Academy lads hoping for a ‘final’ hurrah!

OMAGH Academy’s Medallion team are hoping tomorrow’s Danske Bank Medallion Trophy final will provide them with fond memories before they take the next step on their rugby journey into the senior ranks next season.

Having battled past Belfast High School, Our Lady and St Patrick’s Knock after a replay and Strabane Grammar, the Omagh side are battle-hardened ahead of the decider against a talented Dromore High School side.

To reach the showpiece, Ross Hunter’s charges defeated Belfast High School 15-10, thanks to tries from Jonathan Doak and Harry McIlwaine (2).

Then came another testing encounter against a side from the big smoke when they travelled to Cooke Rugby Club in South Belfast to face Our Lady and St Patrick’s Knock.

There wasn’t much to choose between the sides at Shaws Bridge, with the game finishing all square at 5-5 with McIlwaine getting Omagh’s vital touchdown to force the Belfast men into a trip down the M1 to the Campsie Playing Fields where the Academy lads earned an 18-0 triumph thanks to another McIlwaine try and one from Sam Cochrane, who added a conversion, while McIlwaine also kicked two penalties.

That victory set up a clash at Strabane Academy and a Tyrone derby in the last four for a place in the decider, which Omagh won by a somewhat flattering 19-43.

In what was a fairly tight encounter until the final 20 minutes, McIlwaine (2), Mathew McClung, Andrew King and Charlie Farrell all grabbed tries, with Cochrane kicking three conversions and four penalties.

While their semi-final ended in an emphatic victory, Hunter feels Tuesday’s decider, which will be played at Royal School Dungannon, will be a much tighter affair.

“The boys are buzzing, they are looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s a hard one to call but Dromore would be slight favourites. I don’t know much about them but the odd result that I have seen would suggest that would be the case.

“It will be a good experience for the boys and hopefully they enjoy the experience. The way the season has gone, they have improved rapidly, so I hope they go out and enjoy the day.

“They have done well over the last three or four games and to get those three wins to reach the final has been very positive for that group which will be moving into senior rugby next year, which will be a big step for them.

“If we could get a wee bit of silverware under their belts before then it would certainly be good!”

Kick-off at Royal School Dungannon tomorrow is at 2.30pm.

Omagh Academy squad

Matthew Brady, James McCormack, Jack Keys, Matthew Caldwell, Luke Livingstone, Andrew Baggs, Eoin McCusker, Ben Blackburn, James Burke, Jonathan Doak, James Millar, Jonathan Buchanan, Andrew King, Sam Andrews, Thomas Buchanan, Harry McIlwaine, Zach McKenna, Joshua Byers Matthew McClung, Sam Harper, Jack Adams, Samuel Cochrane, Philip Crawford, Joshua McKernan, Charlie Farrell, Isaac Milligan, Adam Coulter, Lewis Henderson.