Clan Na Gael v O’Connells
Robbie Curran Billy Smith JJ Quigley Mark McGeown Ray McCabe Conall McKeever Paul Gore Mark Newell Drew Duffy Paul Crewe 0-13 1-9 1-6 1-5 1-4 1-3 1-2 0-3 0-2 0-2 Niall Conlon Robert Quigley Stuart Osborne Jackie Agnew Sean Connolly Conor McGuill Dean Stanfield Dean Corrigan Jack Sadlier Conor Culligan Paul McKeever 2-14 1-8 1-7 1-7 2-2 1-2 0-4 0-4 0-1 0-1 0-1 Sunday’s IFC showdown is a lot like the last two intermediate finals - but in very different ways.
Like Mattock Rangers 12 months ago, relegated O’Connell’s are hoping to bounce straight back to senior at the first attempt.
And they face a Clans team that have been knocking on the door for longer than they care to remember - just like the Joe’s, who lost four semi-finals in a row before finally landing the Seamus Flood Cup.
In 2015 Kilkerley succeeded where Mattock failed, making an instant return to the SFC - albeit after a replay win over the Clans.
So the Dundalk men will obviously be hoping for a repeat of last year’s outcome, while O’Connell’s will take inspiration from Kilkerley’s heroics in 2015.
To add another twist to the tale, O’Connell’s beat the Clans in the 2012 decider, the Castletown side’s second final defeat in a row.
Their unwanted runner-up tally is now three in six campaigns and the desire to avoid making it four from seven may be as much of a hindrance as a help come Sunday.
But they appear to tick most of boxes this time around, including a solid campaign in Division 1, while their semi-final win over Mattock was character-building, to say the least. O’Connell’s have been ‘zipping’ along nice and quietly all summer, but have arguably had an easier run to the final.
On that basis this could finally be the Clans’ year, but there’ll be no room for self-doubt.