Morgan Fuels Down SFC semi-final: Kilcoo v Mayobridge
(Friday, Newry, 8.15pm)
THE first of the Morgan Fuels Down Senior Club Championship semi-finals throws in on Friday and it is expected to be another classic between defending champions Kilcoo and Mayobridge.
Four in-a-row chasing Kilcoo are favourites to retain their title, but the Sky Blues have been waiting on just such a challenge since the start of the season. The two sides met at the same stage last year, with Mayobridge taking an early lead before Kilcoo closed the game out.
But this year, having lost the opening round of the Championship to a last minute Donal O’Hare goal, the Magpies bounced back and cruised through the back door, notching up an 8-24 to 1-6 win against Clann na Banna, before leaving it late to overcome a dogged Glenn 0-12 to 0-7 and, in the quarter-final, they got sweet revenge for that opening day defeat by getting one over on Burren, with a narrow 2-7 to 1-9 victory.
Burren left the pitch battered and bruised, both mentally and physically, but Mayobridge will be more than up for the fight should it come to it. Michael Walsh’s side are the only team left in the competition not to have lost in the Championship, having enjoyed comfortable wins over Saval (2-15 to 0-8), Laitroim (3-11 to 1-3) and Castlewellan (1-15 to 1-7).
When Benny Coulter called time on his 13-years playing with Down, he did so in the belief he could take his club even closer to capturing the Frank O’Hare Cup. Coulter has been inspirational this season and Walsh knows how to get the best from the former Allstar.
Thus far this season, Coulter has lined out at midfield for the first half of most games, before moving to the edge of square. Coulter and Eoghan Woods, who is also part of the Mayobridge management team, will go head-to-head with Kilcoo’s midfield duo of big Paul Greenan and Dominic McEvoy in what should be a fascinating battle.
Paul Devlin offers Kilcoo composure in an otherwise frantic gameplan, where pace is key. The Johnston brothers, Jerome and Ryan, offer frightening attacking pace and, along with the ingenuity of Conor Laverty, the Magpies offer a deadly attacking force.
The Kilcoo defence is tightly shored up by the no-nonsense Branagans. Niall, Aidan, Daryl and Aaron Branagan have been exceptional this year and, while Darragh O’Hanlon hasn’t been as adventurous going forward as in previous campaigns, he will still produce a stunning 40-metre point or two.
But Mayobridge are no shrinking violets either. Kevin O’Rourke and Adrian Barry are the experienced campaigners along with the youthful presence of the lively Cory Quinn and hard-working Conleth O’Hare. Caolan Gallagher and Shane O’Hare are natural ball winners and will give the Branagan brothers something to think about.
In defence, the tenacious Conor Garvey is likely to be tasked with containing Laverty, while Ryan Brady and Shane McNamee should pick up the Johnston brothers and also offer an efficient counter-attack.
Warrenpoint’s Brendan Rice will referee the clash of the big guns and is someone who won’t shy away from making any big calls. But he should let both teams go all guns blazing, which could make Friday’s contest an amazing spectacle.
