Towers starting to look like the team to beat in the Intermediate Championship
Round Towers' Max Byrne Photo: Sean Brilly
While there is an obvious and outstanding favourite in the Senior Football Championship, the Auld Shebeen Athy Intermediate Football Championship remains as open as ever and going into the final round of group games this weekend there are still four or five teams who will believe they are in the reckoning to win the title but as RICHARD COMMINS looks over the upcoming games, there are signs that Round Towes are starting to establish themselves from the rest.
This group had the look of a ‘Group of Death’ about it from the time it was drawn, and it hasn’t disappointed so far. Leixlip’s two point win over favourites Sallins set the tone in round one and they followed that up with a second win by the same margin against an unheralded Straffan.
Sallins recovered from that opening defeat to beat Rathangan by six points and they’ll be odds on to win a local derby with Straffan this weekend. Stephen Kelly with 1-4 and Colm Dalton with five points spearheaded that win and you’d expect them to have too much for Straffan to move onto four points, although they’ll need to keep a close eye on former county panellist John Tracey, who weighed in with seven points last time out.
Leixlip, with Jack Barrett pulling the strings, had to weather a late storm against Straffan and were inconsistent during the League, but they’re favoured to overcome a Rathangan side who didn’t really get close to Sallins the last day, although they have some notable talent in the Teehan’s, Sam Savage and Mark Fitzsimons along with county hurler Muiris Curtin.
Wins for the two favourites, Sallins and Leixlip would leave a straightforward scenario where Leixlip and Sallins progress to the Quarter Finals with Rathangan making up the third spot and going into the Preliminary Quarter Finals.
A surprise win for Rathangan over Leixlip, coupled with a Sallins win over Straffan, would lead to a three-way tie and all that entails, on four points, at the top.
Round Towers have been the team of the Intermediate Championship to date. Time will tell whether they have peaked too early but as Brian Flanagan said during the week, momentum is crucial in sport and Towers will go into their final game with Castledermot in confident mood.
Their opponents on the other hand were well beaten by St Kevin’s in the opening group game before drawing a nail-biter with Ballyteague two weeks ago.
That draw meant Towers cannot be caught at the top of the group as only St Kevin’s can catch them on points, but Towers would prevail on the head-to-head.
Towers will want to finish the group with a 100% record, and with youngster Jay O’Brien in flying form up front it’s hard to see Castledermot getting the better of them.
Castledermot have been deploying David Keating at full-forward and would perhaps be better off with him influencing midfield proceedings. It’s not that they don’t have firepower. Both Paddy Whelan and Conor Nolan impressed against Ballyteague.
Speaking of the Larks, they are relishing a return to form and fitness from Jimmy Hyland, who scored 2-7 the last day, though the unheralded Fionn Murphy continues to do a lot of the unseen donkey work and Seamus Hanafin remains a big influence.
Their local derby against St Kevin’s is a hard one to call and if Kevin’s win, they’re through to the Quarter Finals. Mark Grace, renowned as a hurler and part of Brian Dowling’s panel, has been in fine form and they will fancy their chances. We’ll give Hyland & co. a tentative vote.
With three teams qualifying for knock-out football one scenario here is that a team with just one draw and no wins (Castledermot or Ballyteague) could qualify for the Preliminary Quarter in third spot.
When Milltown went under by eleven points to St Kevin’s in the Preliminary Round, some wondered would the gap from Junior to Intermediate prove too big for them, particularly given the age profile of their team.
They’ve answered that so far with wins over Ballymore and Monasterevan taking them top of the group and another win over Nurney this weekend guarantees them top spot and a Quarter Final place.
Nurney had a crucial win over Ballymore the last day, a late Cathal Hagney goal dramatically earning them their first win and putting them in contention for a place in the knockout stages. Andrew Behan was in good scoring form that day as well and they’ll need both of those firing on all cylinders against Milltown.
This being a Losers’ group the dreaded trapdoor into a relegation final is as much on the horizon as progression and so far only Milltown are safe with Nurney and Monasterevan on two points ahead of a Ballymore side who escaped Junior ranks five years ago.
Monasterevan were a senior side as recently as 2020 but with a number of players unavailable they have struggled this campaign. They edged Nurney by two points in the opening group game after a Preliminary Round hammering by Ballyteague but were well beaten by Milltown last time out.
Ballymore, by all accounts, have been playing better than their results show and they will consider themselves unlucky to have been sucker-punched by Nurney. With everything on the line against Monasterevan they might just get the win that could save them from the relegation dogfight.
If Ballymore and Milltown were to win, a three-way tie on two points between Monasterevan, Nurney and Ballymore would boil down to scoring difference in games between the three, with both qualification for the Preliminary Quarter Final and deciding who goes into the relegation final at stake.
Caragh were unlucky to draw many people’s Intermediate favourites Sallins in the Preliminary Round and a defeat there consigned them to a Losers’ group. But they’ve recovered well and beaten both Suncroft and Two Mile House convincingly to top the group so far.
Caragh would perhaps like to score a goal or two. Indeed, both of their group games were goalless at both ends.
Their opponents at the weekend, Kilcullen, didn’t have that problem against Suncroft two weeks ago. In their second local derby of the group, the Rags edged home on a 4-10 to 3-11 scoreline, though they almost threw away an eight-point half-time advantage. Dave Marshall (2), Dan Coughlan and Ciaran Melinn found the net for the Rags, and they’ll need those three in scoring form again to beat the Caragh men. On known form, and with Daragh Swords and Eoghan O’Haire looking impressive for Caragh this year, it’s hard to see them losing this one.
Which leaves Suncroft against Two Mile House. Suncroft have been enduring a difficult year, starting with relegation to Division 4 of the League and they haven’t broken their championship duck yet with defeats to Rathangan in the Preliminary Round, Caragh and Kilcullen.
Two Mile House have had a disappointing championship too, starting with a one-point reversal to Castledermot in the Preliminary Round. They beat Kilcullen by four to start the round robin well but could only muster five points in the defeat to Caragh.
Suncroft have a knack for pulling out a result just when they need to but with knockout qualification at stake for Two Mile House while keeping one eye on the relegation trapdoor you’d expect TMH to prevail.
Unless star men Fionn Dowling and Eoghan Lawless can pull something out of the fire, Suncroft look to be heading for a relegation final, raising the possibility of a return to Junior ranks for the first time since the 1970’s.
Venue: Manguard Park Pitch 1, Rathangan V Leixlip 12:00, Referee: Jamie Lyons
Venue: Rathcoffey, Sallins V Straffan 12:00, Referee: Ronnie Malone
Venue: Manguard Park Pitch 1, Monasterevan V Ballymore Eustace 14:00, Referee: Owen Murphy
Venue: Kilcullen, Milltown V Nurney 14:00, Referee: Paul Donnelly
Group D Venue: St Laurence's, Two Mile House V Suncroft 12:00, Referee: Ryan Moran
Venue: Manguard Park Pitch 1, Caragh V Kilcullen 12:00, Referee: Frank Delaney
Venue: Milltown, St Kevin's V Ballyteague 14:00, Referee: Niall Colgan
Venue: Manguard Park Pitch 1, Round Towers V Castledermot 14:00, Referee: Raymond Kelly
