Morgan Fuels Down SFC quarter-finals
Kilcoo v Clonduff (tomorrow, Pairc Esler, 6pm)
THERE is a strange dynamic at play heading into tomorrow’s clash between Kilcoo and Clonduff that makes it hard to predict what might happen once this quarter-final gets under way.
Do you know how you know? Because it’s all gone eerily quiet - not a peep out of either side since Monday night’s draw brought these neighbours back together, just a month after an eagerly-anticipated championship opener ended up being a procession for the reigning Down, Ulster and All-Ireland champions.
The one-sided nature of that encounter – when Clonduff managed just four points to Kilcoo’s 2-11 – probably shocked the Magpies as much as it did everyone else.
Not that a Kilcoo victory wasn’t expected, it was, but there were mitigating factors which led some to suspect they could come unstuck.
Ceilum Doherty, Ryan Johnston and Dylan Ward had only recently returned from America – how was their fitness? Other key men Paul Devlin, Miceal Rooney and Jerome Johnston were all nursing injuries.
Then there was the question about life after Mickey Moran – what difference, if any, would it make as Conleith Gilligan and Richie Thornton took over the running of the county kingpins?
Previous championship encounters also suggested there would be little to choose by the time all was said and done, with three points the margin of victory last year and in the 2019 semi-final.
A similar war of attrition was expected four weeks ago, only for Clonduff to run into a brick wall as it became apparent from early on that their kicking game was meat and drink for the Magpies’ massed ranks.
Kilcoo hunted in packs, transitioned at speed and kicked long into the forwards when opportunity arose. Any pre-game doubts about where they stood were swiftly dispelled.
They backed that up when, despite a slow start, Ballyholland were put to the sword in the next round. Jerome Johnston and Rooney have both returned to the fray, Devlin has yet to feature, although he is back training and could play some part.
Clonduff have bounced back from their opening day disappointment with wins over Bryansford and Ballyholland - the latter coming courtesy of an added-time winner from Charlie Carr - but they are still struggling to find top form.
The hurt from that hiding a month ago provides plenty of motivation, however – something Kilcoo will be acutely aware of. The Magpies fear complacency more than any opponent.
Paddy Branagan and Ross Carr didn’t feature in the first game, with Packie O’Hagan, Arthur and Ben McConville all coming off the bench, while Barry O’Hagan wasn’t long back from America.
While Kilcoo remain strong favourites to progress, Clonduff can’t be as bad again.
Carryduff v Mayobridge (today, Castlewellan, 4.30pm)
AN intriguing clash between two championship contenders awaits in Castlewellan this evening. Both have already already displayed their credentials en route to the last eight, but we’re at the do or die stage now.
Carryduff, Down finalists in 2020, have come through the front door with straightforward victories over Bryansford and Glenn, but today represents a major test of their mettle.
Against Glenn in Downpatrick a fortnight ago, it was a game of two halves for Finnian Moriarty’s men. Even without county star Daniel Guinness, who is expected to return to the starting 15 today, Carryduff were superb in the first half hour, pushing up on John O’Hare’s kick-outs and capitalising on those turnovers to ease into a convincing lead at the break.
Goals came from the impressive John McGeough and Owen McCabe, while livewire forwards Cian Clinton and Ronan Beatty proved too hot to handle in that period.
Former Fermanagh captain Eoin Donnelly was a dominant force around the middle, while defensively Carryduff barely put a foot wrong all day.
Sean McGonigle had a huge influence too, picking up breaks and driving his side forward. Considering the problems RGU Downpatrick’s Gerard Collins posed Mayobridge last week, McGonigle and Guinness could play a key role today.
Perhaps because they were in such command, the second half against Glenn was a different story as the shots that were splitting the posts in the first period were either dropping short or going wide. Their opponents weren’t good enough to punish their profligacy, but Mayobridge are a different proposition.
Considering goalkeeper Charlie Smyth was fit to kick the ball 70 yards into the wind in Mayobridge’s victory over Downpatrick, Carryduff are likely to adopt a more tentative approach today.
They are without the suspended Beatty and Josh Connery, both shown red following a late melee against Glenn, while Steven Poacher’s men will look to the likes of Shane Annett, Adam Crimmins and Caolan Gallagher to put Carryduff on the back foot.
