It’s been four years since Granemore and Pearse Og last clashed in the Senior Championship. A lot has changed since then.
Unless the Ogs upset the odds here and go on to win the SFC, they’ll be playing Intermediate football next year.
They’ve had a disastrous season so far, winning just once in the league. That form is unlikely to turn this weekend.
They’ve lost a number of key players which explains their misfortune. Conor Clarke’s side have been facing an uphill battle all year.
From the starting team that played against Ballymacnab in the quarter-finals last season, five are unavailable.
Chris Rafferty and Gerard Barton have both retired. James Freeman has stepped away this year. And Anto Duffy and Stephen McManus are both suspended for this game.
Star men
So, what was already a tough ask against a seasoned Granemore side is suddenly an almost impossible one.
Granemore are heavily fancied heading into this game and should be able to secure their place in the last eight.
Defenders Ross Finn and Kieran Doyle are part of the Armagh squad while Emyvale native Karl McQuaid has been a great addition to the defence this year.
Brendan Boylan is a powerful midfielder while up top Jason O’Neill is still the main scoring threat for his side.
One of their most experienced campaigners, Tony McClelland, has been deployed at full forward this year and has proven a handful.
Granemore will be boosted by the fact they were able to retain their Division 1A status after a really poor start.
They won three of their last five games, including a one-point win over Madden, to secure their place in the top tier.
It’s time for the Ogs to rebuild while for Granemore, their aiming a run into the latter stages of this competition. Niall McAleenan’s men should get through this one comfortably.
