Four to watch: Minor footballers that can light it up this weekend

CLASSY FORWARD: Dara Sheedy, Cork is tackled by Emmet Bonner, Tipperary during their Electric Ireland Minor Football Championship semi-final at Semple Stadium, Thurles. Pic: Dan Linehan

Dara Sheedy (Cork)

The respect Kerry have for the Cork centre-forward and the damage they knew he could inflict on their provincial final ambitions was shown in the touch-tight man-marking job given to Kerry wing-back Gearóid Evans on the evening of the Munster final in Tralee.

Sheedy, despite the constant and suffocating attention from Evans, still managed to kick two points from play. The Bantry youngster will find he has a bit more room to breathe in UPMC Nowlan Park during Saturday's quarter-final.

Lenny Cahill (Dublin)

Such has been the sizeable scoring returns by the Dublin front six, the options were plentiful as to who we singled out. In the end, we went with Cahill. The corner-forward is Dublin's dead-ball specialist, but he's been contributing as much from play as he has from the placed-ball.

His overall total from Dublin's five-game Leinster campaign is 2-32, of which 2-15 was kicked from play. From Paddy Lane in the Munster final, Cork's full-back line have another difficult assignment to contend with this Saturday lunchtime.

Ben Murphy (Kerry)

Wears the number three shirt on Wayne Quillinan's team, but it was not his defensive duties that caught the eye in Kerry's recapturing of the Munster crown. Murphy was the unlikely provider of both assists for Kerry's two first-half Munster final goals. His first was a sumptuous 40-metre kick pass that put Paddy Lane away.

"Ben driving forward reminds me of Seán Kelly from Galway," said Quillinan of the Austin Stacks player's dynamism. "When he gets a chance, he goes forward with confidence."

We couldn't think of a better comparison.

Cathal Moore (Kildare)

The Kildare goalkeeper features close to the top of his team's scoring chart with 0-9. Came forward with conviction to land 45s and frees throughout their Leinster campaign. Was on the scoresheet in four of their five Leinster outings.

Between the sticks too he's also made an impression. Hasn't been beaten in the last four games. The last time a team squeezed past him for a green flag was the county's Leinster opener against Offaly on April 5.

Kerry got so much oxygen from their two first-half goals in the Munster final. Keeping a clean sheet against the Kingdom will go a distance in helping Kildare reach the last four for the first time since 2016.

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