Donegal SHC final: Setanta v Burt (today, O'Donnell Park, 4pm)
SETANTA may be the hottest of favourites going into Saturday’s county final clash with Burt.
But the memory of last year’s shock defeat to St Eunan’s will be a big motivating factor according to defender Niall Cleary.
The Offaly-born defender had been plagued with a hip injury and has missed most of the year.
But he has been getting treatment in the Santry Clinic in Dublin and is hopeful of playing some part in Saturday’s afternoon’s encounter in O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny.
“I have on-going hip trouble and I have been given treatment, so I am hoping to be able to make an impact on Saturday.
"I was out for most of the year, so I have a hunger for it now and am feeling fresh and you really miss it.
“The quality of this team is great, and I am finding out that if you are missing there is always somebody there to take your place.
‘That is a good thing and we have brought in a lot of young lads who have freshened things up quite a bit and that is what you want and it makes training that more challenging and enjoyable”.
When asked how Setanta copes with the tag of hot favourites, he has a very candid reply.
“Well, I suppose we did not cope with it at all last year.
‘We were not good enough and we were beaten by the better team on the day.
“So there certainly will be no complacency playing Burt as they have been the standard bearers in Donegal forever really and some of their players won 20 county championships which is some achievement.
“Other clubs can only aspire to that.
“This is Burt’s first final since 2018, so they will be extra hungry to get another title and especially when they are underdogs.
“They have some fine young players like Conor Hartland and Liam Óg McKinney who are really making an impact on the county team as well.
"They are a proud club and will bring massive intensity to this game and we need to be able to match that in every department and they will be very fit."
On paper, Setanta have savage power up front with five of the six county starters to pick from.
“They are very good when they click.
“I was down home in Offaly watching my own club and Gerry Gilmore and Davin Flynn are as talented forwards as there are in Offaly any day.
“Gilmore is exceptional, and he can come up with the scores when they are needed.
“He has searing pace, but we have not clicked fully as a team yet and we know that our performances over the past few games would not be good enough to take a county title.
“Burt may be young, but they are talented and with Mickey McCann again they will come with savage hunger.
“Ronan McDermott, Christy McDermott, Stephen Gillespie and Dara Grant have loads of experience and they are a very proud club and people.
‘We need to match their hunger and intensity and that is so vital”
He added: “We have Danny Cullen and Declan Coulter and loads of experience but then we also have lots of miles on the clock.
“That is the downside of having experience.
“We know that we will be coming up against a very well prepared, young, fit and hungry Burt team.
“And they are always a different animal when they get to finals.
‘They will also be very well prepared for this big battle and will be looking forward to it as we.
“This will be a really tough test on Saturday and hopefully we can get through it.”
THE curtain-raiser to the SHC final at O'Donnell Park is intermediate final between Carndonagh V Sean MacCumhaill’s - two very evenly matched sides.
The rise of Carndonagh in hurling circles over the past five years or so has been one of the hurling stories in the county.
They won a JHC title in 2020 and have been making steady progress ever since becoming the third adult team on Inishowen.
They eventually overcame a strong challenge from Aodh Ruadh in a hard- fought final in a B pitch in Convoy.
Carn are powered mainly by the Doherty and Monagle families.
But they can also call on county keeper Luke White at midfield and the powerful Danny and Paddy Monagle for strong back up.
Wing-forward Cian Doherty is also a potent attacker while new boy Jack McLaughlin is also a promising performer.
But they will face a stern task against a Sean MacCumhaill’s side who won two senior county titles in the Noughties when current star Lee Hederson, the absent Ciaran Matthewson, Jamesie Donnelly and Paddy Hannigan were in their prime.
Henderson is still a very big player for them and his accuracy from frees and play is vital to the Twin Town side’s chances .
They were too strong for Dungloe in the semi-final and can also call on the scoring power of PJ Browne and the lively Jamie De Ward
But Anthony Patton is also a prolific goal scorer while John Chambers is another steady defender.
And while MacCumhaill’s are not as powerful as they were a few short years ago, that full-forward line of Henderson, Browne and De Ward is capable of inflicting a lot of damage on Carn.
This could be very close also, but MacCumhail’s might just shade it.
