Champions the ones to beat but SFC has never been more open

SFC preview

PAUL FITZPATRICK runs the rule over the runners and riders for this year’s Senior Football Championship.

This year’s Senior Championship promises to be the most open in years.

In recent seasons, there have been two clearly-defined tiers and that is certainly the case again this season; the difference is that the top tier has now been enlarged to at least six sides following the re-emergence of Gowna.

The men from the lough shore claimed a first ACFL Division 1 title since 2002 and they did it the hard way, beating Cavan Gaels in Terry Coyle Park in the semi-final and then coming from seven points down to defeat county champions Crosserlough – who have not won a Division 1 league since 1974 – in the final.

When Gowna are strong, it always makes for a better renewal of the championship. The old familiar names – Brady, Madden, Pierson et al – are re-appearing on their team sheet now and that pedigree is important in re-generating rural clubs. If Gowna can make it to the latter stages, they will not shy away from making a bold bid for a first Oliver Plunkett Cup in 19 years.

The same can be said of Kingscourt, who are the hardest of the big guns to evaluate. They could easily have won the county title last year, letting Crosserlough off the rack in a drawn final, and had eight points to spare against Cavan Gaels in the semi-final.

But their run to that point was relatively soft. There were 12 teams in the competition and from the final table after the group stage, the Stars beat the sides ranked 12th, 11th, 10th and ninth and then needed extra time to see off eighth-placed Mullahoran in the quarter-final.

The sense is that Kingscourt come alive when they get within touching distance, something their former star Jim Reilly referenced in an interview when he said: “We’re on the periphery of Monaghan, Meath and Cavan. It’s a long spin to Breffni Park and people are way of us because they never really know what Kingscourt are going to bring.”

Their league form has been patchy but they have been without Barry Reilly and Joe Dillon (injured) and Alan Clarke (retired) and they can never be ruled out.

Then we have Lavey, who have lost just seven of their last 28 Senior Championship matches (albeit there were a freakishly high number of draws in there) and have been the ultimate championship team in recent years, generally operating out of Division 2 yet always making the quarter-finals or semis in the Senior Championship.

Their strengths are well-flagged; Shane Tierney, Gerry Smith, Chris Conroy, Danny Cusack and Paul Gilchreest are the leading lights and injuries to any of these could be fatal to their chances, as was proven when Crosserlough disposed of them with ease in the 2019 quarter-final.

A team they always push to the limit, Castlerahan, are also in a very interesting position. They have been the most consistent side in the county for the last 10 years, making five county finals and only missing out on the semis once. Their team has grown up together and has been an adornment on the competition, always arriving prepared, composed and up for the challenge.

Their great strength has been a brilliant back-line, where Stephen Cooney, Fergal Reilly and Enda O’Connell have brought war and no little ball-playing ability while Paul Smith mixes silk and steel and Oisin Kiernan, since his arrival, has been magnificent.

The scores they posted in their six successive county final appearances (including one replay) tell a tale: 0-11, 3-8, 0-8, 0-8, 2-11, 1-9. While some new faces have broken through, it is essentially the same core group flying the flag this year but the worry is that the club have lost arguably their three greatest players in Sean Brady, Cian Mackey and Ronan Flanagan in the last 18 months – and all of them forwards, although youngster Cian McCabe has been excellent.

League form has been middling – it is testament to Castlerahan’s sustained brilliance that losing two matches in succession, which they did, was such a rare occurrence – and if they can win it this year, it could be Castlerahan’s greatest achievement yet. And yet, they too cannot be ruled out with any confidence.

Cavan Gaels have also lost a gifted forward in 10-time senior medallist Seanie Johnston. They flopped in big knock-out games on several occasions in recent years but it is clear in hindsight that it was very much a transitional period.

The Gaels needed fresh blood and they have had an infusion in that regard, with the likes of Emmanuel Shehu and Eoin Galligan coming into the side while Gearoid McKiernan has settled in in his second year and has been in superb form.

While (minus McKiernan) they lost the league semi-final to Gowna, the previous 10 days were highly productive as they beat Castlerahan and Crosserlough in hard-fought encounters. The Gaels’ record in close matches had not been great for a few years, a one-point win over an unreliable Killygarry last year the outlier, and those eye-catching results provided evidence that they have turned a corner.

