The McGurk Cup continues this evening with Armagh travelling to Belfast to take on Queen’s in round three.
The Orchard hurlers have enjoyed two good outings so far in the competition. They ran Down close on the opening night before hammering Louth on Sunday past.
Padraig O’Connor has given plenty of minutes to his playing squad and continues to change it up every game.
The Gaffney brother, Ryan, Shea and Dean are welcom additions to the panel having missed out last season.
Ryan stood out when introduced against the Wee County. The Middletown man hit 0-9 in the second half and set up an Eoin McGuinness goal.
Injury concerns
The Newry Shamrocks forward had to leave the play prematurely however, having scored 1-2 in the second period.
Peter McKearney likewise came off injured against Down. Both men should recover full for the first round of the league.
Nathan Curry has got two half hours under his belt and should see more game time this evening as well.
Danny Magee has been the top marksman for Armagh so far in the McGurk Cup, nailing 0-11 in two games.
Armagh’s scoring power has been evident in the last two games. The return of the Gaffney’s, Fionntan Donnelly and Paddy McBride will only strengthen that.
Armagh may look to field a full strength team this evening as preparations continue to build for the opening league clash against Louth.
O’Connor may be given quite a headache over the next few weeks as several players have put their hands up for a starting berth.
Queen’s University Belfast dominated Louth before losing heavily to Down, so Armagh will fancy their chances of getting a win tonight.
It’s impossible for the Orchard to top the group, but getting minutes in the legs and seeing some fresh faces will have been the objective from the start.
