It’s almost beyond our collective memory – well, not quite, but it has been a while – since we last played in an FBD League final but this Friday evening at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence Air Dome we take on Roscommon in this year’s provincial pre-season decider.
Throw-in at the Dome is 7.30pm on Friday. Tickets – a limited amount of them, given the venue – will go on sale closer to the day and the match is also being broadcast live on TG4.
With freezing cold weather for the next few days, most likely followed by wind and rain heading into the weekend, the decision to play all the FBD games under cover in the Dome seems to have turned out to be well justified. Soon enough we’ll all be getting our fill and more of bracing outdoors conditions for matches.
Hands up all those who know the name of the spoils we’re competing for on Friday!
The answer is the Paddy Francis Dwyer Cup – that’s according to Mike Finnerty in the Mayo News, who imparted that pearl of wisdom in his match report on the 2010 final. No, I didn’t know that either.
That 2010 success was one of seven FBD title wins for us, our most recent one being in 2012, when we beat NUIG to claim an improbable pre-season three-in-a-row. We haven’t, however, been in a final since then, though we can, with some justification, claim that we’ve made more productive use of the last decade.
Galway, by the way, are the FBD kings. They’re on ten titles, Roscommon have five, Leitrim two (in a row as well, they won in both 2013 and 2014), with Sligo, GMIT and IT Sligo having one each. So now for you. (All data there from Wikipedia, by the way.)
Roscommon qualified for Friday’s final meeting with us by getting the better of Sligo last Friday evening in the other semi-final. Like our match against Galway the following evening, that one featured a Dome-like scoreline (3-17 to 2-13), with the Rossies coming from three behind at the break to win by seven.
To say that the Sheepstealers are frequent contestants of recent FBD deciders would be a bit of an understatement. Indeed, the only time since 2014 that they didn’t play in an FBD final was in 2021, for the very good reason that the pre-season tournament wasn’t played off that year due to the Covid pandemic.
This means, somewhat astonishingly, that Friday’s final against us is their ninth FBD decider on the trot. None of those previous finals were against us – see above point regarding our non-appearance in Paddy Francis Dwyer Cup deciders since 2012 – and they came out on top in three of them: 2015, 2018 and 2019. (All that info is from Wikipedia too).
In light of our respective January showings over the past decade, it’s no shock that they’ve had the better of recent pre-season exchanges between us. (The stats that follow are from the results archive here on the blog).
They beat us in group matches (when the FBD really was a league competition) in 2018, 2016, 2015 and 2014. We did, though, amid much hilarity, overhaul them at the death on a sunny winter’s afternoon at Kiltoom in 2017.
The only time this century that we’ve contested an FBD final against the Rossies was way back in 2003. That was even well before this blog first saw the light of day and we won that decider in Ballinlough by the very outdoor score of 0-14 to 0-6. And that one wasn’t played until April that year.
Truly, it’s hard to beat the FBD. Even if, when all is said and done, it’s only the FBD.
Roscommon have some very good forwards so should be a shoot out between both teams. I would like to see something like the below line out.
Rory Byrne
Sam Callinan
David McBrien
Enda Hession
Rory Brickiden
Michael Plunkett
Donnacha McHugh
Diarmuid O`Connor
Jack Carney
Bob Tuohy
Conor McStay
Kuba Callaghan
Aidan Orme
Frank Irwin
Paul Towey
It would give us a good test of squad depth before the national league starts but i have a feeling a few of the regular starters will be involved instead.
Interesting to look at the team that started in kiltoom in 2017. Many of those players didn’t really make it, or only played very peripherally for Mayo after that.
It’s a reminder that most of the new guys playing now probably won’t become established IC players. If you can discover one or two it’s massive.
I think it’s the rossies have their nine FBD decider on the trot as they also played Leitrim in the 2014 decider. Tickets on sale at 1pm, better be quick as the 1,200 limit will likely be sold out in a matter of minutes.
You are, of course, correct, Mayomagic – post edited accordingly now. Thanks for correcting my sums!
I would imagine we will have a mix of the old and the new as it will be the last game before the league.
Beating Galway in the league would be a big boost and hopefully start a trend where McHale park is an unwelcome venue for opposition teams.
https://twitter.com/ul_gaa/status/1615420825573724167?s=20&t=XCRv5r2ewaGnDZw1fDExrg
Programme for UL v DIT tonight Jack Coyne and Cian Hanley start with Eoghan McLaughlin, Frank Irwin, Jack Mahon , Connell Dempsey and Ronan Reilly on subs
Is this match streamed?
It’s on the telly, Oilean acla, TG4 are showing it live.
Mile buiochas WJ. I was wondering about the UL v TU match that on tonight?
Eoghan McLaughlin and Connell Dempsey must have both started for UL.
Eoghan has 2 points so far, Dempsey has 1-2.
UL losing by a point currently.
I did see a link for the UL v TU livestream but it looked for a credit card! I presume it was a bogus site!
Bigi curamach- be careful!
Queens v DCU was meant to be streamed on ElectricityIreland.ie site but match has been postponed till Thursday along with 3 other games.UL v DIT is only game tonight but no stream for it.
UL Vs TU Dublin gone to extra time. 1-3 for Dempsey. Cian Hanley also playing for TU Dublin
Colmans v Jarlaths In Senior A Connacht Colleges tomorrow at 12.30 in Bekan, a must win game for Colmans in there final group game.
Rice College v St Geralds in Islandeady at 12.30 while Ballinrobe Community school play The Bish Galway in Bekan
According to the Examiner report the only Mayo player playing for UL this evening was Eoghan Mcloughlin and he was taken off after 46 minutes. Hopefully it wasnt an injury he picked up – he really seems to be prone to picking up injuries.
@Mayo4698 and Wide Ball – The irish examiner are now reporting no score for Dempsey or McLaughlin tonight. I was following on what’s the scor app and they had the two lads down for 1-3 and 0-2. Im not even sure did dempsey play based on the report below.
Its a positive that eoghan is playing though, hopefully he doesn’t feature now on Friday, no need to have any lads playing sigerson playing FBD also.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41050811.html
I’m not sure of the accuracy of that article. It has Kuba Callaghan down as scoring 2-2 but then fails to mention him in the list of players that lined out for TU Dublin….
Kevin Callaghan St Brigids Dublin i think that scored that 2-2 for TU Dublin
Followed the game on Score Beo and they only had McLaughlin listed for UL and credited him with 0-1. Never showed any subs so I guess coverage was limited. Pity each college involved wouldn’t do an up-to-date twitter feed.
You’re quite right MO2021. They still didn’t list Kevin as having lined out despite his fairly significant contribution of 2-2!.
Dempsey wasn’t involved for ul