Thereās always been issues in Bruff. A bollix of a club on every level.
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What happened there?
Management team had issues with club admin and brought their mandate to the players who apparently voted against. Madness - could derail their season now
Players backed the club over the management?
Was there some talk there of giving over the football to Banogue ?
No idea what the issues are but the manager is/was a Boddy.
I thought that has been the case at adult level for a number of years???
He was fairly solid too. He must be well into his mid 30s or older now.
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Mid 40ās Iād say!
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Thatās Dromin/Athlacca.
Bruff are junior football this year, but were intermediate last year. Itās Camogue Rovers that theyād often share players with but theyāre actually in the same group as them this year in the football.
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I would presume it would be Camogue Rovers rather than Banogue if that were to happen. Players from Bruff have played with Camogue a good bit down the years.
Didnāt think he was that old but will bow to your superior knowledge on this one. Heās been full back for them since the late noughties at least.
Yes, sorry Camogue I meant. Pretty sure they are the same parish as Bruff. Like Pallas / Knockane
You would still expect them to qualify, if they got one win out of remaining 3 they should be fine. They have NaP, Effin and the Bouncers to go yet.
Huge game for the Bouncers next weekend, if they donāt come out on top they will be under big pressure due to the head to head, and will be depending on other results.
Glenroe and NaP could be the relegation decider. Glenroe have been relegation kings the last couple of years, wouldnāt like to be facing them with their backs to the wall
43 Iād say. A good lad and a great servant to Knockaderry.
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I presume it is next weekās county board meeting when the final two rounds of the PIHC will be fixed?
There is football the weekend after this, and I believe they will both be played 2 weekends in a row following that
Thanks. Doesnāt seem to be dates up yet though, just the weekends you have outlined.
20/25 in the last round of predictions and there was a draw aswell. Not too bad but badly caught by Croomās win over Cappamore.
5/5 in Senior
4/4 Premier Intermediate
4/5 Intermediate
4/6 Premier Junior
3/5 Junior A
Weāre past the halfway point of the group stages and weāre reaching do-or-die time for clubs across the county. There are a select few who can maybe afford to rest on the laurels but for the vast majority, they need to pull something out of the bag over the next two weekends.
Senior A
Friday September 6
Kilmallock (13/8) vs Na Piarsaigh (4/7) @ 7pm in Doon
Saturday September 7
Doon (1/33) vs Mungret/St. Paulās (8/1) @ 4.30pm in Kilmallock
Friday September 13
Ahane vs Patrickswell @ 6pm in Claughaun
Kilmallock certainly werenāt overly impressive in their first couple of games but laid down a bit of a marker last weekend with a big win over Ahane. Na Piarsaigh havenāt fully got going either but a one-point loss against Doon isnāt the end of the world either. They have started to re-integrate a few players who were injured with Jerome Boylan and Will Henn back in contention. Kilmallock have also started re-introducing players such as Conor Hanley Clarke, Dan Joy and Paudie OāBrien although Graeme Mulcahy went off injured in the first half last week. But with Oisin OāReilly hitting form with 2-2 and Shane OāBrien also in goalscoring form, they seem to be setting themselves up nicely for the knockout stages. Iād still expect Na Piarsaigh to get the job done in this one. Itās one of those ones where both teams have more to look forward to down the line; Na Piarsaigh by 4.
Scandalous odds for this one really. Mungret lost both their first games by just a single point and many thought they could cause a real upset and take a scalp against Patrickswell. But they simply didnāt show up at all and were blown away by half-time, offering no resistance. Now, they surely canāt be that bad again and maybe Doon will suffer from a bit complacency but I was just so disappointed with them last weekend, thereās no way I could back them here. Doon still have a 100%, having beaten all of the other ābig fourā teams and I donāt really see them slacking off now. I donāt think it will be quite as big a margin as last week or as the odds suggest but I think Doon will have enough. Doon by 7.
