The final pairing for this Sunday’s final of the Paul McGirr U16 Club Champions tournament couldn’t be more impressive as two of the major players in Ulster club football, Kilcoo and Crossmaglen Rangers go head to head seeking to win the prestigious bronze Cuchulainn Paul McGirr trophy.
Ulster club rivalries don’t come much bigger than the rivalry between these two clubs and the talent on display on both teams this Sunday looks set to herald another era of dominance by both clubs in their respective counties. It is a game that promises to be one to remember, both teams laced with robust, highly effective defenders and an array of attacking talent that have produced many memorable moments already in the tournament. The new Canon Tom Breen stand in Gardrum Park looks set to be packed to the rafters for this affair, two of the best and most passionately supported clubs in the province hoping to watch the latest in their conveyor belts of talent annexing a provincial title.
Crossmaglen are managed by the evergreen Tim Gregory and Gene O’Callaghan with Gregory also taking charge of the 2013 Crossmaglen side who won this competition, several of whom have already broke into their club senior team and in fact their then team captain Oisin O’Neill has already graduated to the Armagh senior team. They have come through a tough draw starting off in the preliminary round against a promising Lavey team where they recovered from a poor start to emerge 2-11 to 1-06 victors. In the quarter final they were drawn against Joe Brolly’s Antrim champions St. Brigids in what was a superb highly competitive game of football, again Cross started poorly going three behind and went in at the half time break one point in arrears. However a series of half time switches saw them produce a dogged defensive display containing a vaunted St. Brigids forward line to just one second half point to emerge seven point victors. In last weekend’s semi final they were faced with a Derrygonnelly side who played a very defensive game with several sweepers in position, an early goal gave Cross a cushion but they were made to fight all the way to the final whistle for a hard fought victory. Cross have a well organised defence spearheaded by Miceál Murray and Ryan Duffy but it is around the centre field area where they are strongest. They have had a range of players play in this area, most prominent being the industrious Finnegan twins Liam Og and Patsy as well as the massive presence of Shane Morgan who switches regularly between midfield and full forward, Morgans physicality and aerial ability is an asset which Cross utilise to the maximum and something that could pose huge problems for a smaller, lighter Kilcoo side. Up front the majority of scores come from talented wing forward Dara O’Callaghan and Oisin Doyle but the diminutive James Teelan will also have to be closely watched.
Joint manager O’Callaghan was taking down his sides chances “Our tough route to the final has taken its toll on our panel of players resulting in a number of key players possibly missing out on the final through injury. This in turn has hampered our preparations for the final. Nevertheless we are looking forward to what we hope will be a great final befitting of a great tournament. We have been improving steadily throughout and hopefully we can do ourselves justice in the final and bring the Paul McGirr trophy back to Crossmaglen for a second time. Kilcoo are a very strong, talented and well drilled team who will no doubt be going in as favourites. They have a number of very exciting players most notably Justin Clarke and Shealan Johnston who can take players on and attack at speed. Both teams are a credit to their clubs and families and I’m sure whatever the outcome Gaelic football will be the winner. The lads are really looking forward to playing in an Ulster final and for many this may be the only occasion they will get the opportunity to do so. Our boys have shown tremendous dedication throughout the year in terms of attending training sessions, games and all whilst keeping up with their school work. Tim and I really appreciate the huge effort they have made and above all else would encourage them to enjoy the day.”
Kilcoo under the tutelage of former Down senior Conor Laverty and his management team enter the final having scraped through an epic semi final encounter against a very strong and highly fancied Carrickmore team in one of the best games of underage football seen in the province in recent years. In their first round game they produced a dazzling attacking display against Monaghan champions Castleblayney Faughs, rattling in eight goals with full forward Justin Clarke claiming four for himself. Their semi final against Carrickmore was a total step up in class for the young magpies, they showed tremendous resolve coming from behind deep into injury time with an equalising pointed Shealan Johnston free, before a sublime Clarke goal gave them the edge they needed in extra time. The Carrickmore game showed however that Kilcoo are more than adept at both ends of the field, superb performances from Tiernan Fettes and Macdarragh Hynes restricting a free scoring Carmen forward line to just eight points throughout an enthralling eighty minutes. Kilcoo are an extremely disciplined and well coached team, the standard of their tackling is something many senior teams could learn from. Tournament top scorer Justin Clarke will pose a serious problem for the Cross defence but the Armagh champions will also have to keep tabs on the dangerous Jamie McKee. The key to the game however could be how Cross can curb the influence of the mercurial Shealan Johnston, younger brother of Down seniors Ryan and Jerome. Johnston is the play maker for the magpies, his pace and ability to take on defenders mark him out as a star of the future, it is likely that Cross will appoint Ryan Duffy with the responsibility of curtailing Johnston and this battle could well be the one the decides the outcome of the game.
Kilcoo boss Laverty is well aware of the task facing his side “As a team and club it is a great privilege to represent our parish in an Ulster final. Playing in this great competition can only better our young players. We realise the task we have ahead of ourselves, Crossmaglen are a very good side and extremely well organised. They have been the favourites for this competition from the early stages and you can see from their performances why that is. For us going in as underdogs is a massive task but one we are looking forward to. We are focussing on our own performance and seeing where we can improve from our last match. These are the kind of matches you want to be playing in, challenging yourself against the best teams in Ulster.”
With this prestigious pairing facing off and a highly anticipated battle in store, a huge crowd from both clubs as well as many neutrals will ensure that the atmosphere in Gardrum Park will do justice to the prestige in which this tournament is now held. For those not able to attend, the game will be streamed live on Teamtalkmag.com. The final throws in on Sunday at 2:00, all proceeds from the tournament, which is now in its 18th year, go to ‘The Spirit of Paul McGirr Trust’ which does some wonderful work with disabled and less fortunate children in Lusaka, Zambia. 2017 marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of Paul who died following an unfortunate accident while playing for Tyrone minors against Armagh in the Ulster Championship, the final on Sunday looks set to mark this special anniversary year in style.
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