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Cavan (+14)
I’m not trying to be funny, but unless Cavan brought Dublin down to Kingspan Breffni Park to play and had them on the pints for three days beforehand I couldn’t see them winning here. But, to be serious, Cavan are an unbelievable Gaelic Football county. The passion they have for the game is nearly unmatched anywhere, and I’ve no doubt that they will get the absolute maximum out of themselves against Dublin on Saturday night.
No matter what happens, Cavan will feel like it’s been a great year for them after winning the Ulster title for the first time since 1997. But, this is a step-up of 10 to 15 points on any team Cavan have played so far.
Dublin have the best goalkeeper I’ve ever seen and the best freetaker in the country, and that’s just two of the players in their starting XV. Then you throw in the likes of Brian Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny and James McCarthy – who are some of the best players to grace Croke Park in the last 50 years – so you can see the challenge that is facing Cavan this weekend.
I do believe Cavan have it in them to beat the (+14) handicap though, they have enough pride and have shown a never-say-die attitude in this Championship that makes me confident they can cover this spread.
Saturday 5.30pm Dublin v Cavan
RTÉ 2 and Sky Sports Mix
Dean Rock to score the first goalscorer
Without question, the best chance of a first goalscorer in this game comes from Dublin and his name is Dean Rock.
He grabbed the opener against Meath in the Leinster Championship final and he can repeat the trick here. He is also Dublin’s penalty taker and he’s usually deadly from them if given the chance.
Total Points – Under (+37.5) points
I also fancy the total score of the game to be kept under 37.5 points in this All-Ireland semi-final. I called this bet correctly twice in when most of the provincial finals took place two weeks ago and it should land again here.
Colm O’Rourke’s tips summary:
Cavan (+14)
Dean Rock to score the first goalscorer
Total Points – Under 37.5
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