Brendan McTaggart looks ahead to Sunday’s game as Dunloy begin their bid to reclaim the Four Seasons Cup against a hungry Portaferry side, with a place in the Ulster final against Slaughtneil at stake.
Ulster Club Senior Hurling Championship Semi Final
Dunloy v Portaferry
Sunday 15 November
Venue: BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh
Throw in: 3:30pm
Dunloy’s bid to reclaim the Four Season’s Cup begins in Armagh on Sunday afternoon as they face Portaferry for the right to play Slaughthneil in the decider.
The Down champions are in their fifth provincial competition in succession after winning their county title for the 26th time in their history and in the biggest dominance in their history. They are a side who have been knocking on the door of success in Ulster but have come up against Slaughtneil and a Cushendall team that refused to know when they were beaten – Neil McManus with a goal from nowhere to save the day for the ‘Dall.
This will be the third time these sides have met each other in the provincial championship and just the second time at the semi final stage. The first semi final came in 2000 when Dunloy won that tie 4-11 to 1-10, coincidentally they would go on to beat Slaughtneil in the decider while two years later the Cuchullains won in horrendous conditions at Loughgiel. The final was played at Healy Park and Dunloy edged a real dog fight 0-12 to 1-6.
Portaferry are a side who Dunloy will know well and while they haven’t met in a championship cauldron before, they will hold no secrets. They went through the Down championship unbeaten scoring 15 goals in their seven games and conceding just six. They comfortably accounted for Liatroim in the semi final before defeating Ballygalget by 11 points in the Down decider.
A closer look at that match tells you it was a closer affair than the scoreline might suggest (2-28 to 2-17). Ballygalget led by two at the interval but the dismissal of Jordan Doran gave the Portaferry men a boost and they made the most of the numerical advantage – Eoghan Sands goal giving them a four point lead as they turned the screw in the last quarter.
Under the tutelage of Connor O’Prey this year, Tom McGrattan, Eoghan Sands, Finn Turpin, Dáithí Sands and midfielder Ciarán Milligan have all played starring roles while Caolan Taggart has been a defensive leader along with Matthew Conlon.
The scoring threat of Portaferry make them a big threat and they will look to press high, much like Dunloy and play with high intensity. In Tom McGrattan they have an accomplished free taker and given their recent success, they will have a hunger to succeed in Ulster.
The Cuchullains make a return to the Ulster scene for the first time in four years when they defeated Slaughtneil. Much of that team will be playing on Sunday but what the makeup of the team will be remains to be seen.
Daire McMullan and Eoin O’Neill missed the Antrim final but are rumoured to be back training. Their return to fitness will give Shane Elliott and Liam Richmond a headache over selection. Will they both return to the starting 15? I would hazard a guess and say yes if they are fully fit. It may mean Chrissy McMahon will be the unlucky one to make way in the starting line up. Chrissy has gathered a reputation as a super-sub in recent years however and it’s a roll that suits him while Eamon Smyth has proved he will step up to the plate if required to enter the fray.
Dunloy’s 17th Antrim championship win came off the back of defensive solidity, resilience and tenacity. Their back six and midfield were superb against Cushendall with the one negative being the delivery of ball into their forwards – something the Cuchullains have prided themselves on in recent years. They have the forwards that will hurt any opposition and need no introduction but they need the supply and that was lacking against Cushendall – especially in the second half. It’s something they will undoubtedly have looked on and will certainly be looking to improve since that game two weeks ago.
Dunloy will need to nullify the attacking threat Portaferry provide and play with the same tenacious hunger and disciplined defending that saw them yield just 1-13 against a talented Cushendall forward line and a defence that has conceded just two goals in the championship to date.
Ryan Elliott’s puck outs are pivotal for how Dunloy go about their work and his ability to find runners, deliver ball into space or straight into the hand of someone 70 yards away is a massive weapon in Dunloy’s Arsenal. Elliott is one of the best in the business and tactically astute. He will vary his puck outs depending on how Portaferry set up.
I would expect Portaferry to set up and leave Caolan Taggart as a sweeper, if that happens Dunloy will likely do the same with Eoin McFerran – a man who has had an outstanding 2026 so far.
If Dunloy get the delivery of ball right and better than they did against Cushendall, it could be a long afternoon for Portaferry but this has the makings of being a championship cracker. Portaferry won’t be taken lightly and shouldn’t be. They will feel that they’ve left one if not two Ulster titles behind them in the last three years and have played a similar style of hurling to the Cuchullains in recent years but this Dunloy team look to be built for hurling at this time of year. They have dangers in every area of the pitch and in the county final two weeks ago they showed they can win a game ugly if needed.
It will be a close game but if the Cuchullains perform to their loft standards, a meeting with Slaughtneil lays ahead on 28th November.