Their Senior âReservesâ have the Reserve Championship won.
They also have a Junior team.
I will let @Aloysius explain the difference between the Reserve team and Junior team but my understanding is the top 50 players in the club would float between the Seniors and Senior Reserves while the Juniors are a separate entity.
Weâre all due one of those moments pal. Only for a prick like me picking up on it
The brain is like a house. New, recent information is mere clutter, cheap tat from China you have no attachment to.
Information from 1991 is like the cherished family table. You never throw that out.
Yes. The Juniors are typically the third team. Davy Harte is still going strong for them. Think he must be the only member of the 2005 and 2008 AI winning team playing ball.
Every club can field a reserve team and it mirrors the league they play in so senior and reserve have the same teams participating in them. Same for junior and intermediate.
Errigal, Cookstown and Omagh would then also field additional teams in the Junior league and Championship.
Loughmacrory v Errigal
Edendork v Donaghmore/Carrickmore
Statement win for Donaghmore this with a tanking of Carrickmore in the replay. Youâd fancy then v Edendork in the semi.
Errigal are the only team left to win the OâNeill Cup more than once. Loughmacrory and Donaghmore with one championship each and Edendork with none.
Fergal Logan is also currently over them.
A 17 point win in a replay - there might not be much quality in it but Tyrone is still a fascinating championship in its own way.
Reminiscent of when Tyrone drew with Down in 2003 then beat them by 37 points in the replay.
Quarter final in the DSH championship this weekend with double headers in Parnell on Saturday and Sunday. Iâve already alluded that there are 4 clear favourites here but we will go through the runners and riders in any case.
On Saturday Cuala play Whitehall. Cuala topped their group unbeaten with some of the old guard still rolling. Sean Moran has been the most impressive player all championship and looks like he was 8/10 years ago. Colm Cronin adds some ballast up front. A few younger lads too are playing well like Conal O Toole at 14, Aodan English in defence and Conor Groarke everywhere he is put. Donal O Shea has found his groove in midfield. They are supplemented by a solid core of Sen A standard player. Whitehall on the other hand, carry a lot of sub standard players at this level and have gotten here on the back of 4/5 SIC standard players in Dara Grey, Sean Moran, Lee Gannon and especially Eoghan O Donnell at 14. The word is EOD is out and that will take away their main scoring outlet. Jamie Rafferty has impressed at midfield for them but I think Cuala will easily expose their weak links and win by 10/12 points at least.
In Saturdays 2nd game Kilmacud face Brigids. Kilmacud also topped their group unbeaten and used a lot of players in the process. They have an abundance of attacking talent but sorting their defence is the issue. Conal O Riain has been stationed in the half back line in recent games. Brigids are like Whitehall depending on a few standout players to get them through. They depend hugely on Cian O Sullivan and Paul Winters for about 80% of their scores. Alan Nolan in goals is usually the most effective assister for the two mentioned. Their half back line is also solid with Andy Dunphy, Cathal Doyle and Clare import Jack Hannon a solid unit. However they will have enough to do stopping their direct opponents not to talk about tagging deep Crokes runners and a porous full back line. Crokes by 10+ here also.
On Sunday last years beat finalists Lucan face surprise package Erins Isles. This is massive bonus territory for the Finglas men who played in the 3rd tier two years ago. They are led by county man Conor Donoghoe at 6 with his brother Mikey at 14. Ollie Gaffney is a very skilful forward as is Conor Berrigan who must be the smallest senior forward in the country. In goals Adam Langan has impressed with his monster PO. The supporting cast are limited but empty themselves every day. If Lucan got the same die with your boots on commitment from all their players that I alluded to, then they would not be still waiting for a first county title. They have oodles of talent that have represented Dublin but the team doesnât always play to the sum of their parts. Killian Costello though has really impressed at 11 this year. He is only 19 but looks a step ahead of all the young talent they have produced. Paul Crummy mixes the sublime with the junior B but will get a few scores. Charlie Keher is a solid wing forward but there are too many other funky forwards. They should have enough class against this Isles outfit with an 10+ winning margin here.
