All Ireland Club Championships - Final Stages

[118cmal]

The wide open spaces of Croker will suit them.  Somewhat similar to Fermanagh back in 04.  Ballymore in the semi finals were totally outclassed.  Hard to judge when you don't know what the opposition are like, but at that level I cannot imagine an Intermediate side being much better than Skea.

[Celt_Man]

Best of luck to Swad tonight...

[Milltown Row2]

The wide open spaces of Croker will suit them.  Somewhat similar to Fermanagh back in 04.  Ballymore in the semi finals were totally outclassed.  Hard to judge when you don't know what the opposition are like, but at that level I cannot imagine an Intermediate side being much better than Skea.

watched the game against Ballymore, Ballymore were dung to be fair. Little, both Littles go through a lot of work and they have everyone behind the ball and attack in waves. Very Tyrone like. the Lad up front takes all the frees and can score from play, good player.

[Big Puff]

anyone know where i can get tickets for the all ireland club finals on st paddys day?

[Seamroga in exile]

anyone know where i can get tickets for the all ireland club finals on st paddys day?

I'd think they'd probably be at the gates. Can't imagine it being sold out.

[drici]

Cross well capable of causing upset

Crossmaglen Rangers will not have fond memories of the last time they crossed swords with Sunday's opponents Leinster and Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes. It was on St Patrick's Day 2009 when the Dublin side inflicted a first final defeat on Rangers who had gone undefeated in their previous 25 finals.

Kilmacud like their city counterparts St Vincent's the previous year, tore into Cross early on never letting them dictate the pace of the game.  Like twelve months ago, the harm for Rangers was done in the opening 10 minutes finding themselves 5 points adrift and rudderless with a Mark Davoren getting the only goal of the match on seven minutes.

The roles will be reversed for Sunday afternoons 4-15pm showdown at Pairc Tailteann, Navan as it is the Dublin and Leinster champions who will carry the mantle of favourites as despite all their injury problems they have impressed in plotting their way to this stage of the competition still under the guidance of wily All-Ireland winning manager Paddy Clarke. When Former players Tony McEntee and Gareth O'Neill took over as managers of Cross for 2010 they set themselves a modest target of winning back the Armagh County Title having seen their club miss out on a National record of 14 in a row the previous year.

The duo would take the reins at Cross in full knowledge that Tony and twin brother John, losing All-Ireland Captain John Donaldson would not be part of the squad and club legend Francie Bellew would be used from the bench. New young blood had to be blended and getting back to the top in Armagh a tough battle. A facile 4-14 to 0-9 defeat of Carrickcruppen eased Rangers into second round championship action. A late revival from Armagh Harps1-12 to 3-4 was survived to reach the semi-finals against near neighbours St Patrick's. Survival was the name of the game for Cross as they rode their luck in both the draw and replayed match which yielded a slender 1-8 to 0-11 victory. Old adversaries Dromintee were the County final opponents with Rangers once again coming out tops 1-11 to 1-8 and the joint managers and Crossmaglen Rangers season goal had been achieved.

The Ulster Club was bonus ball territory with reigning All-Ireland club champions St Gall's coming to Cross as strong favourites to get the defence of their Ulster title off to a winning start. But for the first time all year Rangers improved on their previous match showing to put the champions to the sword with a bit to spare 1-12 to 0-9. Rangers Ulster and All-Ireland roadshow had begun in 1996 with a first round win over Down champions Burren who were now the semi-final opposition in Ulster. Cross breezed the first half and resolutely hung on as Burren threw everything at them in search of a match levelling point which never came as Cross reached their seventh final 1-11 to 2-7. First time finalists Donegal champions Naomh Conaill held Rangers well in the opening half, but in the second half despite losing a player, Rangers saw off their challengers 2-9 to 0-10. Another title under their belts Cross set off to London to take on Neasden Gaels in the All-Ireland quarter final. A very forgettable performance was boosted by a 1-8 to 0-5 win to set up Sunday's semi-final.

