Club Championships

Senior and intermediate football quarter final weekend in Wexford.

Senior double header in Innovate Wexford Park tomorrow afternoon sees St.James take on Starlights and Gusserane v Shelmaliers.

St.James won the title for the first time in their history in 2015 when they squeaked through the group stages only to down favourites St.Martin's in the replayed final. Their form this year mirrors 2015, and it wouldn't be surprising if they went far again. Starlights were champions in 2002 and 2004 but have always had to balance their football aspirations with having a senior hurling team that appears to be favoured in the club. But they seem to be realising their potential this year, have a relatively young age profile, and have bought into their manager's ideas. I actually think they might shade this one. The midfield battle of county hurling colleagues Matthew O'Hanlon and Liam Ryan would be worth the admission fee alone.

Gusserane are the defending champions having won the title last year for the first time since 1975, but have endured a rather difficult defence of their crown so far. Got hammered by St.Martin's in the final group game, but still qualified for the knock-outs on the head-to-head ruling*. Shelmaliers in contrast topped their group and seemed to be clued in this year. They have generally always qualified for the QF's since gaining promotion, but have flattered to deceive thereafter and are the great unfulfilled potential of the local scene. Gusserane won't go down without a fight, and this game will be close as a result, but I just think Shelmaliers will advance.

Tomorrow evening then sees the other two quarter-finals taking place in Bellefield, with Castletown taking on Taghmon-Camross and St.Martin's v Glynn Barntown

Battle of the former Wexford managers here as Jason Ryan's improving Taghmon take on Pat Roe's pre-championship favourites Castletown. The last two Intermediate champions have got to the senior final the following year, and Taghmon are looking to make it a hat-trick. They punched well above their weight in a difficult group and are well organised. Castletown started the season on fire, but have stuttered ever since, particularly up front despite the much-debated acquisition of Ben Brosnan in the winter. Amazingly, Castletown are priced at 1/10 to win, with only Crossmaglen, Kilcoo, Portlaoise and Errigal Chiarann shorter odds this weekend. Will be a lot closer than that though, and while Taghmon go in with zero pressure, and will relish the chance of a giant-killing act, I think Castletown's know-how will serve them in good stead.

Finally, Martin's and Glynn has the potential of a humdinger. Glynn came in under the radar last year to stun Martin's in the semi-final, and probably should have subsequently went on to win the title for the first time since 1996. Won their last two group games to take the final quarter-final berth in their group. Martin's generally cut a swathe through the group stages, and look impressive on paper, but their return of one county title (2013) despite huge underage success points to a lack of....something when the going gets tough. They have won back-to-back premier championship doubles, and three of the last four under-21 premier hurling titles, and have more top-grade talent coming through than anyone else in the county. Understandably Daithi Waters and Ciaran Lyng are still their go-to guys, and I expect them two to be key factors as Martin's exact revenge for last year's semi.

*Wexford's championship system consists of two groups of six teams, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals and the bottom team in each group contesting the relegation final. Quarter finals are seeded were top team in Group A plays fourth-placed team in Group B, second in A v third in B and so on....(if two teams finish level on points, head-to-head record is taken into account. Three or more teams finish level, score difference is considered). Best innovation they ever devised as it guarantees each club in every grade at least five championship games, and each championship is more competitive as a result (certainly in football anyway, where there hasn't been a back-to-back winner since Horeswood in '05-'06).

Kilkenny SHC quarter final draw

Carrickshock v James Stephens
O Loughlins Gaels v Erin's Own
Clara v Ballyhale Shamrocks
Dicksboro v Mullinavat

IHC quarter finals

Thomastown v Graigue Ballycallan
St Patrick's v Lisdowney or Tullogher Rosbercon
Tullaroan v Young Irelands
Glenmore v Mooncoin

Senior games are the weekend of the 30th September.
Dicksboro won the league and are unbeaten so far.

Thomastown are intermediate league champions after defeating Tullaroan AET last Saturday

Relegation finals
Senior
Bennettsbridge v St Martins

Intermediate
Dunnamaggin v St Lachtains

Kerrydude1981 wrote:

I see a tweet from Patrick Horgan saying that divisional sides and colleges should not be allowed in the Cork Championship,well we have divisional sides here in Kerry as well and while Im not a huge fan of them they do give players a chance to play at a higher level then they would normally play be it Junior or Intermediate

I would agree that the divisional is a good idea as it gives players from smaller clubs the chance to play at the highest level but the colleges seems ridiculous to me.The ucc team that bet Middleton Sunday evening was littered with county players from all the top counties. So now conor lehane has been knocked out of his county championship by being bet by the likes of Jamie Barron,Mikey Breen ,Tom Devine etc who at the end of their careers I don't think will value a cork club championship one bit compared to what it would mean to cork club hurlers.

Carlow SFC this weekend is at sf stage:
Palatine v Eire Og. Rathvilly v Old Leighlin.

