McKinless cleared to play in Ballinderry's Ulster final

Gareth McKinless was named in the 2023 All-Star team after helping Derry secure a second successive Ulster Football title

Derry star Gareth McKinless has been cleared to play in Ballinderry's Ulster Club Intermediate Football Final against Cavan side Arva on Saturday at Healy Park (17:00 GMT) after successfully appealing against a two-match ban.

McKinless was sent off for two yellow cards in Ballinderry's Derry Intermediate Final replay win over Faughanvale but was handed the suspension following his protests about the decision.

The 2023 All-Star did line out in Ballinderry's provincial semi-final win over Derrylaughan after winning a temporary reprieve following an appeal to the GAA's Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA).

However, the DRA had still to make a final adjudication on the matter, which it did last week, as Ballinderry were handed a big boost going into their contest with last year's All-Ireland Junior Champions.

Speaking prior to the DRA's final ruling on his case, McKinless said that he was letting "our legal team or whatever you want to call them" deal with the case.

"It could be seen as a distraction. We trying and clear it up as best as possible," he added.

McKinless has had a number of high-profile disciplinary issues during his career.

He was handed a 48-week ban - which was later halved - following his part in disturbances after Ballinderry's Derry Final defeat by Slaughtneil in 2014 and picked up a two-match suspension earlier this year following his sending off for standing on Damien Comer's ankle during Derry's All-Ireland Championship group game against Galway.

Cavan star Ciaran Brady excelled in Arva's All-Ireland Junior Club Final win over Listowel Emmets last January

Despite continuing to play senior league football in Derry, Ballinderry dropped into the intermediate championship grade in the Oak Leaf County this season which was a notable fall for a club that won the All-Ireland Senior title in 2002.

Ballinderry clinched provincial senior honours as recently as 2013 when they defeated Michael Murphy's Glenswilly in the final, which was the last year they lifted the Derry title, although the Shamrocks remain second in the county's all-time roll of honour with 13 titles.

"You’re striving to get back to senior football," McKinless told BBC Sport NI at the Ulster GAA-organised finals news conference last week.

"We’ve just taken it game by game this year. We’ve tried to work on anything that maybe wasn’t going well so the boys have done well to win Derry and then to progress on to the Ulster Intermediate Final. It’s a big thing for us [this final]."

McKinless is expecting a tough test against an Arva team that showed their credentials by beating Listowel Emmets in last season's All-Ireland Junior decider at Croke Park.

"Any team that wins any All-Ireland in any grade, that’s no mean feat and have to be respected. They have a few county players of their own and will be no pushover," added the Derry defender.

Arva's county contingent includes Ciaran Brady who excelled in the Croke Park junior decider last January when he scored four points in an all-action display.