JFC PREVIEW: Killinkere, Denn and Knockbride set the pace

In no particular order, PAUL FITZPATRICK runs the rule over the runners and riders in this year’s Cully's Craft Bakery Junior Football Championship, which throws in next week.
 

Knockbride
The Canningstown men got off to a decent start in Division 2 of the All-County Football League, stringing together impressive wins against Arva, Butlersbridge and Lavey in rounds three, four and five but they are without a victory since that latter success on May 4.
However, they have had two draws in the seven games since and some narrow losses and their loss of form can be attributed to the absence of four Cavan U20 players, Philip Rogers, Niall McCabe, Philip Nulty and speedster Ciaran Smith.
With them back in the fold, Knockbride should be transformed. They have lots of pace and scoring ability and playing in Division 2 will stand to them, as will the presence on the sideline of Cavan great Larry Reilly, who knows what it takes to win championships.
Aside from the U20 contingent – of whom the excellent Rogers is the leading light – they have unearthed a quality young corner-back in Shane Carolan while Matty Traynor, an excellent passer of the ball, has also been going well in the half-forward line.
They open with a tough tie against Denn but definitely rank among the leading contenders.
Manager: Larry Reilly
Star man: Philip Rogers
Last year: Group stage

Redhills
Nine years ago, the border side were sitting pretty at the top of Division 1 of the ACFL after beating the mighty Cavan Gaels in Terry Coyle Park.
Since then, they have plummeted down the ranks, having lost a lot of players due to emigration, retirement and injuries.
This time aound, the same story has continued. From last year's team, Andrew Dunne is in Canada – where he recently won a championship with Toronto Gaels – while Turloc Mooney is out injured, forward Mark Kelly hasn’t played and former county star Rory Dunne only returned for a reserve match on Friday evening last.
That said, they have only lost four games in Division 3 and have plenty of players in form including Packie Leddy and Sean Martin up front, Derek Fay and Cormac Brides at midfield and Conor McMahon and Alan Brady – who captained them to this title as a 20-year-old in 2005 – in defence.
Forward Conor McCaffrey has arrived from Kill and is an addition while former Cavan Gaels star Tom McCormick remains a classy operator in attack.
Goalkeeper Paul Martin has been doing well on frees and 45s too. Redhills will fancy their chances against Corlough in the opener but winning the championship outright may be beyond them this time.
Manager: Bryan Bates
Star man: Packie Leddy
Last year: Relegated from IFC

Munterconnaught
The Munchies currently sit ninth in Division 3 on 10 points which is a fair enough reflection of their season to date, with five wins and seven losses.
Numbers are a problem and are contributing to a lack of consistency. After two wins in their opening three matches against Kill and Maghera, a disappointing home loss to Corlough (0-12 to 0-11) would not have helped confidence.
Experienced duo Stephen Sheridan and Danny Nolan, who is just back from injury, have been reliable as ever, although John McCabe – top scorer for many years – has not featured this season while the towering Shane Hanley has been focusing on athletics but should be back for championship.
The younger members of the squad have stepped up to the plate well. Full-back Tiernan Reilly has been outstanding, with Sean Erickson doing well at wing-back and Conor Hetherton up front.
The Hendricks brothers, Kevin and Sean, are also important parts of the team, Sean in attack and his younger brother usually at wing-back but likely to pop up anywhere.
The club have lost some quality players to emigration, such as Dubai-based Tadhg Morrissey, and the numbers are not really there to replace such talent quickly but the spirit is good and, when they have a full complement as they had when beating fifth-placed Shannon Gaels by 3-17 to 0-11 recently, they are no bad team.
This year's Junior Championship, however, may prove too hot for them.
Manager: PJ Lee
Star man: Sean Hendricks
Last year: Group stage

Killinkere
There is a real sense of odyssey around Killinkere at present as they seek that elusive championship win, something they haven't managed since 1982 which is too long for a club of their standing.
Luck has not been on their side in recent years; they lost the Intermediate Championship final in a replay in 2016 and then the Junior Championship decider, also in a replay, last year and will feel that both were there for the taking.
To their credit, they have soldiered on and most of the panel remains in place. This year, former Castlerahan midfielder Paul Brady has joined and he has been playing well, which helped offset the loss of Noel McGovern of late, although the veteran midfielder has returned to the set-up and was on the bench in the promotion-sealing win over Knockbride on Sunday.
Beside him, Jason McMahon has been in outstanding form while Darren Smith deputised well on frees for go-to man Emmett Fitzsimons when the latter was out for a couple of games.
The likes of McMahon, Fitzsimons, Liam and Kevin McCabe and Lewis Fay-Cooper are senior standard players and will be expected to lead the charge along with goal poacher Peter McCabe, possibly the quickest forward in the county.
They will also be hoping that Neil McCabe, younger brother of the aforementioned, can contibute up front in his rookie season. League form has been super with 13 wins catapulting them to top spot in Division 2 and promotion to Division 1 and hopes are high around Jim Smith Park that this is their year.
Manager: Paddy Bates
Star man: Emmett Fitzsimons
Last year: Finalists

