Dunshaughlin and St Peter’s to serve up thriller in Keegan Cup semi-final

Throw-In Saturday 4pm Pairc Tailteann

Tom Gannon

The SFC semi-finals are set to serve up an intriguing encounter this weekend as St. Peter’s Dunboyne takes on Dunshaughlin, two clubs steeped in the tradition of Meath football.

Both sides have navigated their way through a tough championship campaign to earn a spot in the last four, but only one will proceed to the final, with the coveted Keegan Cup firmly in sight. This clash promises to be a high-stakes, hard-hitting affair, with plenty of tactical battles, individual brilliance, and fierce rivalry on display.

St. Peter’s Dunboyne have been one of the standout teams in this year’s championship, and their form had many tipping them early on as potential title contenders. St Peter’s will be buoyed by their strong quarter-final victory over champions Summerhill. A performance that showcased their mix of physicality, skill, and a keen tactical awareness that has been a hallmark of their campaign.

The addition of Andy McEntee to Ger Robinson’s managerial team has been massive. St Peter’s was known as a side that had plenty of talent but struggled in big games. However, McEntee’s no-nonsense approach has clearly toughened up the Dunboyne-based outfit as proven in their 14-man victory over Summerhill.

At the heart of their success is an experienced core, with seasoned players such as Donal Lenihan and David McEntee playing pivotal roles in attack. Lenihan’s ability to score from all angles, whether from play or dead balls, makes him one of the most dangerous forwards in the competition.

Pulling the strings in front of Lenihan and McEntee at centre-half forward is Jack Kinlough. Kinlough is the focal point every time St Peter’s build an attack and he certainly has the ability to dictate games if given the opportunity to do so.

From a defensive perspective, Shane McEntee has provided leadership and work rate in abundance. McEntee’s role as a ball-winner and playmaker could be crucial in determining the outcome of this match, particularly if Dunboyne can establish early dominance early on.

Dunshaughlin brings the X Factor to the clash and enters the contest as slight favourites. They have been absolutely awesome throughout the championship and have shown fantastic versatility.

In the group stages, Dunshaughlin showed that they can just wear teams down and the belief shown by them to get the better of two strong sides in Summerhill and Donaghmore/Ashbourne was incredible.

The likes of Aaron Murphy and Ruairi Kinsella may be seen as the bridesmaids in comparison to some of the other talents that their side possess, however, they have played big part roles in all of their victories to date.

The two obvious stars of Dunshaughlin’s success are Matthew Costello and Conor Gray. Costello is the type of player who makes big-time plays at big moments. This was evident against Donaghmore/Ashbourne in their championship opener where Costello, who was having a relatively quiet game, provided the crucial levelling score with a brilliantly struck point.

Conor Gray’s primary role may be to provide a physical presence around the middle of the park but as an individual player, he is so much more. You won’t see too many big midfielders with a huge physical presence taking on the role of engine of the team but that is exactly what Gray has provided Richie Kealy’s side.

He will often be seen dropping back to help out the full-back line while in the same move providing a crucial pass to Dunshaughlin’s danger men up the other end of the pitch.

On balance, this semi-final promises to be a tightly contested affair. Dunshaughlin may come into the game as favourites, St Peter’s tenacity and tactical discipline make them a dangerous underdog. If Dunshaughlin can assert their dominance in midfield and the likes of Luke Mitchell and Costello find space in attack, they may have too much firepower for St Peter’s to handle.

However, if St Peter’s can disrupt Dunshaughlin’s rhythm and exploit their counter-attacking opportunities as they did against Summerhill, an upset could well be on the cards.

Ultimately though, in a tight battle, you would expect that Dunshaughlin will be able to get their noses in front at the right time.

Verdict – Dunshaughlin

PATHS TO THE SEMI-FINAL

First round - St Peter's, Dunboyne 0-20; Curraha 0-9; Dunshaughlin 1-13, Donaghmore/Ashbourne 1-12;

Second round - St Peter's 0-11, Wolfe Tones 0-7; Dunshauglin 2-12, Summerhill 2-10;

Third round - St Peter's 2-8, Gaeil Colmcille 1-6; Dunshaughlin 4-13, Ballinabrackey 0-5.

Quarter-final - St Peter's 1-15, Summerhill 0-14; Dunshaughlin 4-9, Ratoath 0-15.