Sport

Dungannon v Trillick kickstarts Tyrone SFC weekend action

Sean Cavanagh will be in action in the Tyrone SFC this weekend
Sean Cavanagh will be in action in the Tyrone SFC this weekend Sean Cavanagh will be in action in the Tyrone SFC this weekend

FIVE more Donnelly Vauxhall Tyrone SFC first round ties will be played out over the next two days, including this evenings meeting of Dungannon and Trillick at Killyclogher in a repeat of last seasons Intermediate Championship final.

The Clarkes won that encounter, but its Trillick who have made a major impact on their return to senior football, and go in as favourites to turn the tables.

Lee Brennan and Niall Gormley lead the Reds attack, while Mattie and Richie Donnelly give them a strong presence around the middle.

Tyrone midfielder Padraig McNulty is a key man for Dungannon, while Patrick Quinn and Kiefer Morgan are the go-to men up front. They face a big task against an in-form Trillick side which should go through to the last eight.

Two double bills on Sunday will give GAA fans an opportunity to gorge themselves on championship football.

Moy taking on Donaghmore at Edendork, and with both sides finding the going tough in the league, this is a game thats there for the taking.

Sean and Colm Cavanagh, along with Eunan Deeney and minor star Ryan Coleman, will lead the Tir na nOg challenge against a Moy side which has Niall McKenna, Peter McKenna, Philip Donnelly and Deasiun Quinn fulfilling important roles.

Its a game that could go either way, but Moy may be able to do enough to get the better of a Donaghmore side that has yet to pick up a single point in the league.

The main game at Edendork is the derby clash of Clonoe and Coalisland, and the renewal of an enduring rivalry.

Connor McAliskey and Tyrone U21 star Danny McNulty give the ORahillys a cutting edge up front, and with PJ Lavery, Dwayne Quinn and Stephen McNulty capable of rising to the challenge, they will carry a formidable threat.

Paddy McNeice, Plunkett Kane, Padraig Hampsey and Eoghan Carberry are the men that the Fianna will look to for the magic required to succeed, but Clonoe may have just enough firepower to see them through to a quarter-final meeting with either Moy or Donaghmore.

The action later switches to Carrickmore, where Strabane take on Augher. Danny McBride leads the Strabane challenge, while front men Warner Mullan and JP Gallagher are capable of hitting the target.

But Augher midfielder Aidan Cassidy will give his side an edge around the middle, and front men Raymond McElroy and Declan Connolly should receive enough possession to see them through.

The evenings action is rounded off by the meeting of Errigal Ciaran and Killyclogher in one of the stand-out ties of the first round.

A major blow to Errigal is the absence of Peter Harte, ruled out by suspension due to a red card in the aftermath of last years first round defeat to Clonoe.

The McCann brothers, Tiernan and Conall, could give Killyclogher the edge at midfield, while Tyrone senior panellist and U21 All-Ireland winner Mark Bradley is a match-winner on his day.

Aidan McCrory and Davy Harte anchor a solid Errigal defence, however, and they could well have match-winners up front in Mark Kavanagh, Damien Daisy McDermott, Bryan Horisk and Tommy Canavan.