The final game of the weekend pitches Na Fianna against St Judes. Judes pulled off a houdini winning their last two group games to qualify. They have been led up front by a resurgent Danny Sutcliffe and Callum Graham who is lightening quick and a real eye for goal inside. Conor Nolan and Johnny Carty are two tidy wing backs. Judes have competed at the business end of minor championships in recent years and some of this talent is filtering through. NaF have played a lot of lads in this championship and despite losing with 14 men vs Crokes the last day out, could have won if more accurate with their goal attempts. Donal Burke is still out injured but they possess a fair array of attacking talent while their defence is full of old dogs for the hard road. I think Judes will give them plenty of it bouyed by their recent form but NaF to win by 5/6.
Any predictions for the weekends Carlow hurling finals @ChairmanDan? MLR v St Mullins games take on a life of their own but Iâm opting for MLR. When St Mullins turned them over in the 2024 replay there was the mitigating factor of an early red card. Rangers had thrown a 4 point lead in the last couple of minutes of the drawn final. Bagenalstown took them out in 2022 before St Mullins accounted for them in the final. So really itâs 2019 since St Mullins beat 15 man MLR in a county final and Iâm fairly sure they only had 14 themselves on that occasion. Itâs a long time now since Rangers have won a game of note in Leinster and Iâd say they have designs on changing that this year. St Mullins are admirable in the extreme but possibly a microcosm for Carlowâs problems down the line as all of their best players are 30+ or at least 25+. It would be interesting to see how both would equate to Wexford senior hurling. Theyâd surely be quarter-finalists anyway and semi-finalists for MLR. Ballinkillen and Bagenalstown probably intermediate and Myshall clinging on to that standard. Naomh BrĂd would be an average Intermediate A team in Wexford at best Iâd imagine.
The Intermediate final should be a cracker too. A real 50-50 game between Carlow Town and Burren Rangers who were only formed in 2015. Carlow Town won when the sides met in the group and had a much more serene semi-final win against Bagenalstownâs 2nd team while Burren just pipped MLR B by 3 points. Maybe the tougher game will stand to them but I have an inkling that Carlow Town will edge a tight one. Thereâs talk of their inter-county footballer John Phiri being lured over to play AFL. Be a colossal loss to his football club Askea in the Junior A. Apparently the Carlow county board may promote both either way and go to an 8 team SHC next year.
Rangers beat St Mullins by 24 points in group stages. St Mullins were considerably underpowered in early games, missing their Big Two of Mouse and James Doyle amongst others. St Mullins were beaten by Ballinkillen by 9 points in group stages but with a full hand in semi final hammered Ballinkillen by 16.
This is the 13th final meeting since 2006. Rangers have won 7, St Mullins 5. The underdog has probably won more than the favourite across those 12 meetings. They take on a life of their own. Rangers warmish enough favourites going in tomorrow. Iâd expect them to win, as do most people, but you wouldnât be surprised if St Mullins manage to pull it off.
Iâd take Carlow Town to win the intermediate.
I didnât realise Raheny were relegated from senior football last weekend. I thought it was a relegation semi-final type affair. What a disaster! Whoâs managing our senior football & hurling sides this year @Domhnach_Cearnach?
I thought they had to play whitehall to see who goes down, unless 2 go downâŚ
Two go down
Thatâs what I thought but the club notes say theyâre consigned to senior 2 next season after the Lucan defeat. Maybe theyâre incorrect?
Edit: @Fat_Pox confirms theyâre down.
Two Laois clubs who would see themselves as Tier 1 teams go head to head the next day to secure their senior status.
The Heath (10 titles) will battle Graiguecullen (13 titles) for senior status next year.
Trust me here, slipping to Intermediate isnât optimum, your level are struggling and the sharks youâre now swimming with are actually piranhaâŚ.
Two clubs at fuck all
The Heath were relegated a few years ago too werenât they? Came straight back up. Given the underage success Graiguecullen had then it would be a kick in the teeth for them to go down. It would give them the chance to win a county title next year at least. On the topic of Laois clubs I saw an Annanough football at training recently. Itâs gone through a few temporary homes since then on the practice match circuit Iâd imagine.
They were and came back up immediately. Itâs between them and Graigue now in the relegation final. I donât recall Graigue having much underage success
A quick google suggests they won Minor A titles in 2015 and 2021. Theyâre usually competitive enough in the top tier of underage football arenât they?