Not 100% sure why the Well vs Ahane game isnāt on for another week. Football isnāt a major priority for either of these sides, even with Gary Brennan in the Ahane ranks. The Well had their doubters going in to last weekend but simply blew Mungret away. A lot of their big guns played well: Jason Gillane in goal, Nigel Foley in defence, Cian Lynch at half-forward and Patrick Kirby, Aaron Gillane and Thomas OāBrien inside were almost unmarkable. They wonāt get as much space against the likes of Evan OāLeary, Paudie Harnett and Dan Morrissey but do Ahane have the scoring power at the other end to get the win? Tom hasnāt quite hit the heights of 2023 yet when they ran the Well very very close but there were a few people tipping them to beat Kilmallock last weekend after some encouraging opening displays but youād have to say last week was a step back. Still, a win in this one and theyād very likely to be into a quarter-final at the expense of Patrickswell so thereās certainly a lot on the line. But I was impressed with Patrickswell last weekend and think they have enough class to get the win. The Well by 4.
Senior B
Thursday September 5
Kildimo/Pallaskenry (2/7) vs South Liberties (11/4) @ 6.30pm in Ballybrown
Friday September 6
Dromin/Athlacca (13/8) vs Monaleen (4/7) @ 6.30pm in Cappamore
Adare (3/1) vs Ballybrown (1/4) @ 7pm in Mick Neville Park
We got back on track with a win over Dromin/Athlacca and that quarter-final spot is now in our sights. But South Liberties almost caused a major upset against Ballybrown; just didnāt quite have the clinical edge to see off Ballybrown. They will have been delighted to see the return of Barry Cooney from Australia, who hit 0-3 from play on his return, while Brian Garry is surely worth a start in the full-forward line after another major impact from the bench. Even if they were to beat us, they would need a win over Adare in their final game to secure their status due to the head-to-head rule but Iām sure theyād be glad for any sort of confidence boost heading into that. Similarly, we would almost certainly have to beat Monaleen in our final game to make a quarter-final but this is simply a game we cannot afford to lose.
I find the Dromin/Athlacca vs Monaleen one a very hard game to call. They have both beaten Adare and Liberties; D/A won by three & six points respectively, while Liberties won by seven & thirteen. The margins would make you lean towards Monaleen but Liberties did hit a couple of late goals against D/A and it was, in reality, a very comfortable victory. There is also a slightly complicating factor in that Monaleen won a Premier Minor title tonight. Any bit of celebrations there with a Championship match again on Friday night? Donnacha ĆāDĆ”laigh hit 1-7 from play against Adare, can Willie Dore do a better job tracking him? Who do Monaleen have to monitor Davy Reidy around the middle of the field? Probably Joe Fitz but itās hard to keep tabs and limit such an intelligent player over the course of 60 minutes. D/A certainly canāt afford to be as wasteful as they were last weekend where they will feel they left chances behind them. Brislane came out post-match to call out those who called Monaleen soft; they can ram that down peopleās throats with a win over D/A. Iāll go with Monaleen by 3.
As I mentioned above, no matter what happens here, Adare need to get a result against Liberties in their final game to avoid relegation. And theyāll still fancy their chances of doing that even without Willie Griffin. But they have had a really poor Championship thus far and being well-beaten by Monaleen will have been a further hammer blow. Ballybrown took their eye off the ball a little bit last weekend and were almost caught by South Liberties. But they werenāt. And, in reality, barring a disaster, they should be making a quarter-final at least from this position. I know the loss of both their starting wing-backs is a further loss to an already-depleted squad but Stevie OāReilly was called out of retirement, TomĆ”s OāConnor is back from injury and Ross Griffin is also back. So they are adding some reinforcements which I donāt think Adare have. Adare did move Hannon up to 14 and he grabbed 2-1 from play, which is a move Iām surprised they havenāt done before. But it is robbing Peter to pay Paul a little bit, they just donāt seem to have the quality across the field and itās hard to see how an out-of-form Adare grab anything against an in-form Ballybrown. Ballybrown by 6.
