Last year’s meeting between Maghery and Armagh Harps failed to live up to expectations. But like 12 months ago, this has the potential to be a great game.
A repeat of the 2017 championship final, these two have been top contenders for the best part of the last decade.
The Harps won that day but have failed to leave an impact on the championship since then. 2017 was the last time they got past the quarter final stage.
There’s a different feel about them this year though, perhaps coming off the back of their successful league campaign.
Omen
Benny O’Kane guided his men to their first league title since 1991, in a year when they city side completed the double.
Is that a good omen for the Harps? Perhaps, but Maghery will have a lot to say about that on Saturday evening.
The Loughshore men only edged last years meeting by two-points but were in control for a large portion of the game.
Brian Fox, as he has a habit of doing, rattled the net with the game-winning goal. He will once again provide a headache for the Harps.
Kevin Robinson has had a good league campaign and will be a scoring threat along with Stefan Forker and Oisin Cushnahan.
Last year, Brian McIlmurray found himself in the unfamiliar position of full back but has been named at full forward in the programme.
Aidan Forker was Maghery’s best attacker during Finnian Moriarty’s reign but is preferred to the defence under Gavin Wylie.
James Lavery is a huge loss around the middle and the combination of Charlie Vernon and Karol Loughran could give the Harps a foothold at centerfield.
Joe McElroy and Declan McKenna will be on hand to assist while Tom O’Kane is the main score getter.
This one is expected to go right down to the wire and really is impossible to call. No matter what happens, one of the championships big hitters will be gone this weekend.