They have ground to make up based on their record over the last six seasons (beaten by five in the quarters, beaten in group, champions, beaten by five in the quarters, beaten by five in the semi and beaten by eight in the semi) but the sense is that they are closing the gap. To what extent, we do not know yet but the Terry Coyle men set high standards for themselves and will be there or thereabouts.

The Gaels made the semi last year off the back of a comprehensive win over Ramor United in the quarter-final, a result which must have greatly frustrated the Virginia men who had dismissed the Gaels with plenty to spare a couple of weeks earlier.

Ramor then blew a seven-point lead in the final quarter against Crosserlough and walked into a haymaker next time out. Inconsistency, then, has been a problem but there is absolutely no doubt that the quality is there at Dolan Park to add to the championship title from 2016.

Ado Cole and James Brady remain probably the best two-pronged strikeforce in the competition and the arrival of Sean McEvoy adds pace and endless potential. At the back, Damien Barkey is fit again which frees up Brían O’Connell while Jack Brady has been in super form at six.

We expect Ramor to make a bold bid but they have been handed a tough opener against the holders.

Crosserlough come into the competition as favourites, despite their recent league final loss. They made the final, and actually led by six, with an extremely young side three years ago, lost a close semi to Ramor in 2019 and finally got over the line last year.

Theirs is no overnight success and that, and their age profile, suggests they are unlikely to fall away any time soon. In Patrick Lynch, Stephen and Pierce Smith, they have three dynamic scorers and all around the field, they are mobile and powerful, with good ball-players in every line, notably free-scoring defender David Shalvey and young wing-back Cian Boylan, who is outstanding.

There are no passengers on the Crosserlough team; that said, it is hard to see them coming through such a stacked draw if they are forced to line out without both of their first-choice midfielders in Mark Stuart and James Smith, as they were in the league final.

Both men were awesome in the latter stages of the championship last year and while their hopes do not hinge entirely on their availability, with them, we make them warm favourites. Without, they could be got at.

Of the rest, Killygarry are an enigma. Meathman Jody Devine has a fine track record and may be able to get a tune out of them; with four regular starting county seniors in Cian Reilly, Martin Reilly, Oisin Brady and Conor Smith, they could be anything - but they need to start being something fairly soon.

Ballinagh were fantastic in winning the intermediate last year and look to have kicked on. Niall McDermott remains one of the elite forwards in the county and it’s no one-man show; Kevin Smith and the in-form Shane Finnegan are consistent scorers while few sides can match them for experience further back the field.

The track record of intermediate winners of late has been dire but Ballinagh are well-placed to buck this trend and contend for a quarter-final berth or better, depending on the draw.

Laragh, too, were highly impressive intermediate winners two years ago before going down with a whimper last year but we still reckon they could potentially trouble the better teams. Shercock have proven tricky on their day and had a good league but qualification for the knock-out stages is not likely on all known form.

Lacken boast two All-Stars in their line-up and yet seem to have declined. A few years ago, they were knocking on the door of the top three or four sides but the momentum has stalled for some reason.

The Celtics lost a couple of quarter-finals by wafer-thin margins and a win in any of those could have provided fresh impetus. It didn’t happen and they now seem a good bit off making that breakthrough.

There is talent there and always a great spirit but while Lacken could feasibly claim a scalp or two, they would need to improve beyond recognition to make a final.

Their neighbours, Mullahoran, were possibly the first team to ever lose three matches in succession and advance to the knock-out stages of a championship last year but when they got there, they produced their best performance of the season. Manager Danny Brady bleeds blue and yellow and is the ideal man to guide them and they showed in their recent defeat of Cuchulainns that they are dangerous, no matter what.

With a decent draw, they can make the last eight but it’s hard to see them silencing one of the really big guns.

Speaking of which, we’ll put one to the head. For the hell of it, our ranking of the top nine is as follows, in order: Crosserlough, Ramor, Cavan Gaels, Castlerahan, Gowna, Kingscourt, Killygarry, Ballinagh, Lavey.

The Kilnaleck side are taken to become the only second club in 12 years to defend the title but this year’s championship is truly about as open as it could get. Any one of the top six could win it and it would not be a surprise; in a 13-team competition, what more could the neutrals ask for?