Danske Bank Treanour Cup final: St Eunan’s, Letterkenny v Patrician High, Carrickmacross (today, Drumragh, Omagh, 12pm)
PATRICIAN High, Carrickmacross are attempting to lift their third Danske Bank Ulster Colleges’ football title this afternoon when they face St Eunan’s Letterkenny in the Treanor Cup final at Drumragh.
Perhaps a bit like the London buses, but more likely a case of success early in the school year having a knock-on effect on a younger age-group, only a second ever Rannafast title for the Monaghan school was followed on St Patrick’s Day by the MacLarnon Cup.
A number of this panel was involved with the Rannafast squad although none of them actually got much game-time. Donnchadha Swinbourne and Tadgh Kirk-Callaghan made a few cameo appearances, despite the obvious class of both players, something that has come more to the fore at this their own age-level.
Swinbourne has been in good scoring form throughout with Cian Shekleton another to catch the eye up front.
Their 2-9 to 0-14 win over Holy Trinity, Cookstown in the semi-final will have boosted team morale significantly as the Tyrone school had handed them the exit card in competitions down the school.
Opponents St Eunan’s, Letterkenny are managed by Donegal’s Allstar forward Colm McFadden, assisted by Chris Carr, and they drew with Cookstown in the league section before Easter.
However, that was still good enough to put them through as group winners and, in theory, present them with a handier path to the decider. That is basically how it worked out with neither OLSPC, Knock nor St Ronan’s, Lurgan really putting any shackles on them.
So far the top performances have come from Anthony Gallagher, Dylan Doogan, Shane O’Donnell, Darragh Ellison and Conor O’Donnell.
However Carrick’s tougher semi-final, the return to the team of Oisin McEntee and football’s high standing this year in the school – all that means that St Eunan’s will find it difficult to take a first Treanor title in almost a decade.
