First of five league finals to be decided tonight

A FL FINALS PREVIEWS

TOM GANNON

With just a couple of week's to go to the start of the football champions and with promotion and relegation issues already determined attentions turns to the distribution of the A FL silverware this week with four finals down for decision tonight (Tuesday) and two tomorrow (Wednesday), including the A FL Div 1 final between Summerhill and Ballinabrackey.

A FL DIV 1: Summerhill v Ballinabrackey:

After beating Donaghmore/Ashbourne in the semi-final, Summerhill now face another of their championship group A rivals, Ballinabrackey, in the A FL Div 1 final at Pairc Tailteann on Wednesday evening. Despite getting off to a sluggish start, Summerhill laid down a marker in the semi-final. After 10 minutes, Summerhill had not even registered an attack in the contest but they slowly found their feet. David Larkin who was introduced to the contest after 17 minutes had a great impact and two goals courtesy of Barry Dardis and Conor Frayne proved to be vital. They face a gritty Ballinabrackey side who conquered table toppers Skryne in their semi-final thanks to a late free from netminder Dean Pluck. Ballinabrackey are a hardy outfit and will be hard to break down. However, their exploits against Skryne will have taken a bit out of them. Summerhill will probably be a little bit fresher and their class will likely see them over the line. Verdict - Summerhill.

A FL DIV 2: Dunshaughlin v Seneschalstown:

These two young sides are very comparable in that they both have the potential within their ranks to compete for Keegan Cups over the next couple of years. Seneschalstown have a little bit more development to go to match their opponents in the A FL Div 2 final at Ashbourne on Wednesday. While Seneschalstown were deserving winners of their semi-final clash against Curraha, they needed a couple of goals from Cathal Hickey to get them over the line. If Curraha had found a way to stifle Hickey, it might have been a very different outcome. Dunshaughlin finished out their semi-final against Trim in impressive style and will be better equipped to deal with Hickey than Curraha were. A repeat of that semi-final performance against Trim should be enough to see Dunshaughlin get the better of a Seneschalstown who were at times wasteful in their semi-final. Verdict - Dunshaughlin.

A FL DIV 3 FINAL: Rathkenny v St Vincent's:

The now senior side Rathkenny were by far the best team in this division, and although it wasn't straightforward, they still beat Clann na nGael by six points in the semi-final to secure their promotion. St Vincent's are a good young side and they have a big year ahead of them in the junior ranks, but they will likely struggle against Rathkenny in Donore on Tuesday. Verdict - Rathkenny.

A FL DIV 4 FINAL: Ratoath v Ballinlough:

These two sides, who finished third and fourth in the league standings, came out on top in their respective semis against Castletown and Drumbaragh and clinched promotion. Ballinlough looked impressive in their victory over Drumbaragh while Ratoath took down Castletown who had only one loss in the league up to that point. It will be a tight contest in Bective on Tuesday but Ballinlough might edge this one. Ratoath supply no information to the local media, so there is nothing known about their team. Maybe they want it that way, but there will be little or no record of this team in the future. Verdict - Ballinlough.

A FL DIV 5 FINAL: Slane v Moynalty:

Slane has made light work of this league campaign. They finished top of the standings with a 100% record before dismantling Cortown in the semi-final. On all evidence, the Tailteann Cup winners should be able to claim the title in Simonstown on Tuesday without too much stress. Verdict - Slane.

A FL DIV 6 FINAL: St Colmcille's v Duleek-Bellewstown:

Duleek-Bellewstown were very impressive racking up 4-15 in their semi-final against Clonard and a repeat of that performance will make them hard to beat in Stamullen on Tuesday. Unfortunately neither clubs sends in information to the Meath Chronicle, so our prediction is based on little else only current form. Verdict - Duleek-Bellewstown.