Corn na nÓg final: St Patrick’s, Maghera v St Patrick’s, Cavan (Saturday, 12.30pm, Clogher)
THE juggernaut that is St Patrick’,s Maghera’s Corn na nÓg team is taking some stopping – and there is only one team left capable of doing that now – St Patrick’s, Cavan in this afternoon’s final in Clogher.
This Maghera group won the hurling/football double of Danske Bank MacNamee and Dalton Cup last year and have been in hot form these past few weeks, although St Macartan’s slowed them up a little with a 2-10 each draw in the second last league game at the start of November.
Abbey then ran them to a single point the next week, and Omagh seemed to have them on the rack in the semi-final ten days ago when they led by four points with ten minutes to go. But Maghera scored 1-4 in the time left to snatch a 3-13 to 2-12 victory – although they sailed a bit close to the wind in that one.
They have a host of excellent ball players, Callum Downey, Adam McGonigle, Jody McDermott, Michael Mulholland and Shea McKenna to name a few and so far have had the ability to work their way out of any trouble they have found themselves in.
But their Cavan namesakes seemed to have improved as the competition went on no doubt helped by the confidence instilled after single point wins over Omagh and St Michael’s Enniskillen.
It was also pretty close in the semi-final with Abbey when a late goal from Richard Ayodele clinched a 2-12 to 1-10 victory a few days after the school collected the Corn Rann na Feirste title after a fancied Maghera team fell to at the semi-final stage.
And there is a direct link with the Rannafast success with Jack Trainor’s younger brother Ronan, albeit in defence alongside Adam Butt, one of the stand-out players this year.
Up front Donal McSorley will pose any defence a good few problems particularly if teams go man to man instead of dropping extra players into defence.
Defenders Kevin Lovett and Caolan Smith stood out in the semi-final with McSorley and Emmanuel Sheku always a threat up front and Philip Smyth at midfield is also a fine player.
Can Cavan take their second title in a fortnight?
Or will Maghera learn from their little stutter in the second half against Omagh and push home any advantage they can get early in the game?
This looks a very interesting showdown.
Whoever wins will savour the moment.
St Patrick’s, Maghera: C Craig, T Smyth, A McGonigle, J Friel, P McGurk, C Downey, P McCullagh, J McDermott, C McKenna, S McKenna, C Chambers, S McLaughlin, L Diamond, M Mulholland, C Mullan.
Subs: C Bryson, A McLaughlin, P Walls, R Dillon, F Coyle, G Scott, Callum O’Kane, R McNicholl, Conlan O’Kane, J Donnelly, J Moore, J McKenna, T O’Neill, N Duggan, E Scullion, J McCormick, C Kennedy, J Mullan, D Mulholland, J McGill, R McElhinney
St Patrick’s, Cavan: C Donohoe, B Tierney, A Butt, O O’Reilly, C Smith, R Trainor, K Lovett, P Smyth, R Ayodele, L McEntee, E Sheha, C Clarke, D McSorley, C Casey, D Lovett.
Subs: O Brady, D Sheils, P Kilkenny, B Monaghan, M McDermott, L Belton, C Fynn, F Higgins, C Rahill, A Connolly, D Byrne, E Coyle, J McBreen, P Doyle, J Lawlor, J Moran, R Galligan, F Comiskey, P Surlis, F Sheha, F Dowd
