Are Omagh Good Enough To Sneak Past Coalisland?

Thursday 22.09.2011

Club

Omagh and Coalisland will lock horns on Saturday as they attempt to become the second team to make it through to the semi finals of the senior championship. For a long time the St Endas lads looked like they were going to edge the first game in Dunmoyle with their controlled and measured approach to the game. Unfortunately their desire to just retain the ball and not push on for victory ultimately proved their undoing as they invited Coalisland unto them and The Fianna managed to force two late points and draw the game. By that stage the county champions were down to fourteen men following the sending off of former county player Peter Donnelly but they showed considerable character to come back from the position they were in and salvage something from the game.

Saturday of course is a whole new ball game and the two sides will feel they are in with a great chance of making the semi final. Both teams are laced with quality throughout and in Patrick Mc Neice and Ronan O’Neill have two of the best young forwards in the county on show. These two guys however will require their team mates to be a little more direct with the ball if they are to play to their capabilities. Coalisland will probably double team O’Neill again and if they succeed in restricting his influence on the game then Omagh’s chances of victory will be greatly reduced. It is time for the other Omagh forwards to start carrying their share of the burden in terms of scoring and creating.

Coalisland won last year’s championship through a mixture of hard work and excellent team play. Thus far they have met and responded to the challenges asked of them without ever looking as threatening or as hungry as they did in 2010. They have to rediscover that hunger and passion or all the quality in their panel will count for nothing. Saturday’s replay looks like being an entertaining and intriguing game with hunger being the key to the outcome. In that respect we will tip Omagh to sneak home in this one, but only just, and join Derrylaughan in the last four.