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Premier Intermediate
Saturday September 7
Blackrock vs Glenroe @ 3pm in Knocklong
Effin vs Granagh/Ballingarry @ 4.30pm in Ballyagran
Bruff vs Garryspillane @ 6.15pm in Kilmallock
Sunday September 8
Na Piarsaigh 2 vs Newcastlewest @ 2pm in Adare
With an extra 30 minutes between games and you could probably see all four of the Premier Intermediate games this weekend but, as it is, you probably couldnāt. Some interesting clashes as the table begins to take shape and the battle for top four and relegation intensifies. Blackrock vs Glenroe is an interesting one; in that Glenroe are really only playing for survival at this stage whereas Blackrock may still have one eye on a semi-final. But a loss for Blackrock would be a disaster and suck them right into a relegation battle. Blackrockās defeats have been of the narrow variety whereas Glenroe have taken a couple of heavy defeats. Itās on that basis really that I am going to tip Blackrock to get the win. Darren Frewen is doing a lot of heavy lifting for scores for Glenroe while Blackrock still have some of the old boys making big contributions. Blackrock by 5.
A proper tour de force from Paddy OāDonovan against Blackrock saw Effin surge home to victory in the second half last weekend in a local derby and theyād have one foot in a semi-final with a win over Granagh/Ballingarry. G/B suffered a poor start to their campaign but now have two wins on the trot and are back on track. They now seem to be at full-strength and will fancy a right crack off Effin. The head-to-head over Garryspillane could prove crucial in the end and G/B also still have Glenroe and Blackrock to play, two sides currently below them in the table. So a semi-final is still within their grasp either way; I do expect Effin to get there earlier though and secure the win. Effin by 3.
A lot of controversy surrounding Bruff at the moment, will that have a knock-on effect on the players? It didnāt seem to last week as they comfortably disposed of Glenroe, a 9-point margin in the end. They had 10 different scorers in that game which is a nice spread and have, other than the off-day against NCW, been hitting decent tallies in each game. Garryspillane started so well with wins over Effin & Blackrock but were rocked by the shock defeat to G/B and NCW kept them at armās length the last day. They really need something from this one if they want to make a semi-final. For me, I donāt think thereās any doubt that they have the talent in their panel to really contest but it looks as if momentum may be with Bruff. This could be a cracker tbh. Bruff by 3.
Then on Sunday, we have NaP versus NCW. NCW have a 100% record and have been very impressive thus far. Now, Ethan Hurley went off injured the last day with a serious-looking injury and, depending on the nature of that injury, could seriously affect their county title chances. But Na Piarsaigh have also been plagued by absentees with a couple of players they may have expected to have being called up to the seniors, James Finn the latest. And with Evan Sweeney and Pat Gleeson out too, it means theyāre also calling up players from the Junior Bs. They may break their duck but I donāt think it will be against the side lording it so far. Arguably the most impressive thing about NCWās run so far is, despite the huge talent they have in their forwards which makes a huge difference at this level, they are also conceding very low tallies: 0-14, 0-17, 0-11 & 1-12 means they have by far the meanest defence in the competition. I donāt see a Na Piarsaigh side who scored 0-12 in their last game being the ones to beat them. NCW by 9.
Intermediate Group 1
Sunday September 8
Croagh/Kilfinny vs Mungret/St. Paulās 2 @ 1pm in Askeaton
Bruree vs St. Kieranās @ 3pm in Newcastlewest
Murroe/Boher vs Pallasgreen @ 5pm in Cappamore
After a disappointing defeat on the opening day, Croagh/Kilfinny backed up a hammering of St. Kieranās with a storming second-half display against Bruree, a team touted as one of the strongest in the group, and winning by 13 in the end. That is impressive. Mungret edged past Pallasgreen and have left themselves in a very decent position to make a quarter-final in their first year up at the grade. They certainly wonāt be in danger of relegation now, you would think. But I think this may be a step too far for them. When the wheel turned against Murroe/Boher, they had no answer as the men from the East reeled off 11 scores without reply. Thatās the level C/K are also operating at and Mungret arenāt quite there yet. C/K by 10.
St. Kieranās didnāt play last weekend due to an accident in the parish and hopefully everyone will make a full recovery. Bruree suffered at the hands of C/K in the second half as Kieranās had in the round before that. But where Kieranās lost by a point to Pallasgreen, Bruree were able to get over the line by three. With Sam Cronolly back in the ranks, I think they do have too much for Kieranās who are a game, but slightly limited side. Bruree still have plans to make a quarter-final spot and because of the draw with Mungret, that could come down to scoring difference. Having lost by thirteen to C/K, they probably need to make a bit of a dent this week if they do win. Kieranās, on the other hand, absolutely have to win or that relegation play-off is very likely due to the head-to-head rule. Iāll go Bruree by 6 though.
