Athy RFC face Dublin opposition in All-Ireland quarter-final on Saturday
Athy captain Craig Miller makes a last-ditch tackle last week away to Suttonians.
Athy face a daunting task this weekend as they continue their fairytale journey in the Energia All-Ireland Junior Cup.
Having pulled off a hugely impressive win away to Galway side, Tuam, in the first round, Athy were given a home draw for the quarter-finals.
Standing in their way of a place in the final four in the country are Dublin side, Suttonians.
2024/25 was a phenomenal season for Athy. It marked the Kildare club's very first campaign in Division 1A of the Leinster League and culminated with them capturing the coveted Provincial Towns Cup for the first time in over four decades.
This year presents an opportunity for Athy to go even further as they qualified for the illustrious All-Ireland Junior Cup.
Introduced in the 2005/06 season, the competition is played on a straight knockout format consisting of the top four clubs from each province.
Leinster clubs have dominated the tournament since it began, winning 12 out of 19 finals, including three-time winners Ashbourne and Tullamore, two-time winners Enniscorthy, and reigning champions Bective Rangers.
The trophy has gone to Ulster five times and Munster twice, with Connacht still in search of their maiden victory.
Athy ran in seven tries to beat Tuam 47-14 in Round 1, while Suttonians were 26-15 winners over Ballymoney in Antrim.
There is just a seven-day turn around since the last meeting of the clubs, a game that saw Suttonians beat Athy 26-19 in Dublin.
That was Suttonians' sixth consecutive win in Division 1A of the Leinster League - a result that sees them remain top of the table.
Athy have won just one of their six league games - form that has them perched precariously at second-from-bottom.
All four Leinster teams progressed to the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland Junior Cup, and like Athy and Suttonians, the other two eastern clubs have also been paired together as Wicklow travel to the capital to face Seapoint.
Likewise, Ulster's remaining two teams have been drawn to play one another as Dromore of Down take on Enniskillen of Fermanagh.
Munster and Connach each have one team left in the competition and they face off in Limerick where St Mary's host Galway side, Creggs.
