Well I said I’d start a new thread for the coming season.
Things are kicking off in Limerick this weekend with the start of the senior football championship. I’ve posted my previews below that I put up another site (not that anyone here will be too interested in it!)
When are your own championships kicking off?
[B]Group 1
Monaleen V Drom[/B]
Hard to know what to expect in this one. Drom are coming off the back of a very long year and the enthusiasm and focus may not be 100% with them yet. But if it was even 85 - 90% they should have enough to dispose of Monaleen.
Monaleen were shocking in the couple of games I saw them in last year and were lucky not to be relegated. Again the stories are coming out this year that they are flying in training and with Ger Lawlor back in charge I would believe it, but I’ll give the nod in this one to Drom. They should have too much all over the pitch for the city boys to handle. Drom.
St Senans V Fr Caseys
This has the potential to be the game of the weekend. Two good strong senior sides who both made the semi finals last year. I’m not sure that Senans preparations have been going all that well this year and they also have Ian Ryan and Andrew Lane on the injury list which is a massive blow to any team to have players of that calibre missing.
Fr Caseys should be close enough to full strength and have power and pace all over the pitch. There forwards are well able to score and I think this may be the difference between the sides. Fr Caseys.
Ballylanders V Hospital
The question is “By how much?” I’m probably doing Hospital a dis service but they must have been cursing there luck when the draw was made for this year championship. They have struggled badly in recent years and it is hard to see where they will find to goods to beat the finalists of the past two years. Ballylanders.
Group 2
St Kierans V Pallasgreen
St Kierans haven’t made much of an impression in recent years and have been lucky to avoid the drop on occasions. That said they have a decent side with plenty of good players, none more so than Johnny McCarthy and Jim Donovan. This mid field partnership could be where this game is won and lost. They also have new recruit in the form of Gary Thompson from Laois (know anything about him MBB?) at center forward who is an imposing presence and defences could find him a handful. Kierans probably have enough elsewhere around the pitch to get the better of Pallasgreen.
Pallasgreen are generally slow starters to the year and the stories I am hearing again this year that training hasn’t been going great for them so far. But that said you couldn’t write them off as you know what you’ll get with Pallasgreen regardless of when you play them and that’s tough, hard honest football. They have a few county lads who should be flying it but I think Kierans may just prove too much too soon for them. St Kierans.
Adare V Ballysteen
The old versus the new. Adare have there or there abouts in the senior championship for the past 5 years and it was only pure misfortune that cost them a place in the knockout stages last year. They are a quality football side will fancy themselves to put it up to Drom and Ballylanders this year. They will be happy with the group they have and looking to pick up early points before the hurling takes off in earnest. They will be without Conor Fitzgerald who had a shoulder operation recently but will be ably serviced by likes of the Lavins, Aidan O’Rahilly and Mikey Lyons.
Ballysteen on the other hand are playing their first senior championship game in many years following last years promotion from intermediate. A solid young side who play a nice open brand of football that should be well suited to senior football. That said they would need to be at there very best to worry this Adare side. They will be without Maurice Carrig and Pa Ranahan, both injured while on county duty, so they will be looking to Shane Gallagher and Raymond Hayes to lead the way.
It should be a good game but the experience of Adare should tell in the end. Adare.
Newcastle West V Claughan
Newcastle West go into this off the back of a draw with Drom in the West Senior Championship last weekend so things seem to going well for them. They should have too much fire power for a Claughan side who haven’t trouble the latter stages of the championship in a few years. NCW.
