Case for defence tips verdict in Elphin’s favour

Let the battle commence.

It’s hard to imagine a more intriguing pairing for an intermediate football championship final than the two central protagonists that will take to the Hyde Park Colosseum on Sunday next (throw-in at 2 p.m.). And that’s saying something given the finals that have been served up since the turn of the decade.

They’re usually tight, often tense, and given the neighbourly feel to this one, it’s hard to see the much-anticipated meeting of Elphin and Strokestown veering away from the pre-match narrative that there appears to very little between these teams.

Often the destination of the Jamesie Murray Cup is decided by a moment of individual brilliance. Charlie Carty’s equalising free for Oran in 2020 and Adam McDermott’s dramatic winner for Castlerea St. Kevin’s a year ago come to mind.

In 2023 — in keeping with the “expect the unexpected” feel — there were fireworks let off in the nearby St. Coman’s graveyard when St. Dominic’s edged out Éire Óg.

In other words, there’s always something to chew on afterwards, although one suspects that the fireworks on this occasion will be confined to Hyde Park’s lush green sward.

Strokestown are coming to the boil nicely, as they tend to do when silverware appears on the horizon. Manager Pearse McGinley prefers to do his talking on the pitch and, just like John Rogers two years ago, he knows his team are close to finding their best form when it matters most.

It’s not that the “Black and Amber” sleepwalked through the group stages and their subsequent quarter-final against Creggs, but there was a feeling that they finally cut loose in the final quarter against Fuerty, hitting 1-7 without replay to turn a potentially awkward situation into a relatively comfortable one.

Diarmuid McGann has been their key man up front, but one can’t underestimate the roles played by Colin Compton and Shane McGinley in getting Strokestown within 60 minutes of an immediate return to the senior ranks, just as they did in 2000 and 2010.

With Kevin Finn being reintegrated into the team in recent games and Colm Neary, now fully recovered from injury, floating around the middle third, it’s not hard to see why Strokestown folk would be optimistic about their team’s chances.

Further back the field, Seán Mullooly remains a huge loss but goalkeeper Niall Curley, Timmy Gibbons, David Neary, Ciarán Regan and Keith Murphy are still there from the team that saw off Boyle to dramatically win the Fahey Cup in 2022.

It remains to be seen if Sunday is the day the players that Strokestown are missing from that triumph comes back to bite them. Alongside Mullooly, Paddy Brogan, Cathal Compton and David Butler would be ideal candidates to have on an intermediate final ticket, especially against an Elphin side that have been as miserly as Scrooge throughout this championship.

Even getting the talented Mikey Kavanagh, Mike Fallon or Cathal Lavin, who have been injured at some point throughout the championship, back on the field would give Elphin an unwelcome headache.

Like Castlerea last year, getting the defence in order was manager Nigel Dineen’s first priority. When they only conceded two points against Pádraig Pearses in the opening round, the dye had been cast.

While Elphin have scored heavily in their games against Kilbride, Shannon Gaels and Kilmore, one suspects that their defensive solidity will take precedence in an effort to keep McGann, McGinley, Compton and company at bay.

Niall Higgins will, more than likely, be tasked to keep tabs on McGann, and the outcome of this battle is likely to have a major say in the destination of the title.

But Elphin are more than a one trick pony, and with the Cregg brothers, Luke Mollahan, Shane Killoran and Evan Gunn going well, they’ll sense blood.

With the players knowing each other so well, not conceding an inch to the opposition will be to the forefront of both teams’ minds.

If Murray can handle McGann and Elphin can dominate around the middle, which their form suggests they can, they’ll have a solid base formed for victory.

Among both sets of supporters, there are only visions of victory. Defeat to the “noisy neighbours down the road” in a county final would be hard to stomach.

It’s the toss of a coin, but Elphin’s form has been more consistent. If they get their way and shut down Strokestown’s key forwards, they’ll have one hand on the cup.

Verdict: Elphin