SFC Final

Erin’s Own v Casements

3-00pm Sunday Corrigan Park

Erin’s Own Cargin are aiming for three-in-a-row as they take on a Casement’s Portglenone side hoping to break their duck when the South West rivals meet at Corrigan Park on Sunday.

Reigning champions Cargin will enter the game as firm favourites in the eyes of those who compile the odds but Ronan Devlin and his charges will be taking nothing for granted.

Casement’s got one monkey off their back when they defeated Lamh Dhearg in the semi-final after suffering defeat in the previous five semi-finals.

Possibly a record for the Casement’s but one they will be glad to forget about as they have finally knocked down the door to get the semi-final monkey off their backs.

Cargin are on a quest to add an elusive ‘three in a row’ and more than a few wearing the green will have already pocketed half dozen winnner’s medals and are on a quest to add more.

Casement’s are aiming to claim their first title after emerging as beaten finalists of 2005 and 2007 and they will be more than anxious to introduce the Padraig McNamee Cup to the Gaels of Portglenone.

Erin’s Own claimed their first title back in 1972 when they gained victory over Patrick’s Sarsfield’s in the final but the MacNamee Cup did not return again to their South West residence until 1995.

Cargin have emerged as the team to beat in the last decade with four wins in the last five years and success on Sunday would see them make it three in a row

Ronan Devlin, Fabien Muldoon, Kevin Doyle, and JC Devlin are the men in charge of the Toome side and have been working hard to prepare their side for Sunday’s decider and they have been fortunate that yhey have not had to deal with many injuries along the way.

Attendance at training has been excellent with one individual rumoured to have travelled over 100 miles to report at least once a week.

The Toome men progressed through the group stages and after a facile victory over Ahoghill in the quarter-finals they faced a stiffer challenge in the semi-final.

St Brigid’s had already recorded a league final win over Ronan Devlin’s side and this ensured they needed to raise their game in windy conditions at Dunsilly with a late Paul McCann goal enough to ensure a place in the final.

John Mc Keever, with Scotchy Hagen, Tommy Devlin and Adrian McKeever have been working hard to prepare their side for Sunday’s decider and there have been no reports of injury in the Casement’s camp.

Casements were held to a draw by Glenravel in the group stages and were tested by Moneyglass at Marian Hill before earning a four point victory.

They overcame a tough challenge against rejuvenated St. John’s in the semi-final before emerging 2-10 to 1-12 winners at Dunsilly but survived a last minute penalty claim.

Mc Keever’s side put the pain of those five consecutive semi-final defeats behind them as they recorded a resounding win over Lamh Dhearg in the semi-final in Toome to stride confidently into Sunday’s decider.

A big attendance is anticipated at the Corrigan park venue which is certain to be in superb shape and hopefully we will be treated to an entertaining final with both sides laced with players of quality.

There could be many key battles throughout the field with Gerard McCann and John Carron or Pat Shivers facing the threat posed by Niall Mc Keever and possibly Niall Delargy at mid-field.

The coming together of Jamie Gribbin and Fergal O’ Kane looks another tussle to savour as is how the Casement’s men cope with the threat always posed by the Mc Cann brothers, and Sean Og O’ Neill.

Cargin keeper John Mc Nabb rules supreme in both his kicking out and despatching free whilst his opposite number Kevin Mullan has relatively little experience at this level but has been sound since taking up the keeper’s jersey.

Mick McCann and his brother Tomas continue to have massive influences for the men from Toome and James Laverty and Justin Crozier add another layer of experience to a side with some emerging stars including Conhuir Johnston.

Ruairi Hagan, Fergal O’Kane, Deromt McAleese, Enda Lynn, Stephen Kelly and Oisin Doherty bring a wealth of talent to the Casement’s challenge as they face the formidable Erin’s own challenge.

Cargin will start Sunday’s decider as firm favourites and it is a title that they have earned but Casement’s have finally shaken off their semi-final hoodoo and this may allow them to play with the freedom that could see them push the champions all the way.

As reigning champions Erin’s Own prepare to face neighbours, Casement’s Portglenone in Sundays SFC Final at Corrigan, Cargin’s long serving defender, James Laverty shares his thoughts on the game with Paddy McIlwaine from the Saffron Gael.

Paddy: James how long have you been playing senior football for Cargin.

James: This will be my 16^th year playing Senior football for Cargin. I made my Senior debut in 2009 when I was 17

Paddy: What honour have you won with Erin’s Own

James: I’ve won 7 Senior football championships and 3 U21 Football championships with Cargin.

Paddy: How long did you play for the County.

James: I played Senior for the county for 11 years. Unfortunately no honours but it was always my ambition to play for Antrim and it was a great honour to play for my county.

Paddy: Cargin are going for three in a row on Sunday has that been talked about in the weeks leading up to the final.

James: No there’s been no talk of it. Previous championship wins will have no bearing on Sundays result so we are just focussed on bringing the McNamee back to Cargin.

Paddy: Ronan Devlin took over from Damien Cassidy and the transition from trainer to manager seems to have run smoothly. Tell me about Ronan, Fabian Muldoon, JC and Kevin Doyle and the part they have played in that transition.

James: Damien did a fantastic job with us and was always going to be a tough act to follow. The transition was helped as Ronan, JC and Kevin were all involved with the club/team with Damien. Fabian added a new voice to the team and has been hugely influential in guiding the team back to another final. The amount of work these men put in behind the scenes is incredible and probably isn’t appreciated enough. They leave no stone unturned and have given us every opportunity to push ourselves further.

Paddy: Cargin face Portglenone in Sunday’s final. A new opponent for you but a team you will never the less be familiar with. Tell me your thoughts on Portglenone and the players you will have to contain if you are to win?

James: There has never been much between ourselves and Portglenone and we expect Sunday to be no different. I’ve played with a number of them over the years with the county and they always produce quality players. The likes of Niall Delargy, Dermot McAlease, Niall McKeever and Oisin Doherty will cause any team problems. Portglenone are a young ambitious team and have proven this year they can step up when required. We fully expect to come up against our toughest test this year on Sunday.

Paddy: Who are the players who have stood out for you this year and what new players have emerged to stake a claim for a regular place in the side?

James: We’re very fortunate as a club to have a lot of young talent coming through. I could name a whole bunch of players putting their hand up for a starting place so hopefully Sunday we’ll see a few of them make their mark on the game.

Paddy: Add anything else you feel is relevant and your thoughts on how you think the game will go and what will be the factors that might influence it.

James: I think it’s fantastic for both clubs to reach this stage of the championship. Portglenone and ourselves have made massive strides both on and off the pitch in developing the clubs and community. Hopefully on Sunday both teams can go out and put on a great final.