Meath meet Louth in the Leinster football final on May 11. The sports team have made their predictions
Who will win the Leinster final?
Andy Watters: It would be a shame for Meath not to win it after their brilliant and deserved victory over Dublin last Sunday. That said, they denied Louth unfairly in the 2010 final so I’d like to see justice done for the Wee County. Whoever wins, an end to the Dubs’ 14 years of dominance is great news for the Leinster Championship.
Neil Loughran: Louth. Come on, if karma has anything about it, then the Delaney Cup will be going back to the Wee County for the first time since 1957.
Putting Joe Sheridan-shaded bias aside, however, Meath are loving life under Robbie Brennan, and their player profile has really suited the new rules – as Dublin found to their cost in Sunday’s semi-final shock.
Brendan Crossan: It would be some feat if Meath managed to pull this off given the backroom upheaval this year – but Robbie Brennan’s men are still standing and punching holes all over Dublin in a famous semi-final win.
How quickly they can come back down to earth to get ready for Louth in the decider is the big question – a team who took out a quietly fancied Kildare side and are in a good head space going into this game and are now used to this terrain.
Louth, just.
Cahair O’Kane: It’s perfectly set up for Louth. Provided they don’t get bogged down in avenging a game from 15 years ago that has no relevance now, they’re ideally set.
Ger Brennan’s team are the ones in their third consecutive provincial final.
Meath are coming off a Dublin scalp that brings expectation and pressure. Louth won their league meeting even without Sam Mulroy.
They’ve been better than Meath in recent seasons and you have to think that if they both bring a performance, Louth’s will be enough.
Kenny Archer: Meath may fall into that old trap of believing their job is done after slaying the giant (Dublin), even though there’s a new hero ready to be acclaimed.
The Royals will know of Louth’s ferocious desire to win Leinster, especially after the 2010 Final travesty, but they still may not be able to cope with the wee county’s massive hunger.
Louth also have the experience of appearing in a third consecutive provincial decider, with Ger Brennan leading them into the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals last year, beating Meath (and Cork) along the way.
Louth are better than Meath, they just need to prove that on Sunday May 11.
Read more: Ulster Championship final predictions from our sports team ahead of the Armagh Donegal game