A thrilling final in store for northern neighbours

It's the game every footballer in Mayo wants to play in, the contest every player wants to win. Sunday's county senior final comes 92 days after the first ball was kicked in the county's prime club competition and it promises to be an intriguing battle.

Knockmore and Ballina are the closest of neighbours and the greatest of rivals. The men who fill the jerseys have grown up beside one another and developed their football journeys side by side. They understand one another; they know what makes one another tick and all of them know the challenge awaiting them on the biggest day of the year.

Predicting a winner is almost impossible. The teams are similar, the players are well-balanced and either group of men could be dancing in football dreamland on Sunday evening.

TESTING JOURNEY

Knockmore have been tested to limit in this championship. Defeated in the opening round, an injury catalogue to rival Santa's 'Good List,' and close calls against Belmullet and Breaffy. The men in saffron and blue have grown and developed through the rounds and their form-line is on an upward curve.

They were deservedly beaten in Ballaghaderreen, failed to set the world on fire when defeating Claremorris and showed great battling qualities to defeat Belmullet. They blew a luckless Garrymore out of the water in the quarter-final and battled their way past Breaffy in the semi-final.

They've had Shane McHale, Connell Dempsey, Padraig Holmes, Kevin McLoughlin, Kieran King and more on the treatment table all year and filled the gaps. That resilience has helped build the squad depth and it proved to be priceless in the dying embers of the semi-final when 17-year-old debutant Billy Ruane scored 1-1 to win the game. Whether he would have got the call if everyone had been fit remains to bee seen.

The injury list in front of joint-managers John Brogan and Aidan Kilcoyne will not be cleared before Sunday's showdown and it will be interesting to see if Kevin McLoughlin's quad will be sufficiently healed for him to start the final. Dempsey started the semi-final and kicked two fine points. That outing and the subsequent two weeks on the training pitch will have benefitted him hugely. King is one of the best defenders in the county and if he's fully fit he will pose big questions to the Ballina attack. Likewise, Holmes is an excellent defender, and his pace and timing going forward will keep the Stephenites on their toes.

In attack, Aiden Orme is back to his best. The former Mayo forward has been impressive when needed most and Caolan Hopkins has the ability to severely punish any side if given the slightest opportunity.

Of course, defensively the St Joseph's Park men will back themselves against anyone. Colm Reape needs no introduction. His shot-stopping ability has been crucial all year. David McHale is one of the best players of the entire competition. He has marked a parade of top forwards and kept them under control.

At centre-half-back, Conor Flynn is one of the unsung heroes. His consistency has been a feature and his best performance to date arrived in the semi-final.

However, the presence or absence of Pearse Ruttledge will have a big bearing on Knockmore's chances. The tireless midfielder has been the engine of his team all season and he became ever-more important when McLoughlin got injured. His red card in the semi-final means he's out of Sunday's big game, but if he's cleared on appeal it will be a huge boost to the challengers.

CHAMPIONS MINDSET

Ballina have the confidence of title-holders and have played with a certain consistency through the rounds. They've also had their injury troubles with Dylan Thornton, Mikey Murray, Evan Regan and Padraig O'Hora among the more notable absentees at various junctures. How many of the three start Sunday's final will have a big bearing on the destination of the trophy. Murray has been one of the best players in the entire competition. His displays alongside midfield partner Frank Irwin have been a revelation and both are also big contributors in the scoring charts.

O'Hora missed the semi-final after his controversial injury against Castlebar Mitchels, and he's expected to be back to face Knockmore while Thornton's presence remains in question after he was withdrawn during the semi-final after being introduced from the sub's bench.

The Stephenites haven't set the world on fire throughout the campaign but they've done enough to keep on moving through the rounds. Their last three games versus Westport, Castlebar Mitchels and Ballaghaderreen have been tight squeezes and could have gone either way, but the champions showed enough poise and composure to survive and thrive.

Niall Heffernan's men are talented all over the field. Regan is still among the best attackers in club football. Conor McStay links play impressively while the Feeney brothers are creative and hard-working. At the back, David Tighe is arguably the best defender in the competition, David Clarke remains a formidable goalkeeper and Sam Callinan is inter-county standard. Brendan Collins and Sean Regan can play anywhere and will pose big threats to Knockmore wherever they pop up.

Picking a winner from this meeting of neighbours isn't easy. Both have extremely talented and intelligent footballers. They're well-coached, well-prepared and know how to win tight matches. They've composed free-takers, top-quality goalkeepers and tight-marking defenders. Therefore, whichever team wins the midfield battle may win the title. If that's the case, Ballina may just about shade it. Murray and Irwin are the best midfield combination in club football and if both are fit to start they could swing the result in favour of the champions and secure the 38th title for the men from the Moy. However, Knockmore are more than capable of winning this. They've the players, the ability and the mentality to beat the neighbours and win the title. It should be an intriguing battle.

VERDICT: BALLINA STEPHENITES

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