Kilmacud have had a tremendous year claiming their seventh Dublin title with 5 points to spare over St Brigid's 2-12 to 0-11. Indeed this win was Crokes fourth title in the last 7 years 1992, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010. Their achievement is all the more remarkable as players such as Darren Magee, Paul Griffin, Mark Davoren, Mark Vaughan and Rory O Connell have had some long term injury problems and have had other players away working to deal with. But the likes of Craig Dias, Barry O'Rorke, Ciaran Lamb and Barry McGrath have stepped up to the mark to see them through an eight match Dublin and Leinster campaign. In the Leinster final against Rhode a stronger near full strength Crokes were very impressive after a slow start against the Offaly champions.

For Sunday's encounter Rangers will have at least a half dozen changes to the team which the started the All-Ireland final when the teams last met. In the run up to Sunday Crokes are claiming to be in the middle of another injury crisis but will also have at the most three changes from the team which started that final between the teams.

One thing you always get from Dublin teams is a very high level of fitness and a know-how to play the game along with it. Having been twice bitten Rangers will be ready for the early onslaught from their opponents. Cross themselves caught St Gall's and Burren with fast starts but by in large over the course of the year they have been very sluggish and slow at getting themselves into gear. It is fair to say that Cross have not performed as a collective all year. A handful of individual players have peaked to get them through various matches. One has to remember that they have been without a few key players through suspensions and injuries over the course of the campaign. The bigger the challenge that has been put in front of Cross all year, Dromintee, St Gall's and Burren has saw them produce their best performances.

The midfield exchanges between McKenna & Hanratty and whatever combination Clarke deploys in this sector will be critical in supplying potent full forward lines. The evergreen Oisin McConville has been their talisman as he picked up yet another award with AIB Ulster player of the club championship and has formed a great relationship with the very talented goal scoring Jamie Clarke. At the other end Crokes have Mark Vaughan, Brian Kavanagh and Pat Burke who will gave the Rangers full back line of Paul McKeown, Paul Kernan and James Morgan a thorough examination.

For Rangers to succeed a lot of it will be about getting attacking half back Aaron Kernan on the ball and into the game early. It is a rarity for Cross to lose a match if Aaron is at his telling best as he offers the team an outlet in both directions. St Vincent and Kilmacud froze him out of their match for the opening 20 minutes as they attacked Cross from his opposite side of the field. While he cannot win the game on his own a lively Aaron takes more Cross players into the match than any other. Brother's Stephen and Tony are two more who can have a big influence on the game. Another key to Rangers winning on Sunday is that their promising talented youngsters step up to the mark and be counted when it matters most by adding consistency to their play.

While Rangers lack the physical presence that they used to possess this may be a blessing against Crokes as they now pose a different threat which Clarke needs to plot against. It is not co-incidental that Rangers lost their central physical spine at the one time as young speed ball carrying players are all the rage in the modern game. Kilmacud are still very dependant on their elder statesmen while Cross have the remainder of theirs to spring from the bench in the shape of Francie Bellew and the out of retirement John McEntee. Rangers half forward line will have to work extra hard to stop their markers from powering forward as attackers. Crokes will try to exploit the gap Cross have been leaving between their full backs and half backs especially through the centre as a learning his trade at number 6 Danny O Callaghan is prone to being dragged out of position.


The big plus for me is that Cross are in an All-Ireland semi-final and have yet to gel as a 15 man team. Recent challenge games have shown improvement in this sector of play but Sunday will be the acid test. One imagines that Rangers ratio of at least one goal a game will have to be maintained if a place in another All-Ireland final is to be achieved. The result of the last meeting between Cross and Kilmacud is motivation enough to see Rangers defy the odds and give us another St Patrick's Day out in their spiritual home that is Croke Park

Crossmaglen Rangers

● HOW THEY GOT THERE

Crossmaglen Rangers 4-14 Carrickcruppen 0-09

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-12 Armagh Harps 3-04

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-14 St Patrick's 2-11

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-08 St Patrick's 0-10

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-11 Dromintee 1-08

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-12 St Gall's 0-09

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-11 Burren 2-07

Crossmaglen Rangers 2-09 Naomh Conaill 0-10

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-08 Neasden Gaels 0-05

Played: 9 For: 13- 99 Against: 8- 73

Scorers-O McConville 2-32, J Clarke 2-7, Cunningham 1-9, S Kernan 2-5, A Kernan 0-11, T Kernan 0-11, F Hanratty 2-2, M McNamee 1-4, D McKenna 1-4, M Aherne 1-3, K Carragher 0-4, O.G., K Brennan 0-2, J Hanratty 0-1, S Finnegan 0-1, P McKeown 0-1, J McEntee 0-1

[drici]

Last time they met

Crossmaglen Rangers 0-07   Kilmacud Crokes 1-09


Even though defeat number nine, their first defeat in 26 finals, was probably the hardest of all to take on St. Patrick's Day, like the true champions which they are, they were to a man the first to acknowledge that Kilmacud Crokes were worthy winners.

