The starting teams have been named for Sunday’s Ulster Senior Football Championship final with defending champions Derry naming an unchanged team.
Rory Gallagher’s side defeated Monaghan in the provincial semi-final by eight points and there had been speculation that Ciaran McFaul could be drafted into the first 15.
However, Gallagher has opted to keep the Glen clubman in reserve for Sunday’s decider against Armagh.
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Kieran McGeeney, meanwhile, has made one change to his starting team from their facile 10-point win over Down in semi-final.
Stefan Campbell was dropped for the clash with the Mournmen, but impressed when introduced in the second half and is rewarded with a recall to the first 15. Jemar Hall misses out and isn’t included in the match-day squad.
Ciaran Mackin, Ben Crealey and Andrew Murnin were injury doubts after picking up knocks in the win over Down, but all three have been included in the starting line-up.
Defenders James Morgan and Barry McCambridge, who missed the games against Cavan and Down, are included among the substitutes.
Teams
Key battles
Rian O’Neill vs Chrissy McKaigue
Chrissy McKaigue was asked at the recent Ulster GAA media event ahead of Sunday’s final how it felt to be marking the best players from the opposition in every game. He claimed the word “enjoyment” doesn’t come into it, but he put the brakes on Conor McManus in the semi-final and it is likely he’ll track Rian O’Neill on Sunday.
The Crossmaglen man was recalled to the Armagh team for their semi-final win over Down and, after a slow start, his influence on the game grew and he plundered a great goal in the second half.
Shane McGuigan vs Aidan Forker
Shane McGuigan was brilliant for Derry last term and he has taken his form to new heights this season.
While much has been made of Derry’s spread of scores in recent games, they still rely on McGuigan for the bulk of them with the Slaughtneil ace scoring 2-5 against Fermanagh and 0-9 against Monaghan.
Aidan Forker has marked the likes of Pat Havern and Gearóid McKernan in recent games and seems the most obvious choice to pick up McGuigan on Sunday.
However, he is also likely to pick up Ciaran McFaul if the Glen man is sprung from the bench. When that happens, Armagh are likely to deploy James Morgan or Barry McCambridge to mark McGuigan.
Jarly Óg Burns vs Brendan Rogers
In last year’s Ulster Final, Brendan Rogers tracked Michael Murphy and scored 0-3 in a Man-of-the-Match performance.
Now operating at midfield, Rogers is now a threat himself and Armagh will have to try and nullify his influence on the game.
It was a bit of a surprise to see Jarly Óg Burns marking Ryan Johnston in the semi-final, but he kept the Kilcoo ace to a single point from play. Burns also proved he had the pace and temperament for the job and he might be the man to keep tabs on Rogers.
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