Bumper crowd presents Tipp and Offaly minors with new challenge

OCCASION: Senan Butler of Tipperary celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the All-Ireland Minor Championship Semi-Final against Galway. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile

The new GAA policy of not scheduling minor games as curtain-raisers to senior fixtures is strongly rooted in a desire to keep 16 and 17-year-old players away from big championship days and the pressure that comes with several thousand eyes scrutinising your every move in Croke Park, Thurles, and elsewhere.

But with UPMC Nowlan Park a 27,000 sell-out tomorrow, there’ll be no escaping the occasion, and so a significant factor in the outcome will be which side can better cope with the nerves and tension that will inevitably flow from a packed house for an All-Ireland final between neighbours.