Antrim SFC Final Replay
Cargin v Lamh Dhearg
Saturday 4-00 Corrigan
Holders Cargin and the 2017 champions, Lamh Dhearg meet again this Saturday at Corrigan Park after they played out a draw in last Sunday’s final at the same venue and predicting a result is as difficult as it was in the lead up to that compelling encounter.
In what has been the season of the ‘draw’ to date it is perhaps surprising that none of the local media predicted a draw in Sunday’s decider. It took a replay to separate Portglenone and St. John’s in the quarter final and a further two replays before Lamh Dhearg emerged victorious over the Casement’s in an enthralling semi-final trilogy.
It is of course easy to be wise after the event but Sunday’s final result shouldn’t have been the surprise it was in some quarters. A draw seemed highly unlikely going into the last quarter however with Lamh Dhearg having controlled matters for the greater part of the contest and holding a four point lead.
Paul McCann led the Cargin comeback charge with a couple of penetrating runs that opened up the Lamh Dhearg defence for the first time and Mick McCann followed with an excellent goal to bring his side right back into contention.
The Red hands could have sealed the deal had Eoin McKeown’s shot from point blank range not have been turned away by an out stretched John McNabb foot. It was a miss they were to regret as the Toome side called upon the fighting spirit that has seen them replace St. Gall’s as the top side in Antrim in recent years.
Paddy Cunningham’s sixth free of the day edged Lamh Dhearg two in front as the clock ticked down but it was to be his sides last score as Tomas McCann’s rasping shot sailed over when a goal looked on and, not for the first time Tomas held his nerve from a long range free to level matters with virtually the last kick of the game.
Not lying down on the job! Michael McCann who’s late goal brought Cargin back into contention in Sunday’s draw against Lamh Dhearg
MOMENTUM
In the lead up to last weekend’s final Cargin manager, Damien Cassidy raised a few eyebrows when he stated that he would rather have had Lamh Dhearg’s build up to Sunday’s final. The Hannastown side had just gone through three physically demanding games before overcoming Portglenone and there were questions being asked as to what affect those games would have had.
Tiredness and injuries can come into play in these circumstances but against that, as I said last week, Lamh Dhearg were the side with the momentum and as Cassidy eluded to, momentum can be a massive factor in these games.
And for three quarters of Sunday’s final the momentum was very much with Lamh Dhearg-they were flying while the champions looked very much off the pace. The question was ‘did tiredness play a part in their demise in the closing stages?’
Mairtin Lynch, one of the Lamh Dhearg management team dismissed that notion stating that mistakes and their failure to manage out the game was the reason for Cargin’s comeback.
Erin’s Own Cargin hoping to finish the job second time around
WHO WILL WIN
Whatever the arguments for and against momentum, Lamh Dhearg and Cargin will start Saturday’s game on a level playing field. Both sides have had six days to recover from niggles and assess where the game can be won and lost.
The introduction of Gerard McCann for John Carron in the first half seemed to give the Erin’s Own a foothold in a mid-field battle where the Hannstown men were dominating. McCann could start on Saturday but don’t rule out the hugely mobile Carron starting as well with perhaps a reshuffle of the Cargin lineout.
Last week I suggested that Sunday’s final could be a shootout between Lamh Dhearg’s sharp shooter, Paddy Cunningham and his opposite number, Tomas McCann. It could be argued that neither player reached their own high standards over the hour but Cunningham kicked 0-6 (All frees) While McCann score 0-5 (0-3 frees) and significantly, the pressure free that earned his side a replay.
I expect both Tomas McCann and Paddy Cunningham to have a major influence on Saturday again. Both are potential match winners on their day and remain two of the top forwards in Antrim. Cunningham’s two goals got Lamh Dhearg finally over the line against Portglenone, he scored 0-10 against Creggan in the opening round and his scores will be vital if Lamh Dhearg are to prevail.
Tomas McCann plays a similar role for the Toome side and on his day can be virtually unplayable and, like Cunningham is likely to come in for some close attention.
So near yet so far! Lamh Dhearg player reflect aftwer throwing away a substantial lead against Cargin
Both sides are laced with potential match winners and quality players all over the field with Conor and Ryan Murray, Eoin McKeown, Kevin Quinn, Ben Rice and Marc Jordan carrying a scoring threat for Lamh Dhearg while the experience of John Finucane, Paddy Mervyn, Declan Lynch and Michael Herron vital in defence.
For Cargin it’s a similar story. Michael McCann can be a match winner on his own on any given day and his goal on Sunday was the turning point in a game that seemed to be slipping away from his side. His brother Paul began the comeback with a couple of defence splitting runs and points while youngsters Jimmy Gribbin and Ciaran Bradley carry a scoring threat.
Tony Scullion limped off injured in the first half and at the time of writing it is not known if he will start on Saturday but Cargin have the experience to cope in a defence that has top class performers in Justin Crozier, Marty Kane and James Laverty.
The more I look at it the harder it becomes to predict a winner. Lamh Dhearg will feel they threw it away last day while Cargin are capable of much better than they displayed for the opening three quarters of last week’s game and if they can get off to a better start then I think they might just shade Saturday’s replay.