Final dash for knockout places gathers pace
Dylan Ruane (Michael Glaveys) and Mikey Kavanagh (Strokestown) return to senior football championship action on Sunday afternoon as Group A of the Hodson Bay Group Roscommon Senior Football Championship comes to a close. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
What a brilliant game to bring the group stages of this year’s senior championship to a close as last year’s provincial senior and intermediate football champions locks horns in Strokestown.
It’s a game both teams will relish — an opportunity to reveal where they’re really at ahead of the knockout stages.
Strokestown have kicked on from their magical run last season, and they’ve somehow managed to recharge the batteries to get themselves right for their return to the senior championship, which has procured two deserved victories so far.
A fitter, more confident Thomas Corcoran has shored up the middle third, while Shane McGinley is beginning to show signs of the form that lit up the 2024 Connacht U-20 Football Championship.
For St. Brigid’s, they received a reality check at this stage of the championship last season when they were upstaged by Michael Glaveys in Lisnamult.
But they won’t want to give further oxygen to Strokestown who look like the one team that could emerge from the chasing pack and cause a shock or two before the year is out.
Defensively, the reigning champions were very solid against Western Gaels last time out, and if they can finetune their interplay up front, then, as usual, they’ll take beating.
But a big performance is expected from Strokestown, even though it might not result in victory.
A repeat of last year’s opening round clash where Michael Glaveys came to Frenchpark and left with the spoils.
There’s far more riding on this game where the winner will head for the play-offs, while the loser will edge nearer the relegation trapdoor.
Things aren’t just clicking for Michael Glaveys at the moment but, at home, they’ll expect to rediscover some form.
Outside the Heneghans, Dylan Ruane and Conor Hussey, the overall impact isn’t strong enough, and the idea of playing in fits and starts won’t cut the mustard from here on in.
For Western Gaels, it’s familiar territory, and while they usually wait for the relegation play-offs to pull off their Houdini act, meeting a team not high on confidence gives Ger Nolan’s side the chance to buck that trend.
They were never going to be judged by what happened against St. Brigid’s, but their performance against Strokestown in the opening round was the biggest indicator that, once again, going through the relegation wringer probably offers the best hope for salvation.
If Glaveys get their act together, they should prevail.
What a difference 30 minutes of football makes.
Being second best in all departments against Clann na nGael for most of the first half left Roscommon Gaels with a mountain to climb at half time but, to the players’ credit, they scaled the summit to leave themselves alive and kicking for the remainder of the championship.
Tim Lambe, John McManus, Senan Lambe, Richard Walsh and Peter Gillooly grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, and suddenly “Mission Impossible” became very possible.
Now comes the hard part, backing up that comeback with a consistent performance over 60 minutes against a Boyle side that slipped down the pecking order in the betting for the Fahey Cup following their first-half performance against Pádraig Pearses.
The notion that Boyle were the best-placed team to challenge St. Brigid’s was music to Pearses ears, and that comfortable six-point victory has changed the landscape in terms of how Boyle should be viewed in the context of being championship contenders.
The idea of respective managers Decie Hoare and Fergal O’Donnell putting their friendship and coaching successes with Roscommon to one side to try and second guess each other is another subplot worth watching.
In a game where the winner takes second place in the group, Boyle have more to prove.
The so-called Group of Death has turned into a poorly-scripted movie — we know the ending before the film finishes.
Irrespective of what happens here, Pearses will top the group and Clann are destined for the relegation play-offs — a scenario Declan O’Flaherty and his management team hadn’t planned for, given that their final game was against their southern neighbours on home turf.
But Clann’s disastrous second-half showing against Roscommon Gaels will have rekindled a few home truths about the club’s standing in the pecking order when it comes to championship contenders.
Sometimes, tradition is no substitute for the present.
What Clann must do now is to try and get something going ahead of the relegation play-offs. In that regard, a home game against Pearses mightn’t be a bad thing but, ultimately, that will be decided by the mindset inside the dressing room.
Pearses will have no such issues with confidence, and they’ll rock up to Johnstown with the intention of inflicting further misery on their neighbours.
Jack Nevin has been a revelation for them, and with Declan Kenny, Paul Carey and Jack Tumulty doing their stuff, Niall Murray’s side will not want to let their standards drop.
A third championship meeting between these clubs in as many years, and it’s Oran that hold the upper hand following facile victories in 2024 and 2025.
But there’s every reason to suggest that this will be a closer game, given that Castlerea appear to have turned a corner.
John Curran, Dara Curran, Jamie Dowd, Liam Finneran and Kevin Hester have brought an enthusiasm to this Castlerea team that older players have responded to.
And while bridging the gap to the last Fahey Cup success in 2009 remains some distance away, at least Castlerea are now beginning to compete on a consistent basis after their county and provincial intermediate heroics in 2023.
