Time for big guns to unleash their firepower
BRING IT ON: Luke Glennon and his Boyle team-mates face a huge challenge against defending county senior footnall champions, Pádraig Pearses, in Enfield on Sunday next. Picture: Bernie O'Farrell
A defining game for both sides where one of the championship’s so-called “big guns” will be licking their wounds before the weekend begins in earnest.
Roscommon Gaels haven’t set the world alight after reaching last year’s final but the biggest problem for new county boss, Mark Dowd, has been getting his strongest team on the field.
John McManus, Senan Lambe, Tim Lambe, Richard Walsh and Peter Gillooly have been going well for last year’s defeated finalists but one suspects they’ll need to find another gear.
For Brigid’s, this is about redemption, and while losing to Michael Glaveys wasn’t fatal, it raised questions that, for all their talent, there might be a soft underbelly in Anthony Cunningham’s charges.
Now that they’ve received their wake-up call, one would suspect that there has been skin and hair flying around Kiltoom these past few weeks.
This is the sort of game, against seasoned campaigners, that should get the “Green and Red” back on track.
Like the cat with nine lives, Western Gaels are pushing their luck.
For as long as they care to remember, they are flirting with relegation and, perhaps, their time has come to drop down to the intermediate ranks and rebuild.
Their dependency on veterans Seán McDermott, Kevin Higgins and Cathal Cregg is unsustainable, and while goalkeeper Patrick Gaynor has been a leading light during his campaign, the conveyor belt of younger talent coming through the ranks isn’t at the pitch required for championship football at senior level.
St. Dominic’s will be disappointed to find themselves in this position, and they’ll have noted Western Gaels’ capability to pull a big performance out of the bag when it’s least expected.
Jack Lohan's expected loss to a shoulder injury is a blow. But, despite three defeats in the group stages, they look the better bet to avoid the drop.
A repeat of last year’s quarter-final, which Strokestown won by seven points without pulling up any trees.
While Creggs have some momentum coming into this game on the back of last Saturday’s comfortable victory against Shannon Gaels, it’s difficult to see the result being much different this time around.
In four championship games, Creggs have scored 6-56, of which Ronan Dowd has contributed 1-29.
Strokestown will feel that by keeping tabs on the Creggs full-forward, they will be halfway towards another semi-final appearance.
Last year’s defeated finalists have plenty of match-winners of their own up front in the form of Colin Compton, Shane McGinley and Diarmuid McGann, and that greater spread of firepower should get them over the line.
Tulsk have been pretty much flawless so far, although Creggs asked Liam McNeill’s side some questions last time out.
Fuerty have blown hot and cold, but with Athleague and Tremane out of the hurling championship, they will have enjoyed some quality time on the training paddock.
But it’s hard to look beyond the Tulsk juggernaut, and with a potential county semi-final against Strokestown in the pipeline, the O’Gara Cup champions will know what’s required here.
Captain Tadhg O’Rourke has been excellent, while Dylan Gaughan, Thomas O’Rourke and Daniel Connolly are going well. However, Padraig Scott is a loss through injury.
Fuerty will look to Darragh Heavey, Philip Neilan, Eoin Ward, Niall Keenan, Tadhg Lyons, Colin Murray and Gearoid Ennis to spring a surprise, but a shock seems unlikely.
Kilbride proved against Shannon Gaels that they’re improving after a difficult start, although they remain aggrieved that this fixture was postponed by two weeks.
Pádraig Pearses will not want to end up in a relegation final against Barry’s, but their struggle for scores, outside of Emmett Kelly and Seán Fahy, means that their defensive solidity will only take them so far.
If Kilbride can channel their sense of injustice in the proper manner, albeit they now enjoy home advantage, they can survive.
Just like 12 months ago, Pádraig Pearses find themselves immersed in the box office tie of the quarter-finals.
While they were able to stun warm championship favourites St. Brigid’s last year, they’ll need to go deeper into the well to dump an in-form Boyle side out of the championship.
Pearses don’t look as solid defensively as they did, but, under the new rules, which team have figured out a formula that limits space to opposing forwards? Very few.
It’s the leadership and calmness Niall Daly, Conor Daly and Niall Carty have brought to their defensive sextet over the years that will be missed, and when the Pearses rearguard are under the pump here — which is inevitable given the calibre of the Boyle attack — their presence will be as sorely missed as it has at any time this season.
On the plus side, Eoin Colleran, Declan Kenny, Seán Canning and Paul Carey are flying it in attack, while Conor Ryan will try and engineer an edge at midfield.
