M&L Contracts SFC Round One
Banagher v Glenullin
Tonight, 7.15pm, Owenbeg
By Cahair O'Kane

BANAGHER had their big chance two years ago. And since then? Nothing.
They came from almost nowhere. With Paul Cartin, Mark Lynch and PJ McCloskey all in outstanding form, they pushed Ballinderry as hard as anyone has pushed them in the last few years. Their semi-final exit was bitter but hinted at a bright new dawn.
Eamon Lynch went into that winter with high hopes but by the time the 2013 season had gotten properly underway, he had walked. The team never quite appeared to have the ambition to push on and make use of the talents that they have.
Paddy Crozier came in to Lynch’s stead ahead of the club championship but they were too far down the road to get turned in time.
They had Lavey half beaten and then Sean Martin Lockhart made a most uncharacteristic error and handed Cailean O’Boyle a goal. Kevin O’Neill plucked a few big catches in the last ten minutes and that was that. Lavey went on to reach a semi-final, while Banagher went home to lick their wounds.
Those are the margins. Lavey weren’t much better than Banagher, if they were better at all, but they just got the bit between their teeth at the right time. The worry would be when you look at how comfortably Ballinderry beat Lavey in the semi-final, and how it contrasted with Banagher’s performance the year before.
They are capable of beating Glenullin, but on current form you would have to place them as underdogs. Granted, the inter-county hurling commitments of so many of their dual players leaves them facing constantly disrupted seasons. They have played only nine league games, with some others having played 13.
So their league position is perhaps a shade false. They sit on eight points, and have just four defeats to their name, the same as third-placed Loup. They are not mathematically safe yet but it’s unthinkable that they won’t pick a couple of points up from somewhere in their last six games, all of which could well be shoehorned in through the championship campaign.
They don’t exactly have to prioritise league for the next two months then, and in terms of championship credentials, you’d certainly have them a bracket above those like Foreglen, Newbridge and Steelstown around them in the league table.
But only if they produce what they’re capable of. And so, so many times, they’ve failed to do that.
Part of their downfall last year was that they just didn’t look anywhere near as concrete defensively as they had in 2012. They looked that year as though nothing would get past the rock-like Lockhart at full-back. He dominated almost every opponent he came up against, turning the clock back.
Paul Cartin looked like a 23-year-old who’d just burst on to the scene. Playing in a sweeper role, he dominated games. Up and down and up and down the pitch he went. Mark Lynch and PJ McCloskey had the middle of the field in their control.
So why couldn’t Banagher do that again? There is no good reason. Lockhart has been back out for his well-timed run at it again after keeping the body fresh in the early part of the year. Cartin’s there, and Lynch, after the early-season form he showed for Derry, could well prove unmarkable in this club championship.
PJ McCloskey is a massive loss though. It’s just gone a year past since he tore his cruciate and, despite hopes that he would have made some part of Derry’s season, he is still on the recovery path. It's expected that he will take his place on the bench tonight, though whether he sees any game time will have the bigger impact.
Their biggest problem, when it’s come to the crunch, is getting enough scores to win those big games. They still rely heavily on Lynch, even though he mostly plays at midfield for them these days. Both Murphy brothers, Eunan and Padhraic, have endured their injury problems this season, though Eunan has been back playing well in recent weeks.
Glenullin aren’t quite as hard to fathom. From a relatively small playing panel, from which they have seldom deviated beyond the same 20-odd players over the past few years, they have sucked quite a few big championship wins.
They enjoyed few as much as they enjoyed their brilliant extra-time win over Slaughtneil at Owenbeg last year in what was one of the best games of the championship. Imagery of Eoin Bradley’s brilliant battle with the McKaigues and Fergal McEldowney’s dramatic goal at the end of normal time are overshadowed by the memory of Brian Mullan’s stunning outside-of-the-boot winner from an almost impossible angle.
But the joy lasted only until their quarter-final meeting with Lavey. They would have been happy with the draw beforehand but in a high-scoring encounter, it proved the end of the road for the Mitchel’s yet again.
Their league campaign has dropped off after an impressive start in which they won four and drew one of their opening six games. Their two victories since came against Newbridge and Swatragh, the latter by the minimum last week.
It could prove costly though, with Paddy Bradley a major doubt for this game after picking up a knee injury against the Davitt’s. It’s not as serious as first feared but he will still struggle to make Thursday night.
They’ve had plenty of worries the last few weeks, with Neil Mullan, Eunan O’Kane, Ruairi Boylan, Chrissy Higgins, Ruairi Bradley and Dominic McIlvar all having been absentees at training. James McNicholl will be on honeymoon and unavailable, but the rest should all play.
Néill McNicholl has also returned from America. Depending on his fitness after the long break, he would be fancied to partner Neil Mullan at midfield, with Boylan held in reserve.
McNicholl’s return probably saves them bringing Eoin Bradley out. They have done so in recent league games, but they’ve also done it in recent league seasons and come championship, Bradley has always been stationed in the forward line.
And perhaps he will feel that he has a point to prove having been overlooked for inter-county action because of his soccer commitments this year. His form has been high-scoring. He can win games practically all on his own, and has done so in the past.
With Dermot O’Kane chipping in well, new face Chris Dempsey grabbing an odd score or two, and the strength of a defence in which Gerard, John and Eunan O’Kane provide a core of experience, you would fancy Glenullin to have the edge.
The Glen to make more use of the Owenbeg spaces and keep just about a tight enough rein on Mark Lynch to win.

Verdict: Glenullin

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