Flanagan Cup may not be travelling too far this year

Big weekend of championhip football ahead in Round 4

There were significant results in the last round of the Senior Football Championship which set up some fascinating games this weekend in round four, the penultimate stage of the competition. The summer is nearing an end and so too is the opportunity to take the top three places in the respective groups.

The Downs and Coralstown/Kinnegad, who contested last year’s final, are looking likely to take the two semi-final places, but the battle for third is very much on.

St Loman’s, Mullingar will draw little comfort from their poor result against Garrycastle. It finished level after they scored two goals to take a grip on the game at what seemed a vital stage in the second half. Kevin Regan and Danny McCartan both found the net to give their side a four-point cushion.

From there, they ought to have seen this one out. In the past they would certainly have done so. But with no Ronan O’Toole to pull the strings from centre forward, and John Heslin being well curbed by the Garrycastle defence, the Mullingar men lacked the creativity to secure the victory. Heslin’s two-pointer free was their only other score, and had Jason Daly not made a fine save to deny Jason Nugent a goal, it would have been a disaster.

The manner in which this game ended suggests that St Loman’s, Mullingar are not at the level of Coralstown/Kinnegad or The Downs. That, of course, will be music to the ears of manager Paddy Dowdall, who is tasked with the challenge of revving up his troops for one more massive effort to turn this around. It looks too steep for even someone of Dowdall’s calibre, but it makes for a fascinating round four encounter against last year’s finalists Coralstown/Kinnegad.

Elsewhere, The Mullingar Shamrocks team who finished the game against The Downs would lose to Garrycastle. Physically, the Springfield side weren’t good enough. They will have to accept that it takes time for the boy to make a man; there's a journey from promising minors to powerful seniors. A blend of youth and experience between the white lines is vital. The Downs really grew into the recent game as the second half elapsed and in players like Luke Loughlin, Joe Moran and Charlie Drumm, they had the men to make things happen. Their opponents lacked the same cut and thrust and that was the main takeaway from this contest.

Garrycastle are in a great position to take control of third place now. Gary Dolan and John Keane are smart enough to know their side has the strength and experience to get past Mullingar Shamrocks this weekend. Whether David Martin and Kevin Burke can inspire a renewed effort from Shamrocks is not as certain, but if they get the injuries cleared up it will help a great deal and a full-strength side would surely have a decent chance.

But right now one feels the psychological edge is with Garrycastle.

The Flanagan Cup will not be travelling too far, if at all, given the trend thus far. Either The Downs will retain it or Jack Cooney will finally get his beloved Coralstown/Kinnegad over the line.

In Section B, Tubberclair are in a great position to advance after three fine victories and despite the loss of Matthew Whittaker, they are the only unbeaten team at senior level. On form they are good enough to beat Tang, who are battling for their lives once again. This year they have Paul Conway in their corner and he will leave no stone unturned to inspire a winning performance.

Athlone are playing Killucan in a key game. Athlone have the players to win and Killucan are still sitting fourth in the group, a lonely position indeed. If they fail to get third after the contentious change in format it will really hurt. They scored 3-11 against Tubberclair and failed to win. The value of the two-pointer at the end of their first half allied to their greater composure as the game progressed were key factors in Tubberclair’s three-point win.

Moate All Whites are playing Tyrrellspass in a tight match also. Tyrrellspass scored 1-11 against Athlone, not good enough to win at this level; Moate All Whites’ more impressive return of 1-18 makes for better reading and suggests they now have the greater efficiency in attack where Robbie Forde can lead the way to the knockout stages.

Intermediate and junior football

In Intermediate, just like Senior, the winner will come from Section A. But there are more than just two contenders at this stage, St Malachy’s joining Milltown and Shandonagh as clear frontrunners for the Peter Geraghty Cup.

Shandonagh cannot afford to miss another chance to reach senior level and that will bring its own pressure from here on. In all walks of life, pressure brings the best from people. Ray Sheridan will hope that is the case, but his team has struggled to hold on to big leads and that will be a concern. They are playing a team that has to be respected given their years of senior experience. And St Malachy’s are just out the road too, which adds to a fascinating round four tie. Two-pointers are invaluable, but Shandonagh need more that Brian Kavanagh to win this intermediate title and now is the moment for the collective drive to kick in.

Milltown will surely overcome Castledaly (famous last words), so there’s little margin for error on the part of Shandonagh or St Malachy’s and neither will be content with a draw. That would throw Milltownpass a lifeline if, as expected, they beat Multyfarnham.

At Junior 1 level, there are also more than two contenders. Kilbeggan Shamrocks lead the race (six points) from the established junior sides, with Ballynacargy (four points) and St Joseph’s (four points) in hot pursuit, while Mullingar Shamrocks (four points) are right in the mix at this stage. All four are in position to qualify.

St Loman’s and The Downs are the big threats from the other group.

Ballynacargy will aim to build on their positive result against St Joseph’s and if they pass the big test posed by Mullingar Shamrocks in round four, they will believe anything is possible.

St Paul’s and Bunbrosna have no points on the board and that will change as they meet this weekend.

Kilbeggan Shamrocks and St Joseph’s meet on Friday in a game that could easily be a Junior 1 final warm-up. It’s an appetising local derby to get a key weekend underway and while Kilbeggan Shamrocks start as favourites, anything is possible in this spicy contest.