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Tue 16th Mar 2010
BT MacRory Cup final, Wednesday 1.15pm in Casement Park :
Omagh CBS v St Colman’s Newry
The first game of this season’s BT MacRory Cup was played exactly 5 months ago today – on Saturday 17th October.
It finished Omagh CBS 0-15, St Colman’s Newry 0-14 and both teams were immediately heralded as potential Cup winners.
Over the last 5 months these teams have maintained an unbeaten record with few games even in the balance going into the final 10 minutes.
Omagh collected the BT MacCormack Cup in early December, beating St Mary’s Magherafelt in the semi-final and they replicated that result in the MacRory semi-final a fortnight ago, this time running out 0-18 to 0-9 winners.
While Magherafelt troubled the west Tyrone side at midfield, the dismissal of two of their players, one seven minutes into the second half, allowed Omagh to stretch their winning margin in what was a tight enough game.
A fairly imposing physical team, Omagh have plenty of good ball players and plenty of scoring options up front.
The spine of the team is impressive, versatile and experienced leaving the management options on switching players to pressurise areas of play.
Sean Warnock, an All-Ireland minor medallist with Tyrone in defence in 2008, has started at both full-back and midfield for example, his link-up with Conan Grugan leaving his side very strong in the middle of the park.
The half-back line of Niall Sludden, Thomas Canavan and Declan Connolly has also been pretty impressive in all their games to date forcing opposing half-forwards to retreat into defensive mode as Sludden in particular burst forward for scores.
Connolly was moved to wing-forward in the semi-final with Darren Bradley slotting in at wing-defence.
Ronan O’Neill is a pivotal figure on the 40, capable of winning plenty of ball, taking his own scores or opening defences by playing in his team-mates.
Their style of play is very similar to St Colman’s – breaking fast out of defence with quick hands and short accurate passes.
The Newry team played a lot of that in dethroning the other Tyrone school, Dungannon Academy, in an entertaining semi-final under the Casement Park lights.
2-2 inside the opening 10 minutes and their speed of movement particularly in the full-forward line had the holders floundering.
However the Academy started to move at midfield and they turned the game around over the next half-hour forcing the St Colman’s management to spring three subs into action – all of whom contributed in the last quarter.
The suspended Conor Gough is again available and his presence in midfield should ease worries in that sector.
However continuing back problems is likely to restrict Ross McGarry’s participation, but last season’s Down minor captain will have a part to play – as he did in the previous two games, arriving during the second half to provide an instant lift for his team.
Paul Hillen impressed enough when introduced for Eamon Lych in the semi-final and he is handed the No 6 shirt in the other change from the last starting line-out.
Both teams play fast football, both have a range of scoring opportunities, options on the bench and a lot of promise.
Yes, today’s BT MacRory Cup final should be a very entertaining game, probably high-scoring and with only a point or two as the margin of victory.
A St Colman’s victory would see them stretch their record title-haul to 19, their first though in 11 seasons, while an Omagh win would keep the MacRory Cup in the O’Neill county for the fourth successive season.
St Colman’s ; M McNeice, S McGreevy, N Donnelly, R Lively, R Johnston, P Hillen, P Lively, N McParland capt., C Gough, D O’Hare, C Clarke, C Mooney, C Stevenson, J Johnston, T McGreevy.
Subs : J McAleavey, E Magee, S McCartan, K Haughey, E Lynch, M Garvey, R McGarry, D Sherry, C O’Neill, D O’Higgins, P Carty, J McNally, S O’Hare, P Matthews, S McArdle, K O’Hagan, P Casey, N Smyth, C Curran, JJ McLoughlin.
Omagh CBS - R Clarke, S Mullan, R O’Neill, D Bradley, N Sludden, T Canavan, D Connolly, C Grugan, S Warnock capt, C Clarke, R O’Neill, A O’Donnell, J McCullagh, C McCullagh, C McRory.
Subs : S Harney, F Askin, S Tierney, C Canavan, J Devine, N Donnelly, D Fox, T Gallagher, S Kelly, R Leonard, R Lynch, M McCaffrey, M McCann, T McCarron, S Tierney, N McGinn.
Submitted by: Seamus McAleenan