And Murroe/Boher also didnāt play last weekend due to that postponed match. This week they face their neighbours Pallasgreen. A win for Pallasgreen last weekend and they would have been in contention for a quarter-final spot but the defeat means theyāre probably looking to just consolidate. Pudgy pulled out another wondergoal for the collection as he hit 1-2 from play after coming off the bench and will surely get the start this weekend; heās a difficult man to handle. M/B have had a bit of a break now but comfortably disposed of the same Mungret side that beat Pallasgreen so itās very hard not to back them this week. M/B by 7.
Intermediate Group 2
Sunday September 8
Feohanagh vs Hospital/Herbertstown @ 1pm in Ballyagran
Croom vs Knockainey @ 3pm in Bruff
Cappamore vs Kilmallock 2 @ 5pm in Hospital
Feohanagh are the form team, the only team with a 100% record in this group and it would be a surprise if they were stopped this weekend. Now, this group provided what was probably the shock of the weekend last time out so itās not beyond the realms of possibility. But Hospital/Herberstown were comprehensively beaten by Knockainey last time out and I just donāt see how they have enough to beat the in-form side. Much like last year, with four teams locked on two points after three games; both the final quarter-final spot and the relegation play-off is all to play for. But Feohanagh are through already and will seal it in style this weekend, I think. Feohanagh by 9.
Feohanagh are pretty much through and I think Knockainey will also do the business to join them this weekend. They beat H/H by 15 points last weekend and that H/H side did beat Croom in round two. Now, Croom did come back last weekend to shock Cappamore and will surely have a bit of a pep in their step having found what is perhaps the right balance to their team. But I just donāt think they have the players to beat Knockainey. Knockainey by 8.
With two of the favourites playing two of the sides on two points, it means the biggest match on paper is the one between the team just down from Premier Intermediate, Cappamore, and Kilmallockās second side. Both are currently locked on two points with just a single win and two losses. A win in this game and the team is probably safe and also has a real shot at a quarter-final going into the last game (Cappamore have a tough outing against Knockainey, with Kilmallock with a slightly more palatable outing against H/H). I was shocked Cappamore lost to Croom. I wasnāt totally surprised that Kilmallock beat Croom. Iām guessing that Kilmallock are getting slightly weaker as time goes on (at least one player they could have played got burned by the seniors last weekend) yet they only lost by 6 to top-of-the-table Feohanagh (Cappamore lost by 5 to the same team). Iām going to stick to my guns and give the nod to Cappamore, I think they do have a fair bit of talent in their squad and really should be winning this one. Cappamore by 2.
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Premier Junior Group 1
Thursday September 5
Monagea vs Tournafulla @ 6.30pm in Dromcollogher
Friday September 6
Caherline vs Dromcollogher/Broadford @ 6.30pm in Martinstown
Sunday September 8
AK Desmonds vs Feenagh/Kilmeedy @ 1pm in the Bog Garden
Onto the Premier Junior and Monagea had one of the most impressive results last weekend as they absolutely hammered Drom/Broadford by 17 points. Thatās the same Drom/Broadford who pulled out a miraculous comeback to defeat Tour, Monageaās opponents this weekend. Monagea have now scored 3-28 and 3-22 in their last two matches which really is some scoring. Tour donāt look to be at their best despite a decent win last weekend and I have to go with Monagea really. Monagea by 6.
Drom/Broadford did have that great comeback win on the opening day but itās been grim enough since then with an aggregate margin of defeat of 43 points in just two games. Caherline were also victims of F/K last weekend although their 11-point defeat was the closest anyone has got. I canāt back against Caherline in this one, I think they have too much for D/B. Caherline by 5.
Itās hard to see any other outcome but a Feenagh/Kilmeedy win in this one. As mentioned above, 11 points is their lowest margin of victory against some very decent sides. They look like champions elect and, while Iām sure that someone will throw a spanner in their works before the end of the year, I donāt think thatās coming this weekend. AK Desmonds are already focusing on a vital clash against D/B in the last game and F/K seem to be unstoppable at the moment. F/K by 15.
