By Niall McCoy

SOME famous Clontibret names are set to grace the St Paul’s Ulster Minor tournament again this weekend – but this time around they will be on the sideline rather than in the heart of the action.

JP Mone co-manages the side that carries Monaghan’s hopes along with Shane McMahon, and his backroom team includes a certain Conor McManus as well as highly-rated young coach Ross Lowey.

Their tournament starts at Coláiste Feirste at 3pm on Saturday against Fermanagh champions Derrygonnelly, and the journey up to Belfast will spark some major memories.

Mone has been present at it many times as the O’Neill’s became regulars, and he got to experience it in 1995 and 1997 – losing to Derry’s Loup in the final of the first and Tyrone’s Eglish in the semi-final of the latter.

McManus, meanwhile, was part of the 2002 side that went all the way, hammering Armagh Harps 2-12 to 0-4 in the final, Thomas Greenan with a fortuitous first goal before Paul McGuigan put the seal on it with a second major.

“When things started to settle down after the county final (v Corduff), we were back in the clubhouse and we started to reminisce about St Paul’s,” said Mone, who can count sons Charlie and Tommy amongst the players he can call on this weekend.

“Back in the day, we had ’95 and ’97 and then our Monaghan three-in-a-row team finally got the Ulster title in 2002 and are the only club out of Monaghan to have won it. That’s some achievement, it’s a hard competition to win.

“This competition is a bit different because generally you don’t know much about the teams. We’d know Dromintee quite well, Ardboe quite well, we’d have followed Four Masters and everything they’ve done.

“In the past you were following that great Glen team, the Kilcoo team, picking up the Irish News around Christmas time to see what teams were doing what and looking to see what players stood out and maybe three, four, five years down the line you’re seeing them star for their county.

“It was ’91 when Clontibret first competed in it and my older brothers were on that team.

“Back then, if teams this side of the province were drawn they’d be down to play at Brewster Park and I remember going over to watch them. Great times.”

Clontibret have been regulars at the tournament, but not so much in recent times with their recent county final win over Corduff securing a first title in 15 years.

“It’s important we produce decent minor teams,” Mone added. “There’s no science to this, and it’s maybe more me coming to stupid conclusions, but we do seem able to convert.

“We won our first minor in the ‘60s and senior success followed. That’s happened a few times and is obviously the goal with this team too.”

It’s a packed schedule this week with three matches across the weekend.

Also on Saturday, Cavan’s Southern Gaels take on Down champions Bredagh at Coláiste Feirste at 6.30pm.

On Sunday, Tyrone champions Ardboe come up against Antrim’s Portglenone with the winners facing Armagh’s Dromintee next weekend.