Burren and Carlow Town set the pace at Intermediate level
If the form carries through from the group stage to the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Intermediate Hurling Championship semi-finals then Burren Rangers will be expected to meet Carlow Town in the final Photo: Pat Ahern
It is a sign of progress. With six wins out of seven in the group and only losing to Carlow Town who posted a 100% record, Burren Rangers are probably favourites to beat none other than Mount Leinster Rangers in the first intermediate hurling semi-final on Saturday.
“Rangers have been the standard bearers for Carlow hurling. I am not from here but you would be familiar with the names,” agreed the Burren Rangers manager, Paul Fitzgerald who won two senior hurling titles with his native Ardclough and also a Leinster intermediate club hurling title in 2006.
The Kildare man has nothing but the highest respect for his adopted Burren Rangers.
“It is a really good club. A progressive club. A core group of players who are committed to the club and want to progress. Hopefully there will be a few intercounty hurlers coming through who want to play senior.
“The club is progressing very well. We are very lucky with the age profile. It is well into the twenties.” Fitzgerald is a little bit worried about the amount of games which his players are involved in. He still doesn’t want to be seen to be critical. For him it is all about managing the situation.
“We are in a good place. Happy where we are. A semi-final. A good spot to be in. A lot of lads are playing football with different clubs so it is about trying to juggle all those training schedules and match schedules. Hopefully they will have got through the last round of football with no injuries.” Shane Murray manager of Mount Leinster Rangers is coming from a similar direction of his Burren Rangers counterpart. When it comes to progressing and developing what they have, the Borris club is now at the top of the pile. When Burren beat them in the group stages it signified that the two Rangers, in relation to progressing their youth, are very similar.
“They beat us by two points in a close game. We were missing a few lads that day and we would hope to have them back on Saturday. Probably Burren Rangers and Carlow Town are the two strongest teams in it,” suggests Murray who is well aware his Mount Leinster Rangers finished in third spot in the group.
“They are the first teams in their clubs. This is our second. Two or three lads went up to the senior. It is a nurturing ground for us to bring lads up to the senior,” noted Murray. He still remains defiant.
“If we put in a performance we could get to a final,” the Rangers manager suggests.
This is a hard one to predict. Burren have to show total respect for Mount Leinster. They cannot afford to be distracted. The Borris side will give their all. There is a bigger picture in the Mount Leinster effort. They have lost a number of finals in recent years but coming from where they are and what they are trying to do, they will not be crushed. In a certain way they can relax and go about their business without a must win feeling. For Burren this is a must win. They might do so but it will not be easy.
Burren Rangers
This Intermediate Hurling Championship semi-final has produced a slightly surprising pairing. Maybe Carlow Town would have felt they were worth at least a last four place at the start of the season but they did so in style winning all their group games to progress to where they are now.
Manager, Brian Delaney, still says his side have come out of the pack to get to where they are now.
“We are feeling good. At the start of the year nobody was mentioning Carlow Town for either intermediate or junior. We are going well. We did win all our group games but group games are one thing when it comes to knock-out,” he cautioned.
When these two sides met in McGrath Park, it was close up to half-time.
“Three points between us but we got a few goals in the second half. It will be much different now. Even if Bagenalstown concede a few goals or we concede a few goals no one will be dropping heads. It will be a lot closer. You don’t know,” Delaney predicts.
And where has this new found Carlow Town energy come from?
“I think the big difference this year compared to last year players are building confidence. Players are becoming more confident with each game. We had five subs on the line the last day against Burren Rangers but all five players would have hoped to start because they are up to that standard,” says Delaney who is looking at a successful development plan which is bringing on an entire squad.
“We have four or five players at intermediate standard which we haven’t brought up yet. I think this year nobody is being complacent. They all know they have to keep their place,” the Carlow Town manager reveals Just over ten miles down the road, Jamie Whelan, the Bagenalstown Gaels manager says spirits, at all levels, are high in the club. This time though he says his side have to be the underdogs but that tag won’t be something they think about.
“Carlow Town are after winning all their games. It is their first team and they are moving well. We surprised Ballinkillen in the final last year. Probably surprised Rangers in the semi-final too,” he says.
After winning the junior last season 2026 couldn’t have turned out better for the McGrath Park side.
“We were happy to get up to intermediate. Get a couple of wins. Our goal was to get those wins, stay up and avoid relegation and now we are in a semi-final.” Whelan accepts his side have appeared from the long grass.
“The final is a bonus and the way I look at it all the pressure is on Carlow Town,” he says and while he has great respect for the opposition, he will be rooting for his Bagenalstown Gaels at the weekend.
“It would be great to have Carlow Town up senior but we are looking to progress at intermediate too and push lads to improve and get a bit stronger. We are all training together and there is good banter between the older lads and the younger lads.” And so something will have to give on Saturday. Bagenalstown Gaels have improved since the two sides last met on a warm day in McGrath Park. Carlow Town got the drop on their rivals in the second half at the business end of the contest. Now they have to do it again against a side who will be well aware that any further lapses will be punished. It is still hard to see Carlow Town lose their 100% record here.
Carlow Town
