Preview: In form Athy capable of an upset, but it’s hard to look beyond Moorefield

In the end it is the perfect final. All things considered, these two teams are the best in Kildare in 2018 and there are few who could dispute that. In the red corner you have the current league champions, one of only two unbeaten sides in this year’s championship. In the opposite corner are the behemoths from the outskirts of Newbridge, a side steeped in recent history and still basking in the glory of their 2017 Leinster Championship win.

In winning this year’s league title Athy did what no other team in Leinster has managed to do since the beginning of 2017; beat Moorefield in a game that matters. It was the first time in Athy’s history that they had ever landed a league title, somewhat of an obscene stat for a club as big as theirs. There was no shortage of confidence derived from capturing that bit of silverware, which was their first major trophy since winning their sixth ever county title in 2011.

The south Kildare men have been back in a county final just once since then, an occasion where their hearts were broken late on by a Ray Cahill inspired Sarsfields side who took the honours in 2015. There have been few more crushing defeats than the one that Athy suffered three years ago, letting a two-point lead at the end of normal time slip to 14-man Sarsfields to eventually lose by 0-17 to 1-12. Perhaps that is why their team has hardly changed at all in the intervening years. It is remarkable for a club team to retain so many of their players, and in total there were 16 players who played in the 2015 decider who featured in the semi-final win over Celbridge two weeks ago.

In contrast, Moorefield had just 10 players feature between their exit in the 2015 championship and in their most recent semi-final win over Naas. In fairness, when quality of the ilk of Mark Dempsey, Aaron Masterson and quite a few younger players are breaking through at the one time, change is inevitable.

It is this influx of youth that has added to an already talented panel that has now made Moorefield the standard-bearers in Kildare, and at this stage everyone else is desperately trying to catch up with them.

Athy go into this game as big underdogs, and that is probably fair when considering Moorefield’s near impeccable record in their own county and province over the last 18 months.

The Curragh club have been gradually improving throughout the competition, with the filtered return of some of their most important players key to their upturn. In their first four games they conceded eight goals as their defence looked unusually leaky at times, but that part of the ship has been steadied since then and they conceded just a single goal across their two games in the knockout games. On Sunday they might well be without under 20 star Mark Dempsey who suffered a heavy blow from a Luke Flynn challenge in the quarter-final win over Johnstownbridge, leading to the full-back being taken to hospital for treatment. Manager Ross Glavin was coy after the semi-final win over Naas, suggesting that Dempsey might make a late push to be fit for the big game.

Should Dempsey not make it, Sean Healy has proven a more than capable deputy and he would join the experienced duo of Liams Callaghan and Healy. Those pair have been part of a back nine that has been in situ throughout the season, with goalkeeper Tom Corley an ever present, while the half-back line of Kevin Murnaghan, Anthony Durney and James Murray have rarely, if ever, erred throughout their run to the final.

It is the pair in front of them operating in the engine room which this Moorefield side is currently revolving around. Daryl Flynn has hit form again this year, putting in his usual superb grunt work and also catching marks at important times in games. Beside him, Aaron Masterson has been one of the stars of the championship as his reputation continues to grow. The captain of the All-Ireland winning Kildare under 20s side has shown remarkable accuracy and vision with his kick-passing, while his propensity to boom over scores from long range is one of the more eye-catching aspects of his all-round game.

The battle with Paschal Connell and David Hyland will be one to savour. It will be a fascinating contrast in style, with the two Athy men superb at running with the ball and punching holes in defences, while the Moores duo are more traditional midfielders who do their best work between the ‘45s.

If Athy are to stand any chance they will need their whole forward line to operate at their maximum, and, potentially, score at least two goals. James Eaton has been doing well since being brought out to wing-forward, while Niall Kelly and Liam McGovern have been the go-to men on the inside line. They kicked 10 points from play between them in the semi-final win over Celbridge, and if they can cut loose in similar fashion on Sunday they will give their side a decent chance.

Of course, if Athy don’t get to grips with what is usually a potent Moorefield attack, how they perform at the other end might not matter. Manager Ross Glavin has been shuffling his deck constantly throughout the championship, changing his starting attack and always looking for a good impact from the bench in games.

The biggest threat they possess is Eanna O’Connor, but even then, the likes of Adam Tyrrell and Niall Hurley-Lynch are more than capable of dominating the scoresheet. Athy manager Emmanuel Kennedy has the difficult task of trying to assign man-markers when he doesn’t know what forwards Moorefield are likely to line out with.

Athy will probably need a big push for the first 40 minutes to establish a good lead if they are to upset the odds, with the impact of the Moorefield bench proving to be too much for all other teams so far this year. It will take some performance for Kennedy’s side to ensure a league and championship double, and while it is within their reach, Moorefield should make it back to back titles.

Verdict: Moorefield