The 5 Biggest Shocks In The Eirgrid U21 Football Championship

With the All-Ireland U21 semi-finals approaching, we look back on the biggest shocks in the history of the competition.

Longford and Leitrim. Not two of the most heralded counties in the GAA. Two of the smallest counties in the country. Neither weighed down by success. On Off The Ball a few years ago, David Brady even suggested the pair of them amalgamate after Leitrim suffered an eye-watering hammering at the hands of Mayo.

However, in the past two seasons, these two counties have deposed the reigning U21 All-Ireland champions.

The Eirgrid U21 Football championship is a rich territory for fans of giant-killing romance.

2014 Connacht Championship

Leitrim 0 - 9 Galway 0 - 8

Galway scooped their second U21 All-Ireland title in three years after beating Cork in the Gaelic Grounds in May 2013.

For the Galway-Leitrim match in Pairc Sean MacDiarmada the following summer, bookies were giving Galway -15 at evens.

In a cagey first half, Galway were unexceptional but things were still going to plan as they led 0-6 to 0-3. They were even less exceptional in the second half as Leitrim slowly reeled them. Incredibly, they led 0-8 to 0-7 going into injury time until Damien Comer kicked an equaliser.

Just when Galway looked to have escaped, Niall Brady hit a super point to give Leitrim a famous victory.

2013 Leinster Championship

Longford 1 - 6 Dublin 1 - 5

Colm O'Rourke had just penned a now famous article suggesting that the GAA should look at splitting the Dubs into two teams. This argument leant especially strongly on Dublin's overwhelming strength at underage level.

They had won the 2012 All-Ireland championship and the consensus in the pre-match build-up was that they were even stronger in 2013. Two weeks before the Longford game in Parnell Park, they had beaten Carlow in the opening round. There was just the 37 points in that one.

It was a wet, blustery evening and scores didn't come easily. Longford enjoyed the better of the first half but trailed 1-1 to 0-3 thanks to a Ciaran Kilkenny goal. Things remained tight until the pivotal score of the game - Robbie Smyth's 53rd minute strike put Longford 1-5 to 1-3 ahead and sent the big Longford contingent in the crowd wild.

Trailing by a point late in injury-time, Dublin won a free on the left-hand side. As Ciaran Kilkenny stood, poised, with the ball in his hands, the referee decided there wasn't enough pressure on him and told him this was definitely the last kick of the game. He wasn't having any of this business about kicking it short or going for a one-two.

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Kilkenny ballooned the shot wide on the right (it didn't even go wide) and the Longford supporters went nuts.

#splitLongford was tweeted a few times on Twitter that night.

#SplitLongford

— Colm Parkinson (@Woolberto) March 6, 2013

2010 Munster Final

Tipperary 1 - 7 Kerry 1 - 6

It's less gob-smacking now following Tipp's All-Ireland minor triumph in 2011 and the strides they made at senior level in 2014.

Tipp were struggling to get any traction until Bernard O'Brien banged home a superb goal and then a flurry of points gave them a 1-4 to 1-2 lead.

Kerry rallied to steady themselves until substitute Shane Egan kicked a point to level the game and then hit the winner in dramatic circumstances.

It was a jolt to Kerry back in 2010 and set off more hand-wringing about the underage setup down there. They needn't have worried too much. Peter Crowley, Jonathan Lyne, Barry John Keane and the two Geaney brothers all started that night. All featured in last year's improbable senior triumph.

2007 Munster Championship

Clare 1 - 6 Kerry 0 - 6

Kilmihil was the scene of another chastening defeat for Kerry in the modern era at this level. A deserved win for Clare too as they hit what should have been a ruinous tally of sixteen wides to Kerry's three in the first half.

However, such was their dominance that they were still able to battle their way to victory. David Ryan kicked home the goal early in the second half and Clare held off Kerry to take victory.

Unfortunately, Tipp got the better of them in the provincial semi-final. And they in turn were battered by Cork in the Munster Final. It doesn't reflect well on the Kerry class of 2007. Kieran O'Leary was their only stand-out performer in the game.

2003 Munster Final

Waterford 2 - 8 Kerry 1 - 9

One of the most sensational results in U21 history. A night when a full forward line of Colm Cooper, Declan O'Sullivan and Declan Quill went to Walsh Park and came away with no Munster medal.

A sizeable crowd of 6,000 watched as Waterford dominated territory in the early stages but failed to really drive home their advantage. Still, it pinch yourself territory as they led 1-5 to 0-4 at the break.

Kerry ate into their lead as they dominated the second half, and a couple of Quill points and a superb solo goal Michael Collins gave Kerry the lead for the first time. They had reached dry land at last. All would be well.

Not so fast.

Kerry's DJ Fleming hit the post with a penalty and the air of foreboding must have been overpowering. Waterford full forward Shane Walsh struck a goal sixty seconds into injury time and the unthinkable had happened.