
O’Callaghan is likely to be this game’s top scorer. The dual-code star is one of the most in-form players in the country right now. It’s going to be tough for St Marys to keep him under control and mitigate his influence. Watch out for Ardee’s Tiernan Markey. The goalkeeper is a long-range free-taking threat and could be good for two points.
There’s more Gaelic Football action going on around the country this weekend. On Saturday, you can bet on Carraroe as they face Ballymore in the Connacht Championship. Coolera Standhill host Padraig Pearses on Sunday. Consider creating an accumulator with your favoured winners.
St Marys Ardee Team News and Predicted Lineup
Ardee has a fully fit player pool ahead of this game. They were fortunate to avoid extra time against St. Loman’s. This gave Cathal Murray’s men more time to recover. Expect to see the same lineup against Cuala.
- Predicted Lineup: T Markey, T McDonnell, K Faulkner, E Keenan, J Commins, D McKenny, P McKenny, RJ Callaghan, S Callaghan, C Keenan, L Jackson, K Moran, S Matthews, D McConnon, and T Jackson.
Cuala Team News and Predicted Lineup
Austin O’Malley won’t make many changes to his Cuala team. He’ll pick the same core of players that helped his side become Dublin champions for the first time in history.
- Predicted Lineup: R Scollard, D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan, D O’Dowd, C McMorrow, E Kennedy, P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, P Duffy, N O’Callaghan, C Doran, C Dunne, L Keating, C O’Callaghan, and C O’Brien.