ACFL Division One Final: Dungannon Thomas Clarkes v Naomh Colmcille, Carrickmore (Father Hackett Park, Augher, 1:30pm)
Four days short of Christmas, the Tyrone club season will finally draw to a close on Saturday with the Division One League final.
Carrickmore face Dungannon at Augher (1:30pm) to contest the Brendan Dolan trophy and the second most important title competed for by senior teams.
The league was hotly contested over 15 rounds of games, but as so often in the past, was dogged by serious delays at the business end, this time due to Errigal Ciaran’s extended and ultimately triumphant run in the Ulster Club Championship.
There have been numerous calls for a change in the competition’s format, which has seen both of today’s finalists spend many idle weeks of inactivity while waiting for the knock-out phase to begin.
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Carrickmore went eleven and a half weeks without a competitive outing ahead of last weekend’s narrow semi-final victory over Errigal, while the league decider will be Dungannon’s first game in nine weeks, following their one-point win over Galbally in the other semi.
Carmen, seeking a second title in three seasons, will be without suspended attacker Danny Fullerton, due to his dismissal in the early stages of the semi-final.
But with Rory Donnelly and Lorcan McGarrity in their front line, they will have plenty of scoring power.
Oisin McElroy and Lorcan McBride anchor a solid defence, while Cormac Munroe’s workrate around the middle third is a valuable asset.
Dungannon will be looking for another sizeable return from the prolific Paul Donaghy as they target a triumphant end to the season.
The creative influence of the Jones brothers, Dalaigh and Ryan, and the attacking impetus of half-backs Mark and Patrick McKearney, allied to the leadership qualities of Padraig McNulty and Conall Devlin, lie at the heart of the Clarke’s challenge.
They got the better of Galbally by 1-7 to 0-9 in the semi-final, with Ryan Jones scoring the only goal of the game at O’Neill Park.
Carrickmore also had just a point to spare in their last four clash, defeating an under-strength Errigal Ciaran side by 0-10 to 1-6 at Dunmoyle, with Donnelly (4) and McGarrity (3) leading the way on the score sheet.
Another close encounter is likely to bring the curtain down on a lengthy season badly affected by delays.