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Galway and Dublin prepare for EirGrid GAA Football U20 Final

Tom Gray, U20 Dublin manager, pictured ahead of the EirGrid U20 Football All-Ireland Final this Saturday. EirGrid, the state-owned company that manages and develops Ireland's electricity grid, has partnered with the GAA since 2015 as sponsor of the U20 GAA Football All-Ireland Championship.

Tom Gray, U20 Dublin manager, pictured ahead of the EirGrid U20 Football All-Ireland Final this Saturday. EirGrid, the state-owned company that manages and develops Ireland's electricity grid, has partnered with the GAA since 2015 as sponsor of the U20 GAA Football All-Ireland Championship.

In a repeat of one of the 2019 semi-finals, Galway will face Dublin in Croke Park on Saturday 19th which is set to be a thriller of a game and is the curtain raiser for the Senior Football All-Ireland Final. The match will be broadcasted live on TG4 with the game throwing in at 2.15pm and EirGrid is encouraging fans to get behind their county and cheer them on from home this weekend.

Dublin and Galway secured their place in the final round of the competition following nail biting victories in their respective semi-finals against Tyrone and Kerry in October. Both teams will be eager to come out as champions in one of the showpiece events in the GAA calendar. Ahead of this Saturday’s decider, Dublin U20 boss, Tom Gray, and Galway U20 manager, Donal Ó Fátharta, took part in the EirGrid U20 Football All-Ireland Final preview event giving media an in-depth look at how their squads are preparing for the final.

The highly anticipated semi-final between Dublin and Tyrone didn’t disappoint. A storming finish at Kingspan Breffni, that included points from reigning Player of the Year Ciaran Archer, secured Dublin's return to the EirGrid All-Ireland U20 Football Championship Final. Tom Gray's side looked in trouble when they trailed by two points at the second water break having been four down at one stage late in the first half. But the 2019 All-Ireland runners-up rallied superbly in the closing quarter and outscored Tyrone by 0-05 to 0-01 to grab their spot in this Saturday's decider.

Kerry faced Galway in the other semi-final and Kerry led by 1-07 to 1-05 at the break after a good opening half where Galway got a great boost when wing-back Cian Monahan found the net after seven minutes. But Kerry finished the half strongly and Ruaidhri Ó Beagloaich got a good goal to lead by two at the interval. Galway, with Matthew Tierney kicking some excellent points from placed balls, dominated the second half and pulled away to book their space in this weekend’s final.

EirGrid, the state-owned company that develops and manages Ireland’s electricity grid, have been proud partners of the GAA since 2015 when it first began sponsoring the U21 Football All-Ireland Championship before the competition evolved into to U20 grade.

Michael Mahon, Chief Infrastructure Officer at EirGrid, said: “On behalf of all at EirGrid, I would like to wish the very best of luck to Galway and Dublin who will compete in this Saturday’s EirGrid GAA Football U20 All-Ireland Final. In an extraordinary year, the likes of which we have never seen before, a special mention must be given to the dedication shown by the players and management teams. This competition provides a platform for the next generation of talent to showcase and develop their skills. The final is definitely one to watch – we’re looking forward to an enjoyable game and to watching these players in the future as they continue to develop and grow with their clubs and counties.”