Absentees aplenty for Shamrock Rovers and Derry ahead of season curtain raiser

LAUNCH: Ronan Finn of Shamrock Rovers and Colm Whelan of Derry City ahead of the 2023 President's Cup Final. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

President’s Cup finals can be deceptive as a guideline but we can assume Friday’s contestants Derry City and Shamrock Rovers will be prominent in the season ahead.

The annual curtain-raiser between the league and cup winners, revived since 2014 once domestic league fanatic Michael D Higgins gave his approval from the Áras, carries a health warning when it comes to forming grand predictions.