The Senior Championship quarter finals kick off with the intriguing clash of Granemore taking on Mullaghbawn.
Peter McDonnell’s men are of course coming in fresh off the back of dethroning last year’s champions Clann Eireann.
Mullaghbawn, who earned promotion to Division 1A during the league this year, were full value for their victory.
They raced into an early lead and were able to hold their nerve when the Lurgan side came battling back in the second period.
Their big players all stood up and performed. Declan Loye was inspirational while Shea Loye and Eddie English hit 1-6 between them.
Battlefield
Cormac Smyth and Eoghan McDonnell hold a huge presence around the middle and that sector of the field could be a warzone this Saturday.
Granemore will pack the middle with big men in the form of Brendan Boylan, Darren Carr, Kieran Doyle, Louis Hughes and Karl McQuaid.
McQuaid has been a super addition to their armour this year having transferred from Monaghan club Emyvale.
Up front, Jason O’Neill remains the dangerman and Conor Tierney will most likely be the one to pick him up.
Ryan Rafferty claimed Granemore’s all important goal to seal their first-round win over Pearse Ogs while Marty Carr is a good target man.
In defence, they’ll look to their county panellist Ross Finn to shadow English and limit his influence on the game.
This game presents a huge opportunity for one of these teams to reach the last four of the senior championship.
It’s been a good while since Mullaghbawn ran that deep into the competition, having last won the championship in 1995, under McDonnell.
Granemore have more experience at this level, having reached the semi-finals as recently as the 2019 season.
That experience and knowhow could count for a lot when they sides take the field in Crossmaglen, and it could just be enough to see Granemore through.