Premier Junior Group 2
Friday September 6
Kilteely/Dromkeen vs St. Patrickās @ 6.15pm in Fedamore
Saturday September 7
Crecora/Manister vs Old Christians @ 4pm in Knockea
Sunday September 8
Doon 2 vs Knockaderry @ 2pm in Martinstown
The team that looked best positioned to halt F/K is the team who are top of the other group, Kilteely/Dromkeen. They scored five goals last weekend and have 10 in their three games to date; their hitting big scores. Patās pulled out a big win over Doon to push themselves up to 3rd in the table and keep that quarter-final chance alive. But I think that may come down to the last game, Iām not really expecting them to beat K/D in this one. K/D by 7.
Crecora/Manister started in style with a 10-point victory over Doon but have since suffered two losses on the trot to the top two teams. They were both narrow defeats and there probably is a certain amount of heart that they can take from their performances but they are now in do-or-die territory. Old Christians are currently bottom of the group and anything other than a win here would be an absolute disaster for C/M. I expect them to get the job done this time. C/M by 8.
Knockaderry recovered from a defeat to K/D in the opening round to comfortably defeat Patās and edge past C/M by a point. Doon did beat Christians but lost to Patās and C/M and itād probably be a little bit of a miracle if they were to beat Knockaderry and K/D to secure a quarter-final spot after those results. I think Knockaderry will be happy with how they are going so far and I doubt theyād fear a F/K side if they were to meet later in the competition. Itās shaping up to a very intriguing latter stages of this competition and I think Knockaderry will be one of the sides there. Knockaderry by 10.
Junior A Group 1
Sunday September 8
Blackrock 2 vs Patrickswell 2 @ 1pm in Feenagh
Ballybricken/Bohermore vs Rathkeale @ 3pm in Bruree
Castletown/Ballyagran vs Garryspillane 2 @ 5pm in Kilmallock
Blackrock suffered two hammerings but actually put it up to Garryspillane the last day. However, a defeat is still a defeat and I donāt see them turning their fortunes around against a Patrickswell side who desperately need a win (and potentially a big one) to make a quarter-final. They drew with Ballybricken/Bohermore the last day in what wasnāt a terrible result but they need a comprehensive margin here to be sure of making a quarter-final. Patrickswell by 17.
Ballybricken/Bohermore had an awful loss to Garryspillane in round two which could cost them yet, although the draw against the Well would have been seen as a decent result. This is now a must-win against a Rathkeale side who beat that same Garryspillane side and run both the Well and Castletown/Ballyagran very close. This is likely to be very, very tight but Iām going to say that B/B have slightly more firepower in the Martins and Dan Owens. B/B by 2.
Castletown/Ballyagran are unbeaten, top of the group and can ensure their place in potentially a semi-final with a win in this one. Garryspillane are currently in second spot but have a couple of tough games to come. I donāt see them having enough to beat C/B despite the shock win over B/B. C/B by 6.
Junior A Group 2
Sunday September 8
Ahane 2 vs Claughaun @ 1pm in Caherconlish
Killeedy vs Monaleen 2 @ 3pm in Ballingarry
Bruff 2 vs Templeglantine @ 5pm in Feenagh
Another weird group here which isnāt any easier to call after the referee mix-up last weekend for the Bruff vs Claughaun game; which would have been nice to get a better read on both sides. As it stands, Claughaun are winless and joint bottom and face into a game against an Ahane side, who were comfortably defeated by Monaleen last weekend. As I said, hard to get a read on it, but Iām going to go with Claughaun to just about edge it. Claughaun by 2.
Killeedy will have been very disappointed with an eight-point defeat to Templeglantine whereas Monaleen, the side just up from Junior B, have now won three games on the trot. On that basis, I suppose I have to side with Monaleen to secure what will probably be a straight semi-final spot, a fairly sensational first season back up at this level and a thoroughly disappointing one for Killeedy (although a quarter-final spot is still possible thanks to their head-to-head advantage over Ahane & Claughaun). Monaleen by 6.
As I said, hard to get a proper read on Bruff due to last weekās match not being played. But they are bottom and without any wins whereas Templeglantine have turned their form around. After a truly awful loss to Monaleen, they edged past Claughaun and then beat Killeedy with relative ease. On that basis and on the basis of the talent that they have in their squad, I think they surely have to get the win here. Templeglantine by 12.
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