Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Championship
DOWN legend Benny Coulter remains an injury doubt ahead of Mayobridge’s Down Senior Club Championship clash against Rostrevor tonight (6.45pm).
The Sky Blues take on the Reds in the opening game of a double-header at Pairc Esler, Newry, with the Clonduff v Ballyholland (8.15pm) clash following the curtain-raiser.
Not so long ago, any clash between Mayobridge and Rostrevor would have excited the paying public, but the Reds are now plying their trade in Division Two of the O’Neill’s Down All-County League and have missed the influence of former Australian Rules player Caolan Mooney, who was in America.
However, the powerful Mooney will be back tonight, which is a huge boost to Rostrevor manager Shane Mulholland.
Coulter shouldn’t be rushed back after only having pins removed from his hand on Monday, following a recent operation. But if the 2010 Allstar declares himself fit then Mayobridge manager Michael Walsh may feel inclined to play Down’s best player of a generation as the Sky Blues are missing a number of important players.
Former Armagh player Kevin O’Rourke is ruled out through injury, while Conor Garvey, Corey Quinn, Conleth O’Hare and Shane O’Hare are suspended.
With players as talented as Ryan Brady and Shane McNamee, Mayobridge should have enough craft to get by, although it won’t be as straightforward as many would expect.
Despite the fact that the losing team will get a second chance through the back door, the momentum and confidence gained from victory makes the Clonduff v Ballyholland game a must-win contest.
Both sides quietly feel that if they can get on a run, they will be hard to stop and Ballyholland Harps manager Stephen Poacher is keen to prove that last season wasn’t a flash in the pan, when he guided his side to their first semi-final in 15 years.
The St Columban’s, Kilkeel school teacher is confident his side can build on last year’s progress and dismisses the claims that Ballyholland are ultra-defensive.
“Two years ago, we were down nine first team players through injuries and immigration and the boys who slotted into the squad stepped up,” said Poacher.
“Last year we had the emergence of the minors coming through such as Jack Grant and Tiernan Rushe and they gave the senior boys a bit of a buzz and they fed off the energy coming from the younger players.
“The talent has always been there but it was a matter of us finding our best way to play.
“This year we have played some really good attacking football as we are averaging about 14 points a game, which is good and gives us a chance of winning the game.
“People have this perception that we are a defensive team but we are actually far from it. We scored 2-11 against Mayobridge, 2-15 against Byransford, we score 14 points on Friday night against Warrenpoint and 16 points against Castlewellan and there is nothing defensive about that.”
Ross Carr is manager of his native Clonduff and with son Aidan and his Down team-mates Darren O’Hagan, Barry O’Hagan and Henry Brown the key driving force, this should be a fascinating contest.
