Four huge knockout ties await in the Armagh Senior Football Championship
It’s knockout time in the Cormac Leonard Commercials Armagh SFC, and we have you covered on everything to look out for in this weekend’s play-off games.
Saturday September 13
At Clady: St Peter's v Culloville (2.30pm)
The first play-off game takes place on Saturday afternoon, with Culloville meeting St Peter's.
These two sides had polar opposite league campaigns, with the Blues topping Division 1B and earning promotion, whilst the Lurgan men were relegated to Intermediate.
However, league form is long in the rear-view mirror now, as St Peter's began their Championship campaign with a stellar six-point win over Silverbridge, before running Crossmaglen close in a one-point loss.
Despite losing to Granemore, they secured second spot in the group, and with Ruairi McDonald in top form, and Niall McConville leading the scoring, they'll fancy their chances of booking a spot in the quarter-finals.
For Culloville, they also suffered disappointment in round three, as they missed out on top spot in Group A with a defeat to Maghery.
Before that things were going very well, as they won at home to Division 1A champions Killeavy, before coming back from 10 points down to stun Clan na Gael in Round Two.
The core of their squad won the U21 Championship title last year, with Fergal Kieran and Taidgh O'Neill stand-outs.
The south Armagh side have no fear and won't want a tremendously successful year to come to an end this weekend.
At Silverbridge: Carrickcruppen v Granemore (5.15pm)
Carrickcruppen have been one of the stories of the Senior Championship this year.
The 2024 Intermediate winners couldn't have got their campaign off to a worse start, as they were annihilated by Clann Eireann, losing by 23 points. In round two, they looked set for another defeat when they trailed Armagh Harps by 10 points, but the opposite happened, as they came back and pulled off a shock win to kickstart their Championship charge.
They followed that up with an impressive 10-point win over Dromintee, with Eoin Woods a stand-out, whilst Blaine Hughes nailed four two-point frees. They have the form and they have the confidence, but their young squad (six teenagers have started games for them in the Championship this year) is coming up against the highly experienced Granemore.
The 2022 runners-up who boast quality such as Club All Stars Ross Finn, Karl McQuaid and Cathal O'Hare, got off to a slow start to the Championship with losses against Crossmaglen and Silverbridge, but overcame St Peter's when anything other than a win would have seen them drop out.
Only one point separated these two sides on the league table and there figures to be little between them on Saturday evening. Will Granemore's experience prevail or will Carrickruppen's young guns continue to fire?
Sunday September 14
At The Box-It Athletic Grounds: Killeavy v Mullaghbawn (5pm)
The south Armagh derby between Killeavy and Mullaghbawn is arguably the game of the weekend, after these sides played out two cracking contests in the league this year.
Both games came right down to the wire, and on each occasion Killeavy were able to sneak the win with the last kick. Wins of that nature helped Killeavy to earn a first-ever Division 1A league title and they've brought that habit with them into the Championship.
Midway through their group phase, Steven McDonnell's side looked to be in all kinds of trouble, as having lost to Culloville in Round One, they trailed Maghery by nine points at half-time away from home. But powered by Ciaron O'Hanlon and Gareth Murphy, they pulled a remarkable comeback win out of the bag. They followed that up with an Aron Magennis-inspired win over Clan na Gael in miserable conditions, in a game where the loser was heading home.
McDonnell's men have been the great entertainers in Armagh this year and back themselves to outscore anybody, but they won't underestimate their opposition.
Mullaghbawn have been boosted by the return of Declan Loye to the team this year, and he's been consistent at centre half back. Pearse Quinn adds another dimension at wing forward, and Shea Loye showed what he can do when they defeated Pearse Ogs, as he hit 3-5.
Despite all the positives, manager Declan Campbell will be wary of his side's inconsistency. They were brilliant against the Ogs in round one, but well below par in a 13-point loss to Madden in Round Two. Against Cullyhanna on Sunday, they raced out to a seven-point half-time lead, but let it slip and lost by three.
This game is a hard one to call, but if recent history tells us anything, it's that this one is likely to come down to the wire.
At The Box-It Athletic Grounds: Madden v Armagh Harps (7pm)
Madden and Armagh Harps close out the weekend's action when they meet on Sunday night.
These two sides have been regulars in Division 1A and in the latter stages of the Championship over the last number of years, but for one of them, their campaign is going to come to an earlier end than hoped or indeed expected.
Madden began their Championship with a one-point loss to Cullyhanna on opening night, but have since gotten into their groove with impressive wins over Pearse Ogs and Mullaghbawn, by 18 points and 13 points respectively.
The two Grimley's, Niall and Conor are the leaders in the team, whilst young players Joe Sheridan and Darragh McMullen add a dynamic edge to their attack. Madden are also known as one of the hardest defences to break down in Armagh, and after conceding the least of any side in Division 1A, they averaged just 12 points against in the group phase.
For Armagh Harps, they need a massive turn of fortunes if they are to win this game. Consistency has been an issue all year, as in the league they had some fantastic wins but some poor losses – including a hammering at home to Madden in July.
The Harps defeated Dromintee in Round One, but a home loss to Carrickcruppen was a surprise result, before they were well below par in a 13-point loss away to Clann Eireann, where they could only muster 0-6. With talents like Joe McElroy, Ryan McShane and Tom O'Kane, the Harps have the players to make a deep run in the Championship, but after back-to-back disappointing displays, their backs are against the wall this weekend.