Offaly stick with winning team for Leinster minor football final

AS expected, Offaly have stayed with the same team for Monday's eagerly awaited Leinster Minor Football Championship final in Newbridge.

With no injuries, there was no case for changing the team that recorded super wins over Meath and Kildare in the quarter and semi-finals. The same fifteen will start Monday's final against Louth, who are seeking an unprecedented clean sweep of Leinster senior, U20 and minor football titles.

Louth recorded a comprehensive win over Offaly in the group stages and are warm favourites but Offaly have turned a big corner in recent weeks and there is growing optimism that they can knock the border county off their pedestal.

They will have to hit the ground running and limit the damage that they sustain when their opponents have their inevitable purple patches but Offaly have done really well in recent weeks to turn a stuttering campaign around.

Well beaten by Dublin and Louth in their first two games, they have since beaten Laois, Wicklow, Meath and Kildare to make the final and are playing some very exciting football. The team has changed considerably in recent weeks with Tomas Carroll going in at full back, Eoin Rouse moving back to the half back line and Charlie Duffy finding his best form at midfield. Tony Furey has had some very good spells up front and Offaly have a dangerous forward line that can really hurt their opponents.

There is big interest in this game in both counties and it could attract a crowd of over 5,000 peopler. The game has a 7.35pm throw in and spectators would be advised to give themselves plenty of time to make a Newbridge town that can suffer traffic congestion at certain times of the day without a match.

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OFFALY: Jack Ryan (Doon); Caden O'Beirne (Tullamore), Tomas Carroll (Erin Rovers), Cormac Farrell (Edenderry); Patrick Duffy (Tullamore), Tadgh Kelly (Kilclonfert), Eoin Rouse (Tullamore); Eamon Maher (Ferbane), Charlie Duffy (Edenderry); Cathal Weldon (Bracknagh), Dylan Dunne (Clara), Aaron Daly (Clonbullogue); Tony Furey (Edenderry), Cian McNamee (Rhode), Ruari Woods (Belmont). Subs – Max Kruger (Gracefield), Isaac Ryan (Clara), Stephen Byrne (Raheen), Cian Duffy (Doon), Darragh Stewart (Tullamore), Paddy Burns (Daingean), Daniel Stoyanov (Clara), Dermot Crombie (Rhode), Ruari Carroll (Edenderry).