Ballyhaise and Cuchulainns are the front-runners

Intermediate Football Championship preview

Paul Fitzpatrick goes through the runners and riders in the race for the Gilroy Cup.

Bailieborough Shamrocks

The Shamrocks have been knocking loudly on the door in recent years. They went toe to toe with the top teams such as Ballyhaise, Cootehill and Butlersbridge and matched them for the most part.

However, form has plummeted in the league this year and they ended up relegated to Division 3. There has been quite a bit of flux in the line-up this year, with Michael Argue one of a few notable absentees, which might help explain the disappointing results.

Their first round is against a formidable Ballyhaise side, which will be difficult. Given their recent form, the Shamrocks would probably take surviving in the grade if they were offered it now but there is talent and tradition there and they could lift it for the championship.

A lift, though, will be needed.

Ballyhaise

Perennial favourites for this championship, Ballyhaise have rebuilt in recent years while still maintaining high standards. Their exceptional underage system, through which they have harnessed the increased numbers in the area and are churning out well-schooled young players, has helped regenerate the side.

Yet the leading players for the most part are those who were so integral when they won the championship in 2015, namely Kevin Tierney, David Brady and captain Padraig Moore. Brady’s brother, Michael, has been outstanding this year and for a few years now, scoring freely from play and dead balls. They finished eighth in Division 1 but the table doesn’t tell the whole story. They lost four games by a point, another by two points and drew against Gowna and Cavan Gaels.

The league finished with the Gaels draw and wins over Mullahoran, Killygarry and Ballinagh to comfortably preserve their top-flight status.

Ballyhaise are in the unenviable position of having to win this championship or else the season is viewed as a failure, which is harsh and unfair; few other teams in the county are held to such a lofty standard. Then again, they can view it as a compliment.

They lost the semi by three to the eventual winners Killeshandra in 2013, lost the final in 2014, won it in 2015, lost the final in 2017, had poor years in ’18 and ’19, lost the semi by three to winners Ballinagh in ’20, lost the final by one in ’21 to the Bridge and by a goal to Castlerahan last year.

It’s fair to say they have been by far the best team in this grade for a long time now but have only won it once. Their time surely has to arrive soon and, on paper, they tick a lot of boxes.

Gary O’Rourke is a superb goalie, brother Brían and Eoin Clarke are among the big men in the middle along with the experienced Sean McCormack while youngster Evan Crowe has also stepped up.

The team to beat.

Ballymachugh

The Hughs are a side with no shortage of talent but a lack of consistency, although injuries were a big part of that in this year’s league. Mark Kiernan, Ben Tierney, Shane Tynan and Daragh Kiernan all spent time on the sidelines and were big losses although, on the plus side, they should all be back for the championship.

Kiernan and Tierney would be expected to help shore up a back-line which leaked 31 goals in the league and the other two will add some additional firepower up front where, to be fair, the team has managed to find the net a very respectable 20 times.

Ballymachugh have a new manager in Abbeylara man Sheridan, who experimented with different combinations with some younger players earlier in the year, which took some time to gel and some of the goals conceded came in flurries and could be put down to learning on the job to some extent.

Liam Buchanan is having a great year at midfield, Dylan Kiernan and Gary Kelly are going well in defence and Killian Smith is playing very well up front. They preserved their status with a 0-12 to 0-6 win over Drumalee in the relegation play-off.

They beat Killeshandra last year to retain their intermediate status for championship, having qualified for the previous two quarter-finals. The emergence of young attackers Shane Tynan and Peter Devine promises much and an extended run is not beyond them but on all known form, it’s hard to make a case for the Sheelin Park men to repeat the Gilroy Cup success of 1999.

Belturbet

Belturbet have been the gate-keepers to the Intermediate title for a few years now. Year on year, they were in the knock-out stages and tended to lose to the eventual champions, forcing them to replays on a couple of occasions. In 2019, they topped the group and went to the final, losing to Laragh.

In 2020, eventual winners Ballinagh beat them heavily in round four and then again in the quarter-final and the Rorys haven’t won a group game since. In fact, starting with that round four game in 2020, Belturbet have won just two IFC matches from their last 14, both of them relegation finals.

