NOW that Maghera's stranglehold on the McRory Cup has been temporarily loosened, the meeting of two other St Patrick's colleges, Armagh and Dungannon, at this afternoon's final in Casement Park (2.0), presents a welcome variety.
Dungannon's victory over Maghera shouldn't obscure the fact that even the formidable Derry college doesn't always have the resources to mount a challenge. The Tyrone college boast a famous name on the 40, where Brian McGuigan, son of Frank, lines out, and at full back have, in Paul McGurk, a player reckoned to be worth an under-21 place.
Armagh huffed and puffed a bit to overcome St McCartan's of Monaghan in conditions so horrid that their superior football nearly came to nothing. Leading by nine points at half-time, their lead was cut back to three with 10 minutes left, confirming the worst fears of Armagh's coach, Brother Ennis.
John Toal at midfield has been one of the team's mainstays and the team is physically big.
It is, however, their footballing ability that suggests they can repeat the victory they recorded over Dungannon during the league stages of the competition.
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