| All-Ireland final has romance about
it  It
is a clash of polar opposites in the All-Ireland club football final as
star-studded Knocknacara face the surprise packets of Antrim champions
St. Galls.
Household names such as Michael Donnellan, Sean Armstrong, Alan Kerins
and former Mayo star Maurice Sheridan form the impressive Galway side’s
forward line.
Salthill have perhaps had the easier passage to this stage and have been
strong favourites for ultimate glory since surprisingly lifting the Connacht
crown.
St Gall’s have been underdogs in every round of this year’s
competition particularly in their defeat of Cork’s Nemo Rangers
and while they have few household names they are a typically tough and
determined Ulster outfit.
They’ll be led by captain Sean Kelly and have sharpshooter Karl
Stewart in attack. They have the underdog tag but there has been romance
about this year’s competition and St. Gall’s could live out
the fairytale.
Newtownshandrum from Cork will be aiming for their second All-Ireland
Club title in three years when they face Galway outfit Portumna on Friday.
Portumna have an exciting array of forwards amongst them 18-year-old Joe
Canning and Damien Hayes. The Tribesman beat James Stephen’s of
Kilkenny in the semi-finals.
Their opponents Newtownshandrum had to negotiate a tight encounter with
Down champions Ballygalget at the penultimate stage. They’ll be
hoping for big performances from the O’Connor twins and Pat Mulcahy.
Newtownshandrum are excellent at the back while the Galway side are good
going forward. That may be enough to see the title heading west.
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