KEVIN CASSIDY: Don’t rule out a draw

THE biggest day of the year is upon us and what is great about this year’s final is that none of us have a clue who is going to win it.

I actually don’t think that there is anyone on this island who could make a strong enough case for any team to run out convincing winners, an indication of how tight this is.

Looking at the recent games between Armagh and Galway, you get the sense that both teams know each other inside out and that they really are evenly matched all over the pitch.

When trying to pick a winner we must obviously weigh up a number of considerations, but one area that may be important is their recent outings. Armagh went to the well and ground out a heroic win over the Kingdom to finally land their big win in Croke Park.

This win was badly needed for this current Armagh team given how a number of big games have gone for them over the last few years.They needed to know that when the chips are down they can put their backs to the wall and grind out the result.

Compare that to Galway and I actually think that they didn’t play that well against Donegal in their semi final. They did what they had to do and they nailed their game plan nullifying Donegal’s threats but their big game players didn’t catch fire. Seán Kelly didn’t feature. Comer was quiet and bar a few frees, Walsh was non-existent. The point I am making is that there is arguably more room for improvement from the Galway camp.

For me this game hinges on what kind of shape the three aforementioned players are in. If they are fully fit and flying then Armagh will struggle to contain them. The match ups will be key but we have seen before if Shane Walsh catches fire then it doesn’t matter who is marking him.

From an Armagh point of view, I think that their strongest asset is their panel. Every time they have emptied their bench they have got an immediate impact and that is massive when it comes to the closing stages of these big games.

Kieran McGeeney has done a fantastic job in keeping all of the players happy which isn’t an easy thing to do and should they get over the line on Sunday then that will be all worthwhile

We took our Gaoth Dobhair u-10 team up to Crossmaglen last weekend for a few games and to say that there is a massive buzz up there would be an understatement.

The county is crying out for an All-Ireland title and the question is can this current crop of players deliver on that front?

It really is difficult to predict this game and it will go down to the wire. For me, if Galway are fully fit and have all their players firing then they may just edge it. But don’t rule out a draw.