DERRY GAA: Limavady meet Magilligan in derby as Dolans seek home win

H&A Mechanical Services Division Three (Sunday, 3.30pm)
Sean Dolans Paul Melaugh will be hoping his side get their first win of the season this weekend against Slaughtneil IIIs at Piggery Ridge.Sean Dolans Paul Melaugh will be hoping his side get their first win of the season this weekend against Slaughtneil IIIs at Piggery Ridge.
Sean Dolans Paul Melaugh will be hoping his side get their first win of the season this weekend against Slaughtneil IIIs at Piggery Ridge.

Limavady v Magilligan

This local derby is the game of the round.

Magilligan have a team that does not always turn their territorial advantage into scores but manager Darren McShane will be hoping to address that.

Drum's Damian Brolly.Drum's Damian Brolly.
Drum's Damian Brolly.

Limavady had two bad years but the club moved to put them back in contention again. They have former Ballinascreen player Michael Boyle in charge assisted by three former Wolfhounds players Stephen Cartin, Stephen Keown and John Deighan. They have all their players back and have a better looking attack with rising star, Oisin Hassan, strong half forward Cormac Quigley and big No. 14 Conor Forrest.

VERDICT: Wolfhounds have the bite.

Ardmore v Ogra Colmcille

Ogra make the long trip over the Glenshane to take on Ardmore and, on form, they should come back happy.

Drum's Damian Brolly.Drum's Damian Brolly.
Drum's Damian Brolly.

They have a lot of experience in their ranks with players who were strong in intermediate football until their relegation at the end of 2014. Despite having a small panel, the Drummullan side look to be one of the major forces at this level.

Ardmore have been a mid-table team for the last few years and they, too, do not have a big panel. They have lots of experience and, at full strength, they would test anyone in the division. Much depends on player availability for Ardmore.

However, the Stephen Devlin led Ogra attack can get enough scores to make it a winning trip.

VERDICT: Ogra to shade it.

Magherafelt IIIs v Drum

Two teams with a contrasting outlook meet at Rossa Park.

Drum are ambitious about promotion and no doubt the championship. And they have reason to be after an excellent season last year that was unfortunate to meet Faughanvale’s all conquering team.

The Rossas third string is generally made up of players who just want a game of football and, as such, they do quite well in terms of winning games.

Drum are a well organised outfit but last year they had a weakness in attack when it came to the big games. It will be a big shock if they do not win this game but the management of Jason Hazlett and Kieran O’Kane will be sizing up their attacking options for the year ahead.

VERDICT: Drum roll begins here.

Glack v D Colmcille

Doire Colmcille travel into the country where they will have a big task against a good Glack team.

The Colmcilles have improved over recent season and will, in time,be rewarded for their persistence .

Despite a lack of results, they keep plugging away and they have some decent players coming through. With Derry under 21 player Dean Curran to lead the attack, they are capable of testing the O’Connor’s outfit.

On the other hand, Glack have a lot of scoring potential through Neil McGowan, Cairan Carmichael, Jimmy O’Connor and big full forward Cormac Boyle.

Anything other than a home win would be a huge surprise.

VERDICT: Glack attack and win.

Dolan’s v Slaughtneil IIIs

Debutants Slaughtneil Thirds will travel into unknown territory high above Derry’s sprawling Creggan Estate.

The Dolans, who had been nomads for the past couple of years due to their playing field being refurbished, are now back on home soil and at their Piggery Ridge ground they have always been hard to beat.

Slaughtneil are a generally young team, formed mainly to bring young players through. It may be a difficult first year for them but in this division lessons can be learned. Dolans are an experienced outfit but fitness can be a problem at times. Still, they should have enough to register a first win of the season.

VERDICT: Home sweet home.

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