Ulster Club SFC final
Omagh St Enda’s (Tyrone) v Slaughtneil (Derry)
Athletic Grounds, 3.30
An odd business, the Ulster championship. Some counties have a culture of driving on through it, others have no history in it at all. Only one Tyrone club has ever won it, for instance, whereas six different Derry sides have gone all the way. One way or the other, a new name will be added to the list here.
Omagh have grown in confidence as the winter has gone on. They could have slipped quietly to the sidings at various points along the way but ever since the Dromore game they’ve shown stomach that not many gave them credit for.
They probably have more firepower than Slaughtneil here, although if the face-off between Chrissy McKaigue and Ronan O’Neill comes out reasonably even, the Derry side have a shout. It’s hard to imagine this being a festival of football - neither side are averse to a massed defence - but we’ll take Omagh to see off Mickey Moran’s side.
Verdict: Omagh win
Munster Club SFC final
Austin Stacks (Kerry) v The Nire (Waterford)
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2.00
Hard to get two sides from more opposite ends of the spectrum. Stacks are old money Kerry royalty, The Nire only won their first senior Waterford title in 1993. Stacks will have the Kerry captain next year, The Nire will have to fight to keep some of their best players out of the clutches of the hurlers.
No Waterford club has ever won a Munster title but The Nire aren't without their chances here. Cratloe's winter finally caught up with them over the past fortnight but they took beating in the semi-final all the same. Conor Gleeson, Shane Walsh and Jamie Barron make up a potent attack and if they can get on terms around the middle, they are capable of building a score in the region of 1-12 or so.
But Stacks are more than just Kieran Donaghy and they showed in their cracker of a semi-final against Ballincollig that they have a deep reserve of will to call on. Daniel Bohane still has the class of an intercounty player and on the evidence of the campaign so far, there may yet be potential in the likes of Greg Horan and David Mannix.
In the end, it’s hard not to side with the Tralee club.
Verdict: Austin Stacks win
