No-one remembers the semi-final loser. Semi-finals are about getting the job done. They’re about winning.
One hour from an All-Ireland final, it’s the best and worst place to be. That’s the beauty of it all. That’s why we do it.
On Sunday, a group of brave young men from Limerick and from Dublin will embark on the same rite of passage that has been the making of some of the greats.
One of them will explode with ecstasy, the other will be left heartbroken.
The Electric Ireland Minor Hurling Championship semi-final: Only one can book their place at Croker on the first Sunday of September. It doesn’t get much more major than this. The stakes don’t get much higher.
This Dublin side already knows what it’s like to lift a trophy at headquarters. They’re comfortable with the surroundings and they’re comfortable with who they are as a team.
Limerick’s path has been more treacherous but the 2014 All-Ireland finalists aren’t riding into the capital this weekend just to make one last bow. Their coach Anthony Daly sure as hell wouldn’t let that happen anyway and, ahead of the Waterford and Kilkenny senior clash, the under-18s of Dublin and Limerick have a number of intriguing hurlers to look out for.
Brian Ryan (Limerick)
If any of the remaining players in this competition can consider themselves a marked man, Brian Ryan’s grievance will trump them.
If any of the remaining players in this competition deserve success, Brian Ryan can certainly claim he deserves it more.
In the space of a year, the Limerick attacker has been through the ringer. Twice he’s made it to the Munster final with his county and twice he was left heartbroken. Even in March, he guided his school Ardscoil Rís to the Croke Cup decider only to be denied in Croker – and yet here he is, daring to dream again.
In a thrilling win over Waterford back in the provincial semi-final, Ryan donned the number eight jersey but quickly moved into wing forward where he was too hot to handle. He hit three points from play that night and sent even more tremors through Wexford in the All-Ireland quarter-final with a virtuoso display.
10 points off the stick of Ryan took the Munster men to the last four – he stepped up to no end when the game was in the melting pot in the closing stages, dragging Limerick into this clash. And, frankly, if Dublin want to advance in this competition, they’ll have to keep Ryan quiet.
But they’ll have their work cut out doing that.
Donal Burke (Dublin)
A scorer, a grafter, a leader.
Donal Burke plays hurling without inhibition.
In the Leinster semi-final against three-in-row champions Kilkenny, he was sprung from the bench and, without him, Dublin wouldn’t have won their first provincial crown in four seasons. His injury time goal forced extra time and the Dubs haven’t looked back.
Neither has Burke.
1-3 from play in the decider against Wexford has marked him out as a serious, serious threat and the way he’s been strutting around with pure freedom makes you wonder if the Na Fianna man can actually be stopped.
It’ll take some man to do that job.
Dara De Poire (Dublin)
Not only are his puckouts controlling his team’s build-up and ensuring possession, but De Poire’s all-round game is proving pivotal for the Dubs.
Produced a superb save early on in the Leinster final and dealt with short balls, calm under pressure.
Goalkeepers are often overlooked for individual praise but a good team starts with a strong last line of defence and, in the St. Vincent’s stopper, Dublin have a trustworthy number one.
They have a game-changing number one.
Minor players are embarking on their adult lives, many are about to finish school and start college, they have hopes and dreams and ambitions, but for this one moment in time, the Electric Ireland Minor Championships is the major thing in their lives. Follow the conversation at #GAAThisIsMajor.
