Intermediate Championship as wide open as ever
Sallins and St Laurences will be two of the strong contenders in this year's Intermeduate Championship Photo: Sean Brilly
The newly named National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Football Championship is renowned for it’s unpredictability and it would appear to the same again this year. RICHARD COMMINS tries to make sense of this week’s preliminary round ties.
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 1, Thursday 7.45pm
Manager: Johnny Donnelly
IFC Titles: 2 (last in 1972)
Five Year Record: 2020 Third in Group 2021 Relegation Final 2022 Relegated 2023 JFC Winners 2024 Semi-Final
Manager: Jim McHugh IFC Titles: 4 (last in 2019) Five Year Record:
2020 SFC Relegated 2021 Prelim Quarter-Final 2022 Quarter-Final 2023 Semi-Final 2024 Prelim Quarter-Final
Two teams who appear to be going in very different directions meet in the opening game of this year’s National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Football Championship. The sides were in the same Losers’ Group in last year’s competition, with Milltown’s 0-13 to 0-8 win over Thursday’s opponents paving the way for them to top the group and ultimately reach the semi-finals, just one year on from winning the Junior title, Monasterevan fell to Ballyteague in the Preliminary Quarter-Final.
The steady rise of Milltown continued, under the management this year of Ellistown’s Johnny Donnelly, in the League, where they won promotion to Division 1, although Johnstownbridge emphatically lowered their colours in the final. Monasterevan are missing several of their better-known players these days and finishing bottom of Division 3 with only one win from eleven attempts doesn’t augur well for their chances here.
MILLTOWN
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 1, Saturday 2pm
Manager: Brian McGrogan
IFC Titles: 3 (last in 2022)
Five Year Record: 2020 Quarter-Final 2021 Quarter-Final 2022 Winners 2023 SFC Relegated 2024 Quarter-Final
Manager: Christy Bolger IFC Titles: 5 (last in 1998)
Five Year Record: 2020 Relegated 2021 JFC Winners 2022 Third in Group 2023 Prelim Quarter-Final 2024 Third in Group
Ballyteague would have been hoping to bounce back at the first time of asking last year after a brief one-year sojourn in the Senior grade, but they only scraped through to the Preliminary Quarter-Final in third place in a Winners’ Group and although they overcame Monasterevan they couldn’t account for Leixlip in the last eight. As always, the fitness of Jimmy Hyland has an over-bearing impact on their chances, and it looks like he will be out of action at least for the start of their campaign. They struggled in Division 3 of the League, finishing eighth.
Kilcullen have struggled to make much of an impact on Intermediate football since winning the Junior title in 2021, progression to the Preliminary Quarter-Final two years ago representing their best campaign to date. Another team who struggled at the lower end of Division 3 this year. Ballyteague were comfortable winners by ten points when the sides met in March, and they may have the edge again here.
BALLYTEAGUE
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 1, Saturday 3.45pm
Manager: Mark Scanlon IFC Titles: 2 (Last in 2016) Five Year Record:
2020 SFC Quarter-Final 2021 SFC Prelim Quarter-Final 2022 SFC Relegated 2023 Quarter-Final 2024 Quarter-Final
Manager: David Murphy/Mark Fitzharris IFC Titles: 2 (Last in 2008)
Five Year Record:2020 Third in Group 2021 Quarter-Final 2022 Relegation Final 2023 Quarter-Final 2024 Quarter-Final
Round Towers will be among the favourites, as they have been each year since relegation from Senior in 2022. But they bowed out at the last eight stage in each year since and last year’s shock reversal to local rivals Rathangan will have stung. They had a decent League campaign in Division 2 but just lost out on promotion to Milltown on the head-to-head rule. Towers have some good youngsters coming through, with Jay O’Brien having impressed with his scoring exploits for the Kildare under-20’s having had a couple of good championships with his club.
