Carrickcruppen vs An Port Mor
It’s hard to believe that out of all the games played across the opening weekend of action that only one game ended all square.
That encounter took place between Wolfe Tones and a travelling Carrickcruppen side last Sunday afternoon.
It was the Cruppen men who claimed the final score of the day to earn a share of the spoils, drawing 1-11 to 0-14.
Indeed, their opponents this weekend experienced an equally tense affair, as they scraped through by the minimum of margins against Collegeland.
An Port Mor just did enough to overcome their old rivals Collegeland in round one and will know this weekend will prove another difficult task.
These two sides met twice in the league in 2019 and if those two games are anything to go by we could have another nail-biter on our hands this weekend.
On both occasions, neither side could do enough to earn a win and a draw was all they could achieve.
Dara McKenna, Shane Nugent and Cormac Kieran were the main men in front of the posts for the Blackwatertown men in round one and the Carrickcruppen defence will need to be on top of their game to deal with their opponents attack.
McKenna grabbed his sides only goal of the game along with a further two points while Nugent and Kieran shared ten points between them.
They enjoyed a good centre-field partnership of Oliver Webb and Ross Gribben while Fintan Daly and Mattie Walsh were the eye-catchers at the back.
Carrickcruppen lay claim to home advantage this weekend as they welcome An Port Mor to Camlough on Sunday.
Blaine Hughes is central to his sides play from his number one position and his heroic save last weekend ensured his side claimed a share of the spoils.
It is his performances between the sticks that allows Hughes to stand out, but his accuracy from placed balls is another strong feature of his game, which he proved last weekend.
The An Port Mor attack will know that it has to be on top of their game if they are to beat the Armagh goalkeeper.
The Carrickcruppen line-up includes plenty of younger talent, having capture the Under 20 Intermediate title last season.
Jack Cunningham is in his first year with the Senior team and he gave an honest performance last weekend, setting up the Carrickcruppen goal.
Full-forward John McCullough was on hand to raise the green flag and he proved a difficult obstacle for Wolfe Tones on the edge of the square.
Richard Keenan is a real livewire around the middle of the field for the home side and he gave a strong performance on the opening day of the season.
It’s hard to call a clear, stand out favourite in this one, so don’t be surprised if the score is once again level by the time the final whistle sounds.
