Bad aul form. The lad is trying to get on with his life. He has to deal with a bad family and now he is a laughing stock. Lads need to leave him alone.
Everyone involved in this âcostumeâ should be ashamed of themselves. Especially the children
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Doon
NCW
C/K
F/K
Monaleen
Only 7/10 in my semi-final predictions; there were a couple of shocks alright, will we see the same teams succeed in this weekendâs county finals?
Should be a great weekend of it, each of the finals has its own unique twist, thereâs a story from each of them. Not 100% sure on what the weather will be like; it seems like maybe the senior final will get the worst of it? Hopefully nothing too bad anyway, the wind has played havoc with games in recent weeks.
Somewhat scheduled so that you could make all five games. However, weâve got a Junior B semi-final right in the middle of two of the games on the Saturday so probably will miss them.
Senior
Sunday October 27
Doon (5/6) vs Na Piarsaigh (6/5) @ 4.15pm in the Gaelic Grounds
I predicted Doon to win the title at the start of the season, I thought a lot of things had lined up for them. And now they have got here, they are favourites in the eyes of the bookies, most people do seem to be predicting that theyâll win and justifiably so. However, until they do get over the line once, there will always be those lingering doubts about them. Na Piarsaigh have been here before and they know how to win. Even their younger players: the likes of Vince Harrington, JJ Carey, Wayne Kearns; they have that experience of winning a title from last year. Doon may have a couple of underage titles but that is a different level.
And Breen and Casey are now back in contention for Na Piarsaigh; how right or how match fit they are is another story but, they, along with DaithĂ Dempsey, if heâs available, even the scales a bit. But Doon have been impressive all year. They have, arguably, the best player in the competition this season in the form of Adam English and theyâve racked up big tallies along the way. They played sublime hurling for 20 minutes against the Well and blew them away. But they let them back into it and if they do the same against Na Piarsaigh, itâs hard to see them surviving.
Na Piarsaigh werenât at their most convincing in the semi-final against Kilmallock, but they still got the job done. And that was without Casey & Dempsey. Breen made a big impact from the bench; they rode their luck a bit with the scuttery goal and some missed chances from Kilmallock but Doon havenât been above coughing up handy scores in recent years.
Having said all that, Iâm going to have to stick with Doon as my prediction. I think they have the best panel, they have the star forward and the supporting cast to back it up. This is their time. If they donât do it this year when so many outside factors have gone in their favour (as a complete reversal last year), when will they ever do it? Na Piarsaighâs experience and know-how definitely gives you something to think about but, the reality is, they havenât been near their best this year. A word of caution for Doon supporters would be that that same sentence has been said before and NaP have turned on the style for the final. But if Doon keep the head and actually deliver a performance, I think theyâll do enough to win. Adam English to star. Doon by 4.
Premier Intermediate
Sunday October 27
Garryspillane (5/4) vs Newcastlewest (8/11) @ 2pm in the Gaelic Grounds
NCW have been tipped to make the step up to senior for a couple of years now but maybe havenât delivered in the semi-finals and I actually thought Bruff might do it this year (before all their internal strife). But under Chris Sexton, NCW have been in superb form all season and have made it to a final with minimal fuss. They had Ethan Hurley back at 6 the last day too and that will make a big difference. They obviously havenât made the final of the football, which will be disappointing, but they can go all out to become a dual senior club now. All year, Iâve just been really impressed with their range of options in the forwards and they are getting a decent spread of scorers every day, not reliant on just one player. Bryan Nix is probably the standout but Con Hayes is very lively at 11, Eoin Hurley a very accurate shooter, Brian Foley also getting scores. Young Diarmuid Lyons at half-back is a serious yoke too. A lot of really good young players and then the older heads like Mike Mac, Maurice Murphy, Mike Quilligan bringing the experience. Honestly, I think itâs nicely set up for them.
In a void, youâd probably be surprised that the Bouncers arenât favourites to beat NCW but NCW edging that group game probably rightly gives them the favourite tags. Tbf, Garryspillane have come back very strong from that defeat: hammered Bruff & Glenroe, beat Na Piarsaigh and then were relatively comfortable in the semi-final. Moving Dylan OâShea back out to midfield from centre-back has made a difference scoring-wise but itâs young Hugh Flanagan, in his first year of adult hurling, who has really taken on the scoring mantle in the absence of some scoring forwards from previous years. Calum Sheehan & Colin Ryan always carry a goal threat and itâs definitely something NCW have to be wary of as they have conceded a few goals in their most recent games and that will keep the Bouncers alive.
Overall, though, I just think NCW are ready to go. Much like Doon, this is their time to make the step up. A nice blend of youth and experience, they are now the strongest side in this division and I reckon theyâll win by 5.