From the moment Galway referee Gerry Kinneavy threw the ball in, it was the four times champions Crossmaglen who looked like the rabbit trapped in the headlights of the occasion.  Kilmacud looked the old stagers who had been through it all as they ran Rangers ragged in the opening 10 minutes.  Longford's Brian Kavanagh landed the game's opening point on two minutes. The alarm bells were given an early sounding two minutes later as Paul Hearty saved from Mark Davoran.  By the eighth minute it was 3-1 with Oisin McConville opening Rangers account with a good point from play from an acute angle, sandwiched in between two converted Mark Vaughan frees.

John Murtagh shot the first of a total of 10 Rangers wides, 4 which came in the first half.  Thirty seconds later the net danced at the opposite end. Liam Og O hEinneachain, who had a tremendous first half workrate handling an awful lot of ball, passed to midfielder Niall Corkery who made inroads towards the Rangers goal a pinpoint hand pass into the path of the free running Mark Davoren and the number 14 made no mistake with his second goal chance, shooting past a stranded Hearty, 1-3 to 0-1.

Amazingly Kilmacud would not score for the next 16 minutes following that goal but opponents Cross hit the self destruct button, posting only two points from a dozen opportunities created. Bad wides, wrong options, balls dropping short into keepers hands as Kilmacud conceded a litany of frees as play became very disjointed.  A converted "45" from Tony Kernan, Rangers best forward on the day, was followed by an Oisin free following a foul on Clarke to leave a goal between the teams.  Wexford's Adrian Morrissey benefitted from good work by Burke and Vaughan to end the Kilmacud scoring drought as Cross replaced Mickey McNamee with Stephen Kernan. A foul on Aaron Kernan allowed Oisin notch the last score of the half to leave it 1-4 to 0-4 at the break and all still to play for.

That Cross never gathered a head of steam during the course of the match, is testimony as to how well Crokes had set their own stall and gameplan out. Kilmacud had reduced Rangers big game players to cameo roles and as the game wore on it was they who produced all the stars to claim the Oscar that is the Andy Merrigan Cup.

Rangers captain John Donaldson raided early in the second half, off-loading to ace predator Oisin whose goal attempt was turned round the post for a "45" by keeper David Nestor.  Tony Kernan's first attempt went out for a second "45" which he duly converted for the opening second half score.  As the wides tally from both sides mounted, one wondered if the absence of a left footed free taker for Kilmacud would cost them as Vaughan missed a few handy frees from his wrong side. The next score would be crucial and it fell to dominant midfielder Darren Magee who latched onto a poor clearance from Rangers keeper Hearty to restore the goal lead 1-5 to 0-5 on thirty nine minutes. When John Murtagh shot his third wide he was replaced by Kyle Carragher as an Oisin free hit the upright and dropped wide.

An 8 minutes scoreless spell whose highlight was a terrific goal saving block from Francie Bellew, broken by a Vaughan free as David McKenna saw yellow. Rangers replaced Brendan McKeown and John Donaldson with Stephen Finnegan and Rico Kelly and within a minute had halved the four point deficit. The Kernan brothers, Aaron and Stephen, combined for the latter to point immediately followed by a pointed Oisin free following a foul on Rico leaving it 1-6 to 0-7 with nine minutes left on the clock.  But this was to be Rangers last score of the match as Kilmacud took control bringing in Johnny Magee for O hEinneachain and Ray Cosgrove for Kavanagh. The impressive Vaughan pointed superbly from play for his fourth of the afternoon. Midfielder Niall Corkery added the insurance 4 point lead before substitute Ray Cosgrove exorcised some Croke Park and Armagh ghosts with the game's final point as Kilmacud emerged deserving 1-9 to 0-7 winners.

