Intermediate Championship is as hard to call as ever

I was asked recently where the smart money was for the Auld Shebeen Athy Intermediate Football Championship. “In your pocket”, was my considered advice.

It’s a competition Forrest Gump might have referred to as “like a box of chocolates.” You never know what you’re going to get. Certainly, there were very few outside Allenwood (and possibly inside) who were predicting the re-birth of Noel Mooney’s side in last year’s competition.

Where do you start looking for potential winners in 2024? The first port of call is perhaps League results, though the absence of inter-county players for much of that is a hazard.

Still, the form of Sallins in the rarified air of Division 1 merits attention. Jonathan Daniels side came eighth with five wins and six defeats, and taking the scalps of senior teams Johnstownbridge, Moorefield and Celbridge was no mean feat.

They also narrowly missed out to Athy in a high-scoring thriller while comfortably outscoring the Division’s other Intermediate teams Leixlip and Castledermot by fifteen and eleven points respectively.

Backboned by the Daltons and Luke Killian, I liked the look of Sallins last year as well, but they ultimately fell short, losing out to Monasterevan at the Quarter Final stage.

It’s six years now since Leixlip dropped out of senior ranks and although they held their top division status, finishing three points and one place above the relegation zone, they have struggled to make much impact on the Intermediate championship.

The closest they came to returning to senior was in the year immediately after relegation, 2019, when they lost out to Monasterevan in the final. They were competitive last year but failed to get out of a tight “Winners” group, losing to Allenwood by a point and drawing with Castledermot and Sallins. They would expect to get past Kilcullen at the weekend but a return to senior status seems unlikely.

Castledermot were the third Intermediate team in Division 1 but they picked up only one win in eleven games, in the bottom of the table clash with Johnstownbridge. They are a battle-hardened championship outfit, though, who reached last year’s decider, losing by only a point to Allenwood, and they may find form again and get to the Quarter Finals at least.

Five further teams did battle in Division 2 with Round Towers the only one of those fighting it out for promotion. A young team put some good results together before missing out on a final place on scoring difference. Under Mark Scanlon, they look to be building towards a strong championship.

The remainder of the Intermediate teams in Division 2 finished in the bottom four with Rathangan and Two Mile House escaping the trapdoor but Monasterevan and St Kevin’s making the drop.

Both Two Mile House and Monasterevan were beaten semi-finalists in last year’s championship, and they’ll be looking for a bounce again.

Two Mile House may be the better placed, having retained Division 2 status and had a very progressive campaign last year, though they face a difficult Preliminary Round against Castledermot, having succumbed to Sallins at this stage last year.

Monasterevan, meanwhile, suffered a comprehensive defeat to Castledermot in their semi-final and seemed to suffer a hangover from that when dropping to Division 3. It’s difficult to see them getting to the last four this time around.

Rathangan have had a disappointing few years in the Championship and finished bottom of their Winners Group last year. The opening round pits them against struggling Division 4 outfit Suncroft, so they will expect to be in the top section again this time around, but a serious tilt at the title seems unlikely on form.

St Kevin’s also made the drop into Division 3 and they’ll have a battle royal with nearby Milltown, the Junior champions who replace them in Division 2 next year. Kevin’s did well to reach the last eight last year before losing out to Two Mile House and they’ll be targeting this weekend’s game, particularly as it comes with a guarantee of Intermediate football next year for the winners. It’s hard to see past Milltown in that one on form, though.

The remaining seven teams operated in Division 3, not particularly impressively it has to be said.

Caragh have had some very impressive performances in the Championship in recent years. A very attractive side to watch and with Ryan Burke and Darragh Swords coming back in from county duty, they only finished fifth in the league but seven wins from eleven games was not exactly a disaster. Their opening round fixture with Sallins could be the game of the weekend, a high-scoring one at that, but they may need to regroup in the Losers’ section after that.

The fate of Ballyteague, as ever, will rest to a large degree on the state of Jimmy Hyland’s hamstrings. Ordinarily the team coming down from Senior would be among the favourites but it’s hard to see them bouncing straight back on known form.

That leaves Kilcullen, Ballymore Eustace, Suncroft, Nurney and Straffan, all of whom may be looking though the trapdoor to Junior. The latter two will be out to secure their status off the bat as they meet at the weekend.

Ballymore’s decline since taking Kilcock to a replay in the final three years ago has been stark and the drop to Division 4 this year won’t have boosted their confidence. We’ll have to see if there’s a kick in them but having escaped in the relegation play-off final last year they look set to dice with danger again.

Local rivals Suncroft and Kilcullen are the other two who may struggle to stay up. It’s a long time since Suncroft were in Junior while Kilcullen climbed out three years ago.

My money’s remaining in the pocket but I’m going to plump for a Sallins v Round Towers final with a tentative vote for the former to prevail. Ballymore Eustace and Suncroft may have most to worry about in the relegation battle.

PRELIMINARY ROUND PREDICTIONS:

Thursday, Manguard Park Pitch 1, 8pm - Milltown v St Kevin’s – Verdict: Milltown 

Friday, Round Towers GFC, 8pm - Ballyteague v Monasterevan – Verdict: Monasterevan 

Friday, Kilcullen GAA, 8pm - Nurney v Straffan – Verdict: Nurney 

Saturday, Mangaurd Park, Pitch 2, 1.15pm - Ballymore Eustace v Round Towers - Verdict: Round Towers 

Sunday, Mangaurd Park, Pitch 1, 12.30pm - Rathangan v Suncroft – Verdict: Rathangan 

Sunday, St Laurences GAA, 2pm, Castledermot v Two Mile House – Verdict: Castledermot 

Sunday, Clane GAA, 2pm Kilcullen v Leixlip – Verdict: Leixlip 

Sunday, Mangaurd Park, Pitch 1, 2pm - Caragh v Sallins – Verdict: Sallins