Epic Saturday of Quarter-Final action lies ahead

For many, this is the most exciting weekend of the year and today the action cranks up a few gears for after Thursday and Friday were dominated by Relegation Play-Offs, today sees two Quarter-Finals in the Fairyhouse Steel SFC, one in the Meade Farm IFC and a further one in the Balreask Bar, Restaurant & Guest Accommodation JFC.

On Friday evening, Seneschalstown required extra-time to defeat Simonstown Gaels and secure their Senior status for another year, Navan O’Mahony’s came good in the second half to take care of Meath Hill in the Meade Farm IFC Quarter-Final, Blackhall Gaels ensured they will play Intermediate Football in 2027 when edging out Bective and Kilmainham booked their place in the Coolrite Junior B Football Championship as they took care of the Boardsmill challenge.

Tickets for the games including the newly available Weekend Pass are available via the link:  Football Championship Tickets

Will the fancied teams progress through to the next stage of their respective Championships or will today be the day of the underdog?

The first of the Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship Quarter-Finals this afternoon is the eagerly awaited meeting of Bhulf Tón CLG and their near neighbours Rathkenny in Devenish Park, Dunganny at 15:00.

This meeting is the archetypal local derby and a number of the Rathkenny side are either current or past members of the Bhulf Tón CLG hurling side so this is a match where not only are neighbours facing off, but also teammates.

Bhulf Tón CLG are perennial contenders for the Keegan Cup and they came into this year’s Championship once more as one of the leading sides and now under the management of former Meath Hill Bainisteoir Shane McCoy, they cruised through the group stage, winning all three games by an aggregate margin of twenty-nine points.

There is though a cause for concern as their normally tight defence has conceded three goals in each of their last two games, with St. Colmcille’s and Seneschalstown both plundering three goals.  This is something that they will need to have improved upon in advance of meeting Rathkenny, a side who while not prolific goalscorers, have managed to raise a green flag in each of their games to date.

McCoy and his brains trust of Ciaran Marks, Evan Kelly and Ciarán Martin will no doubt have been plotting and planning how to limit the influence of Keith Curtis who is often capable of racking up big tallies as well as the elusive Luke Kealy who has a penchant for popping up with vital goals.  If these two can be held, then the path to a match winning tally gets tricky for Rathkenny.

So often the platform for success for the ‘Tones comes from midfield and the current pairing of Adam O’Neill and Eoin Donegan is following on in fine fashion from the likes of Stephen Corrigan and Alan Callaghan in the past with having a fine blend of guile and brawn.  If O’Neill and Donegan can get the upper-hand over Rathkenny then it will be a major step on the path towards qualification for the last four once more for the side that last won the Fairyhouse Steel SFC in 2021.

Up front, Tom Gavigan represents a significant goal threat in his own right and the supporting cast is always impressive with Sarán Ó Fionnagáin, Oisín Martin and Thomas O’Reilly all forwards of the highest calibre.

Will Caolan Ward break Rathkenny hearts today? Photo is courtesy of Paula Greif/www.sportsaction.ie

Joey Farrelly will have been bitterly disappointed to see his Rathkenny side slump to relegation in the All-County Football Leagues but the team has responded magnificently since then to come through Group A of the Championship in second place after defeating Kilbride, drawing with St. Peter’s Dunboyne and only losing out to the reigning champions Summerhill.

It is safe to say that when Jason Plunkett and Thelma Byrne were drawing the sides for the Quarter-Finals, nobody in Pot A for the Group winners will have been licking their lips at the prospect of taking on the team from the northern bank of the River Boyne and while they come into this game as the outsiders, this scribe isn’t sure if there is a group of players in the county that would relish that underdog status more than Rathkenny.

For everywhere you look there is a rich vein of talent on the team.  Finn Moore is a highly regarded goalkeeper who lined out for the Meath U-20’s this year and also featured in the Dioralyte O’Byrne Cup.  Donal Keogan needs no introduction from anybody, with Keith Curtis in the same bracket.  Then you come to the O’Hare brothers who have all played Minor and U-20 for the county, with James also having togged out for the Seniors a few years ago.

Add the likes of Rob Garry, the Byrne brothers, Adam and Mark as well as the Curtis brothers, Davy and Joey into the mix and you have a team that any manager would be delighted to work with.

Max McKenna has rugby commitments with a team in Dublin, but he is a very interesting name on the bench today and should Rathkenny need reinforcements around the middle of the field or at centre forward then it would be of no surprise were Farrelly to spring him into action.  McKenna is another player who is adept at kicking long range scores and in a match where two-pointers could prove crucial, then he is a wildcard worthy of playing.

The second of the days Fairyhouse Steel SFC Quarter-Finals is the meeting of town sides Trim and Donaghmore/Ashbourne in Dunsany.  Both of these sides harbour ambitions of seeing the Keegan Cup coming home to their clubhouse on Sunday October 19 but question marks remain about their ability to go the distance.

Trim came into this round of the Championship twelve months ago fancied by many to take down their close rivals Summerhill, but they crashed out when losing by a ten point margin.  Have they learned the lessons from twelve months ago and can they be put into action against the ‘Moors, another side who exited stage left at this stage of the Championship last year?

