Closest Premier Division in years in store 

The Carlow League held a launch night for the new season last week in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow. The night started off with an address from Chairman, Noel Jordan before Vice Chairman Bernard Mullen announced a new sponsorship deal with JF Sports, which will see them provide new jerseys for the Oscar Traynor squad and footballs. Noel Jordan and Jason Farrell signed the contracts The draw for the KCLR Carlow Shield was made then. After this, The Nationalist was invited to talk to all the clubs present about the season ahead. It’s going to be an interesting season ahead with a lot of twists and turns to come with The Nationalist Premier Division expected to be the tightest it’s been in years.

Crettyard are defending Nationalist Premier Division champions and will not be giving up their title without a fight. Manager Cristoir Maher said that they’d added 3 or 4 to the squad and that whilst they have a small squad that can be a blessing in that he’s using the same group of players week in, week out who all know each other. It’s Maher’s second year in charge of the team and captain Jack Brady stressed that the fact he’s not new anymore is a huge plus to the side as they know what they’re getting and know their roles in the team and it should be easier to hit the ground running. He said that they’re all working hard in pre-season and buying into what Maher wants to do. He spoke about the importance of a strong start and stressed that their home form is key. He added that keeping clean sheets is going to be the most important thing they can do as they struggled to score goals last year, something he’s eager to change going into this season. They have a strong squad and Maher will always get the best out of them and they know how to win and grind out results, but their goals tally may come back to haunt them in the end. Lee Salter is apparently back fit and playing for the Crettyard Over 35’s. If he can get fit enough to play for the junior team, and can hit the type of form he did in his prime then he will be a handful and will boost them tenfold, but there is the fear that coming back from a big injury like that which has kept him out for so long he may not be the same player again.

New Oak didn’t lose a game last season and will be hungry to go and win back the league title that they lost last season after winning the last four before it. Assistant Manager Eddie Shaw says they haven’t signed anybody yet, they are welcoming back Conor Byrne and Lee Murphy. That experience in the middle of the park will be huge and will be a huge asset to them, and may help them get over the line. Shaw stressed that the league is their priority. It’s hard to look past them even without any new signings, because of the quality of the squad that they have. The only concern is their lack of an out and out striker, but when you have players like Dean Kelly, Roy Byrne, Lee Walker and Jordan Harmon, then you’re well covered in the goal scoring department, whilst Jamie Murphy who finished the season in the 9 role, is also liable to chip in with a few goals. They will undoubtedly be favourites to reclaim their league title.

St. Pat’s manager, Patrick Brennan is in the third year of his tenure at The Meadows. It’s the third year of the project there. Before he took over, the club only just stayed up, finishing second from bottom. He’s transformed their fortunes though, finishing second and third in the league and reaching the Carlow Cup final last season. However, they’ve still been a long way off winning it. They also only have one win in two seasons against New Oak and Crettyard. He said it’s imperative that they get over the line now, admitting that they overachieved in the first year, and that he felt he made some mistakes last season and says this has to be their year. They’ve lost a few quality players, starting players but he insists that they have strengthened too, that they’ve upgraded in every position, and signed some quality players that were wanted by everyone, that they are seasoned outside competition winners that looked for them and came to them because of what they’re trying to do. “It’s time to put a trophy in The Meadows,” was his quote. Without seeing the squad and the players it’s hard to say or judge, but if the new additions are as good as what Brennan says, then Pat’s will be right in the mix again. Can they get over the line and win the league? It’s hard to say. They’ll almost certainly win something, but whether they can keep the consistency throughout the season is another thing. They’ll be there, thereabouts again, that’s for sure. Interestingly when asked about his thoughts on who he thinks his biggest competition would be, Brennan said themselves, that he believes they are the biggest obstacle in the way of their own success. It’s hard to look beyond these three teams for the league title this season.

Bagenalstown were promoted two seasons ago and had a great breakthrough season last season, finishing fourth place. However, the loss of Danny Doyle is going to be huge, and Robbie Kane is on his way out too, as heads to North End. Those were two of Bagenalstown’s most important players, with 26 of their 32 goals coming from the pair. With those losses, it’s hard to see Bagenalstown doing as well as they did last season. They should still have enough to survive but may struggle to reach the same heights. Manager Murt O’Mara has said that 5-6 of their youths squad from last season have made the step up and are involved from the start whilst they’ve also gotten some guys back in who haven’t been playing. O’Mara did say that they are just looking to consolidate. A top half placement would be a successful season for Town, but that may be tricky. They are defensively solid which will be a help, with Andrew Kane the heartbeat of the side, surely an Oscar Traynor call up this season is on the horizon for him.

Parkville were dark horses last year, beating New Oak in the Shield final, but apart from that, struggled, in the league in particular. They finished fifth and didn’t beat anybody higher than them. They did have two draws, one against Crettyard and one against Bagenalstown. When they beat New Oak and Crettyard in the Shield last season early in the season, there was hope that it could be a big season for them but consistency in selection seemed to be an issue as they struggled to get the same team out for various reasons. They have added 2-3 players to an already big squad, so if they can get some consistency in team selection, they have a good chance at being the best of the rest. With a goal difference of -4, that suggests that they were always there, thereabouts and were always in games, Manager, Podge Rooney did say they are looking for progress and to add another trophy this season. Parkville have always been a cup team so that’s a realistic ambition for them.