They face tricky Preliminary Round opponents, however, in a St Kevin’s side who joined them in qualifying from Group B last season, taking the scalp of Castledermot and drawing with Ballyteague. They lost convincingly to Towers, however, by 2-11 to 0-6, and bowed out to Milltown at the Quarter Final stage by seven points. Kevin’s were in good form in Division 3, having been edged out of promotion by Ellistown and Caragh, and won’t hand anything on a plate to Towers, though the Kildare Town side should take the spoils.
ROUND TOWERS
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 1, Saturday 5.30pm
Manager: Gavin Holligan IFC Titles: 4 (last in 2000) Five Year Record:
2020 Relegation Semi-Final 2021 Prelim Quarter-Final 2022 Prelim Quarter-Final 2023 Relegated 2024 JFC Winners
Manager: Noel Mooney IFC Titles: 1 (1980) Five Year Record:
2020 SFC Third in Group 2021 SFC Quarter-Final 2022 SFC Prelim Quarter-Final 2023 SFC Relegation Final 2024 SFC Relegated Sometimes you need to take a step backwards to move forwards and St Laurence’s need only look at Ellistown’s upturn after being relegated to Junior ranks two years ago. With fewer sharks in those waters, Ellistown were able to blood a few younger sprats and, a little under the radar, progressed to the final where they accounted for a fancied Kill. A decent run in Leinster added to their experience bank and they hit the ground running this year, topping Division 3 ahead of Intermediate champions Caragh before losing out to Michael Browne’s side after a hard-fought final. Pat Martin, the Donnellys, Leo Lennox and the Watsons are serious operators who will trouble Larries.
The Narraghmore outfit saw 44 years of Senior football come to a full stop last season but like their opponents they had a very progressive league, though in their case they were in the stormy waters of Division 1. Impressively, they managed to retain top-flight League status with four crucial wins over Athy, Raheens and crucially, relegation rivals Allenwood and Leixlip. Like Ellistown, Larries have plenty of youngsters coming through the ranks, having reached the Minor ‘A’ final last year and the Summer Minor League Division 1 final this year. They’ll be looking to make an early statement here.
ST LAURENCE’S
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 1, Sunday 1pm
Manager: Darren Leonard
IFC Titles: 5 (Last in 2015)
Five Year Record: 2020 SFC Third in Group 2021 SFC Relegated 2022 Quarter-Final 2023 Runners-Up 2024 Fourth in Group
Manager: Tommy Cleary IFC Titles: 4 (Last in 2007) Five Year Record:
2020 Quarter-Final 2021 Third in Group 2022 Prelim Quarter-Final 2023 Third in Group 2024 Prelim Quarter-Final
What to make of Castledermot? Two years ago, they lost out by a single point to Allenwood in the final, just missing out on regaining the Senior status they last held in 2021. But last year was something of a damp squib as they finished bottom in a Winners’ Group having lost to St Kevin’s and Round Towers and drawn with Ballyteague. Their League campaign in Division 2 didn’t suggest an upturn this year, either, though wins over Senior teams Johnstownbridge, Kilcock and Confey proved enough to keep them above the relegation places.
If Castledermot’s form guide is unimpressive, Suncroft’s league season suggests a real slump. With Eoghan Lawless abroad, former county player Fionn Dowling carried a heavy burden as they finished second bottom of Division 3, with wins over Monasterevan and neighbours Nurney providing the only succour. Suncroft diced with relegation last year but, as they often do, pulled out a big performance, beating Two Mile House by nine points to send their opponents into the relegation final in their place. Recent form has been better on the challenge circuit by all accounts but anything other than a Castledermot win would be a major upset.
CASTLEDERMOT
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 2, Sunday 1.30 pm
Manager: Christy Dempsey
IFC Titles: 1 (1966)
Five Year Record: 2020 Third in Group 2021 Relegated 2022 JFC Winners 2023 Third in Group 2024 Fourth in Group
Manager: Chris Carey IFC Titles: 1 (2018)
Five Year Record: 2020 Quarter-Final 2021 Third in Group 2022 Fourth in Group 2023 Semi-Final 2024
Relegation Final Beating Nurney in last year’s Preliminary Round proved a double-edged sword for Straffan, who landed in a difficult Winners’ Group, where they promptly lost to Rathangan, Leixlip and Sallins, the latter by a sixteen-point margin. They had a decent Division 3 campaign, though, finishing fourth behind Ellistown, Caragh and St Kevin’s, and they’ll be hoping to make it into the knock-out stages for the first time since coming up as Junior champions three years ago.