Aaron Lynch is in excellent form for Trim and in Rounds 1 and 3 he shot the lights out but was held in Round 2 by Ratoath.  Having accounted for 60% of his sides tally to date in the Championship, there is no doubt where the majority of the Donaghmore/Ashbourne focus in terms of a defensive game plan will have been placed this week.  The equation appears simple.  If Lynch can hit the heights of the Na Fianna or Skryne games, then the chances of Trim having a semi-final to look forward to will exponentially improve but if Donaghmore/Ashbourne manage to put him under lock and key then they will quite likely be returning to training on Tuesday evening.

Trim will need the likes of Eoin O’Connor, Daire Lynch and Tom Carmody chipping in with 3-4 points apiece today if they are to lighten the load on their main marksman and all three are capable while Ciaran Caulfield is likely to cause issues for Donaghmore/Ashbourne with his piercing runs from deep.

Defensively they will need to tighten up as their average concession rate of 17.33 points per game is on the high side, especially when compared to the Donaghmore/Ashbourne average concession rate of 12.66 points per game.

Bryan Menton and Jamie Browne have been in excellent form for the ‘Moors on their path to this stage of the competition and they will once more be key to their side’s chances of progression.  Both are capable of getting forward to chip in with a few points per game, but they will also need to be wary of the threat of Caulfield and David Lernihan going in the opposite direction.

Shane Melia and Conor Carton have a good habit of locking down the central channels of their defence and in goals, Andrew Colgan is still an excellent shot stopper, while he will keep the scoreboard ticking at the other end of the pitch with long range frees if presented with the opportunity.

As he has been for many years, Andy Tormey is key to making the Donaghmore/Ashbourne attack tick and if he clicks today then he is capable of leading the supporting cast of Zach Thornton, Darragh McGovern and Kevin Fenton to the last four.  Also, watch out for the impact of Evan Kelly from the bench.

The evening offering today is the fascinating clash of St. Patrick’s and Moynalvey in Donaghmore/Ashbourne at 19:30 in the last eight of the Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship.

St. Patrick’s, even though they topped their group, haven’t been overly impressive to date as they struggled at times against Bective in Round 2 and then drew with Longwood in the final group game and they come up against a Moynalvey side that looked as though they were clicking into gear at the right time when defeating Dunsany comfortably two weeks ago.

Rumours abounded on the east coast this week that there were a few key players injured for St. Patrick’s and they did miss Jamie Murphy against Longwood.  Murphy offers a physical presence in the forward line as well as his free taking prowess and were he to miss out then the likes of the Landy brothers, Donal and Shane as well as Ben Sullivan will have to step up to an even greater extent than normal to shoulder the scoring burden.

Liam Brennan who captains the side will likely pick up either Cillian or Hugh O’Sullivan with David McQuillan tasked with trying to nullify the threat of Mark O’Sullivan.

Anthony Forde was carried off injured in that win over Dunsany for Moynalvey and while he is named to start, doubts are sure to persist about his availability and he didn’t feature for Kiltale in their win over Na Fianna last week in the Ted Murtagh Clothing & Footwear, Trim SHC.  His absence, were it to be confirmed would be a big blow, with his attacking raids down the right flank a potent weapon for Moynalvey.

Adam Murphy and Padraic Harnan will once more look to get the upper hand around the middle third and if they can overpower Sean Baxter and John Mannion then the forward power is in the Moynalvey ranks to book their spot in the last four.

Two years ago, the sides met in Round 2 of the Championship and Moynalvey edged it by a point, it could be that close again tonight.

Due to the sad passing of Thomas Hand from the St. Vincent’s club and the subsequent postponement of their Quarter-Final on Sunday against Moylagh, the meeting of Slane and Moylagh is the only game at that stage of the competition this weekend as they meet at 13:00 in Moynalty.

After an excellent League campaign which saw them gain promotion, Slane come into this game in fine fettle but they will be wary of a Moylagh side that have an ability to eke out results.

Slane have one of the best young goalkeepers in the county in the shape of Braydon Colfer and he has two excellent target men to pick out for the long range kickouts in Francis Marry and Peter Martyn.

Kyle Tallon is a rock at centre back and to his left, Tadgh Martyn will bomb up and down the pitch all day long.  Up front, Matthew Tully remains a key operator and he along with Alan Harding will need to keep the scoreboard moving.

Moylagh are always an interesting club to get a read upon.  Their numbers are never huge, but the club always have a knack of producing some excellent footballers, as well as not allowing any of the more senior players to slip away before their time is well and truly up.

Joe Melia could easily be togging out for the Meath Masters today in their All-Ireland Shield Final, but he is trucking away for his club, twenty-four years after starring for the Meath Minors en route to the All-Ireland Final.  He will once more be a big presence from his centre forward berth.

Darragh Tuite, Fergal Flynn and Thomas O’Reilly will be key forwards but as ever, much of their strengths lie in the defence and midfield areas.   Shane and Darren Gibney are two excellent defenders, and Sean Guirke is a resolute presence at centre back and at midfield, Sean Reilly is one of the best talents in the county at this grade.

Slane will be fancied by most neutral observers, but Peadar Byrne will relish the opportunity to plan the downfall of one of the Championship favourites.  This lunchtime offering could be very tasty.

Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final

Bhulf Tón CLG vs Rathkenny.  15:00.  Venue:  Devenish Park, Dunganny.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne vs Trim.  16:30.  Venue:  Dunsany

Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship Quarter-Final

St. Patrick’s vs Moynalvey.  19:30.  Venue:  Donaghmore/Ashbourne

Balreask Bar, Restaurant & Guest Accommodation Junior Football Championship Quarter-Final

Slane vs Moylagh.  13:00.  Venue:  Moynalty

Friday’s Results