Danske Bank MacCormack Cup Semi Finals on Wednesday 29 November
4.30pm in Ballinderry St Patrick's Maghera v St Mary's Magherafelt
I suspect there will be a huge crowd this evening in Ballinderry for the floodlit meeting (4.30pm) of St Mary's Magherafelt and St Patrick's Maghera in the semi-final of the Danske Bank MacCormack Cup.
The feel-good factor generated by St Mary's maiden MacRory win last March is still in and around the Convent and its feeder clubs from south Derry, east Tyrone and south west Antrim, while Maghera, for so long the undisputed MacRory experts in this area, have come off Mageean Cup hurling success at Halloween with three eye-brow raising league wins in the last three weeks.
Indeed both schools have really made an impression in the league competition, Magherafelt completing their programme a fortnight ago with a 2-17 to 0-4 victory over St Macartan's to boost their score-difference to +35.
Maghera were table-toppers after just two wins, making Saturday's game, a 1-21 to 2-10 victory over St Patrick's Academy, irrelevant bar that their score-difference is now +28, with Lorcan McWilliams averaging over ten points per game.
Lorcan's twin Oisin has also impressed, as have nearly every player given the chance to wear the blue and white jersey. Indeed the dilemma for Dermot McNicholl and Martin Quinn is really who to leave out as the competition gathers momentum and everyone knowing that they have to take their chance while on the pitch.
The Convent have had to plan the last couple of games without Moneyglass defender Eamon Kelly who may miss the whole competition now after picking up a leg injury in an Antrim club under 21 match.
His loss has not been felt yet, but this game is different. A derby with Maghera is no ordinary MacRory Cup tie any more. St Patrick's Day 2017 changed all that.
There will be a huge intensity to this game, something not really associated with the competition at this time of year and that could well bring focus to the respective benches and how well substitutions are worked.
On that count Maghera look to have enough quality in the panel to have a few potential game-changers ready to enter for the final quarter. Therefore I think that Maghera will further enhance the reputation they have been building in recent weeks.
Danske Bank MacCormack Cup Semi Final on Wednesday 29 November
5.30pm in Athletic Grounds : St Ronan's Lurgan v St Paul's Bessbrook
The other semi-final is also a derby, and while the respective footballing histories of St Paul's Bessbrook and St Ronan's Lurgan don't stretch back as far as the south Derry derby, there will still be an edge to this one.
With two final appearances in their brief six years in MacRory Cup football, St Paul's Bessbrook have really established themselves at this level, despite playing almost all their under-age football at a lower grade.
There are still people who continue to be surprised that St Paul's have come through a tough qualifying group with three straight wins and showing a steady improvement in team-play over that six week period.
St Ronan's, since their amalgamation a couple of years ago, have quickly established themselves at the top table – although arguably a good bit of groundwork had already been done in St Michael's a few seasons previously.
The Lurgan school has reached each of the last two MacRory semi-finals and last December won the MacCormack Cup for the first time.
They had qualified for this semi-final after just two games in a section that looked to be weaker than the one from which St Paul's won through. In their last game they could try out a few of their substitutes and still keep their unbeaten run with a 1-9 to 1-7 win over St Malachy's Castlewellan.
Derbies often take on a life of their own ripping up form-books and St Paul's have consistently shown little regard for the form of opponents. St Ronan's look to be the stronger team in form, but don't rule out extra time or a Bessbrook win.