PREVIEW: Dublin v Louth All-Ireland SFC Round 1

Dublin will look to bounce back from the disappointment of their Leinster final defeat to Westmeath, when they meet Louth in Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Round 1 encounter at Croke Park (2.30). 

Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne's first half injury in that defeat was another setback that the Dubs could have done without. 

The Cuala midfielder’s absence was a key factor in Westmeath seizing control around the middle third early in the second-half and it was only an inspirational performance from Brian Howard that saw Dublin finish strongly to force extra-time last Sunday week. 

Howard’s display was one of the positives to take from the provincial decider with the likes of Cormac Costello and Ciarán Kilkenny in particular driving the team on at crucial stages during the game.

Injuries to Con O’Callaghan, Eoin Murchan, Colm Basquel and Lee Gannon have been felt this season and a return to action of any of the aforementioned quartet would be a welcome boost to the team’s chances. 

Of course, Dublin and Louth met as recently as early May, when Dublin claimed a 0-20 to 0-10 victory in Portlaoise, as Costello accounted for half of Dublin’s scores. 

Louth were uncharacteristically wasteful on that occasion and they are far too good a side to produce a similar standard this weekend. 

They won’t be lacking in motivation either, keen to right the wrongs of O’Moore Park and in Sam Mulroy, they possess a talismanic figure that has the capacity to kick two-pointers for fun. 

Throw in the likes of Ciaran Keenan, Tadhg McDonnell, Conor Grimes and Dara McDonnell and Louth have more than enough firepower to post a winning tally on Sunday. 

Assuming that Dublin don’t enjoy the huge advantage in terms of appetite and work rate that was pivotal to their win three weeks ago then it’s safe to assume that this is a contest that could go right down to the wire. 

The match will be shown live on GAA+ with their coverage scheduled to start at 2pm.