Four heavyweights still standing in wide-open SFC race

SFC semi-finals preview

PAUL FITZPATRICK looks ahead to this weekend’s Senior Championship semi-finals.

In honestly assessing the state of play in all three club championships, we must start on a negative note: the standard, and the entertainment levels, this year have been below average.

The fact that no teams were relegated to intermediate or junior ranks last year may explain the disappointing fare in those grades but at senior, it is puzzling.

Three of the four quarter-finals were lifeless – Ramor v Ballinagh was the exception – and the absence of Crosserlough and Castlerahan (there hasn’t been a final without either side in it since 2014) has certainly removed some quality from the knock-out stages.

Yet, for all that, the four still standing are heavyweight contenders. The semi-finals could not be more finely poised.

The bookmakers make Gowna 2/1 favourites to win the title, with Cavan Gaels and Ramor a shade bigger at 9/4 and Kingscourt the outsiders at 9/2, which says it all. There will be no shock victor in the 2021 Cavan Senior Football Championship.

Identifying who will have their colours tied to the cup, though, is very difficult at this juncture. Gowna have the best form ‘in the book’ but, in many ways, like the back nine on a Sunday in a golf Major, the competition starts here.

An aspect which may be overlooked is that the semi-finals take place on October 24, a fortnight or three weeks later than the final usually occurs. The decider itself will not be for another fortnight; while the weather is mild at present, by then it will be winter football. Who will that suit? Another question to throw into the mix.

Finding answers is the hard part...

Ramor v Cavan Gaels

Ramor and Cavan Gaels met twice in the championship last year. In the group stage in Crosskeys, Ramor were superior, winning comfortably, but two weeks later, the roles were reversed when the Gaels swept past the Virginia side in the quarter-final.

When Ramor won the championship in 2016 with a very young side, they were ear-marked for greatness. With Cavan Gaels coming to the end of their glorious run, the way seemed clear for Ramor to string together several successes.

For whatever reason, that hasn't happened. There has been some flux in the team – notably, James McEnroe emigrated, Conor Bradley transferred and Damien Barkey has had a torrid time with injuries - but of those who saw game time in that 2016 final replay, including Barkey who was joint-captain but missed out through injury, 14 have featured at some stage in this campaign five years on.

Into the mix since back then they have added youth and experience up front in the form of soccer ace Sean McEvoy and the wily Paddy McNamee, back from Australia and playing very well.

Throughout the team, they look solid. Goalkeeper Liam Brady, deputy to All-Star Ray Galligan at county level, has returned from a serious injury to step in between the posts.

Barkey, fit again, has been outstanding at full-back, notably blotting out Niall McDermott in the quarter-final, while Jack Brady, in a relatively new role of centre-back, is playing the best football of his career.

County panellists Simon Cadden and Brían O'Connell are also integral for their ball-carrying and tackling. Ado Cole, although not fit to start last time out, has nothing to prove at this level; beside him, James Brady is arguably the most natural and prolific, two-footed corner-forward on the club scene.

The Gaels, though, was possibly the draw they didn't want. The county town side have a good record against Ramor and there is no mental scar tissue there; privately, they will always admit to fancying that particular challenge.

The Gaels have been in transition in recent years, arguably since 2015. They won the championship in 2017 and benefitted from a kind draw to make the Ulster final but it was not a vintage year in Cavan. It is testament to the high standards set at Terry Coyle Park that they have continued to advance deep in the draw with a team which has been well below the magnificent sides of the recent past - until now that is.

For a time, they struggled in tight games, too, invariably winning blow-outs or not winning at all. But that seems to be in the past now too; they came through some real battles in the league, notably against Crosserlough in Kilnaleck and against Castlerahan, and after the disappointment of not showing up for the semi-final last year against Kingscourt, the Gaels have bounced back in some style.

Manager Kieran Donnelly has done something of a rebuilding job and the results are impressive. Despite a hellish run of injuries, they are unbeaten in this championship, claiming the scalps of Ballinagh, Castlerahan (in some style), Lavey and Laragh and drawing with Crosserlough.

With 10-time medallist Sean Johnston retired and Martin Dunne out for the remainder of the season with injury, they looked to be lacking a focal point in the full-forward line. For most teams, this would be a major hindrance but the Gaels are full of pacey ball-carriers such as Luke Fortune, the Murray brothers, Niall Smith and, of course, their go-to man, Gearoid McKiernan.

However, the return from injury of Paul O'Connor, a brilliant goalscorer, and continued development of youngster Jack Tully has alleviated this; against Laragh last time out, while looking like they had another gear in reserve, they varied their play and put together some great moves, spoiled only by wayward shooting.

The fact remains, though, that McKiernan is far and away the biggest danger. Take him out, as we saw against Lavey, and the Gaels are not nearly as potent. He got 1-6 against Ballinagh, ran amok against Castlerahan (scoring an extraordinary 2-10), was rested against Lavey and came off the bench to hit 0-3 (2f) last time.

Ramor must stop him to win which will not be easy. On the other side of the coin, Ray Cole's side can hurt the Gaels in a lot of ways. There is some niggle in this fixture, always, and that will probably be the case again. They met twice last year and split the honours; this one decides the trilogy and Ramor get the vote, narrowly.

Verdict: Ramor by two

Gowna v Kingscourt Stars

Gowna are back – that much is beyond doubt. It's hard to believe that 19 years have passed since the Oliver Plunkett Cup wintered by the lough shore and 14 since they made the county final.

In that time, they reached a couple of semi-finals but just as often struggled, including a couple of seasons where they flirted with a return to intermediate football for the first time since the 1980s.

