Football semi-finals and relegation places to be decided
Ballon and Fighting Cocks will meet again in the Talbot Hotel Intermediate Championship quarter-final Photo: Pat Ahern
This is what brings supporters out every weekend. Here is a big club taking on one who continue to box above their weight. That is no disrespect to Palatine who have become seasonal championship contenders. John Murphy is an inspiration for Grange but Henry Hegarty, Shane Cormican and the Burrows Aidan and Darragh never give up and are becoming seasoned senior players.
The talent is dripping off the Palatine jerseys. The likes of current and former intercounty players such as Conor Crowley, Ciaran Moran and Craig Kearney is being supplemented by youth in Mark Buggy, Finbarr Kavanagh, Sam McHugh and Bryan McMahon.
Grange will keep Palatine honest throughout but it is hard to see the Bennekerry side failing to progress.
Palatine.
When the sides met in the group stages, the post-match talk centred on the Aaron Amond two-pointer which was given but video evidence revealed he was well inside the arc when going for what he surely thought was going to be an equalising point.
In fairness to the Bagenalstown side they quickly scotched any talk of being hard-done by. The teams were all but scheduled to meet in the knock-out and subsequent results confirmed as much. Now they are back to it again.
Old Leighlin are the holders but two wins (including the controversial final game) out of five is not championship winning form. They look a tad tired. Seamus Kinsella is their leading scorer with 0-13 from five games. Aaron Amond is on 1-9 which lags behind the top scorers in other clubs so far this season.
Paddy McDonnell and Jamie Clarke are two of the Bagenalstown Gaels dual players and they are producing for the footballers. On 1-28 from five games, Cian Doyle is probably one of the most underrated footballers in the county. If there is a mild shock this weekend, it could be here.
Bagenalstown Gaels.
Éire Óg won with a late goal when the sides met in an earlier group game. Corey Harmon, Ronan Quinlan, Dermot Lawlor and Ivan Murphy have been performing well throughout the campaign for the YIs. The Wexford border side won two games in the group and their challenge will be lead by Joe Roberts, Liam Roberts and Niall Hickey. They could overturn the group result between the teams.
Kildavin-Clonegal
The two sides drew in a group game but this year Ballon haven’t lived up to the expectations after coming so close last season. They still did enough to scrap into the knock-out stages with three points out of a possible ten. Coming up from Junior A was always going to ask questions of The Cocks. So far they have been decent rather than spectacular. Aaron Dowling, Cillian Fagan and Glen O’Rourke continue to be the Cocks score-getters. Look to Brian Maher, Evan Corr and Callum Crawford for Ballon. When it comes to a battle, thanks to their run in Leinster last season, the Cocks seem to have the edge here.
Fighting Cocks.
Both sides won three games and lost two in the group stages. What has to worry Asca is their heavy defeat to O’Hanrahans when they should have been up for it in a local derby. Palatine have had a comprehensive win over Rathvilly but in a more difficult assignment they beat Naomh Eoin by a point. Fionn O’Toole has been popping over the points for Palatine. John Phiri is Asca’s inspiration. The memory of Asca’s collapse against O’Hanrahans endures. Palatine could win here.
Palatine
The two teams met in the group stages with Naomh Eoin winning by 2-16 to 0-13. Darragh Foley continues to pull the strings for Kilbride but one win out of five in the group stages doesn’t augur well. On the other hand, the Myshall side posted three wins and will look to James Smithers, John Michael Nolan and Ben Nolan for scores.
Naomh Eoin
At the start of the season, Fenagh would have looked vulnerable but it was unthinkable that Rangers would lose all their group games. Elsewhere around the country, the likes of Loughmore-Castleiney (Tipperary) and Slaughtneil (Derry) have found a way to win senior titles in both codes but Rangers, after some valiant attempts, have been unable to do so. Fenagh have their share of dual players and they beat Rangers in their group game. With 1-28 to his credit, Fenagh will look to Padraig Hynes for their inspiration.
At least Rangers will have over two weeks before the hurling final. With that in mind, they could put in a huge effort here and could survive.
Rangers
These two sides met in their final group game with Ballinabranna edging it by a single point. The winners scored 1-1 in the final seconds but it is unlikely Clonmore will allow themselves to slip up again. Mind you they have a history of doing this so forwards Dylan Doyle, Fiac Byrne and Billy Lawlor will want to take their chances. For Ballinabranna, Bobby Daly junior and Paul Fitzgerald will have to continue their good form. It doesn’t bear thinking about that one of these sides is going down into junior football but the results speak for themselves.
Clonmore
