Who’d bet against the draw

FOR those who enjoy a gamble, you could do worse than putting a few quid on a draw in Newbridge tomorrow. At 13/2, it looks like the bet of the weekend, better value than Bolton inflicting another defeat on Leeds.

Dunshaughlin and Rathnew met for the eighth time in 26 months, with the throw in being brought forward half an hour for extra time, which will inevitably be needed. Never in Gaelic games history have two teams being so inseparable. Whatever the chemistry, it is working again this season.

“You’d think we would be sick of the sight of each other by now,” says Dunshaughlin keeper Ronan Gogan, who has played in every game. “And we are, to be honest. But, with each game, the respect for the other team deepens. There is really nothing between us, which is obvious, but if you look at last week, any time one side went ahead, they were always pegged back.”

Maybe, it is a case of the teams knowing each other too well. “That might be it. We both have very similar styles, we both like to keep it tight and both sides play to the final whistle. If you look at the clubs, we both come from similar backgrounds.

“We are both village clubs, if you look through our teams, the same surnames keep popping up. I know Dunshaughlin is a growing town, but the backbone of this club is still very much the village, the same seven or eight families.”

This saga has even eclipsed the famous Baltinglass Thomas Davis soap opera of the early nineties. When they eventually disentangled from one another, the players will know they have been part of something astonishing, part club championship, part Dynasty.

“We know that already. It is an amazing thing to be a part of, it has never happened before. And everyone now knows about the two teams, which isn’t always the case with Leinster club teams. It’s something each player can look back on in 10 years and say they were a part of this saga.”

Of course, in case anyone forgot, there is also a place in the Leinster final at stake tomorrow. With Rathnew the reigning champions, Dunshaughlin have taken great heart from their ability to take them to the wire. Even last week in Newbridge, the Meath champions looked the better side, but over elaboration in front of goal cost them on too many occasions.

“It was a problem last week. We weren’t taking the scoring opportunities when they presented themselves. Rathnew were definitely more economical in front of goal. But, Eamon has worked on that this week. We know we are capable of beating Rathnew,” Gogan says.

“While it was great to see them go on and win Leinster last year, there was also a lot of regret because we thought we should have beaten them, particularly on the second day. But we need to kill Rathnew off when we get the chances.”

Meath sides haven’t exerted the same dominance over club football as the county has over the bigger provincial prize, but Dunshaughlin look like a side about to end that sorry spell. With talented midfielder Niall Kelly and decent forwards like Martin Reilly and Trevor Dowd, they may never get a better opportunity than this year.

“Both teams know, whomever wins tomorrow, or eventually comes out of this match, has a great chance of a Leinster title.

Expect a tight game, though. And at 13/2, another draw is certainly worth a flutter.