AIB club SFC previews: Corofin and Crokes in line for more provincial glory

November 25, 2016

Corofin's Gary Sice with St Brigid's star Karl Mannion

Three provincial club football champions will be crowed this weekend. We look ahead to the finals and the Leinster semi-finals. 

Sunday, November 27th

AIB Connacht club SFC final
St Brigid's (Roscommon) v Corofin (Galway), Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada, 2pm

St Brigid's are hoping to have Ian Kilbride back for Sunday's showdown against Corofin as they look to defy 9/4 odds against the Galway champions in Carrick-on-Shannon.

After hammering their Leitrim neighbours Aughawillan by 2-18 to 1-7 last time out, the Roscommon men will have a much welcome addition back in their ranks in the form of attacker Garvan Dolan and with county man Senan Kilbride and Eoin Sheehy currently in form they certainly have the firepower to pull off an upset.

Corofin have lived up to their billing as front runners for the western province right from the start and their extra time victory over last year's champions Castlebar Mitchel's in the semi-finals has earned them an opportunity for a second title in three years.

Ian Burke's display was crucial for the north Galway men the last day and they'll need him, along with the likes of Michael Farragher, Micheál Lundy and Jason Leonard, to step up to the plate this weekend if they are to match Clan na nGael's record of seven titles in this competition.

Verdict: Corofin
 

AIB Leinster club SFC semi-final
Sean O'Mahonys (Louth) v Rhode (Offaly), Drogheda, 2pm

Rhode are without Anton O'Sullivan and Jake Kavanagh for the remainder of their Leinster campaign, with the army pair are currently on duty overseas and the absence of both men will be an undoubted blow.

Nonetheless the Offaly champions are ranked as 1/2 favourites to end Sean O'Mahonys' Leinster dreams and given their form thus far in the competition, along with the scoring prowess of ace attacker Niall McNamee, you'd have to fancy them slightly against their Louth counterparts.

Stephen Fisher's goal was all that separated O'Mahonys from Kildare's Sarsfields in their quarter-final and they'll need something special on Sunday to keep their remarkable campaign going.

Verdict: Rhode
 

AIB Leinster club SFC semi-final
Mullinalaghta (Longford) v St Vincent's (Dublin), Glennon Bros Pearse Park, 2pm

Mullinalaghta's fairy tale season meets its biggest challenge on Sunday when Dublin giants St Vincent's travel to Longford town.

Mickey Graham's outsiders have been cast at 13/2 for this one and if they are to pull off the upset of upsets they'll to find a way to curtail the likes of Diarmuid Connolly, Cormac Diamond and Enda Varley from doing them irreversible damage, while too many cheap frees inside will likely to see Tomas Quinn's deadly accuracy downing them.

The Marino men seem to be just getting into form at the present and an upset here from the hosts would truly be something else.

Verdict: St Vincent's
 

AIB Munster club SFC final
Dr Crokes (Kerry) v The Nire (Waterford), Mallow, 3.30pm

Dr Crokes are gunning for their seventh Munster title on Sunday, while The Nire are looking to become the first Waterford side to take home this particular provincial title.

The Deise County champions' dual star Jamie Barron reckons the bookies have got this match-up wrong by pricing his team as 4/1 underdogs, having already upset 9/2 odds against Cork Carbery Rangers in last Sunday week's semi-final.

Conor Gleeson was in prolific form that day with 0-5 from play in a 2-15 to 1-13 victory (after extra time) and the 11-time Kerry champions will be looking to tie up the free-scoring corner-forward in Mallow this weekend.

Crokes dominated for large portions against Tipperary's Loughmore-Castleiney in their respective semi-final, reducing them to just three scores from play, and have some real gems up front in Kieran O'Leary, Daithi Casey and of course their talisman Colm Cooper.

The Kerry men look like adding another Munster title to their silverware cabinet here.

Verdict: Dr Crokes
 

AIB Ulster club SFC final
Slaughtneil (Derry) v Kilcoo (Down), Athletic Grounds, 2.30pm

Of this weekend's five provincial senior football showdowns, the meeting of Slaughneil and Kilcoo up north is undoubtedly the one toughest to call.

Slaughtneil will be chasing something special on Sunday as they look record a historic treble of football, hurling and camogie senior titles in Ulster, while their opponents from Down are hoping to get their hands on the Seamus McFerran Cup for the first time after having lost the final to kingpins Crossmaglen Rangers in 2012.

The Derry champions were victorious on this stage two years back against Omagh St Enda's and are carrying in even more momentum this time round after the club's recent historic hurling and camogie successes.

Meehaul McGrath's second-half goal and 0-5 from Paul Bradley ushered the Oak Leaf County men past Killyclogher by six points in the semi-finals and they'll have no doubt taken notice of how Sunday's opponents dismantled Maghery (4-13 to 0-12) on the same afternoon in Newry.

Ryan Johnston, Callum Doherty (2) and JJ McLoughlin netted the majors for the Down men that day, and they're an outfit that's certainly not short of options up front, with Paul Devlin and Conor Laverty also carrying a serious threat with them.

A real cracker looks to be in store in Armagh.

Verdict: Kilcoo


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