Longford and Dublin battle it out for the O’Byrne Cup

Has the O’Byrne Cup become the holy grail for Longford or will they blossom in the competitions that really matter, the National League and Tailteann Cup!

While most of the counties in the pre-season Leinster senior football tournament avail of the opportunity to experiment in the build up, Paddy Christie has a different opinion and that fact was clearly reflected in the strong side that he and his fellow mentors Dessie Sloyan and Cosmas Gilmore decided to field in the 2-14 to 1-14 win over Meath.

Colm O’Rourke opted to give youth a fling in the Dioralyte O’Byrne Cup semi-final in Ashbourne on Friday night last as he rested all the regular players from the first fifteen that featured in the win over Down in the 2023 Tailteann Cup final with a challenge game against Galway apparently the priority last weekend. 

That will hardly bother Longford who will be pleased with this result and the defending O’Byrne Cup champions can now look forward to another competitive game in the build up to the tough away task against Laois in the opening round of the Division 4 National League on Saturday January 27. 

Providing the opposition in the TG4 televised title decider at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise on Saturday next (3pm throw-in) will be the Dublin development squad, a third string selection with the notable exception of multiple All-Ireland winner Niall Scully.

Fielding just three players with championship experience in the other semi-final at Parnell Park on Saturday last, the ‘rookie’ Dubs recorded a most emphatic 5-17 to 1-12 win with Scully scoring 1-1 against a generally experimental Wexford side showing several changes from the surprise win over Kildare in the previous round.  

With some silverware at stake, Longford will be really fired up in their bid to retain the O’Byrne Cup in what appears to be a good chance for the success starved county to win this competition for the fifth time.

Dublin are ten time winners of the O’Byrne Cup and included in this particular honours list is a thrilling 2-12 to 1-14 win over Longford in the 2008 final at Parnell Park when the midlanders suffered the bitter disappointment of letting the title slip from their grasp.