Tough test in store for Caragh

After a much-needed festive break, impressive Kildare and Leinster Intermediate Football champions Caragh are back in action on Saturday (4 January, 1pm) when they head to Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, Longford to face Crossmolina Deel Rovers from Mayo in the All Ireland Semi Final.

A look through the records shows just how high a wall Caragh must climb to out-perform any previous Kildare side in the competition. While six previous sides from the county have captured the provincial title, none of them have managed to take the next step with Allenwood the latest to fall just short, agonisingly so, against Cullyhanna of Armagh last year.

Indeed, no Leinster side has ever won the national competition at this grade, which has been dominated by Kerry teams of late and with the other semi-final featuring legendary Kingdom outfit Austin Stacks, thirteen times county senior champions, and Derry’s Ballinderry Shamrocks, the scale of the challenge is clear. Partly that is a structural issue, an unfair one at that, in that a county as strong as Kerry have only nine senior clubs.

As for their last four opponents, Caragh face a Crossmolina side who won four Mayo senior championships in the noughties and added the All Ireland senior crown in 2001. A bit like Austin Stacks in Kerry they would have felt out of place in the local Intermediate grade, particularly with players of the like of Jordan Flynn and Conor Loftus on board.

They got nothing easy from Moy Davitt’s in the Mayo final, however, a game that went to a replay. Indeed only a 60th minute Niall Coggins goal secured the title after a humdinger.

They had an easier task against Galway’s St Michael’s in the Connacht semi-final before Coggins was again the goalscoring matchwinner againts Roscommon’s Elphin in a low-scoring final.

Caragh perhaps don’t have players with the reputation of Loftus and Flynn, but they have shown throughout the Kildare and Leinster championships that they are a team of substance, with a well-honed style of play and a work ethic second to none. Just ask Meath Hill and Naomh Mearnóg.

Ryan Burke is the star in defence and will be deployed to keep an eye on Loftus, you’d imagine. He did a fine job on Mearnóg dangerman Karl Lynch Bissett in the Leinster final and in Matthew McNally they have another outstanding defender behind Burke. As a unit the six backs and goalkeeper Michael Behan, penalty-saving hero in Parnell Park, have been outstanding in a gallop through Kildare and Leinster that has extended to ten winning games in a row.

Particularly with Flynn’s attributes around midfield, manager Michael Browne will be hoping his walking wounded, particularly Kevin Connor, Eoghan O’Haire and Dan Lynam, can play as full a part as possible in Saturday’s game.

If they do, that can give a platform to their forward line to probe for weaknesses in the Crossmolina defence. Caragh can hit you from all angles, whether it is a route one ball into O’Haire, Connor or minor star Liam Blake or a more pinpoint low ball into a Ronan Doorey or Jake Corrigan, the scoring hero of the Leinster final.

Darragh Swords, meanwhile was the top scorer across the four provincial championships with 1-19 to his name in four games with Corrigan in third place on 3-11. They have plenty of strings to their bow.

They’ll get nothing easy but fingers crossed Caragh can scale a peak that has proved too much for any previous Kildare side.