Enniskillen Gaels manager Simon Bradley acknowledges that his side might be viewed as having a head start against Erne Gaels in Sunday’s Fermanagh Senior Football Championship Final at Brewster Park, Enniskillen (4.00pm) but loses no time in highlighting what he feels will be the determination and drive that can help sustain the opposition’s challenge.
The Erne Gaels hurling side are due to meet Armagh champions Sean Tracey’s from Lurgan in the Ulster Junior Championship at Erne Park, Belleek on Saturday and five of their players are also due to line out against Enniskillen Gaels on Sunday.
Meanwhile, with Paddy Reilhill a long-term injury victim and the influential Brandon Horan’s hamstring still a cause for concern, Enniskillen Gaels manager Bradley is well aware that his side cannot afford any degree of complacency.
Bradley has watched his team progress into the decider conscious that they are capable of hitting peak form — something he would be anxious to see given the resilience of their opponents.
“We have experienced an element of frustration in some of our games and now we are particularly keen as a team to hit form in the Final,” said Bradley.
He may have injury concerns but Bradley is not without scoring power. Conor Love has been very much to the fore in putting scores on the board while Richard O’Callaghan is proving something of a match-winner just now. In bringing his vast experience to the table, O’Callaghan is setting a lead for other players and is proving a shrewd tactician in the process.
And with Jonny Cassidy cementing his versatility as a defender and playmaker, Enniskillen Gaels are not short on creative artistry. Cassidy in particular has been underlining his many-sided talents of late and could have a big impact in tomorrow’s contest.
Erne Gaels, meanwhile, have charted a steady course into the decider with the Kelm family trio — Ultan, Oisin and Aogan — helping to set the tone for some impressive performances.
Ultan in particular has been deploying his experience at inter-county level to good effect while Oisin and Aogan have been showing their marksmanship.
Should Enniskillen Gaels get off on the right foot, though, they may be difficult to contain
Meanwhile, old rivals Clontibret and Scotstown will clash in the Monaghan SFC Final at St. Tiernach’s Park, Clones on Sunday (3.00pm).
Scotstown have been in fine form recently and now that veteran goalkeeper Rory Beggan is back again between the posts following his brief flirtation with American Football the team can once again rely on one of its biggest assets.
With the Hughes brothers Kieran and Darren there to parade their skills and Shane Carey and Conor McCarthy well capable of exhibiting their finishing power, Scotstown are unlikely to be knocked out of their stride.
Yet with the mercurial Conor McManus still as sharp as ever when it comes to putting scores on the board and Conor Boyle exhibiting his skills as playmaker, Clontibret will not be short on finishing power. Should they get into their stride early they could make life difficult for their opponents particularly if McManus is on song.