Dublin and Tipperary are the the novel pairing in this year's All-Ireland MFC final. The Dubs have been regarded as All-Ireland contenders from the off, but won't get it easy from the Munster champions.

Dublin v Tipperary, Croke Park, 1.15pm
This year's Tom Markham Cup decider will evoke memories of 1984 when Dublin defeated Tipperary by 1-9 to 0-4 and future Aussie Rules star Jim Stynes - who is now battling cancer - was their marquee name. Incredibly, Dublin haven't won an All-Ireland minor title since, losing the 1988 decider to Kerry and the 2001 and 2003 finals to Tyrone and Laois after replays.

It's an appalling record for a county with a population of 1.5 million and where Gaelic football has been the predominant sport over the years. Tipperary may not have graced the All-Ireland minor football final stage since 1984, but they are first and foremost a hurling county and are a regular fixture in All-Ireland hurling finals at all levels.

Hopes are high in the capital that their long wait for an 11th All-Ireland in the under 18 grade will finally come to an end on Sunday. Under the guidance of Dessie Farrell - who played in the 1988 final defeat to Kerry - they have blitzed all-comers with the exception of Galway in their last outing and Longford in Leinster. They are one of the biggest minor teams ever to come out of Dublin and have plenty of talent to boot. For dual players Cormac Costello, Emmet O Conghaile, Eric Lowndes and the classy Ciaran Kilkenny, the prospect of losing a second All-Ireland final (they were on the losing side against Galway in the hurling) in a fortnight doesn't bear thinking about.

Tipp, who won their one and only Tom Markham Cup back in 1934, are reaping the rewards of a successful underage policy which is the envy of many counties, including the traditional powers.

They captured their first ever Munster under 21 football title last year and followed it this year with their first provincial minor success since 1995. They did it the hard way too, coming from 11 points down to beat Kerry in sensational fashion before easing to a 3-11 to 1-9 victory over Cork in the Munster final.

Immediately after the Cork game, Tipp's ambitious manager David Power set his sights on adding the All-Ireland crown and they are now just 60 minutes away from achieving that goal after All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-final wins over Meath and Roscommon respectively.

Dublin were installed as All-Ireland favourites after an impressive Leinster campaign which saw them record landslide wins over Westmeath, Kildare and Meath, and dethrone holders Longford with five points to spare in Pearse Park. They romped past Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final - holding them scoreless in the first half - but almost came a cropper against Galway in the semi-final when they conceded an unanswered 1-4 at the start of the second half and needed the brilliant Ciaran Kilkenny to bail them out.

For much of that game, Dublin looked like a team that believed in their own hype, and it's likely they will be much more focused on All-Ireland final day when they will have a huge Dublin following to cheer them on. Tipp are big outsiders going into this final, but have a winning pedigree going back to their under 14 days and won't be fazed by the task in hand.

They will look to the likes of John Meagher, Stephen O'Brien, Michael Quinlivan and Liam McGrath, who's a cousin of county hurling star Noel, for inspiration. However, the huge scare Dublin received from Galway should eliminate any complacency that may have crept into their ranks and they are taken to live up their favourites' billing. Verdict: Dublin.

Dublin - TBC

Tipperary - Evan Comerford; Niall O'Sullivan, John Meagher, Conor O'Sullivan; Colin O'Riordan, Dylan Fitzelle, Seamus Kennedy; Stephen O'Brien, Ian Fahey; Greg Henry, Philip Quirke, Bill Maher; Liam McGrath, Michael Quinlivan, TJ Ryan.

Paths to the final

Dublin
Dublin 4-15 Westmeath 0-8
Dublin 0-10 Longford 0-5
Dublin 1-24 Kildare 0-11
Dublin 2-18 Meath 1-11 (Leinster final)
Dublin 1-11 Cork 1-3 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
Dublin 1-11 Galway 1-9 (All-Ireland semi-final)

Average For: 1-16 Average Against: 0-9

Tipperary
Tipperary 1-13 Limerick 0-9
Tipperary 2-12 Kerry 3-8
Tipperary 3-11 Cork 1-9 (Munster final)
Tipperary 0-11 Meath 0-7 (All-Ireland quarter-final)
Tipperary 1-11 Roscommon 0-12 (All-Ireland semi-final)

Average For: 1-13; Average Against: 0-12 Tweet

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