Ulster Club JFC Twinning Final
Tara (London) v Naomh Padraig, Muff (Donegal)
Sunday, 12pm, McGovern Park
All-Ireland Club JFC semi-final
An Cheathrú Rua (Galway) v Ballinagar (Offaly)
Sunday, 1pm, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde
Donegal’s Naomh Pádraig aim to continue an historic season into a new calendar year as they take on London outfit Tara in a rearranged Ulster Club JFC Twinning Final.
The original fixture, which is essentially an All-Ireland JFC club quarter-final, was scheduled four weeks ago, but fell foul of weather conditions in the English capital in the aftermath of Storm Darragh.
The Muff outfit are heavy favourites for the meeting with the Greenford-based side, with manager Daniel McCauley having Tír Chonaill star Caolán McColgan to call on amongst others.
Having flown over in December, Naomh Pádraig returned home mentally drained but physically untested.
McCauley says he has seen ‘two or three videos’ of their opponents, with Ruairí Rafferty a star man for Tara, London and more recently appeared for Connacht in Croke Park last October.
And his side have been inspired by the tragic passing of former player Evan Craig, with players donning his old number - 13 - on their wrists as McColgan rattled in a crucial goal in the Ulster final win over Craigbane.
Operating as a forward at club level, McColgan will likely be joined by Kevin Lynch in the full-forward line.
Manager McCauley described the duo as ‘little and large’, with Lynch recovering from three broken bones in his foot to play the second half of that provincial decider, as he also grabbed a major.
A setback in training meant he would have missed the original fixture, but Lynch is now ‘back flying’:
“Kevin actually had a wee setback, whatever way he landed on the foot in training he felt pain and he would have missed the first match, but he’s fit and flying now.
“One wee doubt is Rory Hirrel, it could come too early for him with a knock on his knee.
“If it was an All-Ireland final he’d be playing, but we just don’t know yet.”
In the first semi-final of the junior section, Galway outfit An Cheathrú Rua will be expected to account for Offaly’s Ballinagar.
The latter won the Offaly Intermediate Championship, before a storming run through Leinster’s Junior Championship saw them defeat Dunsany of Meath in the provincial final.
Team captain Geordi O’Meara grabbed the goal on that occasion and is one to watch, though with former Galway goalkeeper Magnus Breathnach at the helm, the Gaeltacht outfit will be well aware of any opposition threat.