Ballinderry Shamrocks

Mickey Conlan: Had no chance for Paul O’Donnell’s first goal and can place the blame for the second goal on his defenders. Found Sean Donnelly at midfield with a well-worked goal kick and his kick outs were long and accurate. Was a spectator for most of the match. 7

Kevin McGuckin: Another fine display from the right corner-back. Totally contained the potentially dangerous Niall Collins. Swept in behind Niall McCusker to shore up breaking ball and always looked in command of his terrain. 8.5

Niall McCusker: Was never really troubled by Donal Buggy in the first half. In the one instance when Buggy gained possession in a dangerous area his smothering tackle broke the ball free. Allowed his man two points in the second half. 8

Shane Mullan: Very lucky in the first half when he let a high ball go over his head when O’Donnell had sneaked in behind him. His slip enabled O’Donnell to take his first goal unchallenged. Battled gamely but was marking the Gaels most dangerous forward. 6

Paul Wilson: Played his part in a very forceful Ballinderry half-back line. Held his man scoreless and mopped up in the full-back line on several occasions. 7.5

Ronan McGuckin: In charge from the throw-in. Made himself available for players and found his full-forward line with a series of intelligent passes. Got forward to good effect in the second half. 9

Darren Crozier: Not the biggest player by any means but his lack of physique is rarely exposed. Broke the ball away from his taller opponent and was always on hand to tidy up any loose ball in defence. 8

Sean Donnelly. Struck a great point from long range in the opening minutes. Shipped two very heavy tackles, but made no fuss and played on gamely. Has come back strongly after a disappointing display against St Gall’s in the drawn encounter. Picked up a needless booking. 7

Enda Muldoon: Solid but not spectacular. Didn’t take his first clean catch at midfield until the 50th minute. Got on the score sheet but was off target with a number of chances he normally takes with ease. Kept his own player out of the game and set up a number of scores for his team-mates. 7.5

Barry McOscar: Didn’t start in the county final or first round against St Gall’s but barring injury will be one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Ulster final. Was particularly impressive in the first half. 7.5

Conleth Gilligan: The centre-half forward is the axis upon which Ballinderry revolve. Was at the centre of all of the Shamrocks’ attack play. Comfortable in possession, measured in his distribution and precise in his finishing. A great performance. 9

Declan Bateson: Set up the first score and always had the beating of his man. Ran tirelessly to make himself available for scores. 7.5

Adrian McGuckin: A decent performance. Sent Conway through for Ballinderry’s second goal. Has yet to spark into life in this Ulster championship. Could be saving his best for the final. 7

Ger Cassidy: Back to more familiar form. Faultless from free-kicks and also took two points from play. Did well to win possession in some tight situations. 8.5

Subs

Jarlath Bell: Came on to mark the dangerous Paul O’Donnell. Intercepted one pass and didn’t allow O’Donnell to score from play. 7

Cavan Gaels

Jonathan Graham: Sent one kick-out straight to Bateson and put another over the sideline. Escaped unpunished when a high ball bounced off his chest. Had no chance for either of Darren Conway’s goals. 6

Shane McGlade: Made a brilliant goal line clearance in the first half when he came from nowhere to catch Ger Cassidy’s goal bound shot. This was in one moment of glory in an otherwise uncomfortable afternoon. 5.5

Darren Rabbit: After a wretched day against Brendan Devenney, the Gaels full-back produced a solid hour’s football and kept Adrian McGuckin scoreless. 7

Fergal Brady: Was generally second in the race for possession. Found the experienced Bateson a difficult opponent. Although Bateson failed to score, this was more a result of the Ballinderry man’s inaccuracy. 5

Karl Crotty: Not a day to remember for the Gaels half-back. Darren Conway’s confidence would have peaked after his first goal and Crotty didn’t do anything which managed to dampen it. 6

Eamon Reilly: Had a crucial role to play for the Gaels when he went head to head against Gilligan. However, his blatant punch on Conway was always going to see him take an early shower. This rash burst of indiscipline proved very costly to his team-mates. 4.5

James Doonan: Lost his compusure after Reilly got sent-off and his performance suffered as a result. Made life difficult for Muldoon under kick-outs but struggled to stop the Ulster Allstar when he went into attack. 6

Cathal Collins: The two midfields generally cancelled each other out as virtually no clean catches were taken. Delivered the long ball into O’Donnell which led to the Gaels’ first goal. 5

Enda King

Failed to repeat his performance against St Eunan’s. In the first half he raced through on goal, but put his fisted effort from close range harmlessly wide. 5

Cormac Neligan

Ballinderry would have considered Neligan a potential threat following his display against St Eunan’s but Ronan McGuckin never allowed him a scent of the ball. 5

Donal Buggy

Played at full-forward where he was largely starved off possession. On the one occasion he got a slight chance, his marker Niall McCusker stole the ball from his grasp. 5

Dominic Reilly

A largely anonymous performance by the Gaels’ half-forward. Substituted at half-time. 5

Paul O’Donnell

Cavan Gaels’ only real threat in attack. Fast and courageous. He always looked threatening. Took his first goal with aplomb. 7.5

Mark Leddy

Scored two-point in quick succession but overall failed to make a significant impression on the edge of the square. 7

Niall Collins

A very disappointing performance from Collins who would be considered one of the Cavan champions more potent forwards. Couldn’t shake off Kevin McGuckin. 5

Subs:

Pauric Smith: Came in at centre-back and made his presence felt but could stem the tide of Ballinderry attacks 5.5

Gavin Duffy: Wasn’t considered fit to play due to an ankle injury. Came on at half-time but didn’t make any real impact. 5