Epic rematch in prospect for Clontarf and Terenure in AIL final

From the early rounds in October, all signs were pointing towards an Energia All-Ireland League final rematch between Clontarf and Terenure.

As expected, the pair will lock horns once again in this Sunday's decider at the Aviva Stadium, but their paths to the final have had to experience a few bumps along the way.

Defending champions Clontarf are back in the showpiece after a nail-biting win against Young Munster in the semi-final, holding on for a 13-12 victory at a rain-soaked Castle Avenue.

The Limerick side saw a long range Conor Hayes penalty fall short of the posts in the final minute of normal time, while Tarf had to endure what felt like an eternal six further minutes before they eventually found the refuge of the final whistle.

"It probably wasn’t a vintage performance," admits Clontarf captain Matt D’Arcy.

While their place in the final came down to last few seconds, it only served to reinforce the belief that when the game becomes chaotic, they have the steady hand.

Winning has become a habit, and they’re happy to do it by any means.

"It definitely stands to us, the fact that we've done it once or twice in tight games, it's that instinct that comes back to the team, that feeling and habit. We hope it can help.

"We hope it's not that close. I get a lot of joking and stick from the supporters and alickadoos, that we're giving people heart attacks. We'll try avoid it on Sunday if we can, it would be nice to get a couple of scores ahead. If it comes down to it, we back ourselves to make the right decisions."

That composure in times of chaos was evident in last year’s final at the Aviva. The north Dublin club ground out a 29-23 win against Sunday’s opponents Terenure, defending that six-point winning margin for the final 20