For Boyle, this is the game they have been waiting for — the one to determine whether this group of players can take a giant leap forward towards ending the club’s historic senior football championship famine.
In 2023, when Boyle edged out Pearses in the county semi-final, former manager Cian Smith that it was always a good day for his club when they managed to get the better of a team the southern side of Tulsk crossroads.
If they can break even at midfield, their firepower in attack suggests that the maroon and white will be dancing at that same crossroads next Sunday evening.
Let’s be honest — there should only be one winner here, which will be music to Elphin’s ears.
Nigel Dineen’s side have been written off all year, and yet they’re in the last eight with nothing to lose.
Gavan Murray, Shane Beirne and John Rattigan are going well in defence. Shane Killoran and Nessan Lenehan are capable of holding their own around the middle, and with the industry of Cathal Enright supplementing the firepower of Evan Gunn and John Finnerty, Ephin will be eyeing up an upset.
Throw in goalkeeper Aaron Brady’s accuracy from long-range frees and Elphin will have a few tricks up their sleeve to ruffle Clann’s feathers.
But there will be a no holds barred inquest around Johnstown if Clann na nGael lose this game.
Their opening half performance against St. Faithleach’s was electric, and yet if Tom Lennon hadn’t made a goal-saving block in the final ten minutes to prevent the Ballyleague men from eroding a 16-point half-time deficit to just four, anything could have happened.
So it’s getting back to the performance levels of the first 30 minutes against Faithleach’s, where Ciarán Lennon landed 1-11, that will be top of manager Pat Fallon’s “to do” list this weekend.
Clann’s injury list has been lengthy, and whether Ultan Harney, Oisín Lennon, Feargus Lennon and Graham Pettit are risked this weekend remains to be seen.
Still, there’s enough quality within the South Roscommon side’s ranks to get the job done, as long as they don’t take their opponents for granted.
A game both sides will fancy their chances of winning on Oran's pristine new pitch, which will be officially opened by Seán Mulryan 24 hours earlier.
Both teams have been a breath of fresh air in this year’s championship, and while St. Faithleach’s slipped up last time out against Clann na nGael, there was probably a feeling within Ballyleague ranks that the job was done after opening round victories against Pádraig Pearses and St. Dominic’s.
Once again, it will be the “usual suspects” that will try and get Faithleach’s over the line — the Murtagh brothers, Darren Nerney, David Rooney, Connell Kennelly and Johnny Hussey. Cian Glennon is having a fine championship, while Mickey Dunne made an impact off the bench the last day.
Glaveys walked on water during the group stages, fine-tuning their artillery against Western Gaels and Elphin before unleashing their slingshot with superb accuracy against Brigid’s in what was one of the great upsets of the county senior football championship in recent years.
Crucially, their key players are leading the way — the Heneghan brothers (Niall, Darragh and Cathal), cousin Robert, Dylan Ruane and Shane O’Malley — so much so that Andy Glennon's transfer to Garrymore in Mayo hasn't affected them.
But they’ll be the favourites here, and it will be interesting to see how Iain Daly’s charges cope with that burden.
Given that they could have drawn Tulsk and Strokestown, Kilmore will be delighted to have a North Roscommon derby to look forward to.
But such a prospect will also have St. Michael’s rubbing their hands in anticipation this week.
It has been a good championship for James Martin’s charges, and while it took them some time to get going against St. Barry’s — off the back of going into the lion’s den of Creggs and winning — they were comfortable winners against last year’s Junior A champions, although goalkeeper Shane O’Dowd being their top scorer against the Tarmonbarry-based side does raise a few red flags.
But, without the injured Paul Garvey, Kilmore look likely to struggle. As ever, their heart and desire won’t be found wanting, but St. Michael’s look like the team in form.
A game Éire Óg will be expected to win, but one they need to be careful of in terms of not taking the opposition for granted, especially as they can probably see a clear path to the final with St. Michael’s and Kilmore on their side of the draw.
St. Brigid’s are capable of troubling any team, and with their third and fourth teams out of the reckoning for championship honours at junior level, they may be capable of finding a new player or two that Éire Óg weren’t expecting to feature.
Regardless, Luke Griselain, Michael Sugrue, Mark Daly, Padraig Kelly and Daniel Meeley will take watching.
Éire Óg are in decent shape, but their dependence on Conor Cox for scores remains an issue.
Captain and goalkeeper, Colm Lavin, Denis Barron, Ronan Cahill, Enda Crawley and Jason Doory have been going well, and their overall package should be good enough to get the job done.