Palatine are on for their own 3 in a row this year and are strong favourites to do so. Gave St Vincents a very good game in Leinster last November. After many years of players from Palatine shying away from playing for Carlow, this year we had a massive amount of Palatine players joining up with the co team. No coincidence it was the best year Carlow had in forever.
Eire Og have a good young team, but will never live up to the 90's side that dominated Carlow & Leinster club football. There are now sons of that team playing, which makes me feel very old indeed!
Pal by 4

Rathvilly have Brendan Murphy who everyone knows, his brother is a good free taker and they are solid in defence. Old Leighlin are now ironically an Old side. Most if their best players are well on the wrong side of 30 and can't see them lasting the full 60.
Rathvilly by 2 in a low scoring game.
Pal to win the final and do their own 3 in a row.

Clare senior hurling semi finals on this weekend.

Clonlara v Clooney on Saturday and Sixmilebridge v Newmarket-on-Fergus on Sunday.

Wexford senior football semi-finals brought up Castletown v Starlights and Shelmaliers v St.Martin's. Defending champions Gusserane being dethroned by Shelmaliers, and Starlights defeating 2015 champions St.James, were the pick of the results. In terms of recent history, Martin's last won the title in 2013, Castletown in 2010, Starlights in 2002 and 2004, while Shelmaliers have never won it. Those semis are fixed for Sunday week, with the senior hurling quarter-finals down for decision this weekend.

St.Martin's v Buffers Alley: a sort of the changing of the guard feel to this one. Buffers Alley are one of the unquestionable king-pins of the county, and remain the only Wexford club to win the All Ireland title, back in 1989. But it's 25 years since they last brought home the title, and they even suffered the indignity of relegation to Intermediate as recently as 2012. The heady days of Tony Doran et al seem a long time ago. In contrast, St.Martin's have a production line that is the envy of the county, having secured three of the last four premier under-21 hurling titles, and achieved the "double-double" in the premier minor the last two seasons. They also produced possibly the performance of the championship to date when they impressively defeated defending champions Oulart in April. Rory O'Connor went viral the other week after his display in the under-21 final, and he has all the tools to be a future Wexford superstar. Buffers Alley will hope to make their presence felt and bully the youngsters, but I can see nothing only a St.Martin's win here.

Oylegate v Naomh Eanna: potentially the tie of the weekend. Two teams with the right age profile and boasting top talent locking horns. Last two intermediate champions to boot. Oylegate have been very impressive on occasion as they have made a seamless transition back to the top table, and have won lost to their name, which was essentially a "dead-rubber" against Rathnure in the final group game. Gorey were unlucky to be drawn against both Oulart and Martin's in the group stages, but acquitted themselves well. Naomh Eanna are essentially "St.Martin's-lite" in that they contend at premier level in all under-age groups, and a have huge pool to chose from being the only senior hurling team in Gorey. Oylegate are a coming team too though. Toss of the coin stuff. Damien Reck for Oylegate and Conor McDonald will be the big names on show, but it may come down to who has the better accuracy from placed-balls between Jamie Reck/Seamus Casey for Oylegate and Padraig Doyle for Naomh Eanna. I tip Naomh Eanna to shade it by a couple of points.

Oulart the Ballagh v Shelmaliers: Interesting pairing. Shelmaliers are the only side to have won the title apart from Oulart in seven of the last eight versions of the championship. But they have never really pushed on from that historic maiden success in 2014. Have always had to juggle being contenders in both codes, although with Tom Mullally on board this year, they may well be rediscovering some sort of form that makes them capable of going all the way. Former county hurler Stephen Banville has proved a useful foil at full-forward in tandem with recent minor dual player Conor Hearne, while the likes of Brian Malone and Simon Donohoe provide the athleticism out the field. Oulart have responded from that opening round humbling to Martin's by winning four on the bounce, and they are still a vertible who's who of stellar names across the lines. With Keith Rossiter playing as well as always at full-back, "sweeper" Shaun Murphy orchestrating things ahead of him, Rory Jacob revitalised around the middle, and Garret Sinnott continuing to be a scoring threat up front, coupled with their vast experience of winning, they are still the team to beat in my opinion. Oulart by 3-4.

Rathnure v Rapparees: Surprisingly, Rathnure are the only unbeaten team left in contention, and seem to be back among the big-boys after a few fallow years by their standards. Kevin Ryan has distilled the renowned fighting spirit to the most successful club in Wexford senior hurling history, and they certainly shouldn't be discounted as they aim to bring back their first title since 2008. Rapparees won three premier minor titles in a row after the turn of the decade, and players from that group are starting to finally grow in stature at senior level. County defender Liam Ryan is their most well-known player, while his county colleague Kevin Foley has enjoyed a brilliant year in both codes, but they also still rely on 2004 Leinster medallist Mossy Mahon for the bulk of their scores. Their form in the football championship seems to be feeding into the small ball, making them a dangerous proposition. Rapparees last won the title back in 1978, and I wouldn't rule them out here. But I think Rathnure's doggedness will see them through by a couple of points.

Finally, the senior hurling relegation final takes play on Saturday, with last year's runners-up Cloughbawn taking on 2013 finalists Ferns. It's fair to say that both have been the biggest disappointments of the campaign, and such is the form-lines it is hard to chose a favourite. But Paul Morris limped off for Ferns in their football QF last week, and his participation or absence could be the deciding factor. Nonetheless, I think Ferns will eke out the biggest win in their recent history.