Since winning the Jamesie Murray Cup in 2020, Oran have done well in the group stages, but can they take out a big gun in the knockout stages?
Off the back of two successive wins, Saturday evening’s tricky test will reveal more. With Colin Walsh, Tom Featherston, Ciarán Lawless, Cormac Regan and James Fitzpatrick going well, Pat Regan’s side will be looking for further reassurance that they’re on the right track.
They may well get it here to top the group, but Castlerea won’t make it easy on this occasion.
Right now, Elphin have the look of a team that have accepted their fate.
Maybe there’s a kick in the 2024 intermediate champions, but, on the basis of their opening two performances, they don’t look like a side capable of arresting their current slide.
Of course, being back in Orchard Park might stir the soul, but it’s hard to see how the Elphin defence will hold the Murtaghs, Mikey Dunne, David Rooney and company, despite St. Faithleach’s disappointing second-half showing against Oran.
For Elphin to have any chance, Aaron Brady, Gavan Murray, Austin Kielty, Shane Killoran, Cillian Fox and John Finnerty must play out of their skins, and they’ll need to take every chance to come their way.
But a Faithleach’s team on the rebound are unlikely to have much sympathy for Elphin’s plight.
A group where the only issue to be decided is whether it’s St. Brigid’s or Tulsk that end up in second place.
The form book suggests Tulsk who put their poor display against St. Dominic’s behind them with a much better second-half performance against St. Barry’s last time out.
Dylan Gaughan continues to embellish his reputation as one of the most effective wing-backs at this level, while Evan Flynn has fitted back into the team seamlessly following his return from injury.
St. Brigid’s concession of 6-16 against St. Dominic’s is something that Tulsk will have noted, and if Liam McNeill can detail a defender to tie down Daniel Keenan, who hit 1-10 against Dominic’s, they’ll be well on their way to the knockout stages.
St. Barry’s have played four halves in this championship, and they have been competitive for the first three of them.
However, it’s that second-half collapse against Tulsk that will worry them, not to mention the reality that they’ll finish bottom of the group regardless of this result.
St. Dominic’s have been motoring along nicely under Anthony Kelly. As long as they don’t get too far ahead of themselves, they should comfortably rack up a hat-trick of wins and confirm top spot in the group.
Around Ardcarne and Croghan, they might call this the El Clásico of the north, and there’s a fair bit of intrigue attached to this latest instalment.
A win, or draw, for St. Michael’s will guarantee top spot in the group, but a loss could leave them third on scoring difference on the assumption that Creggs will score heavily against Pádraig Pearses.
Once again, how both teams fared against Pearses will have little relevance. But if we’re to take it that Creggs beat Shannon Gaels by eight points and St. Michael’s, albeit they made life difficult for themselves, edged out Creggs, then James Martin’s side should hold the aces on home turf.
But, in a local derby, form will be of little relevance. Michael’s should prevail but, as tends to be the case in these games, it won’t be straightforward as recent results suggest.
The good news for every other team struggling in the intermediate championship is that Pearses’ fate seems sealed.
Outside of their results — which have seen them concede tallies of 3-15 and 3-22 in their opening two games — some of Pearses substitutions late on in senior games that appear to be in the bag, ruling those players out of intermediate action, illustrate where the focus lies.
Creggs, despite their disappointment against Michael’s, should take advantage.
Kilmore played the underdogs card to perfection against Fuerty, and the fact that everyone wrote them off played into the siege mentality that accompanied the performance of the championship so far.
So, can they back it up against Éire Óg that looked much more like themselves during their routine dismissal of St. Croan’s after their substandard effort against Fuerty in the opening round?
Brendan Greene’s side looked strong all over the field last time out, and with former Roscommon players John Rogers and Niall Daly taking coaching sessions in recent weeks, one gets the feeling that Éire Óg are investing everything in their pursuit to end 33 years of wilderness.
Kilmore will be buoyant, but Éire Óg — with Loughglynn out of commission — should make their “home” game count.
St. Croan’s are struggling, and even though being back on home turf will be some comfort to them, facing a Fuerty team with plenty to prove isn’t ideal.
It’s hard to believe that Croan’s would have coasted their way to the Junior A championship with so many absentees last season. So, trying to consolidate at intermediate level is a tough ask with so many players unavailable through injury.
Fuerty got a kick up the backside against Kilmore, and if they want to get back to being part of the conversation for this year’s championship, they need a response here.
*In the King and Moffatt Junior A Football Championship, the big game next weekend is the meeting of St. Aidan's and Ballinameen in Ballyforan to decide who tops Group A.
Western Gaels can cement top spot in Group B with a win against St. Ronan's, while Clann na nGael are already assured of topping Group C ahead of their match against Roscommon Gaels in Lisnamult.
