HOLDERS ST Patrick’s Dungannon and Omagh CBS meet today in the first all-Tyrone MacRory Cup final.

The Healy Park decider (BBC 2, throw-in 1.15) will thrust several members of the county’s All-Ireland winning minor team into direct opposition as they try to guide their schools to provincial glory.

St Patrick’s, coached by Tyrone star Ciaran Gourley, go in as favourites to retain the trophy for the first time. “That’s a tag we have to deal with as best as we can, there’s not much we can do about it,” said Gourley, who guided St Patrick’s to Hogan Cup triumph last season.

“People want to put the favourites’ tag on someone, and on this occasion it’s going to be us, because we have a lot of the boys that were there last year,” said Gourley.

Dungannon’s Niall McKenna and Gavin Teague are among the Tyrone minor stars facing up to county colleagues Peter Harte and Sean Warnock, and Omagh coach Conor McFlynn sees the involvement of both Tyrone schools in today’s final as further evidence of the strength of underage football within the county.

“It’s unbelievable the standard of youth football in Tyrone right now. It’s a real credit to all the clubs who are putting in tremendous work,” he said.

McFlynn is confident his side, which began the season as outsiders, can rise to the challenge.