Eyes on the prize with Magpies back in the Ulster final

Kilcoo are aiming for their third Ulster Championship title this Sunday in Armagh where they take on Tyrone champions Errigal Ciaran in the decider.

Joint-captain Aaron Morgan played down the relevance of the Magpies’ sensational 5-10 to 0-14 semi-final victory over Scotstown at the Box-it Athletic Grounds as his side prepared for another trip to the same venue for the final showdown.

“Any game with five goals scored would probably get that sort of attention,” said Morgan at the Armagh City Hotel last week.

"I think the goals scored towards the end probably made it look that wee bit more, but I think that was partially down to the fact that Scotstown realised they had to go for it. [Goalkeeper Rory] Beggan had pushed down the field to try to capitalise on our kick-outs a wee bit and that left them a wee bit more open at the back which is probably why that happened. I don't think it's a true reflection of Scotstown. They are a good side and they have a lot of good players. But they had to go for it at an early stage and we were able to get those goals.”

A win like that, with their Tyrone opponents having to dig deep against Clann Eireann in their semi has made Kilcoo the bookies favourites but Morgan continued to play that down – albeit admitting that it was a confidence booster.

“A lot of boys played very well within the team so I'm sure there are a few of them very happy with their performance and hopefully they'll be going into the final confident. But I suppose, going in winning like that doesn't guarantee you a win in the final regardless how confident you are.

“No-one remembers someone for winning the semi-final. You don't get any credit for winning the semi-final by x amount of points and then getting beaten the next day. The line is drawn in the sand where the only thing you have achieved is a place in the final, that's it really,” he said with a shrug.

And Morgan is under no illusions about Errigal Ciaran who are 11-time Tyrone champions.

"They're definitely a good side. They came through the hard way with the preliminary round so they've definitely earned their spot. You don't get there by chance coming that route and any Tyrone team coming out is always a good side and Errigal is no different.”

Morgan has plenty of experience with Kilcoo, having come straight from the minor panel into the seniors in 2012. He’s been there through a number of managerial changes including Mickey Moran’s reign when they won the All-Ireland championship in 2021. It’s Karl Lacey’s second year in charge and his first shot at an Ulster title, and Morgan had only good things to say about what his current manager has brought to the table.

“I think the element of him being a younger manager or being a player not too long ago he had that connection with the boys right away. He's a wee bit more chilled out in that sense compared to other managers. He's very professional in the way he conducts himself. He's very driven, obviously his own career would give him the stamp straight away where he didn't have to build up credit from the boys. He knew what it was about from the get-go and everyone knew that he knew.

“I think with the younger boys, quite a few of them got on towards the end the last day. He's brought a lot of those boys on this year. I'm not sure how many different subs he's used but he's used all his panel. So he's been able to keep most of the boys involved, whether it's in the Ulster or the Down Championship. I hope that doesn't sound disrespectful to any other managers that went before because they did the same but him personally that's how I feel he's got us to where we are.”

Since their All-Ireland win in 2021 Kilcoo haven’t hit those heights; beaten by Glen in the Ulster final the following year and Scotstown in their first round last year, so asked about flipping the script on those who thought Kilcoo have had their heyday, Morgan agrees there’s more to come from this group.

“There are a lot of boys around 22,23 and I think there's seven or eight with Ulster U21 medals for Down so there's definitely a good group of boys coming through who want to achieve just as much. I think that's maybe part of it them wanting to drive it on.”

But that’s not to in any way underestimate Sunday’s opponents.

“They're a very good side with a lot of big names on their team. It will take Kilcoo to be at our very best to beat them. We just have to take it as another game and go out hopefully and perform at our best and try to work a way round to see if we can stop them performing at their best.”