It’s a team that would take some beating.
This weekend sees the cream of the crop in club football face off in semi-finals of the AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Championship, easily one of the highlights of the GAA calendar.
On Saturday, the four remaining clubs – the four provincial champions – will face off in what promise to be serious, serious clashes.
- Slaughtneil (Derry) v St. Vincent’s (Dublin) – Newry, 2pm
- Dr Crokes (Kerry) v Corofin (Galway) – Limerick, 4pm
Remember the titanic battle between Castlebar and Crossmaglen in Breffni Park last year? Or the dramatic tussle between Ballyboden St. Enda’s and Clonmel Commercials?
Anyone who was there or the thousands watching on TV certainly won’t have forgotten it in a hurry.
As if to illustrate the quality left in this season’s competition, all of the last four teams have appeared in the decider in Croke Park in the last ten years; St Vincent’s have won it twice (2008 and 2014), Corofin once (2015), while Dr. Crokes and Slaughtneil were runners-up in 2007 and 2015 respectively.
Littered with players already established at inter-county level and others that are as close to that standard as you’re going to get, the two semi-finals promise much and are likely to deliver the goods in Newry and Limerick on Sunday afternoon.
We decided to try our hand at picking a combined selection between the four teams and we’re pretty sure they’d give the vast majority of inter-county teams a run for their money.
Agree? Let us know by voting in our poll below.
Goalkeeper
Bernard Power (Corofin)
Made his Championship debut for Galway in 2016 and was particularly impressive in the momentous victory over Mayo in Castlebar. A solid presence between the sticks with a booming kick-out, he narrowly edges out Stephen Cluxton’s regular understudy, Michael Savage, in this selection.
Defence
Francis McElodowney (Slaughtneil), Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil), Fionn Fitzgerald (Dr. Crokes); Daithí Burke (Corofin), Ger Brennan (St. Vincent’s), Chrissy McKaigue (Slaughtneil).
Two members of this defence – Fionn Fitzgerald and Ger Brennan – have won senior All-Ireland titles at inter-county level; all six have represented their counties with distinction for years, even if one of them, Daithí Burke, has done so with the small, rather than the big ball.
Burke plays midfield for Corofin but strength in depth in that sector resulted in a shift back to wing-back, where he plays most of his hurling for Galway. With McEldowney and Brennan in the mix, meanwhile, there’s no shortage of experience.
Midfield
Johnny Buckley (Dr. Crokes), Patsy Bradley (Slaughtneil)
Good in the air and pure footballers to boot, there are plenty of county teams that would cry out for a midfield as talented as this Kerry and Derry duo.
Attack
Gary Sice (Corofin), Diarmuid Connolly (St. Vincent’s), Micheál Lundy (Corofin); Colm Cooper (Dr. Crokes), Kieran O’Leary (Dr. Crokes), Tomás Quinn (St. Vincent’s).
We were spoiled for choice all over the park, but particularly up front, where players of the calibre of Enda Varley, Christopher Bradley and Brian Looney were unfortunate to miss out.
Having Gooch and Diarmuid Connolly in the same forward line is fantasy GAA in its purest form, while the addition of Corofin duo Sice and Lundy and All-Ireland winners O’Leary and ‘Mossy’ Quinn would add pace, power and finishing ability to a ridiculously talented front six.
How do you think the team would fare?
