​Legends will be made in historic Championship Final between Madden and Cullyhanna

At 5pm on Sunday evening there will be a new name on the Gerry Fagan Cup. But will it be Madden Rapparees or St Patrick's Cullyhanna?

The Cormac Leonard Commercials Armagh Senior Football Championship got underway on August 15 with Cullyhanna and Madden squaring off and 10 weeks and two days later, it will conclude with the same two sides.

There is no doubt that both clubs came into the Championship backing their credentials to go all the way, but back in mid-August very few would have foreseen this match-up as the final pairing.

Indeed, going into the semi-finals two weeks ago, very few would have foreseen this match-up as the final pairing.

Clann Eireann and Crossmaglen have split the last four Senior Championship titles equally between them, and were the favoured picks to be squaring off at the Box-It Athletic Grounds on Sunday afternoon.

Semi-final stunners

However, both Madden and Cullyhanna turned the bookmakers odds on their heads, and they did so in polar opposite fashion.

In the first semi-final, Madden took the lead after 10 seconds and held it for the remainder of the contest. The following night, Cullyhanna took the lead through Jason Duffy, but Crossmaglen bossed the encounter. All told, the St Pat's men only led for only three minutes and 32 seconds of the 66 (including stoppage time) that were played. But as long as you're winning when the full-time whistle blows, that's all that matters.

In many ways, the semi-finals were indicative of the respective victors' Championships as a whole. Since losing to Cullyhanna via Kieran McCooey's late score on opening night, Madden have gone on to win five straight, conceding an average of just 11.6 points.

Outside of a close call with Maghery in the quarter-finals, Mark Harte's side have been able to get out in front, lead at half-time and see out the job in the second half.

For Cullyhanna, they've enjoyed doing things the hard way. They have trailed each of the their last four opponents (Pearse Ogs, Mullaghbawn, St Peter's and Crossmaglen) at half-time, but have gone on to win.

Against Mullaghbawn they were seven down at the interval but came back and won, against St Peter's they were seven down with 15 minutes to go and won after extra-time, and against Crossmaglen they pulled off the mother of all comebacks, fighting back from nine down inside the last 10 minutes to win by one.

They have displayed a remarkable 'never say die' attitude all Championship, but one may assume that if they fall that far behind against Madden, it mightn't just be as straightforward to come back from.

Star power on show

The Rapparees boast a mean full back line with Shea Vallely, Tony O'Hagan and Peter Lappin, and their defence is marshalled by Donal Rafferty at centre half back.

Niall Grimley dominates the skies in midfield, and rising star Darragh McMullen plays beyond his years in orchestrating each attack. On the end of those attacks, expect to see Conor Grimley, Madden's sharpshooter over the past few years and a man who'll be tasked with putting scores on the board.

For Cullyhanna, it has been the familiar faces who have shone brightest this season. Aidan Nugent is a player for the big occasion, and he looks to have an unassailable lead atop the SFC scoring charts with 3-42 accrued this season – 3-7 ahead of the next active player, Conor Grimley.

Nugent is the man Cullyhanna look to when the chips are down, and he scored 1-8 in the second half when they fought back against Mullaghbawn, hit three of the seven they needed to comeback against St Peter's and then scored nine of the last 10 points as they stunned Crossmaglen.

Nugent hasn't been alone in impressing though, with Ross McQuillan continuing the form he showed for Armagh at wing-back, which earned him an All Star nomination. His goal against St Peter's from 50 metres out was one of the moments of the Championship.

Furthermore, Jason Duffy has been instrumental in midfield since Cullyhanna lost their captain Pearse Casey to injury. Duffy carried the fight to St Peter's and kept his team in the game when Cullyhanna looked to be heading out.

A county final for the ages

There is plenty of star quality on show, two sides who will be buoyant after securing impressive (in different ways) semi-final wins, a match which is impossible to call, and no matter what happens, a new name on the Gerry Fagan Cup.

One of these groups of men will go down in the history books of their club forever more.

What more could you ask for from a county final?