Hope may be a dangerous thing, but hype is a wonderful thing and this evening, the Louth and Mayo bandwagons pitch up at Croke Park for one of the most novel All-Ireland semi-finals in decades.
In prediction season, not many had either in the top four. Surely nobody had both playing on semi-final weekend.
That one of these will be in the final two enhances the notion that the 2026 championship edition will be regarded as one of the best ever. If the winners here make it to the very top, it will be hard beat.
Long sold out, the novelty is added to by the fact that both surprise packets have an excellent chance of progressing; favouritism sits with Mayo, but only just.
However, while it’s true that Louth, in particular, and Mayo were not regarded as genuine Sam Maguire contenders this year, both are here on strong merit.
The Wee County’s story is especially engaging as they prepare for their first All-Ireland semi-final since 1957. Back then the trains stopped at Dunleer, Ardee and Castlebellingham as well as Dundalk and Drogheda on the way to Dublin, but their fans will find a way to get down the road in huge numbers regardless.
Neatly demonstrating their rise, it’s a decade since Louth were plying their trade in Division 4. The likes of Conall McKeever, Conor Grimes, Ryan Burns and Tommy Durnin know what it’s like to play in that bottom division.
They managed to earn promotion in 2016, edging past Antrim at Croke Park for some rare silverware, and it’s been mostly an upward trajectory since.
Undoubtedly, one player has been most responsible for that forward momentum.
Just a few months after that Division 4 win, Sam Mulroy dragged his club Naomh Máirtín to the Louth minor title – escaping the clutches of current Louth corner-back Emmet Carolan. Within a week, Wee County boss Colin Kelly had invited him into the senior county panel.
Although he didn’t feature, the first game as part of the squad was a heavy O’Fiaich Cup semi-final loss to Tyrone in Crossmaglen. The Red Hand manager at the time was Mickey Harte, who handed Mulroy the Louth captaincy in 2021.
Harte’s assistant that day was Gavin Devlin, who is now Louth boss. Ronan O’Neill, current Wee County coach, scored 1-02. Louth goalkeeper coach Paul Hearty would have inevitably been at his home pitch stewarding.
Over the coming years, Mulroy would establish himself as the county’s elite forward, Louth’s David Clifford, Louth’s Con O’Callaghan.
In their 2020 Leinster loss to Longford, Mulroy was Louth’s only scorer.
Although Mulroy remains the focal point of their attack, Devlin, first as a coach under Harte and then as number one, has dramatically enhanced the supporting cast. Mulroy’s importance cannot be overstated, last year’s All-Star proof of that – as well as how he dictated their quarter-final win over Monaghan – but the idea that he would be their sole scorer seems ridiculous now.
Louth won the Division 4 title 10 years ago
In their 11 games in league and championship this season, they have had at least six different scorers in every game. Three times they have managed double digits.
The likes of James Maguire and Tadhg McDonnell, part of the Leinster Under-20 winning team of 2025, have only added further attacking options.
From being labelled as a one-man attack in the not too distant past, Louth suddenly have one of the deepest squads when it comes to forward play in the country.
That’s potentially fatal for a Mayo side that has been leaking goal chances for fun.
The win over Monaghan was farcical at times with Jack Livingston making seven saves in an astonishing championship debut. It wasn’t as bad against Meath, but they were still taking on plenty of water at the back.
Both games were won though and really, what else matters?
Suddenly, a year that was meant to be transitional – a farewell tour of sorts for AFL-bound Kobe McDonald – has take a dramatically different path.
How very Mayo it would be to spend two decades thrilling the nation in their ultimately heart-breaking pursuit of Sam, only to win it when they’re out of the spotlight?
Paddy Tally, who coached Louth boss Devlin when Tyrone first won Sam in 2003, may just have been the most important person in Andy Moran’s camp since their quarter-final win over misfiring Cork.
Goal chances were reduced, although Livingston had to produce another excellent stop to deny Brian O’Driscoll – but Cork still had more than enough chances to change the outcome of their 0-23 to 0-18 loss. The Rebels had 14 wides in all and dropped a few short in a harrowing conversion rate that ended up below 50%. The quality of many of those missed chances would have been particularly grating.
Mayo coach Paddy Tally must find a way to tighten up the Mayo back-line
Tally’s noted strength is defensive combat, albeit more in a pre-FRC world. Still, it would be a dereliction of duty if Moran didn’t ask him to come up with something to counter the most obvious of flaws and Tally must deliver.
Such a platform would rely on improved performances around the middle from Bob Tuohy and Jack Carney with the likes of David McBrien and Stephen Coen vital to the piggery.
Louth’s midfield would normally be perceived as a possible real strength heading into this, but they opted against appealing the red card handed out to Seán Callaghan for a high challenge on Monaghan’s Oisin McGorman last time out while rumours swirl that Paul Matthews may miss out, although he has been named to start.
Ultimately, Mayo’s chances of reaching what would be an incredible eighth final in 20 years rests on their scintillating inside line that contributed 19 of their 23 points against Cork.
McDonald and Darragh Beirne have brought electricity to the side and a real scoring prowess too. From play, they have combined for 2-27 in this year’s championship.
At 27, Ryan O’Donoghue is by far the elder statesman of the three and seems to revelling in his minder role. O’Donoghue’s attacking ability has long been recognised, but the grit of the former All-Ireland boxing champion is sometimes missed.
That was most evident in the final 90 seconds against Monaghan. Mayo led by 12 points in the second half but had meekly surrendered momentum leaving just an orange flag between the sides as the hooter warmed up.
Ryan O’Donoghue (C) brings under-rated grit to the Mayo attack
The Belmullet man lined up Ryan O’Toole along the sideline and blitzed past him only for two covering Monaghan players to help force the turnover. O’Donoghue dropped the ball as he tumbled to the ground, showed great agility and awareness to flick the ball away from O’Toole, got up and won what was the clinching free.
He’s just one of a number of key players who could provide the match-winning moment this evening. There are plenty of them.
The four front-runners for the young player of the year as it stands are all involved in Saturday’s semi-final – Mayo’s McDonald and Beirne and Louth pair Dara McDonnell and Maguire.
Hype is indeed a wonderful thing and no matter what happens this evening we should get a glance of the future, especially if McDonald ever gets sick of professional sport Down Under.
That’s for then though and this is now. And this is Louth’s time.
Watch the Tailteann Cup final, Down v Wicklow, on Saturday from 3.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on all matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals, Louth v Mayo on Saturday from 5.30pm and Dublin v Kerry on Sunday from 3.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on all matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1