Match ups are going to be key on Sunday as Clan na Gael take on Crossmaglen in the Senior Championship final.
Both teams have their designated taggers, and both will have their sweeper systems in place as well.
The first-round tie in Davitt Park gave us an indication of who may pick up who but expect a few changes.
To predict the match ups, we’ve just gone with the starting teams from the previous semi-finals.
Stopping Soupy
Who locks horns with Stefan Campbell is the big question in the Crossmaglen defence. Their best option looks to be Callum Cumiskey.
He locked horns with ‘Soupy’ in the first round and came out on top of that dual. Cumiskey will likely be tasked with that job again.
Campbell showed his class in the semi-final against Clann Eireann when he dragged them through to the final with a 10-point haul.
Paul Hughes is likely to go to Niall Henderson in the half forward line. Should Henderson retreat, Hughes will welcome the invitation to bomb forward.
If Campbell, or indeed Shane McPartlan, decide to go to the edge of the square, Rico Kelly will be there to pick them up.
No matter the match ups, Aaron Kernan will be the free man at the back for Cross. His communication and organisation are key back there.
Midfield battle
We could see Oisin O’Neill and Shane McPartlan go head-to-head on Sunday and battle it out around the middle.
If that is the case, there may not be much defending done. Both men will be confident of their attacking talents and ability to outscore the other.
There is the likelihood that both O’Neill and McPartlan could move into full forward, so both defences will need to be wary of that.
Rian O’Neill and Diarmuid O’Hagan will both start at midfield for the throw in. and O’Hagan will shadow O’Neill wherever he goes.
O’Hagan picked up the Irish News All-Star at the start of the championship as well as in the 2021 championship clash.
That possibly leaves Stephen Morris and Niall Loney to face off in the middle of the field as well.
Clans defensive cover
There’s no question about it, Clans will get 15 men behind the ball for large periods of this game.
But, as the Cross forward line is so dangerous, they’ll still need to plan out their defensive match ups.
Sam McClarnon has enjoyed a superb season in defence, and he marked Cian McConville in round one.
Michael McConville moved out to the half back line to pick up Jamie Clarke. This could be the match up again, or McClarnon and McConville could switch roles.
Aaron McCreanor is always the plus one for Clan na Gael and he protects the ‘D’. Sean Mackle and Jamie Brady will also assist in that department.
Callum O’Neill has been outstanding for Clans this season, and Cross could deploy Colin O’Connor as his man-marker.