Hanover were in transition mode last season. Since they won the league in 2018 they’ve struggled down the bottom end of the table. Last season represented a fresh start for the team, with a great mix of experience and youth. It was a good start. Secretary Pa Dowling is realistic and says it’s about progress, he knows the situation that the team is in and that they aren’t in a position to challenge for the league. He says that progress is important though, that the team is young and that they made a lot of individual errors last year and he’s hoping that they can just improve on last season and build on that. Aaron Cunningham Burke is one to watch and is definitely the star in what is a very talented squad. There’s a big future for the squad, a top half finish would represent an achievement, something that is well within their grasp, they were only three points off last season and only for an illegal player being played against Kilree in their final game, they would have made it.

Vale Wanderers are under new management this season, as Billy Nolan takes the helm. Billy was Assistant Manager to Patrick Brennan at Crettyard for a few years and has experience at the highest level. He took over the Crettyard B team for a while and was key to getting Baltinglass promoted from Division Two last season. He’s a great man manager and his experience at Crettyard will be a huge advantage. Club man, Kieran Collins who served as Assistant Manager last season says that the lads have bought into what Billy wants to do. He did say they are aiming for a top three finish, which seems ambitious, given the strength of New Oak, Crettyard and Pat’s. It would require a huge restructure to do that. It’s not impossible, Pat’s did it a couple of seasons ago but right now it seems like it might be an uphill task. There’s no reason with time that they can’t get up there, but right now it seems too steep a climb. Collins did say that shoring up the defence will be key, and that having consistency at the back will be key. They do have threats in the side, Sean Smithers in particular will be key, but their defence does need work. They conceded the most goals in the league of anybody last season. Their goals tally shows that they scored as many as Crettyard who won, so if they can shore up their defence they will have a big season, but a top three position may be a bridge too far.

Kilree had it tough last season. They struggled massively, only scoring 12 goals all season. A large contingent of the team is made up of older, experienced players with very little youth in there. They had finished fifth the season before so seeing them struggle last season was odd. They did have to give a walkover at times and their squad isn’t the biggest. Micko Salter is a local man and has been over Kilree for a number of years, and knows the club inside out. If anybody can get something out of them, it’ll be him. Expect them to struggle again this season though, and possibly even go down. The club is doing great work behind the scenes with juvenile teams and in a few years there will likely be a pathway into the senior team, but this season it may well be a struggle for them again. Mick Murphy will be a big loss to them in the middle of the park.

Killeshin had a difficult season last season where they finished last place after a decent season two seasons ago. They have a new manager in with Greg Sykula taking the reigns and Eric Molloy giving him a hand. Sykula struggled in his one season at Vale, so it’s hard to know how they’ll do. Sykula is aiming for a top half finish, whilst Sean FitzPatrick said that he doesn’t expect Killeshin to be in a relegation battle, that Greg coming in has given them a lift. They haven’t signed anybody, which is a concern, a goalkeeper in particular was necessary with Brian O’Regan heading back home. A lot will rely on Adam Steed who will be the key man for them once again but he needs help and can’t do it all on his own, whilst Evan Lowry also has a lot of potential. They have the players to be comfortably mid-table but it’s about if they can all click together, whilst consistency is going to be key, they need to have the same core every week. A big problem last season was that there was no cohesion with many players unavailable from week to week. Expect Greg to give them a lift but ultimately they may still struggle.

Burrin Celtic got promoted from Division One last season, pipping St. Fiacc’s to the post at the death. They have a very young squad, an exciting one at that, which undoubtedly has a big future ahead. At home, on a Saturday night out in The Valley, it is going to be tough to beat them and they will give some Premier sides a run for their money. However, their away form is what will decide the fate of their season. They are aiming to hold their own in the Premier as Assistant Manager, Craig O’Reilly said, but they may find it difficult. They maybe lack a bit of experience and the Premier Division may be a bridge too far for them. Teams will not look forward to going out there and a few decent results at home should be enough for them to survive and build going forward, but be under no illusions that it will be tough. Shane Duffy is the man to watch and if he can have a big season and score a handful of goals, Burrin will do well. They will be a team to watch and should hold their own in the Division with a few new additions to the squad.

In the lower leagues, St. Fiacc’s will be the heavy favourites for Division One. They fell just short last season and will be looking to make amends for that. They have also strengthened, manager Pete Dorgan expressed how they’ve brought players back who have played for the club in the past, saying how they want the club to feel like a village club and want local players to play. That combined with some of their successful youths squad making the step up should make them clear favourites. However, don’t underestimate the likes of Dolmen and Ballymurphy who both have Premier Division experience and both are very difficult to play against at home and will be chomping at the bit to get promoted back to the Premier. Slaney Rovers will also be a huge underdog. With new manager Dominic Byrne, a former player at the club, they will be looking to have a big season. He said they’re buying in well to what he wants to do. He knows the club inside out and has experienced guys on his backroom team in Peter Kehoe and Lar Whelan. He said they’re hoping for a top half finish, but expect them to be a threat especially at home. Vale B will also be hoping to hit the ground running after promotion last season. Division Two will be difficult to call because of so many B teams being in there. Parkville B and Hanover B should do well, St. Joseph’s are back in the league this season after a two year absence due to being unable to fulfil fixtures and will likely be looking to make their presence felt.