So it was reasonable to conclude going into this year’s league that they may struggle to compete in Division 2. But they bounced back strongly and had five wins in two draws and while they finished 10th, in a tightly-bunched division, they were only two points off sixth.

And they did manage to beat three of the top six and ran another, Lavey, to two points so while consistency has been an issue, on the pick of their form, they’re fairly strong.

There has been an over-reliance on Enda Henry for scores for some time but Donal McDonald and in particular Callum McGreevy have stepped up in that regard. The return from long-term injury of outstanding young midfielder Cormac Donohoe is also a big plus and while they have a very tough opener against Cuchulainns, they will likely prove hard to beat in this championship. An outright success, however, seems beyond them this time.

Butlersbridge

Butlersbridge were a team very much on the up in the seasons leading to 2022, when they claimed the Intermediate Championship in most impressive fashion, beating arguably the three strongest sides in Bailieborough, Cuchulainns and Ballyhaise in the knock-out stages.

Their first voyage in senior ranks, however, was a chastening one as they lost all six games, three of them heavily, ultimately slipping back through the trap door.

At the championship launch last week, captain Diarmuid McCorry admitted it wasn’t part of the plan to be back in the Intermediate so soon, although there were mitigating factors.

“We definitely didn’t want to be back down straight away but I suppose we had a lot of injuries and fellas going away but it was a good experience to be up there,” was the corner-back’s summation.

The Bridge finished eighth in Division 2 of the ACFL with five wins, six losses and two draws. In the latter rounds, they struggled for scores, registering 1-8, 1-7 and 2-3. Injuries were a problem again, with the likes of Fionntán O’Reilly out for a long spell, and their cause won’t be helped by the absence of Caoimhin O’Reilly, who is in America for the summer.

John Fitzpatrick, now based in Canada, is a notable absentee from their Intermediate-winning side too. They will feel they can beat Shercock in their opener, however (they won 2-12 to 1-4 in O’Hagan Park in round 10 of the league) and if they manage that, they should make the last eight.

Cootehill Celtic

Last year, the Celts recovered from a poor opening day and went to the semi-final, proving their mettle with nailbiting wins over Drumgoon, Cornafean and Ballymachugh in the group before turning on the style against Templeport in the last eight.

They ultimately came up short against Ballyhaise (losing by two goals) but it was a progressive year and marked them out as major contenders. The outstanding underage work in the club is beginning to bear fruit, with well-coached young players coming on stream to augment the experienced heads like Eoin Roche, Seanie O’Connor, Dermie Connolly, John McCutcheon, Enda Hessin et al.

Firepower is not a problem - Shane Sexton, on his day, is as good as any forward in the grade – and the recent Reserve Championship success suggests things are ticking along nicely in the camp.

While they were disappointed to lose the league semi-final to Knockbride by two points, which cost them promotion, but the winners franked that form against Cuchulainns in the final.

Based on last year’s semi-final run, their league form (they finished second), the presence of numerous IFC medallists from 2014 and the fact that their rookies of last year have another season under their belts, they must be on the shortlist of potential winners.

Cootehill open their campaign against Cornafean.

Cornafean

Last year, the Reds were free-scoring in the league and came close to securing a long-awaited return to Division 1 of the league, before losing the semi-final narrowly to neighbours Arva.

After beating Ballymachugh in the opening round of the championship under lights, they lost heavily to Ballyhaise in Kingspan Breffni and the negative score difference which resulted ultimately cost them dearly as a subsequent one-point loss to Cootehill and a two-point win over Shercock left them in 10th place in the table.

The league started slowly this year but they found their form as it went on and a storming run in their last six games (drew with Lavey, beat Drumalee, champions-in-waiting Knockbride, Bailieborough, Butlersbridge and Killinkere) saw them finish fifth.

The emergence of young attacking talent like the pacey Dean Kilkenny and inside forward Jack Traynor has been a big help and they will feel they can make a splash in this championship.

For all that they have improved, they have only two quarter-final appearances to their name since coming up to Intermediate in 2017 so they are overdue a good run and Gowna man Laurence Brady, manager in 2016 when they won junior, knows how to get a good tune out of them.

