Graham Tarmac Antrim JFC Final
St Agnes’ v St Comgall’s (Hightown, Saturday, 1.30pm)
 
THE two form teams in the Antrim Junior Football Championship will meet to decide the destination of the title as St Agnes’ and St Comgall’s meet at Hightown on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams went three for three in the group phase to march straight into the semi-finals and there was no stopping them as the Aggies had the measure of St Malachy’s, whilst the Antrim town side accounted for Pearse’s.

But the rich vein of form stretches back even further for St Comgall’s as they went through their Division Three campaign with a perfect record, beating the Aggies twice along the way, but the West Belfast outfit has built nicely as the year went on and have peaked just at the right time as they return to the Junior decider for the first time since 2010.

It is a big step forward for the Aggies to be here having been rebuilding over the last number of years and here they are, back within striking distance of silverware, but face a tough test against Barry Burns’ side who have been in flying form all year.

“We played St Comgall’s in one of the last league games at Woodlands and stayed with them ok,” said Aggies’ boss Martin Shortt.

“You could see there was more gears in Comgall’s but we did our best to stay with them and gave them a bit of a game.

“That gave us a bit of confidence going into the championship as we drew with Éire Óg, drew with Na Piarsaigh, beat St Malachy’s and Laochra in the second pert of the league, so the mentality was starting to change and we were getting a bit more confidence. Championship is a different animal and they know that.”

Cormac McBride and Conall Turley were in fine form in their semi-final win over St Malachy’s to help their team back into the final, but this year reaching the Junior decider was not the priority at the beginning of the season.

Instead, it was about beginning to take steps int he right direction, building some momentum and confidence amongst the group.

Undoubtedly, they have done that and with a nice blend of youth and experience, a corner has undoubtedly been turned.

“We didn’t say we would make a Junior final, get out of the group or wins leagues - we didn’t set those goals,” Tyrone native Shortt insisted.

“We just talked about putting pride in the jersey and taking it step by step. The further we went on, the belief comes in so then you set the targets and goals you try to reach.

“The league was a bit up and down, but when you put in the graft, sooner or later things change and you get the results.

“We had a few injuries in the early part of the year and a few lads had exams, but come Championship time we saw the group were in and knew it would be tough. But we took it game by game, session by session and topped the group, so it gave us a home semi-final against St Malachy’s which was what we were pushing for.

“That gave us a breather and we got some challenge games in between, but this is the acid test on Saturday.”

St Comgall’s make formidable opposition as they have been a model of consistency throughout the year with Miles Devine and Tom Patchett to the fore.

With 17 wins in as many games, they have earned the tag of favourites this week, but finals can take a life of their own.

Performing is the basic requirement for both teams and after that, results can look after themselves.

“St Comgall’s won the league at a canter, are unbeaten in the Championship as well so we are under no illusions and know what to expect,” Shortt accepts.

“They are well organised and Barry Burns has them in great shape, so we will turn up and see how it goes.

“The two teams are unbeaten going into it. In other years, you may have a team finishing second or third getting to the final but this year both are there on merit, so it should be a good game.”