Hi °C | Lo °C Louth supporters will make the first of two visits this week to Navan tonight for the Cadbury's Leinster U-21 football final against Dublin, their first appearance at this stage of the competition for 16 years.
The odds are stacked against Louth, who have won the provincial title on three previous occasions. Current senior manager Peter Fitzpatrick was on the team when they last won in 1981.
Some bookmakers have priced them as high as 8/1 for the match, which is no surprise given the form of Dublin's AFL- bound Ciaran Kilkenny in attack and his minor colleagues from last season, Jack McCaffrey and Eoin O Conghaile.
Gary Sweeney is a survivor from the 2010 Dublin team that landed the All- Ireland title and the manner of their victories so far in the competition against Laois (23 points) and Westmeath (12 points) suggests they are much stronger than all other opponents.
Louth have developed a habit of building big leads in the competition and then losing them. They led Longford by 10 points and Offaly by eight in the semi-final but had to endure tight finishes to prevail.
Eoghan O'Connor and Shane O'Hanlon, son of former midfielder Seamus, have provided them with a strong platform, but Dublin look set for a third Leinster title in four years.
Louth seniors could be without their first-choice midfield pair Paddy Keenan and Brian Donnelly for their relegation battle with Meath in Navan on Sunday. Keenan has a hamstring injury while Donnelly is almost certainly out with an ankle injury.
