MINUTES before the throw-in at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday evening and Kilcoo manager Karl Lacey had to make the potentially-crucial call on whether to risk Paul Devlin against Scotstown.
Experienced Devlin had top-scored in the quarter-final against Cavan’s Crosserlough and many a manager would have played the former Down star because, obviously, losing to Scotstown would have been the end of the road for the Magpies.
But Lacey ruled that Devlin wasn’t 100 per cent and decided not to risk him and his decision – like many others last weekend – proved to be absolutely correct.
With half-time approaching, the game was tied at 0-5 apiece but after Kilcoo scored their first goal, the damn burst and four more majors followed as they racked up 5-10 ease back into the Ulster final with a performance laced with power, pace and panache.
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Lacey will hope that Devlin is fully fit for the December 8 clash with Errigal Ciaran but the competition for places in the Kilcoo ranks will be fierce and, as the Donegal All-Ireland winner explained: “anybody can put their hand up”.
“It goes back to training and the environment we’re creating,” he said.
“It’s the competition within the squad, the standards in the squad – everybody is fighting for a place and it’s back to reset again – anybody can put their hand up (for the final).
“Macdarragh Hynes played the last day, he didn’t start, Jack Devlin didn’t play against Crosserlough, he started. It goes back to our training and the boys know that. To lose somebody like Paul Devlin was disappointing but we know there’s personnel there who can come in and do the same role.”
Lacey got his match-ups spot on last Saturday evening. Ceilum Doherty did an excellent job of blunting Conor McCarthy while Niall Branagan and Ryan McEvoy picked up Scotstown’s vastly-experienced front two Jack McCarron and Darren Hughes respectively. Jerome Johnston also had to be alert defensively to keep an eye on Rory Beggan’s outfield attacks in the second half.
A bonus option for the final is Dylan Ward who came home from Australia last week but didn’t feature in the squad for Saturday.
The versatile 2022 All-Ireland winner is expected to return to training this week and he could yet force his way into the reckoning for the Ulster decider.
“The door is always open and, at the end of the day, he’s a Kilcoo man,” said Lacey.
“I don’t know Dylan, I’ve never met him but this is his club and if he wants to come down to training then we’ll see where that goes.”
After what by their standards was a below-par performance against Crosserlough at the quarter-final stage, Kilcoo couldn’t have been much more convincing in the semi-final. They won by 11 points but Lacey stressed that his players need to raise the level to beat an Errigal team chasing the club’s first Ulster title (also Tyrone’s first Ulster title) since 2002.
“There needs to be better to come,” said Lacey.
“All year it’s always been about us, we’ve always looked at ourselves and our own performance and where we can fine-tune things.
“There’s definitely areas that can be fine-tuned where we can be better.
“We’ll take all the good stuff out of it, we’ll keep hammering that home and doing that better and then other stuff we need to get right because there’s a long way to go – we know that.
“Them boys are no fools. It’s going to be a massive challenge in two weeks’ time and we need to be prepared for that.”
