Cappincur have proven pedigree but Clonbullogue can make it third time lucky

TWO consecutive defeats in the final of the Senior “B” Football Championship final mean that a very anxious group of Clonbullogue supporters will make the familiar trip to O'Connor Park for a third bite at the cherry on Saturday next.

This time, Cappincur provide the opposition and like Raheen in the intermediate final the following day, their recent final defeats mean that they bring a lot of baggage to the table.

Capable of playing some of the most attractive football in Offaly, Clonbullogue showed how potent they can be when blowing Raheen out of the water in the 2021 intermediate shootout, winning very impressively by 3-15 to 2-8.

We knew at that stage that they would be a serious force to be reckoned with in senior “B” and so it has proven as they have made all finals since.

Clonbullogue were particularly poor when losing to parish neighbours Bracknagh, 2-12 to 0-10, in the 2022 final. With county player, Peter Cunningham in sensational form, Bracknagh controlled the game almost the whole way and never looked like losing.

Clonbullogue were much better in the 2023 final against Ballycommon. A Keith O'Neill free deep into injury time gave them a draw. Ballycommon won the replay by 4-8 to 2-11, producing a very good second half display against the wind and while they deserved to win and should have got home the first day, Clonbullogue were at least fiercely competitive in the two games.

At the same time, they have now lost two finals on the trot and this is a factor in this decider. Especially as they come up against a Cappincur side who are very good at performing in finals and know how to win them.

Cappincur also have the benefit of having beaten Clonbullogue in the group stages. They were comprehensive enough winners in the first round, 1-12 to 0-9 but with every team qualifying for the quarter-finals this year, group results can't be over analysed.

Both teams have been in great form since then. Cappincur beat Tubber by 1-13 to 1-10, Ballycumber, 2-16 to 0-12, to top the group while Clonbullogue had a 5-13 to 1-14 win over Ballycumber and secured second place with a 1-12 to 1-11 win over Tubber.

Both have answered every question in the knockout stages. Cappincur were hot favourites for their quarter-final against Walsh Island but were not one bit upset that the underdogs gave them a severe test. Cappincur eventually got away to win by 0-14 to 0-9 and that served them well in the semi-final where they had a dramatic 1-10 to 1-8 win over fancied Clara.

Disaster struck Cappincur when they went behind to an injury time Ed Cullen goal but they pulled it out of the fire when Jason Gethings punched the winning goal with the injury time up. Cappincur were worthy winners but they used their nine lives in injury time – in the build up to the decisive last gasp goal, they almost lost possession a couple of times and could very easily have been beaten.

Significantly, Clonbullogue have improved in the knockout stages. They edged out Gracefield, 2-11 to 1-11, in a thrilling quarter-final and finished strongly to beat Daingean by 0-15 to 1-9 in the semi-final.

Cappincur have their problems in the build up to the final. Their long time best player Eoin Carroll injured his hamstring early in the second half of the win over Walsh Island and was unable to play in the semi-final. He will be working hard to give himself every chance of playing in this final and his presence would increase Cappincur's prospects by a few percent.

County man Carroll has a huge physical presence, he nearly always performs and he has vast experience of doing well in finals.

He is no longer Cappincur's most important player. That mantle has transferred to younger brother Bill who has really come of age in this campaign with a series of high quality displays. His movement and score taking has been breathtaking at times and he also performed in the semi-final win. Bill had to go to San Francisco after the semi-final for training with his American employer but should be home for the final.

It looks like they will be without another experienced player, Brian Norris who has been based in Australia in recent years. He played very well against Clara, getting two crucial second half points, but has had to return to Australia for work – something Cappincur were aware of from day one.

This game will showcase the talents of two players, who have played some of the best football in the Offaly club scene this year. Bill Carroll has been mentioned while Keith O'Neill has been in super form for Clonbullogue. The flying forward has used his great pace to full effect and has got important goals and points.

The presence of Carroll and O'Neill makes this final worth seeing alone, never mind anything else. The Cappincur and Clonbullogue managements will be giving plenty of consideration to the threat O'Neill and Carroll pose this week but the game won't be won by these players.

