Though many eyes in the GAA world might already be looking ahead to the senior All-Ireland football semi-finals next weekend, there is a humdinger of a minor final cooking this weekend.
Derry and Monaghan will face off in Sunday's Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football final, having already met in a thrilling Ulster final earlier this season.
They have both experienced impressive runs to this stage, dropping Galway, Dublin, Mayo, and Kerry out of the championship, and the first ever all-Ulster minor final is set to be a thriller.
The game will throw in on Sunday afternoon at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh, easily accessible for fans of both counties, and the venue is set to throw up a brilliant atmosphere.
Speaking to Balls.ie for Electric Ireland ahead of the All-Ireland minor football final, Donegal's 2012 senior football-winning captain Michael Murphy emphasised the importance of young players bringing in big crowds - and said that the atmosphere in Armagh on Sunday had the potential to be truly special.
READ HERE: James Horan Says He Wouldn't Have Taken Off Aidan O'Shea Against Dublin
GAA: Michael Murphy looks ahead to minor football final
Michael Murphy spent two years with the Donegal minors in 2006 and 2007, getting several run-outs at Croke Park before making the transition to senior level.
One of those was an Ulster final, on the undercard to the senior game later that day.
9 July 2006; Sean Burke, Antrim, in action against Leo McLoone, left, and Michael Murphy, Donegal. ESB Ulster Minor Football Championship Final, Donegal v Antrim, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE
As well as the change in age at minor level from under-18 to under-17, one of the biggest changes to the minor championship in recent years has been the decision to move the final away from Croke Park on All-Ireland senior football final day.
Speaking to Balls.ie ahead of this week's All-Ireland final, Murphy said that there are pros and cons to the recent decision to separate the minor and senior finals, and play the minor final away from Croke Park - but said that the most important thing was to give young players the opportunity to play in front of packed out, passionate crowds. They will certainly get that in Armagh on Sunday.
The fact that it's an all-Ulster affair, and the fact that the game is in Armagh, fairly close by to both sides, you would hope that the fever pitch that is in both counties at the moment looking forward to next week's senior semi-finals...you could envisage an absolutely cracking crowd there in Armagh.
It's a brilliant venue, it's a really close-knit venue, where the stands are really in on top of the pitch, so you can imagine the atmosphere there on Sunday being absolutely cracker, at least for these two sides.
There's arguments on both sides [on bringing the minor final away from Croke Park]. On one side, bringing it to a location that's close to both teams will hopefully attract a bigger crowd, and more people to go and watch it.
The other side is then...as a minor, getting an opportunity to play as a minor, to get an opportunity to play in front of the senior game, was a great occasion, it's always fantastic.
But, I look back on it and think, well, why is it fantastic? It was because there was always a big crowd. This week's going to bring a big crowd, even though it's not before a senior game.
The other thing you have to be relatively conscious of is that, where before minor was under-18s, it's now under-17s, and you know where it was 17, 18 year-olds, it's now 15-17 year-olds. That huge glare of an All-Ireland senior final and playing before that...it might just be a bit young to be in that position.
Michael Murphy says that this weekend's game is almost too close to call, and says that he hopes to see a repeat of the thrilling Ulster final we saw between these teams in May.
2
8 May 2023; Johnny McGuckian of Derry in action against Donnachadh Connolly of Monaghan during the Electric Ireland Ulster Minor GAA Football Championship Final match between Derry and Monaghan at Box-It Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Photo by Stephen Marken/SportsfileThat game could only be decided on penalties, and it would not be a surprise to see these two sides go the distance again on Sunday. Comparing the game to Saturday's dour senior game between Monaghan and Armagh, which ultimately saw terrific penalty drama, Murphy said that the quality of football at minor level this year has been excellent:
After watching the way the Ulster final went...you just didn't want that game to end.
Last weekend's senior quarter-final between Armagh and Monaghan went to penalties, but it was a real slow drag towards penalties. You nearly could have predicted it was going to be penalties after ten minutes of normal time.
That minor game going to penalties - you didn't want the game itself to actually stop, you wanted to keep going and going. Both sides were really having a go at it, there were goals being scored, there were brilliant pieces of defending, brilliant catching, fielding, pressing up on kick-outs.
Hopefully it goes the full way this time - but maybe not quite as far as penalties.
When put on the spot, Murphy finally tells me that he believes Derry will win on Sunday - but says that with "no degree of certainty."
It's set to be a thrilling minor final on Sunday. Throw-in in Armagh is at 1pm, with the game live on TG4.
Featured image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady
SEE ALSO: Davy Burke Highlights Dublin And Kerry's League Advantage
