Ruairi Murray won an All-Ireland Minor medal last year

The word on the school corridors in St Mary's Magherafelt is that the: 1996 - Revenge is Sweet tee-shirts are selling well.

St Mary's captain Ruairi Murray laughs at the suggestion while firmly denying that the infamous brawl MacRory Cup final has played any part in team talks in the run up to St Patrick's Day.

However, the articulate Murray will surely be proved right in his assertion that there will be no repeat of the Coalisland debacle at Casement Park on Monday.

For one thing it wouldn't look too good live on BBC Northern Ireland and one suspects that Ulster Colleges officials won't even require to have a quiet word with both managements about the need for a sporting contest.

Murray repeats the official line from both camps which correctly points out that none of the players involved in Monday's decider were students at either school back in '96.

"A lot of us probably weren't even aware that the MacRory Cup even existed back then let alone the rivalry between the two schools," says the Magherafelt skipper.

Murray is one of more than a dozen players from both sides who helped Derry claim the All-Ireland Minor title last summer.

We were arguably the most underachieving year to come through the school St Mary's captain Ruairi Murray

His team-mate Ciaran McCallion shared a room last season with Maghera and Derry captain Gerard O'Kane.

The connections between the two schools go even deeper with several players facing up to taking on clubmates at Casement Park.

Murray claims that few would have fancied his team to reach this MacRory decider.

"If you look at our year, we were arguably the most underachieving bunch to come through the school.

"We didn't even qualify for the latter stages of the Rannafast Cup so to reach the MacRory final is almost out of character".

To a large extent, Murray attributes the team's emergence to the inclusion of younger players this season.

"We have players this year who aren't even in lower-sixth.

"Take our corner-back Mark Collins.

St Pat's Maghera boss Dermot McNicholl

"We were all a bit sceptical when he was brought into the panel but he has without doubt been our best player this year.

"He's a remarkable talent and I think he's going to become a MacRory legend over the next couple of years".

Murray's Magherafelt team-mates include half-back Cathal Doyle who is a son of former Enniskillen football boss and ex-St Pat's player Seamus Doyle.

Cathal's father played on the first St Pat's team to win the MacRory title back in 1997.

"He got his Maghera jersey down from the attic the other day and he's been keeping me going about that," says Cathal.

He jokes that he's not even sure who his father will be supporting on Monday as "he's a very big friend of Adrian McGuckin".

It's fair to say that there will be many divided loyalties in south Derry on Monday.

St Pat's and St Mary's are only eight miles apart and many local parents have children in both schools.

It all should make for a tremendous atmosphere but one which should attract positive headlines unlike seven years ago.

Probable teams
St Pat's Maghera: Eoin McNicholl, Dermot O'Hagan, Joe Keenan, Paul Donnelly, Gavin Scullion, Gerard O'Kane (capt), Philip O'Connell, Jonathan Bradley, Liam Hinphey, John Paul Higgins, Jonathan Nelson, Mark Lynch, Charlie Kielt, Michael McCann, Brendan Mullan.

St Mary's Magherafelt: Ryan Kidd, Mark Collins, Colm McElroy, Kevin Bradley, Michael McIver, Stephen Crozier, Cathal Doyle, John O'Boyle, Ciaran McCallion, Paul Kielt, Ruairi Murray (capt), Joe O'Kane, Colin Devlin, Murtagh O'Brien.