Pete’s Picks – Sunday’s Live GAA Analysis & Tips

First of all, and to be completely frank, it is, as a value seeker, an unappealing Leinster SFC final between Dublin and Westmeath.

Dublin v Westmeath, Football, RTÉ, 2pm
Dublin are 1/100, Westmeath 16/1 and the draw 25/1.

Dublin, who have creamed Longford by 27 and Kildare by 19 points respectively, are 16-point favourites in the provincial decider, a remarkable statistic.

What is more remarkable is that it’s a fair reflection of how this encounter could pan out drafting in the scorelines of Westmeath’s Championship matches into our thinking.

Tom Cribbin’s men beat Louth 3-14 to 0-16, Wexford 1-21 to 0-15 and Meath 3-19 to 2-18 so are not exactly ones for parking the bus.

However, Dublin are not a brigade to be gung-ho against and Jim Gavin’s side should tear Westmeath apart at will.

And trust Dean Rock, once more, to guide Dublin’s ship.

Pete’s Picks:
Dean Rock RTÉ Man of the Match @ 14/1

Tipperary v Waterford, Hurling, RTÉ, 4pm
Tipperary can smash Waterford’s seasonal unbeaten record to pieces in the Munster SHC final in Semple Stadium, Thurles.

This is the first meeting of Tipp and Waterford in the Championship for three years.

The four previous tussles between the counties going back to the provincial final of 2009 have all resulted in victories for the Premier County.

Interestingly, Eamon O’Shea has been in and around Tipp’s camp during that time-period and obviously, therefore, enjoys contests against the Déise.

I have no doubt, as the closing minutes are being played out, that he will be revelling in this one too.

BoyleSports’ odds-compilers have Waterford as 12/5 outsiders, and rightly so.

The way in which Derek McGrath will have Waterford set-up, dropping men behind the ball, there may be plenty of space in front of Pádraic Maher to attack.

Expect the Thurles Sarsfields’ clubman, who would have grown up dreaming of opportunities to perform in a Munster final on his hometown patch, to propel Tipp to glory with a series of powerful advances into enemy territory.

Séamus Callanan is the RTÉ Man of the Match favourite and a worthy one at that.

Were the Drom & Inch star to be that influential we won’t be complaining given BoyleSports’ bettors are on Callanan to win the GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year award at 11/1 – he is presently the 4/1 joint-second favourite in such a market.

However, on this particular occasion, to stipulated stakes, backing the aforementioned Maher, his namesake Patrick ‘Bonner’ and Jason Forde should represent a sound outlay overall.

‘Bonner’ Maher is one of the greatest hurlers in the country and showed he can score too against Limerick firing over 0-3 while Forde registered an under-the-radar 1-3 in the Gaelic Grounds.

Similar performances from those two and they will definitely be in the shake-up at the very least.

Pete’s Picks:
Tipperary -3 @ 10/11
Tipperary -7 @ 23/10
Tipperary over 2.5 goals @ 7/4
Pádraic Maher RTÉ Man of the Match @ 12/1
Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher RTÉ Man of the Match @ 14/1
Jason Forde RTÉ Man of the Match @ 20/1

*Prices correct at time of publication