Supporters around the county will be spoiled for choice this evening (Saturday) as we have three mouth-watering finals to look forward to in the All County Football A Leagues. Whether you are in Summerhill, Slane or Kilskyre, you look set to be in for an excellent game in three finals which look very difficult to call winners of. All three fixtures throw in at 18:30.
The finals are all ticket and are priced as follows.
- General Admission – €10
- Student/OAP – €5
- Children U-16 accompanied by an adult attend for free.
Tickets for all finals can be purchased via the Meath GAA App which can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store.
Summerhill for the second year in a row plays host to the Division 1B Final and Navan O’Mahonys will do battle with Ballinabrackey for the right to raise the Peter Moore Cup. Both of these sides were relegated from Division 1A in 2022 after disappointing campaigns but have bounced back impressively this year to deservedly secure promotion back to the top tier and with it an opportunity to claim silverware in this final.
That League relegation for O’Mahonys foreshadowed their Championship relegation but the turnaround in fortunes this season for the Brews Hill side has been very eye-catching. Damien Moran and Rory Maguire who have been doing excellent work in recent seasons with the clubs Minor sides were entrusted with the task of getting the Navan side back to the top table in the county and they have been going about their business in a quietly efficient manner.
Mike O’Reilly is a big, athletic full back who has made the number three jersey his own while in front of him Brian Dillon brings a lot of experience to the centre back role. The former county panellist has a crucial role for the side and is the rock upon which their defensive structure is built upon. Eoin Joyce is another experienced campaigner who pulls the strings at centre forward and he will look to provide the ammunition for Robbie Keelaghan and Jack McConnell to fire inside. Oisín O’Brien is somewhat surprisingly named amongst the replacements but were he to be a late addition to the starting XV then he is another ace attacker for Ballinabrackey to be worries about.
Ballinabrackey are one of those teams who some observers have said for a long time are more than a sum of their parts but that would do the club a disservice and a quick perusal of their line up shows a plethora of players who have pulled on the county jersey with distinction across the grades. Dean Pluck lines out in goals and he is a similar player to that most distinguished of former O’Mahonys goalkeepers, Marky Brennan. Not blessed with a massively long goal kick, he makes up for this with an excellent ability to pick out a teammate in space while he is also a brilliant shot stopper, not to mention a very vocal presence in organising his defence. Nicky Judge and Chris O’Connor have been round the block on more than one occasion and the battle between Judge and Keelaghan could be well worth the admission fee. Up front, Danny Quinn and Niall Smullen are two massive threats while Barry Thompson is a tricky corner forward who is back in the team having been absent for a spell last year.
O’Mahonys had their promotion spot booked with a round to spare in the League while Ballinabrackey had to travel to Carlanstown and defeat St. Michael’s in that final round to book their return flight to the top tier. It is very difficult to separate these two teams and it could well prove to be the case that they prove inseparable after the regulation hour and extra-time is required before a winner can be crowned of the Seamus Connolly Catering Division 1B League.
Fresh from the club winning the Division 3B title on Friday evening, Slane plays host to the PS Supplies Doors & Floors Division 2A Final which sees Meath Hill and St. Patrick’s meet. If this game is half as entertaining as the Round 8 game played between these side on May 9 when Meath Hill came out on top on a score of 2-18 (24) to 3-10 (19) then all present in Slane will have bore witness to a thrilling encounter.
Meath Hill will look to the likes of Paddy Matthews , James Mooney and Jack McMahon to be leading lights and if this trio hit top form then it will be a major fillip to their fortunes. Matthews was part of the same U-17 team which featured the likes of Jordan Morris, Mathew Costello and Shane Walsh back in 2017 and now looks primed to be one of the driving forces in the Meath Hill side. An athletic, attacking half back, his duel with John Mannion could be a crucial determining factor in where the Kevin McConnell Cup ends up. Team captain James Mooney dons the no.13 jersey but is likely to find himself anywhere across the field of play while Jack McMahon is another former underage star and his knack of picking off vital scores will prove crucial.
St. Patrick’s were involved in what was probably the most memorable game of 2022 when their local derby in the quarter final of the Meade Farm IFC went all the way to penalties late on a Friday night in Ashbourne. Unfortunately for them, they ultimately came out on the wrong side of that shootout but they have returned for this season determined as a club to right the wrongs of 2022. And there is no doubt but that something is stirring on the Dublin border for they are contesting finals everywhere we look this week.
Darragh Sullivan has made the goalkeepers position his own and continues a fine tradition of Sullivans manning the no.1 jersey while Darren Hagan is a solid, experienced campaigner at centre back. Neil O’Flaherty was excellent in that Championship fixture against Duleek-Bellewstown and his role pulling the strings at centre forward will be crucial. And then we have their full forward line of Sean Emmanuel, Jamie Murphy and Donal Landy. Landy has long had the ability to be a match winner for the Pats and he now has two young gunslingers in the inside line alongside him. Sean Emmanuel missed the conclusion to the Meath U-20 campaign through injury and is now back in action while Jamie Murphy is a huge threat on the edge of the square. A big physical presence, he looks set to be a mainstay of the clubs attack for years to come.
The JMB Sportsfield Services sponsored Division 2B Final takes place in Kilskyre and it is something of a local derby as St. Ultan’s and Clann na nGael go in search of the Paddy Dixon Cup. Can Clann na nGael land the second leg of a League double following on from their success in the Hurling last week or will St. Ultan’s take the first step towards a double of their own ahead of Sunday’s Premier Championship Final.
Shane Clarke seen it all and won many trophies when a player with Seneschalstown and the St. Ultan’s manager will be looking to secure his first trophy wearing the Bainisteoir bib. In Keith Hennessy he has a goalkeeper who is as good as what is around and a steady performer between the posts is one of the first thing a manager looks for when trying to build a solid foundation on a team. Darren Mallon lines out at full back and at this stage of his career, the former Leinster Colleges winner with St. Pats, brings a steadying influence to their defence. Darragh Reilly is a potential match winner in the forward line and if he hits top form then it will be a major deciding factor in who wins.
For Clann na nGael, Eoin Griffin is a very influential presence between the posts and the net minder who lined out for Darnley in last years Regional Championship has a solid back line in front of him. Paul Tuite is a tight, tigerish corner back while Jack Doherty regularly impresses at centre back. Darragh Griffin is a hugely influential presence in their Junior Football Championship success a few years ago and he is their midfield general while up front Tomás Doyle is a goal threat every time he takes to the field of play.
