Ballincollig favourites to reclaim their crown

to go head-to-head with Kelly and prevent him from orchestrating matters up front for Ballincollig to the full.

Their deliberations on who’d be detailed to pick up the ubiquitous Miskella possibly took a little longer, but Padraig Hodnett handled Avondhu’s roaming corner-forward Colm O’Connell well in the semi-final, so it’s a fair bet he’ll be entrusted with the onerous task of minimising Miskella’s inpact.

That John Hayes was in devastating form for Carbery Rangers during their demolition-job on Avondhu obviously won’t have gone unnoticed by the Ballincollig mentors.

In the county final two years ago, he was pitted against Noel Galvin, and the honours were just about shared over the hour, with Hayes very much to the fore in the first half before Galvin kept him on a tight rein after the interval.

While Galvin filled the centre back berth against Nemo, he’ll probably start in the left corner on Sunday, with Ballincollig hoping his renowned man-marking ability will bear fruit in what promises to be a fascinating individual duel with Carbery Rangers’ most prolific marksman.

The Rosscarbery side aren’t solely dependent on Hayes to set things alight up front, of course, as such as John O’Rourke and Seamus Hayes have regularly shown over the years they can be equally potent.

Similarly, Miskella and Kelly aren’t lacking able accomplices, and Ian Coughlan’s aerial prowess, which posed quite a few problems for Nemo, at full forward means Ballincollig could prosper by adopting the Route 1 approach as often as possible on Sunday.

As in most games, the battle for midfield supremacy could have a telling bearing on developments, and both pairings – James Fitzpatrick and Kevin McMahon for Carbery Rangers and Sean Kiely and Ciaran O’Sullivan for Ballincollig – are in very good shape at the moment, judging from what they delivered in the semi-finals.

How Carbery Rangers full back Brian Shanahan fares out against Ian Coughlan, and how Ballincollig’s Liam Jennings copes with the threat from Seamus Hayes at the other end are also particularly relevant factors in the equation when it comes to assessing how the contest is likely to unfold.

It can be be safely said, however, it will be a big blow to Ballincollig’s hopes of regaining the title if Miskella and Kelly aren’t operating close to the peak of their considerable powers, while Carbery Rangers’ bid to make the historic breakthrough will likewise be seriously undermined should John Hayes fail to function near his brilliant best.

Expect all three to perform well.

Verdict: Ballincollig