Seamus Ryder and his Erne Gaels team will have had seven days to get ready for Kinawley, after last Sunday’s quarter-final victory against Roslea.
In a repeat of the Division One league final where Belleek edged victory with a point to spare against Dom Corrigan’s Kinawley, Ryder is preparing for another testing game.
“It’s going to be even tougher because they were missing a few in the league final. I watched back their game against Enniskillen and they were brilliant in that game and whoever comes out of it will be in a good place going into a championship final.”
Erne Gaels will be slight favourites given their form to date this season and when asked if he is confident, Ryder said;
“You have to go in confident but I suppose they’ll go in confident as well. We’ve a couple of sore bodies, we’ll be resting this week and hopefully put in a similar sort of performance next week, and if we do that we’ll get the win.”
On Sunday afternoon, Belleek disposed of a lacklustre Roslea, and if truth be told, the Belleek men were never really tested.
“I was really pleased with the performance” said Ryder after the game. “Obviously, the win comes first, then when you put in a good performance on top of that. I thought our lads were excellent all over the pitch from 1 to 15 today, so I’m really happy.”
Nine players got on the scoresheet against Roslea and Kinawley will know that if they’re going to make it through to the championship final they’re going to have their hands full.
Kinawley assistant manager, Barry Maguire, watched Erne Gaels against Roslea last weekend and knows the Boru’s will have to produce a top drawer performance on Sunday.
“They are a quality side. They have followed on their form in the league and carried it into the championship. They are physically strong, they have lots of pace and they have a big range of scorers. It is going to be a massive battle.”
Kinawley look set to be without Aichlinn O’Cathain for Sunday’s game. The Kinawley centre half-forward has a hamstring injury which will leave Dom Corrigan and company with questions as to who they’ll put on Ultán Kelm after O’Cathain picked him up in the league final.
With both teams vying for a place in a championship final, the prize on offer is huge but Maguire is not hyping the game up too much;
“We will just try to build on our earlier championship performances and hopefully we will be able to get that 60 -plus minute performance, and hopefully a bit of luck along the way.
“There is a big prize at stake but you just have to take it as another game.
“You are looking for the performance on the day and you will just see where that takes you.”