Semi-final weekend in the Farney County. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Scotstown, Clontibret, and forever penultimate hurdle fallers Inniskeen make up three of the last four.
Those not fortunate enough to be guided by hindsight would have thrown Ballybay in as the fourth of four of the beginning of the season. And yet, it was only last weekend that Seánie Johnston’s men were deemed safe from the drop.
The reigning champions instead face a relegation dead rubber at the business end of the season. What’s more is the surprise package in Corduff are being trained by a Ballybay man Colin Malone, amongst a host of others.
Séamus McEnaney keeps his cards close to his chest, but that has proven quite the challenge this year, as he has scaled new heights with the club he grew up beside. The rumour mill spins as inevitably as the Earth itself in his presence, and has continued to do so even after the GAA intervened re Rory Gallagher.
The sideshow has distracted from a phenomenal achievement in reaching the last four in the Gaels' first year back at this level. A dogged Intermediate outfit, the club even had a stint at Junior level, but it was McEnaney’s return off the back of Monaghan’s 2022 Championship exit that really turned the tide.
A decent league campaign saw them reach a final, where they accounted for Magheracloone with a last-gasp winner from a sideline ball. When the sides met again in the IFC final, Corduff’s stock had hardly risen, scraping past Cremartin, Toome, and others.
But they found a way, as Banty’s teams tend to do. An IFC double, and the momentum hasn’t stopped. But this weekend is the real acid test: Scotstown in St Tiernach’s Park. The stuff of dreams can soon become the stuff of nightmares.
Jack McCarron’s transfer from Junior club Currin has added another layer to the coat of steel. And despite not setting the world alight, he has a tidy 3-19 return from five SFC matches.
This may well be a step too far for Corduff, but that is a sentence that has been uttered on many an occasion in Monaghan football circles in the last 18 months. You just wouldn’t rule them out…
South Monaghan neighbours Inniskeen are under the stewardship of Crossmaglen’s John McEntee. Part two of the double header sees them meet McEntee’s former Clontibret for the second time this campaign, and for the second time they are favourites.
That in itself is a snippet of what has been a hugely successful year for the only team in the SFC that can boast a 100 per cent record, but in many ways this is their Everest. The Northern Standard’s Colm Shalvey makes it seven semi-final losses in a row dating back to 1990.
Conor McManus has also returned to fitness, and Vinny Corey will make an appearance, but this is a huge opportunity for the Grattans, one they should seize.
