| Venue: Athletic Grounds, Armagh Date: Sunday, 11 December Throw-in: 13:00 GMT |
| Coverage: Live text commentary followed by match report and highlights on the BBC Sport website |
Glen manager Malachy O’Rourke believes it would be difficult for managers to consider “juggling” club and county jobs despite the GAA’s split season.
The issue of double jobbing for managers was recently in the news when Louth boss Mickey Harte was linked with also taking over at Slaughtneil.
The trail linking Harte to the Derry club appears to have gone cold and O’Rourke says it’s a “tricky” concept.
“The commitment you have to give at club level is now very big,” he added.
Speaking to BBC Sport Northern Ireland ahead of Sunday’s Ulster Club Final between his side and All-Ireland champions Kilcoo, O’Rourke pointed out: “We started off probably as late as we possibly could and that was mid-March. We’re still going in December.
“The commitment the fellas and everybody has shown has been top class. To try and fit in something else on top of that – I don’t know if you’d be taking away from the club or if you were trying to juggle two teams, you’d be taking away from the county.
“The answer is you don’t know until you try it but I know the commitment you have to give at club level now is very big.
“If everybody is buying into that, you owe them that level of commitment.
“Certainly at the minute, I like, when I’m with a team, to give it my full focus and not be thinking of anything else. That’s the way it is with Glen at the minute.”
O’Rourke’s managerial CV has seen him achieve major success at club and county level.
His feat of steering Derry club Loup to a first county title in 67 years in 2003 was followed weeks later by them landing Ulster honours.
Three years later, O’Rourke guided Errigal Ciaran, where he won Tyrone titles as a player, to a championship triumph in the Red Hand county.
O’Rourke’s first season in charge of his native Fermanagh in 2008 saw his side go agonisingly close to breaking the duck which still remains in landing an Ulster Championship as they drew a final they probably should have won before losing the replay to Armagh.
The Derrylin man did guide Monaghan to Ulster Football titles in 2013 and 2015 – beating Donegal on both occasions – and after taking as Glen manager in late 2020, he steered the Watty Grahams outfit to a long overdue first Derry SFC title last year before repeating the dose this year with another conclusive final victory over previous provincial kingpins Slaughtneil.
‘Kilcoo the best team in Ireland’
O’Rourke’s side gave eventual All-Ireland champions Kilcoo their only real test in the Ulster campaign last year as the Mourne men clinched a 1-11 to 0-11 semi-final win after extra-time, with the match effectively decided by a botched kickout from keeper Conlann Bradley which was punished by Jerome Johnston’s goal.
With the sides back for more in Sunday’s provincial decider in Armagh, O’Rourke says he’s under “no illusion” about the task facing his side.
“Kilcoo have proved themselves to be the best team in Ireland.
“They’ve won 10 out of the last 11 Down titles….they’ve been in the last two All-Ireland Finals. They are the current All-Ireland champions….it’s their third Ulster Club Final in a row.
“We know we’re going to have to play to the best of our ability and produce a really good performance to threaten them.
“Obviously we’re going to look back at last year and the things we felt we could have done better and that will be a part of the process.”