Crossmaglen Rangers – P Hearty; B McKeown, P Kernan, P McKeown; A Kernan, F Bellew, J Donaldson; T McEntee, D McKenna; M McNamee, J McEntee, T Kernan (0-2); J Clarke, J Murtagh, O McConville (0-4). Subs: S Kernan (0-1) for M McNamee; K Carragher for Murtagh ; S Finnegan for McKeown; R Kelly for Donaldson, C Short for J McEntee.

Kilmacud Crokes – D Nestor; Ross O'Carroll, Rory O'Carroll, K Nolan; B McGrath, P Griffin, C O'Sullivan; D Magee (0-1), N Corkery (0-1); L Óg Ó hÉinneacháin, B Kavanagh (0-2), A Morrissey; M Vaughan (0-4), M Davoren (1-0), P Burke. Subs: J Magee for Ó hÉinneacháin; R Cosgrove (0-1) for Kavanagh.

Ref – G Kinneavy (Galway)

KILMACUD CROKES

● HOW THEY GOT THERE

Parnells 1-10 Kilmacud Crokes 3-12

St.Sylvesters 1-08 Kilmacud Crokes 0-14

Na Fianna 1-10 Kilmacud Crokes 0-15

St. Vincents 1-09 Kilmacud Crokes 1-10

St. Brigids 0-11 Kilmacud Crokes 2-12

Portlaois 2-04 Kilmacud Crokes 2-07

Garrycastle 0-10 Kilmacud Crokes 0-13

Rhode 1-07 Kilmacud Crokes 0-15

Played 8 For 8- 98 Against 7- 69

SCORERS-B Kavanagh 2-35, M Vaughan 1-14 , D Kelleher 1-11,P Burke 1-10, B O'Rorke 0-8

R Cosgrove 0-6, A Morrissey 0-6,L Og O hEineachain 0-4,C Diaz 1-01,D Magee, 1-0,

M Coughlan 1-0, K Nolan 0-2,B McGrath 0-1,C O Sullivan 0-1

[spuds]

Last time they met


Crossmaglen Rangers – P Hearty; B McKeown, P Kernan, P McKeown; A Kernan, F Bellew, J Donaldson; T McEntee, D McKenna; M McNamee, J McEntee, T Kernan (0-2); J Clarke, J Murtagh, O McConville (0-4). Subs: S Kernan (0-1) for M McNamee; K Carragher for Murtagh ; S Finnegan for McKeown; R Kelly for Donaldson, C Short for J McEntee.

Kilmacud Crokes – D Nestor; Ross O'Carroll, Rory O'Carroll, K Nolan; B McGrath, P Griffin, C O'Sullivan; D Magee (0-1), N Corkery (0-1); L Óg Ó hÉinneacháin, B Kavanagh (0-2), A Morrissey; M Vaughan (0-4), M Davoren (1-0), P Burke. Subs: J Magee for Ó hÉinneacháin; R Cosgrove (0-1) for Kavanagh.

Ref – G Kinneavy (Galway)

Would I be right in saying that from the 17 Crokes players that day only Nestor and McGrath have not played senior intercounty at some point ?

The 20 Cross players that saw action that day would have maybe 15/16 that have represented Armagh at senior ?

[DuffleKing]

16 i reckon

There are 15 of that 20 still playing so maybe not that much of this advertised "change" within the cross ranks?

[brokencrossbar1]

16 i reckon

There are 15 of that 20 still playing so maybe not that much of this advertised "change" within the cross ranks?

That's correct, there would be 16 of the Cross team.  15 still on the panel, 10 likely to start.  Still a fair few changes.

[DrinkingHarp]

Could this be the championship game?

I see the winner of this match taking the championship.

Cross by 2 and the final by three.

[Oraisteach]

Any coverage of the Cross vs. Kilmacud match - internet, radio or video
Thanks

[randomtask]

Any coverage of the Cross vs. Kilmacud match - internet, radio or video
Thanks

its on TG4 now

[ardal]

scores?

[Oraisteach]

Thanks, but it doesn't seem to be available on TG4 here in the States