Carrickmore joint-manager Ciaran McBride has called for a revamp of the Tyrone Division One league format to avoid lengthy delays at the end of the year.
His team went eleven-and-a-half weeks without a competitive game ahead of last weekend’s semi-final, due to the involvement of opponents Errigal Ciaran in the Ulster Club Championship.
But Carmen got the better of a shadow Errigal side to set up a meeting with Dungannon in this Saturday’s final.
“It has to be looked at. Anybody with any ounce of brains has to look at this thing and say, we shouldn’t be playing at this time of the year,” said McBride.
“Anybody that has any interest in player welfare should not be playing at this time of the year.
“It should be long gone and wrapped up before the Championship, really. It’s a long wait, it’s something, I suppose, we’re going to have to look at and see how we fix this.
“I assume Santa will be presenting the league trophy on Saturday.”
McBride feels semi-finals should be scrapped and the league winners decided either by a final between the top two teams or by awarding the title to the team that finishes first in the league table.
“Well, if you want to have a league final, have an actual league final. I don’t think anybody would object to that between the two teams at the top.
“I’m not trying to show my age, but when I was playing football as a teen, I was top of the league. Look, there’s an argument for and against.
“Errigal were handicapped this year, they had so many county men, but they still ended up top of the league, and they got a trophy, a shield, for coming top of the league. To me, that would be more sensible.
“The team at the top wins the league. What’s the reward for busting yourself and winning the league? To me, that was always the way.”
Carrickmore will be without ace attacker Danny Fullerton for this weekend’s decider at Augher, due to his straight red card dismissal after just six minutes of the semi-final.
“Losing any forward for any team is a big loss. But, to be fair to the lads, they rallied in, they dug in, and that’s what they had to do.
“You lose a man, it doesn’t matter what position he plays in, everybody else then has to step up and play a wee bit more just to make up for that extra player.”
A scrappy encounter at Dunmoyle ended in a narrow 0-10 to 1-6 win for Carrickmore over the Ulster champions, who fielded a team of fringe players.
“It wasn’t the most beautiful game of football, from the sideline it certainly wasn’t. But, it’s not easy playing second week in December,” said McBride.
“But it was all about just getting the result, just to grind it out, see it out and see it through.”
Saturday’s final gives Carrickmore an opportunity to win a second league title in three seasons, having lost last year’s decider to Trillick.
“Usually people that scorn league titles never played in them,” said McBride. “It will be treated as a final. It’s a big opportunity to get silverware, it doesn’t come around too often. Dungannon will be the same, they’ll be ready to go.”
The Clarke’s go into the game on the back of a nine-week lay-off since their semi-final win over Galbally, but McBride expects a strong challenge from the men from O’Neill Park.
“They’re a good team. Dungannon probably underachieved in the Championship this year.
“They were probably one of the better teams I saw playing when they played Carrickmore in the league, they were excellent. Paul Donaghy put on a show that night.”
