Ulster U20 Fotoball Championship semi-final: Antrim v Tyrone (today, Lavey, 2.30pm)
ANTRIM U20 boss Hugh McGettigan says the GAA would be harming the Ulster Colleges sector if Congress votes to move the MacRory Cup final away from its St Patrick’s Day ‘live’ TV slot.
Motion 41 wants the Hogan Cup final completed by the fifth Sunday in the year which means the MacRory Cup competition would have to be wrapped up before the end of January.
Speaking ahead of Antrim’s Ulster U20 semi-final with Tyrone in Lavey this afternoon, McGettigan doesn’t see the sense in the proposed shake-up of the Post-Primary Schools competitions.
“The schools and the universities are important facets of the Association,” said McGettigan, who is a schoolteacher at St Mary’s CBS, Glen Road.
“It’s the old Shamrock analogy: you have your clubs, your counties and your schools and colleges. If you have that and everybody is doing their bit then you have a strong organisation instead of them overlapping on top of each other. In that analogy there’s a place for everything.
“Especially when the Ulster colleges have worked so hard to get prime time coverage of the MacRory Cup final [via BBCNI].
“They have built towards that since 1990, so to lose that kind of TV coverage and exposure just wouldn’t be acceptable. Ulster Colleges can’t afford to lose a time slot like that.
“The MacRory Cup final gets ‘live’ coverage and then the McLarnon Cup final gets highlights coverage as well. Everybody knows where they’re going on St Patrick’s Day. And it’s easy for the TV companies to work out the logistics.”
McGettigan will be on the sidelines in Lavey this afternoon, when such important motions are being discussed in Croke Park, hoping that his Antrim side can upset the odds again.
The young Saffrons scraped past Derry in their quarter-final last Friday night with two points to spare, not before the Oak Leafers racked up 19 wides in a game played in terrible conditions at The Dub.
Weather-wise, it will be the same again for Antrim and Tyrone with Lavey coming to the rescue of the Ulster Council to stage this semi-final.
“It was a good performance and a good result in very difficult conditions,” said McGettigan of Antrim’s 1-9 to 2-4 victory.
“Both teams struggled at times but it was great for the players to get the win. Just getting over the line after working so hard was the most satisfying thing.”
Cargin’s Pat Shivers and Adam Loughran, who is on senior manager Lenny Harbinson’s radar, are key players in Antrim’s line-up while Ruairi Brolly – Joe Brolly’s son – is part of the Saffron attack.
Tyrone claimed a handy victory over Antrim earlier in the season in the Leo Murphy competition.
The young Red Hands, guided by Paul Devlin and Dermot Carlin, needed extra-time to get past Armagh in their provincial quarter-final but they won’t be taking McGettigan’s side lightly.
Darragh Canavan, who has recovered from an injury lay-off, came off the bench to help Tyrone over the line last weekend and should be fit to start in Lavey, while Tiernan Quinn of Coalisland will be one to watch after his speculative goal against the Orchard men.
McGettigan added: “I watched Tyrone against Armagh but it was very hard to tell because of the terrible conditions. All these matches have been played in horrendous conditions. But, from what I seen of Tyrone, they were unbelievably good.”