Drumalee
The Cavan Town side slipped from senior to junior in successive seasons, having held their own in the top flight for five years. They steadied the ship when making the JFC final in 2016 but lost out to Ballymachugh on that occasion and did not really threaten to land the Sean Leddy Cup last year.
So far in 2019, they haven't shown any tangible signs that they can get back into the winner's enclosure, especially with long-serving Enda McCormick, the leader of the defence, likely to miss out.
Cian Byrne (above) and Leigh Dunne have been doing well in the forward line and veteran Daire Donohoe, usually a defender, has been playing in the forward line as a ball-winner to good effect.
Peter McGinnity, who has been lining out in the full-back line in recent years, has gone back into goals and, in front of him, the powerful Philip McArdle has been their most consistent back.
Their four league wins came against Kill, Mountnugent, Munterconnaught and Maghera, none of whom are expected to be among the leading contenders for the title.
The Lilywhites may take a scalp but it's difficult to envisage them going all the way.
Manager: Barry Crowe
Star man: Cian Byrne
Last year: Quarter-finals

Mountnugent
Under Crosserlough clubman Shane McCabe, Mountnugent had plenty of reasons for optimism this season but have found the league campaign challenging to date, with just four wins in Division 3, mainly against teams in the lower half of the table.
Their attack has been going well, with Adam Rehill (who landed a whopping 0-15 from play against Maghera recently) the leading man along with Liam Hennessy.
Unfortunately, injury concerns around outstanding attacker Ciaran Caffrey (hamstring) and defender Josh O'Reilly (who picked up a hand injury against Kildallan) will not help their chances, although the presence of powerful defensive anchor man David Sheridan, who is travelling from London for games, is a great help at the back.
Corner-back Christopher Drumm has also been showing up well in the defence. The men from the shores of Lough Sheelin will be targetting a win in their opener against Kildallan (even though the Ballyconnell men beat them by eight in the league) and will hope to build momentum from there. 
Manager: Shane McCabe
Star man: Adam Rehill
Last year: Quarter-finals

Maghera MacFinns
The 2019 All-County Football League season was another difficult one for the Meath border side. While hopes were high at the outset, they lost all 13 games, bottoming out with a 49-point loss to Killeshandra (10-28 to 1-6).
Their best showing were losses by eight points to Drumgoon and Shannon Gaels respectively. Michael Muldoon's emergence as a Cavan U20 player of note is a great boost to the club but more is needed. If they can be competitive in the championship, starting in the first round against Drung, it will be a success for this year.
Manager: Michael McBride
Star man: Michael Muldoon
Last year: Group stage

Denn
Having made the last four in 2018, Denn will feel they are primed to go one or two steps better this time around and their league form makes a compelling case. 
They finished sixth in Division 2, with seven wins, rounding off their campaign with an away victory over Shercock in what was a bruising encounter by some accounts last weekend.
While the presence of talented attackers such as the gifted Thomas Edward Donohoe, in-form Cavell Keogan and Ben Conaty will always make Seamus Donohoe's men a dangerous proposition, it is interesting to note that their defensive record is the second-best in the division, behind only Drumlane.
The defence gives little away and, at midfield, former county man Mossy Corr is playing very well; his aerial ability and power will give Denn a foothold against most teams in this division. 
Along with the experience of Martin Cahill, there is a core of young, energetic players which makes for a good balance and four wins from their last five (the others were against good teams in Bailieborough, Belturbet and Junior Championship rivals Knockbride) is good form to take into championship, where the club traditionally have been able to raise their games.
Seventeen-year-old James Brady has been a useful addition as has Sean Donohoe, son of the manager, although injuries to the classy Conor O'Reilly, both Donohoes, Cahill, Dean Hyland and Conaty (broken thumb) have not helped. 
If these can clear up, they should make a bold bid for the title, with Oisin Kiernan also back in the fold after featuring for Cavan U20s and goalkeeper Mark Fegan probably the best in the Junior Championship.
Manager: Seamus Donohoe
Star man: Thomas Edward Donohoe
Last year: Semi-final

Kildallan
The Ballyconnell men have been slowly building for a few years now and have been unlucky to miss out on a couple of league and championship breakthroughs. Last year in the championship they were irresistible for half an hour of their opener against Denn but fell apart. They were disappointing in the following round against Drumalee, bounced back to beat Knockbride but lost to eventual winners Drumlane and that was that.
That inconsistency has been their downfall in recent years because there is no doubting their ability but this year, absentees have really hindered their progress. Ryan O'Neill is in the States (although he will be back to play some part) while their next most dangerous attacker, Darragh McGovern, is now in Australia. Niall Martin, Conor Crowe and Killian Duignan are gone from last year's team and key midfielder Shane McPartland is currently on the injured list.
Peadar Reilly has been playing well at centre-back and Niall Crowe at number three but more will be needed. While they finished eighth in the table, they only beat one side - Templeport - ranked above them and that tells its own tale. A scalp or two is not out of the question but when one considers the players who are missing, winning the championship seems beyond them this time.
Iff they can beat Mountnugent and if the draw falls their way, the expected return of the outstanding O'Neill could make them a dangerous proposition in a quarter-final. But that is a lot of ifs...
Manager: Terence Reynolds
Star man: Ryan O'Neill
Last year: Group stage