Intermediate
Saturday October 26
Bruree vs Croagh/Kilfinny @ 5pm in Mick Neville Park
A fifth final in a row for Croagh/Kilfinny and a fourth at this Intermediate level. Losing three finals in a row is not a record any team wants but, missing a couple of players this year, it would have been very easy for C/K to fold this year but theyâve got right back there again. This time they are overwhelming favourites as they come up against a Bruree side who have overcome the odds to defeat Knockainey and Murroe/Boher on the road here. I imagine this will be an extremely well-attended final, both these sides have brought vocal supports to their games so far.
These sides did meet in the group stage and it was a comfortable victory for C/K, winning by 13 points which is one of the reasons as to why they are such strong favourites. But they hit goals in their semi-final and have been very impressive all year since their opening round defeat. For this level, they just have serious forward options and getting SĂ©amie OâCarroll into their forward line alongside the likes of SĂ©amie Hickey, Brian Hannon, Jack Lenihan, Cian OâCarroll⊠itâs a wealth of riches. OâCarroll is a pure goalscorer and he popped up with crucial scores in the semi-final.
Bruree donât really have the same firepower but dogged out victories in their recent games. Sam Cronolly is their main man in a scoring sense but big Kieran OâDea has also popped up with crucial scores. The athleticism of Brian Sexton is another important facet of their attack but they are really good at winning dirty ball and when they get momentum, they are very hard to stop. However, they suffered a couple of big injuries in their backline the last day and they arenât blessed with pace back there to stop the wide range of forwards that C/K have.
This is a final and maybe Croagh havenât done themselves justice in recent years and Bruree could take advantage of any doubts they may have. However, I think C/K are going about their business quietly and efficiently this year, they have a more talented squad overall and I reckon itâll be fourth time lucky for them. C/K by 6.
Premier Junior
Saturday October 26
Feenagh/Kilmeedy vs St. Patâs @ 3pm in the Bog Garden
St. Patâs have arguably been the story of the Limerick Championship full-stop and theyâve overcome some hurdles to get here. Hego has risen to the occasion and produced some massive performances, particularly since the Crecora game, to help them along the way. Theyâre not a one-man team by any means but, while theyâve overcome the odds a bit already, this is by far the biggest test theyâve faced so far.
At this level, Feenagh/Kilmeedy have been an absolute behemoth this year. They have absolutely crushed a lot of teams and their semi-final performance has to be the most impressive of any team in the county, defeating Knockaderry by 20 points. Thatâs a fairly decent Knockaderry side too. The strength of the OâGormans, the liveliness of the various OâConnors, the accuracy of Diarmuid Coleman, the power of Fitzgibbon⊠they have a wide variety of options, they have a depth to their panel that most sides at this level just donât have and I do think that they are stronger across the board than Patâs.
Now, Patâs wonât just roll over and GearĂłid will take handling in attack but I think, even if he puts on a masterclass, that F/K are too slick all over the field and will get the win this year. Thatâs a third victory for the West that Iâm going for; F/K by 7.
Junior A
Saturday October 26
Monaleen 2 vs Rathkeale @ 12.30pm in Bruff
I didnât think Rathkeale would beat Castletown/Ballyagran; I had C/B as my outright favourites and the fact that the Mushes were able to dig it out against a strong side like that will definitely stand to them. Monaleen have been hugely impressive in their first year after being promoted from Junior B, exceeding all expectations. Now, they do have a lot of class for this level with the likes of Conor Nicholas, Dan Power, Mark Field all players with experience at a higher level. Rathkeale are still competing on two fronts with a lot of these players set to face into an Intermediate football final also. Both sides hit five goals in their semi-finals and hopefully this will be another goalfest; Rathkeale have a serious amount of pace in their attack and when utilised correctly, that troubles even the best of backs and lends itself to that goal threat. They have a fair belt of Sheahans in their team who are good hurlers; Wilmott & Morrissey are a handful and then there is that pace up front.
As I havenât seen much of these sides, my guess is slightly in the dark and maybe itâs more hope than anything. We donât need another second team getting promoted, so letâs hope itâs another win for a first team and for the West. Rathkeale by 3.
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Fantastic preview as always.
Great weekend ahead to round off an excellent championship.
Great preview, enjoyed reading it, thanks 
Well done on your weekly previews. Always enjoy.
Weâre going to Do it
Na Piarsaigh
Garryspillane
Croagh/Kilfinny
Feenagh/Kilmeedy
Monaleen.
Great reading, I just hope youâre wrong with St Pats!
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Draw Na P Doon
CK
NCW
Fk
Rathkeale
Think na piarsaigh will winâŠthey seem to be hyped for this gameâŠthis is going to be very physical on Sunday.keeping Adam English quiet will be a big part of their game plan interesting to see what they come up with.
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Have Doon announced their team and can anyone throw it up? Where has English been playing mostly?
A NaP and Pats double be epic. Fuck the boggers
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Do club sides âannounceâ their team?
They do in the big leagues.
Itâll have been submitted for programmes anyway, many would have it up on their social media.
Looks like Grimsey is starting top right.
A 19 man management/backroom team. Serious statement of intent.
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