THIS COLUMNIST probably wasn’t the only one who raised a wry smile at the headline “Seamus Callanan accepts his suspension” when it appeared in the National media a week ago, since it appeared after the Tipperary full forward had appealed the decision and lost that particular battle. No doubt the headline writers in question are the type who walk away saying “I never wanted to kiss you anyway” after being knocked back by someone they approach in a nightclub, based on their peculiarly Irish interpretation of what constitutes “accepting” a sanction.
Nonetheless, the simple fact of the matter is this – Tipperary are a completely different team with the Drom and Inch man at the head of their attack, as opposed to when he’s unavailable, as will be the case this Sunday when they take on Waterford at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. There is no shortage of depth in the Premier County but there is still no substitute for real, elite talent either and Callanan is one of those players who is undoubtedly in that category. Paddy Power currently bet 15/8 about him winning an All Star in the full forward line, and when you consider that he’s the favourite in a field containing Joe Canning (11/4), Patrick Horgan (10/3) and Richie Power (4/1), that’s significant.
Consequently, Waterford plus three points at 11/10 might be well worth a second look this week. Dublin’s heavy win over Limerick to kick off the round of quarter finals didn’t do a lot for the form in division 1B, but Waterford, Wexford and Offaly all held their own to varying degrees of success and when you take Callanan and the injured Kieran Bergin out of that Tipp team, they are far from unbeatable.
In the other semi-final this Sunday, Dublin at 6/4 might be the fractionally better bet against a Cork side that are scoring freely but who have a lot less to prove. Cork demolished Dublin at Croke Park earlier this Spring, scoring 0-21 in the first half and 0-34 in total, but that form certainly wasn’t in keeping with Dublin’s usual level this year. There’s no doubt that a hammering on that scale won’t have been easy for Cork native Ger Cunningham to take and it would be a huge surprise if we didn’t see a very different Dublin team this week. Paddy Power bet 6/4 about Dublin winning the match, which means that the double on Dublin winning the game and Waterford staying within three pays out at a little over 4/1.
