Corn Cúchulainn final: Friday Dec 14 (12pm) in Coláiste Feirste: De La Salle, Downpatrick v St Benedict’s, Randalstown
HAVING defeated two neighbouring Down schools in the group stages and then two Fermanagh schools in the knock-out stages, facing an Antrim team in the final will be a different challenge for the under 16 footballers of De La Salle, Downpatrick.
However on the evidence of the score-lines in their four games to date, the East Down outfit should be well up to the challenge. Indeed in the two knock-out games against St Aidan’s, Derrylin and St Kevin’s, Lisnaskea they totted up 12 goals and 22 points.
Jamie McDarby, a county under 16 panellist, and full-forward Lee Murphy can take a lot of the credit for those scores with James Crangle also able to eat up the yards from half-back and take score.
Defensively Lee McEvoy and Kyle Broggy are the key players, the latter also a Down under 16 with lots of experience, while captain Cillian Burns is a tower of strength at midfield.
St Benedict’s didn’t get off to a good start in the competition, going down by five points in a group game to Lumen Christi. However they picked it up and qualified for the knock-out stages with a win over St Patrick’s, Banbridge.
The quarter-final in Garvaghey could have gone either way, but the Randalstown school came through with a point to spare over St Mogue’s from Bawnboy in Cavan and that set them up for another tilt at Lumen Christi.
This time the mid Antrim side stepped up a gear with soccer international Sean McAlister leading the charge well supported by Conor Hastings Shane Hinfey, Rory Gribbon, Odhran Molloy and Conor O’Kane, all of whom have featured on Antrim Development squads.
St Benedict’s have had to step outside their comfort zones to make it through to the decider, while Downpatrick seem to have been coasting once the knock-out stages hit them. That probably suggests that the east Down side will be slight favourites in the final.
St Benedict’s: R Gribbon, C Devine, C Logan, T McKinney, S Hinfey, S McAlister, C Donnelly, O Molloy, T Murray, R McVeigh, C Hastings, C O’Kane, C McLarnon, A McErlain, C O’Loan
Subs: M Hood, E Campbell, K McCormick, P Higgins
De La Salle (panel): A McGrattan, R Burns, C Burns, D O’Shea, J O’Shea, J Crangle, J McDerby, K Broggy, L McEvoy, L Murphy, H O’Bank, M Loudon, M McMullan, N Kelly, O Murray, S Dorrian, J Byrne, A O’Dwyer, J Brown, A McEvoy, J McConkey
