Anchor Tours SFC final Dundalk Gaels v Newtown Blues

VERDICT

NEWTOWN Blues are favourites to add SFC title number 21 to their impressive trophy cabinet on Sunday and the reason is simple - they have been the best team in the Louth senior championship this summer.

Their attacking threat is well-documented and they boast possibly the best pound-for-pound player in the county at present in Andy McDonnell.

That they can afford to play the Louth man in midfield and Colm Judge at sweeper speaks volumes about the forward talent at Ronan Phillips’ disposal, but it’s not all about attacking flair.

They may have taken their eye off the ball in the second half of their opening match against Kilkerley, but since then Dreadnots, St Patrick’s and St Joseph’s have only managed to rack up a combined tally of 2-24 against the Drogheda outfit - an acceptable average by any standards.

The Gaels don’t possess the same level of raw talent, but they more than make up for it in organisation and strategy and there were signs in their semi-final win over Naomh Mairtin that they are getting close to perfecting their defensive/counter-attacking gameplan. The degree to which they can frustrate the Blues and effectively launch those counter attacks will go a long way to settling what should be a fascinating tactical battle.

But the Blues showed they can cope with that kind of threat against the Joes and they can do so again on Sunday.