Today’s Previews

All-Ireland Premier Junior Final

Antrim v Armagh, 12pm

(Mike Ryan, Tipperary) Live on RTÉ2 Not too many were expecting an appearance in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior decider to be on the cards when Antrim decided to establish a second team to provide a pathway through the senior side.

In contrast, Armagh began the season as favourites, having landed the spoils for the second time in 2020 and then giving best only to a very strong Wexford unit by just three points last year. They cruised through the group stages, recording facile victories over Limerick, Down and Roscommon. The fourth game was a completely different matter altogether though.

There is an added element of intrigue to this encounter in that Jim McKernan, a long-time Antrim legend, who stood down as joint manager of the Saffrons with Paul McKillen after senior status was secured with intermediate glory last season, now returns to Croke Park in opposition to his native county, and opposite the joint managers, Brian Kearney and Mark McFadden he knows so well. Jennifer Curry (right) has proved a significant addition to the Armagh ranks, after having two children since retiring from the inter-county game following Cork’s All-Ireland senior success in 2014 when she scored a crucial goal. In the likes of Ciara and Leanne Donnelly, and Michelle McArdle, Armagh already possessed gamechanging talent. And with the wealth of experience they have built up in recent years, they will be tough nuts to crack.

But Antrim are riding the crest of a wave and must know that they are not far away from what would be a famous victory.

All-Ireland Intermediate Final

Cork v Galway, 2pm

(Gavin Donegan, Dublin) Live on RTÉ2 It is the first meeting of the counties with the Jack McGrath Cup up for grabs since 2009, when Galway got over the line in a replay. The most recent of their three titles arrived in 2013, when they had two points to spare over Limerick, while Cork’s latest of four triumphs came in 2018 against Down.

This is their first final appearance since, with Galway last in the decider in 2019 when Westmeath edged them out by two points.

Both squads have undergone quite a transition in the meantime and will have to do without the considerable experience and ability of key operators Finola Neville (Cork captain) and Tara Ruttledge (Galway) due to cruciate injuries. However they retain a sprinkling of experience to go with youthful potential, and obvious strengths in each sector.

The feeling is this tie will be closely contested right up to the final whistle.