Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Club Championship semi-final: Clonduff v Bryansford (tomorrow, Pairc Esler, 7.30pm)
DOWN’S 1991 team will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their All-Ireland success next month. Key to that victory was Clonduff’s Ross Carr, no prouder Down man but he lives and breathes his native club.
To Carr managing the senior team isn’t so much a job but a way of life, be it underage, ladies' football or camogie. the Clonduff boss is rarely far away.
But he refuses to take credit for guiding his team into Sunday’s Down Senior Club Championship semi-final against Bryansford.
Instead he feels that his predecessor, Antrim’s Gearoid Adams, got the ball rolling when he was at the Clonduff helm last season.
“I think my role in this has been overstated a little. If you take a look at the talent in Clonduff over the last number of years, the issue has been about making them all progress together,” said Carr.
“But last year we had Gearoid appointed and the whole club was devastated when he left and we understood perfectly that he wanted to go to his home county Antrim.
"It was a role he had sought for quite a while so while we understood his reason for it didn’t mean we weren’t disappointed. He had made an immediate impression throughout the whole club and specifically the senior players.
“When I came in at the beginning of this year I just tried to continue what Gearoid had started. We had a good start with the U21 lads winning the Championship and a number of those players have pushed through to the senior team and added a wee bit of enthusiasm and that has rubbed off on the older players and they seem re-energised a bit. People having tasted success are still keen to push on.”
Players such as Patrick O’Hagan, Brendan Britton, Charlie Carr and Rian Brannigan have injected panache along with steel and their linking up with the likes of Darren O’Hagan, Aidan Carr and Barry O’Hagan has made Clonduff a formidable attacking unit backed by hard graft.
Their opponents Bryansford will be a tough nut to crack. Creative front man Danny Savage has been one of the shining lights in an otherwise dim Championship. Along with Mayobridge’s Cathal Magee he has been one of the most influential forwards. And while Darren O’Hagan may be asked to keep a close eye on Savage, Bryansford players such as Conor Maginn, Luke Howard, Timmy Hanna, Kalum King and Peter Brannigan can inflict damage.
And Carr doesn’t foresee either team running away with victory.
“Apart for one or two teams there is not a kick of the ball between many of the teams in Down.
"Obviously Kilcoo have been the standard bearers, closely followed by Burren who are never far away. But after that there are nine teams that on any given day can beat each other.
“The teams that are getting through are the ones who have trust in their own ability.
“For example if we are missing frees then that is a small, even if an important part of game. You may get five or six frees in a game and that’s only two or three minutes out of a match so what you do for the other 57 minutes is of the most importance.”
The Senior Hurling finalists will also be decided this weekend with Portaferry and Ballygalget battling it out for the right to face Ballycran in the final.
Sean Young is once again in charge of Portaferry as they try to avenge last year's one-point semi-final loss to the same opposition.
The fact that the teamsheet will not feature Paul Braniff, John Convery and the injured Ciaran Coulter doesn't help their cause though.
Barry Coulter's 'Galget side have been performing well in Division Two of the Antrim League, and with Gareth Johnson fully fit they will feel they have another great chance. The game in Ballycran throws in at 5pm.
