Down Senior Football Championship Semi-Finals
Carryduff v Burren – Friday, 7.30pm, Páirc Esler
Clonduff v Kilcoo – Sunday, 6pm, Páirc Esler
By Peter McGrath Jnr
In the first repeat fixture of this year’s Morgan Fuels Senior Football Championship, Clonduff and Kilcoo rekindle their rivalry once more. Having met in round two — a game the Magpies won by four points in the end — the draw has pitted them against each other again.
Clonduff showed enough a few weeks back to indicate they’re capable of competing strongly with their neighbours but will need to find a few additional scoring threats to overcome the seven-in-a-row-seeking Magpies. They have potential in that department, with the returns of Stephen McConville and Barry O’Hagan giving them options to bolster their attack from the bench.
Senan Carr, in full stride, is a handful and adds another arrow to a Clonduff quiver packed with pace and dynamism across the park.
Kilcoo haven’t exerted the same levels of control in many games this year that we’ve become accustomed to seeing from them over such a prolonged period. The manner in which Loughinisland were able to come back at Kilcoo on several occasions during their quarter-final highlighted the untypical nature of the Magpies’ displays.
Normally, when they get their purple patch, Kilcoo are able to effectively shut teams off thereafter. They will have to see how Miceal Rooney is after he departed early in the quarter-final with an injury. Nevertheless, they’ve got options aplenty.
Tiernan Fettes has had a strong year defensively, and Anthony Morgan is an often-underrated component of their machine in midfield. Ruairi Madine offers a new threat in the full forward line, and they have a plethora of experience around that — with the three Johnstons, Paul Devlin, and Eugene Branagan just some of the men they will either start or bring in to pose Clonduff problems.
Read the full preview in the current issue of the Mourne Observer, and also read Peter McGrath jnr’s predictions for all the mens’ championship matches that will take place this weekend.
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