The last two championships ended with Gowna being out-played in quarter-finals against Ramor and Crosserlough; everyone knew the cavalry was coming but this soon? No.

Only seven of those who started the defeat to Ramor two years ago last month were including in the starting 15 for the recent SFC quarter-final win over Mullahoran – Ronan Bannon, Mark McKeever, James Madden, Conor Brady, Cian Madden, TJ Fitzpatrick and Conor Madden, although Oisin Pierson and Ryan McGahern likely would have started against the Dreadnoughts only for injury.

Still, it is indicative of the new-look Gowna side. Teenagers such as Cormac Brady, Ryan Brady, Tiarnan Madden, Ryan Donohoe, Fionan Brady and Conor Casey have all broken into the team and not just held their own but excelled.

The pedigree of most of these young guns is good; they are from football families steeped in the club and that counts for a lot. Gowna's success since the 1980s was built, primarily, on a handful of clans. At a time when families are generally smaller than they were a few decades ago, it was thought that such a recipe could no longer nourish a rural club but Gowna have tweaked it, adding a sprinkling of new names and, crucially, brought it all to the boil with excellent coaching and organisation.

The club has had a clear vision at underage level, where the Southern Gaels amalgamation has worked well in exposing their players to high-quality football, and they have adopted best practice techniques in terms of player and coach development.

All of which has resulted in this influx which has transformed a team top-heavy with marksmen up front but weak in other areas into a side laced with energy, with ball-players in every line and a fearlessness which only youth can bring. And more are on the way, schooled in the house style. Gowna, then, are here for the long haul and have passed every test they have sat thus far.

In their last seven matches in league and championship, they have beaten Cavan Gaels (away), Crosserlough (twice), Killygarry, Lacken, Mullahoran and Shercock, the sort of run which suggests they are the real deal.

Much has been made of their age profile but for all their youth, and the fact that they haven't won a semi-final since 2007 and a final since 2002, it is extraordinary to think that four SFC medallists saw game time in the quarter-final, namely Ronan Bannon, Mark McKeever, Raymond Keogh and Gerald Pearson, the latter coming on to get a goal.

When they last won the championship, Gowna beat Kingscourt in the semi-final (the quarter-final line-up back then, for the record, was Gowna v Knockbride, Cavan Gaels v Bailieborough, Kingscourt v Killygarry and Mullahoran v Belturbet) and they will travel to HQ with a quiet confidence of repeating that feat this weekend.

However, the Stars will take a hell of a lot of beating. The east Cavan side generally come alive when they reach the latter stages; where some teams may doubt themselves or inadvertently shy away from it, Kingscourt tend to back themselves and raise their game when the big prize hovers into view.

Many of their players, as is the case with Gowna, are sons and nephews of multiple senior medallists and that counts for a lot; it’s intangible but it raises expectations and provides inspiration.

Last year, they were written off pre-championship – including in this column - and they went on to make a mockery of those predictions. After benefitting from a relatively soft draw and needing extra time to get over Mullahoran in the quarter-final, they arrived for the semi-final completely written off against Cavan Gaels and duly delivered the goods.

Physically, they bullied the Gaels in certain positions and took their chances up front, winning by eight. They could have won the final, too, spurning an opportunity at the end of the drawn game before Crosserlough proved better in the replay.

This time around, there is the same sense of an army slowly advancing towards their goal. They beat Shercock, Killygarry and Mullahoran all by a point, hammered a poor Lacken, before a routine enough win over Lavey in the quarter-final.

It won’t have taken much improvement for the Stars to close the gap, given how close they were, and while it’s hard to draw lines of form given that three of the teams they played did not make the top eight, they seem to be in fine fettle.

Paddy Meade, who carried an injury through the campaign last year, is now fully fit and a key presence as the anchor of the defence. Behind him, former Cavan Player of the Year Shane Gray is also free from injury for the first time in a while.

Around the middle, All-Star Padraig Faulkner needs no introduction while riding shotgun is the improved Sean Burke.

Kingscourt made it to within touching distance of the title last year without Joe Dillon, a ball-winner and goalscorer of the highest order, and his return is also a huge boost. Young forward Cian Shekleton has proven reliable while Barry Reilly remains, along with Ray Galligan, the classiest ball striker in the county and the best passer.

The focal point of the attack, though, has been Peter Corrigan, who can win and carry ball and score; Corrigan is probably under-rated by virtue of the fact that he hasn’t played senior football for the county but there is no doubting his quality.

The experience of senior medallists such as Barry Tully and Philly Tinnelly and former county goalkeeper James Farrelly adds to what looks a potent mix. In contrast to their opponents in the green and red corner, Kingscourt have not hit top gear yet which adds another intriguing layer to this one in that they are hard to evaluate.

This is the Kingscourt Stars we are talking about, though; it is an article of faith that they have it in them to make the county final in any given year and it would be absolutely no surprise were they to do it again. In the quarter-final, Kingscourt struggled a little with Lavey’s defensive set-up, particularly in the first half. This game is likely to be more free-wheeling and that could suit them.

A thriller is in store between two sides with great history but little modern-day baggage. Anything could happen – even a blow-out win for one side or the other.

It’s a coin toss. Gowna have huge momentum and have so far belied the old cliché that says young teams tend to be inconsistent. They have won matches as front-runners and, as in the league final, coming from behind and look to have a stronger bench.

But Kingscourt are past masters; every player on their team knows what it takes to rock up to Breffni Park and win a semi-final. Gun to the head, they are taken to shade it.

Verdict: Kingscourt by one