No one man can win a final and the margin before defeat and victory can often be determined by the weaker players rather than the star ones. And both Cappincur and Clonbullogue have weak spots for the other to exploit.

Cappincur do have some mediocre enough footballers while questions remain about the Clonbullogue defence and they do have a tendency to foul when pressure comes to bear.

The decisions taken by managements will be important. Who can Clonbullogue get to mark Bill Carroll? They have no obvious defender who can take him out of the game and they are likely to double team him or at least crowd the space around him.

Who will Cappincur ask to mark Keith O'Neill? O'Neill will be named at full forward and while he will spend considerable time out the field, he will also stay in close to goals at times. John Colgan has played very well for Cappincur at full back this year. He is a lion hearted, all out player, who wears his heart on his sleeve. He revels in football at its most physical and clearly loves bursting out with the ball – and the more who stand in his way, the greater his enjoyment.

A member of the Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore team that went to the Leister colleges senior football final this year, Colgan is a work in progress, with potential to develop. He is raw and can carry the ball into trouble – he has played a good bit of rugby at underage level and is learning his way as a footballer. His power and surging runs have given a great lift to team mates this year but Cappiuncur certainly can't afford to leave him isolated on O'Neill in close to the goals. O'Neill will be able to burn him for pace in one on one situations and it will be very intriguing to watch the tactics both sides come up with on the day.

Diarmuid Carroll's return to the Cappincur defence has been a great help to them. He has been one of Cappincur's most consistent players for a decade and is a very good reader of the game but it remains to be seen if he would have the legs for O'Neill and the stamina to follow him down the field and get back when he races forward.

That probably won't be his role but the performances of Bill Carroll and Keith O'Neill will go a long way towards deciding this one.

There are of course several other players who will have a big influence. Eoin Carroll will be so important for Cappincur if he can get back while Clonbullogue need a big performance at midfield from county player, Jack McEvoy. Wing forward Peter Bennett was very good when drifting back to the half back line against Daingean and he will probably be asked for more of the same here.

Adam Galvin has went very well at midfield for Cappincur this year. He has plenty of power, can cover ground and can play football. For Clonbullogue, McEvoy will be the runner at midfield with |Peter Byrne, a physically powerful giant, staying at home in a twenty metre or so radius.

Up front, Ger Treacy has vast experience and is another who generally performs in finals for Cappincur. He was outstanding in the win over Walsh Island and he will tease and probe all day while Sean Courtney also has loads of football and Brian and Peter Norris are clinical finishers – generally!

Clonbullogue do look to have a bit more going for them up front as unit. Apart from Keith O'Neill, his older brother Ruari O'Neill is an unsung hero for them. He is just a very tidy, competent, composed forward with a great head for football and he weighs in with his share of scores.

He is a leader while Jamie Guing is a deadly, clinical finisher inside and Lee Dempsey is potentially explosive on the half forward line – Dempsey doesn't fire every day but when he does, he can inflict real harm.

With the Senior Football Championship almost certainly going to go to ten teams next year, the losing finalists will have the option of promotion. They should avail of that but both will be desperate to go there on merit and for Clonbullogue, a third consecutive final defeat just doesn't bear thinking about.

For some of Cappincur's elder players, this could well be their last big final day in O'Connor Park and even if both do get promoted, the stakes are huge. Both have a huge will to win. You can make a strong case for Cappincur winning and there is more certainty about them performing. If they do win, it is likely to be in a real dogfight whereas Clonbullogue look to have greater potential to win by a few points but this is part of their problem.

They don't always perform on big days - and the occasion can get to some players – they also lost to Shannonbridge in the 2019 intermediate final, though there has been a significant turnover of players since then. It is all to play for, a hard game to call but we go with Clonbullogue on the basis that they could have more options on the line, greater threat up front – they could be more equipped to cope with a Keith O'Neill off day than Cappincur would be with a Bill Carroll one, though we expect both to play well.

Verdict – Clonbullogue.