Two Mile House are among the most unpredictable outfits in Intermediate football. After failing to get out of their group in 2021 and 2022, they found form to reach the semi-final in 2023, going under to Castledermot. But instead of building upon that they spiralled again last year after losing narrowly to Castledermot again in the Preliminary Round. A win against Kilcullen in their first group game saw them in a good position to reach the knockouts but defeats to Caragh and Suncroft saw them heading into a Relegation final on scoring difference. At least they stabilised in time to hold on to their status with a win against neighbours Ballymore Eustace. This year’s League was promising, with a mid-table finish in Division 2 suggesting better things ahead.
TWO MILE HOUSE
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 2, Sunday 3.15pm
Manager: David Jordan
IFC Titles: 2 (Last in 1934)
Five Year Record: 2020 Semi-Final 2021 Semi-Final 2022 Quarter-Final 2023 Fourth in Group 2024 Runners-Up
Manager: Mark Kenna/Declan Cryan
IFC Titles: 4 (last in 2001)
Five Year Record: 2020 Third in Group 2021 Fourth in Group 2022 Fourth in Group 2023 Fourth in Group 2024
Semi-Final Now then! Here’s a game to whet the appetite, between last year’s beaten finalists and semi-finalists, both of whom are operating at a high level in League football. Leixlip need little introduction, a team who have sojourned far too long in the Intermediate grade for their liking. Their moment seemed to arrive last year when making it through to the final but Storm Ashley and Caragh intervened, and a low-scoring final went against them in atrocious conditions. They’ll be among the favourites once more, and with long-range kickers of the ability of Jack Barrett and Tommy Moolick around the new rules may suit them. Relegation from Division 1 will be a blow, however.
Rathangan are a team on the up. Their shock defeat of Towers last year saw them into a semi-final with Caragh, and a late rally brought them within two points of the eventual champions in that one. Rathangan have serious talent in the Teahans, Sam Savage and Austin Donegan and they’ll give Leixlip one hell of a challenge on Sunday. Their League campaign was decent, winning seven games in finishing fourth in a highly competitive Division 2. A very tentative vote goes to Leixlip.
LEIXLIP
WHERE & WHEN – Manguard Park Pitch 1, Sunday 4.30pm
Manager: Declan Mullally
IFC Titles: None
Five Year Record: 2020 Fourth in Group 2021 Quarter-Final 2022 Third in Group 2023 Prelim Quarter-Final 2024 Third in Group
Manager: Johnny Daniels IFC Titles: 3 (Last in 2003)
Five Year Record: 2020 Third in Group 2021 Semi-Final 2022 Semi-Final 2023 Semi-Final 2024 Quarter-Final
After three losing semi-final appearances, Sallins were again many people’s tips for the title last year. This writer was sucked in too. But Sallins seem to struggle with the weight of expectation, despite many fine individual players, and when the chips were down in last year’s Quarter-Final, they couldn’t get over the line against eventual winners Caragh. Will it be different this time around? Two factors may help. Firstly, Colm Dalton has had a highly encouraging debut season with the Kildare seniors and gets better year by year. Secondly, they had a superb season in Division 1, reaching the semi-finals and taking the scalps of plenty of senior teams in doing so. Surely a final at least beckons this time around.
Opponents Nurney will have more modest ambitions as befits a team who only managed one win in the grade last season and operated out of Division 3 this year. That win against Ballymore ultimately kept them out of the relegation mire last year while this year they had a decent, if inconsistent campaign in the League, finishing sixth. They’ll likely be back in the Losers’ section come Sunday evening.
SALLINS
