Tough test in Annacurra

THE meeting of Michael Hogans and Michael Dwyers has the potential to be a cracking game of football if their two semi-finals are anything to go by although Hogans’ victory over Dwyers in the earlier rounds suggests a slight advantage for the Avoca, Aughrim, Avondale and Ballinacor amalgamation.

They got the better of Ballinglen after extra-time by 0-13 to 0-8 while Dwyers came through a fierce battle with Pearse Gaels in Ballinakill that required extra-time as well. However, that semi-final saw 10 goals scored (five for each side) which suggests that a degree of tightening up is required by the west outfit ahead of the big game in Annacurra on Sunday morning at 11am.

Dwyers are managed by Ollie Murphy, PJ Byrne, John Harmon and Johnny Wybrant and Murphy says that the manner in which they came through a somewhat stormy semi-final battle is a huge tribute to the character of their young side that featured three under-15 players in the starting 15 in Ballinakill.

‘It was a great game. Huge tribute (to Dwyers), the way they stood up and finished the game out. They took it from the jaws of defeat. I was biting my fingernails coming down to the last few seconds. In the last few years those lads have had nothing only bad luck. They’re after losing in so many finals, the under-15 final last year against Carnew and up along the grades. It was very satisfying seeing them getting over the line. I know it was only a semi-final at the end of the day, we still have a final to come.

Ollie Murphy says that the defeat to Hogans earlier in the league section of the championship makes Dwyers the underdogs but he has nbothing but praise for his talented young charges.

I think they won by seven or eight points. We didn’t really perform to the best of our ability.

‘They (Dwyers) are a brilliant bunch of lads and they are a dream to work with. There’s never a bad word between any of them. They do everything that’s asked of them.

What does Ollie expect from Michael Hogans?

‘They’re a big team. They’re strong down the spine. We’ll definitely go in as underdogs but we will give it a real good shot and here’s hoping that we’ll pull it off and it will give me and the rest of the management team and the players great pleasure if we can pull it off,’ he added.

For Michael O’Neill and Pete Carroll of Michael Hogans, they are fully aware of the test that awaits them and they realise that only a quality performance from their talented side will secure them the ‘C’ crown come Sunday afternoon.

‘The league section of the championship ran well for us but we’re under no illusions that if we are going to win the final, we’re going to have to play very well. We had a very tough game in the semi-final. The final will be as tough and we’ll see where that takes us on Sunday.

Ours was a tight scoring game. It was seven-all at the end of normal time and it finished up 0-13 to 0-8 after extra-time,’ said Michael O’Neill.

Bringing players together from four different clubs can pose problems but Michael O’Neill says that this particular group of players know each other so well from school and beyond that there hasn’t been a single issue.

‘I think it’s worked very well. The lads are all at school together, they all know each other, they’re all pals outside of school. It’s worked very well. With the year that’s in it, they’re mad for football.

‘There’s a good bit of work gone in between myself and Pete with them,’ he said.

Hogans have the advantage of getting the better of Dwyers earlier in the championship but O’Neill says that finals are different games and only a quality display will take the title home on the day.

‘We did (win the earlier game), but, look, we’re under no illusions, finals are different games. We’re going to have to play very well to win it. It’s as simple as that. We had a tough test against Ballinglen, but so did they against Pearse Gaels and nothing short of our best will win it,’ he said.