There are four places left in the Senior Championship quarter-finals and eight teams put their seasons on the line this weekend.
Culloville v St Peter’s – Sat 13 Sept– 2.30pm – Clady
Both these teams have enjoyed decent championship campaigns so far, but the season is over for one of them. The two sides experienced very different league campaigns, with Culloville claiming the Division 1B title while St Peter’s suffered relegation.
Culloville can consider themselves unlucky to have finished third in their group. They grabbed eye-catching wins over Killeavy and Clan na Gael, but a last round defeat to Maghery saw them miss out on top spot.
St Peter’s may have only picked up one win in the championship, against Silverbridge, but they put in a great display against Crossmaglen as well. Like Culloville, they tasted defeat in round three, losing out to Granemore.
Carrickcruppen v Granemore – Sat 13 Sept– 5.15pm – Silverbridge
Just one point separated these two clubs at the end of the Division 1B league table, with Granemore finishing third and Carrickcruppen coming fourth. But their league meetings couldn’t have been anymore different.
‘Cruppen have impressed in the championship, beating Armagh Harps and Dromintee after their first round loss to Clann Eireann. They could be without Eoin Kane this weekend however as he suffered a knock in their last outing.
Granemore lost out to Crossmaglen and Silverbridge in the group stages but bounced back to beat St Peter’s. They’ll fancy their chances of seeing off Carrickcruppen and claiming a last eight spot.
Killeavy v Mullaghbawn – Sun 14 Sept – 5pm – BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
There wasn’t a whole pile to split these two teams when they locked horns twice in the league. Killeavy shaded both encounters, by one and two-points respectively, on their way to the Division 1A crown.
It took Steven McDonnell’s men a while to find their feet in the championship. They recovered from a first round loss to Culloville with back-to-back victories over Maghery and Clan na Gael.
Mullaghbawn head into the playoffs having lost out to Madden and Cullyhanna in their last two games. Eoghan McDonnell didn’t feature last weekend but could return while Fionn Downey will miss out through suspension.
Madden v Armagh Harps – Sun 14 Sept – 7pm – BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
These two teams last locked horns in the championship two years ago, in the final round of the group stages, at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds. That game finished all square and Sunday’s showdown could be just as tight.
Madden lost out in the opening round to Cullyhanna but bounced back with large wins over Pearse Og and Mullaghbawn, They will be without midfielder Patrick Carr however, who is out for the rest of the season.
The Harps go into the playoffs having lost their last two group games to Carrickcruppen and Clann Eireann. Their form hasn’t been great so far in the championship, but they’ll hope to turn things around this weekend.