Drung
The Dalcassians open up against whipping boys Maghera which should, with all due respect, be a win for the Bunnoe-based side and get them off to a positive start in the championship. Their league form was good; Drung were beaten just once in their first seven games and have been fairly consistent all through.
They eventually finished fifth in the table, with the four games they lost coming against the top four sides, namely Killeshandra, Ballymachugh, Drumgoon (all intermediate) and fourth-placed Templeport.
Tiarnan Reilly was the leading light in attack. While he was unavailable for some matches due to Cavan U20 commitments, he generally scored heavily when he lined out, with 1-7 (2f) in the draw with Redhills, 0-5 (1f) in the stalemate with Kildallan and 1-1 against neighbours Drumgoon.
Anything other than a win against the MacFinns would be a major surprise and if they can get a decent draw, they are well capable of making the quarter-finals and a run to the latter stages would not be a huge shock.
Manager: Jason O’Connor
Star man: Tiarnan Reilly
Last year: Quarter-final

Shannon Gaels
A sixth-placed finish in Division 3 bodes fairly well for the Gaels, who have always been a tough nut to crack in championship. The spine of their side  - the likes of full-back Stephen McManus, centre-half Aaron O'Hara, midfielder Jason McLoughlin (above) and attacker Nevin O'Donnell - are as good as what's out there in the competition and they showed enough in the league to suggest that a big championship is not beyond them.
While they won seven matches, mainly against lower-ranked opposition, they can take heart from their performances in defeat against high flyers Killeshandra and Ballymachugh, whom they pushed very close. 
They leaked 17 goals, which is a concern, but when they had a full squad, they were a match for any side in the division.
They face Munterconnaught in the opener in Terry Coyle Park on Saturday week. While the Munchies beat them well recently, this one will be expected to be much closer.
Manager: Tom O’Reilly
Star man: Nevin O'Donnell
Last year: Quarter-final

 

Templeport
Having won the Junior Championship four years ago with lots of young talent, Templeport were expected to kick on and establish themselves in the higher grade but unfortunately they lost a lot of players in a short time and, in ways, had to start from scratch again. 
It's testament to the spirit of the Bawnboy men that they have bounced back quickly and proved themselves the best side outside the 'big three' in the Division 3 league.
A spate of injuries has come at a bad time (is there ever a good time?), however and has left them depleted, particularly in defence. Aaron Donohoe sustained the dreaded cruciate ligament injury against Shannon Gaels and, unbelievably, Jason Doonan and Eoghan Martin (the latter in his first game back after a sojourn in the States) both picked up the same serious injury against Ballymachugh.
Full-back Sean Dolan, returning from shoulder surgery, is also on the injured list as is former Cavan U21 attacker Liam Galligan (hamstring) but the club are hopeful they will be fit to play some part in the championship. A couple of players have also gone on their travels for the summer but the good news is that Benjamin Kelly is playing very well around the middle and team captain Eoin Doonan (above) has been very good in attack, a sector which has been impressive in general.
Young corner-forwards Naoise McKenna and Eoin McCaffrey have been playing very well as has half-forward James Murphy and defender Conor McAweeney. The St Aidan's face Drumalee in the first round in Milltown and could well be the dark horses in this campaign.
Manager: Martin Smith
Star man: Benjamin Kelly
Last year: Quarter-final

Corlough
Numbers are a problem for the but when they had a full hand from which to choose, they showed some decent league form, notably an impressive away win over Munterconnaught and narrow losses to Redhills, Mountnugent and Shannon Gaels.
However, on other occasions, they found themselves on the wrong end of some bad defeats, too, and they conceded matches against Killeshandra and Drumgoon. First up in the championship is Redhills in Templeport and they will be really targetting that game to kickstart their championship aspirations. A couple of wins would represent significant progress as they look to bed in some quality young players such as Kevin McGovern  - who missed some games due to concussion - and Ryan Prior.
Star man: Darren McTaggart
Last year: Group stages

Kill Shamrocks
The Shamrocks' win over Kildallan back on April 14 was the highpoint of their league campaign. Otherwise, they struggled and some heavy defeats and losses in local derbies won't have helped confidence coming into championship where they face Killinkere, who beat them well last year, in their opening fixture.
The loss of attacker Gary Tiernan to a broken collar bone will leave manager Thomas Rudden a little short on options too. Brendan Brady is away in America but should be back but progression to the knock-out stages looks a tall order this time round for the Rathluden men.
Manager: Thomas Rudden
Star man: Ben McIntyre
Last year: Group stages