Incidentally, the senior football relegation final last week saw real Roy of the Rovers stuff. Winless Sarsfields were 1-8 to 0-5 down to Horeswood with ten minutes to play. Somehow, they scored 2-4 without reply to secure their status for the second year running. Horeswood return to the intermediate ranks for the first time since winning it outright in 1998, and while they have been a huge personal rival of my own club over the last decade, it's sad to see them go all the same, as they won four titles 2005-11.

jr86 wrote: »

Galway football semis this weekend

Corofin v annaghdown
Mountbellew v monivea

Straightforward corofin mbellew final you'd imagine

Groups just finished in hurling but another potential lengthy appeal could hold it all up like two years ago

What's the basis of the appeal this time or who is it against?

Club championship back on in Mayo with the last round of the Mayo SFC group stage this weekend.

(16 teams go into 4 groups. 3 games each, top 2 from each go into a seeded QF draw... Group winners play Group 2nd's)

Going to be another tight schedule but at least they're getting going in Sept this year. Last year's AI replay put a ridiculous task ahead of Castlebar (winners) in terms of fixtures.

Bonniedog wrote: »

It is mad schedule for Dublin and Mayo.

How many Mayo players are involved in SHC Par?

People talking about players celebrating until Christmas have no idea of time these chaps put in. I know its same for all counties, but AI counties put massive demands on players coming back to club. Would be less of a pressure if they did sensible and played games during inter county. Fair enough would have been impossible probably with Mayo this year but Kilkenny have done it for years with out any noticeable damage.

SHC? Hurling? I think Higgins and maybe Boland are the only 2 that play a bit of Hurling. It's safe to say that I know next to nothing about Mayo Hurling.

Most of the team play that played in the Final play with Senior Football Clubs but there are a few that play Intermediate: Barrett, Higgins, Doherty. Keegan playing his first year with Westport.

The Intermediate Championship is at the same stage as the Senior.

Stevecw wrote: »

Carlow SFC this weekend is at sf stage:
Palatine v Eire Og. Rathvilly v Old Leighlin.

Palatine are on for their own 3 in a row this year and are strong favourites to do so. Gave St Vincents a very good game in Leinster last November. After many years of players from Palatine shying away from playing for Carlow, this year we had a massive amount of Palatine players joining up with the co team. No coincidence it was the best year Carlow had in forever.
Eire Og have a good young team, but will never live up to the 90's side that dominated Carlow & Leinster club football. There are now sons of that team playing, which makes me feel very old indeed!
Pal by 4

Rathvilly have Brendan Murphy who everyone knows, his brother is a good free taker and they are solid in defence. Old Leighlin are now ironically an Old side. Most if their best players are well on the wrong side of 30 and can't see them lasting the full 60.
Rathvilly by 2 in a low scoring game.
Pal to win the final and do their own 3 in a row.

Well I got 1 perfectly right and the other very wrong!
Rathvilly did win by 2 in a low scoring game 0-12 to 0-10 exactly as I said it would be. Now I should just walk away as a hero, but no I got the other sf very wrong!

Eire Og put in a great performance even with 14 men for most of the game winning 1-12 to 1-7. Pal went 1-3 to 0-3 ahead and then EO got a man sent off. Weirdly after that EO scored 1-9 to Pals 0-4! The young EO attack with 5 of the 6 forwards under 23 and a really solid defensive plan got the better of Palatine.
Encouraging and nice to see the 5 time Leinster Club winners in the 90s back in their 1st Carlow final since 2011.

Tough one to call as Eire Og are very young and Rathvilly are a strong side with a lot of experience. Sean Gannon v Brendan Murphy at midfield will be huge, this one might take a replay.

Anyone know what club finals TG4 are covering this Sunday?. I notice from there schedules there starting county final coverage again on 1st October.

jr86 wrote: »

As for the football, I wasn’t at it but it seemed a complete collapse by Annaghdown. To be fair to Corofin, Annaghdown were incredibly well organized and gritty this year – I don’t think they even conceded a goal all championship. Flynn is very good to organize teams – he should have beaten Corofin with Tuam 3 years ago.

M’Bellew will be more of a shootout and a completely different game, but they may just have the firepower to push it close. That said I have a feeling it’s set up for a bit of an anti-climax like 2015. M’bellew are doing very well without recent county stars Joss Moore and Gary Sweeney. I can see Paul Donnellan and Eoin Finnerty getting a call up next year.

Not really a collapse. Annaghdown were a bit like Mayo; had a lot of possession after half-time but couldn't translate into scores. Corofin, now playing with the aid of the breeze, were always at least good enough to make openings and create scores. (Though it took sub Justin Burke to do it for them.) A'down goalie made a bit of a hash of a clearance which led to the equalising free.

Don't think M/M will fade this time round and have a great chance if they believe in their own ability. (Ironically managed by former Corofin stalwart Michael Donnellan).