Danske Bank Corn Loch an Iúir final: Tuesday 11.30am, Bawnboy: Abbey VS, Donegal v Patrician, Carrickmacross
TODAY in Bawnboy a team that has been scoring heavily throughout the Danske Bank Corn Loch an Iúir competition will meet a team has pulled away from opponents only in their last two games.
After winning the Danske Bank Faul Cup last year Abbey Vocational from Donegal town stepped up a grade and it has been a bit of a surprise that they have maintained a winning momentum at the higher level.
Indeed they are the finalist with the more impressive totals from their four group games in Donegal (5-9, 5-19, 3-15 and 3-14) before they had their closest call against St Malachy’s, Castlewellan in the quarter-final in mid-November.
In that game they still scored seven goals and ten points, although they also conceded seven goals.
However in the semi-final at the end of last month their defence was back in shape and St Mary’s Belfast only managed five points while up front the forwards continued their shooting form to amass 5-7.
The damage was done by half time as led by 2-6 to 0-2 with goals from Ruairí McLaughlin and Kevin Muldoon. Then Senan Carr’s goal in the third quarter killed off the short-lived Belfast come-back.
McLaughlin has formed a strong midfield partnership with Jonathan O’Driscoll while Donal Gallagher, Callum McCrea and John Bell have had good campaigns in defence with Carr, Muldoon and captain Aaron McGrory really hitting it off up front.
Meanwhile Patrician High Carrickmacross’ scoring returns have been more modest; their best game in the group stages was a 5-6 to 2-2 win over Castlewellan while they were a goal shy of that in beating Rathmore Grammar in the quarter-finals.
Arguably their best performance of the competition came last week when they overcame St Columba’s Stranorlar by 3-11 to 0-4 to make the final.
Carrick were going well last year in Corn Chomchille until they came up against another Monaghan school, Our Lady’s Castleblayney, in the semi-final. Our Lady’s went on to win the competition outright.
There seems to be a little extra steel in the Patrician challenge as a result and players such as the Killanny half-back line of Colin Murphy, Tomás Quinn and Pádraig Corrigan, midfielders Darren McNally and Packie Doogan-Burke and forwards Conaill Marry, Michael óg Tierney and Conor Burns have stepped up in each game.
A close one is expected here, but I think that Patrician can hit the front from the start and that could put pressure on Abbey who have never been behind in the competition.