Cuchulainns

Cuchulainns have been knocking on the door at intermediate level for several years now. They were in the final in 2018, lost by a point to eventual winners Laragh in the 2019 semi-final and lost the semi-final to eventual winners Butlersbridge in 2021.

Last year, they went even closer if that’s possible; they played champions-in-waiting Castlerahan three times, drawing once in the group and once in the semi-final before losing the replay.

And on the odd year out, 2020, when they failed to advance to the quarter-finals, they actually beat the would-be winners, Ballinagh, in the group stage.

This time around, under former star attacker Fintan Cahill, they secured a return to Division 1 after five years in Division 2. However, defeat in the league final to Knockbride was a setback and it will be interesting to see how they respond to that.

The attack is led by the outstanding Evan Doughty, who can be both playmaker and finisher, with Niall Carolan the key man at the back. Bryan Magee is also an integral figure but has been out for several weeks with a shoulder injury; his presence up top will likely be needed if they are to win the Gilroy Cup.

The team is mostly young and energetic with plenty of pace and a nice mix of experienced players, with corner-back Killian Lynch and midfielder Adrian Taite survivors from the 2005 Intermediate-winning team.

Denn

After a long period at senior level, which included successive Senior Championship final appearances in 2008 and 2009, Denn slipped back quickly and found themselves in junior ranks, eventually bottoming out when they failed to qualify from the group in the Junior Championship in 2019.

They began to rise again then, reaching the championship final in 2020. That was delayed for a year due to Covid and when it was finally played, Templeport stunned a Denn side who were warm favourites.

But they bounced back and won the championship, and the Ulster title, afterwards, playing some brilliant football along the way. Last year, back in intermediate, they beat Killeshandra and Shercock, lost narrowly to Castlerahan and Drumgoon and lost the quarter-final by six points to Ballyhaise.

This year, they were expected to emerge from Division 3 and they did but their form tailed off towards the end of the campaign. Unfortunately, they were handed walkovers by Kildallan and Maghera in the final rounds, games they would have won, but the bare facts are that Denn have won two of their last six matches, losing to Shannon Gaels, beating Corlough, losing to Drumgoon, drawing with Mountnugent before winning the replay and losing to Drumgoon again in the league final.

That final performance was poor, with just three points registered in the final 50 minutes. There is an inconsistency there which belies their undoubted talent.

Denn tick a lot of boxes – good freetakers, powerful and athletic players around the middle, a very good goalkeeper – and the form they showed at the latter end of the 2021/22 season would bring them a good distance in the Intermediate. However, they haven’t shown that lately and will need to up their game, starting with the opener against Templeport which is a winnable fixture for sure.

Successful manager Stephen Baxter has returned and if he can get a good tune out of Denn, an extended run is possible.

Drumgoon

Since returning to Intermediate ranks for the 2016 season, Drumgoon have generally been up against it, only escaping the group twice in seven years, although they did make a semi in 2017 and gave eventual winners Shercock a good run for their money on that occasion.

This year, they have improved, with a number of talented young players establishing themselves. While key man marker Donal Keappock is out with a long-term injury, they have a good balance throughout the side.

Killian Moynagh and pro boxer Dominic Donegan are exceptional athletes in defence, where county man Conor Moynagh is integral. Up front, the ageless Keith Fannin remains the go-to man for scores but young forward Dean Carroll is taking some of the pressure off in that regard.

They had a sluggish start to Division 3 of the league but finished brilliantly and ended up securing promotion and beating Denn (for the second time this year) in the league final.

The club won the Intermediate in 2022 and 2011 so the time is right to add a third but realistically, navigating their way through the group may be regarded as a success this time.

Drumlane

Last year’s Junior Championship was one of the hottest we’ve ever had, with two sides – Arva and Knockbride – who will play Division 1 football next year. Drumlane won it and went on to the Ulster final from the preliminary round, ultimately losing a penalty shoot-out.

Those extra games, all that training and time together should really stand to Martin Dunne’s team although they will need to be wary of the sort of hangover Denn experienced after their extended Ulster run.

The mix of youth and experience is potent, with the O’Dowd brothers and Ciaran Crowe the veterans and Ryan Connolly the leader of the attack and usually contributor of the bulk of the scores.

It’s not a one-man band up front, though, with Daryl McGurren and Cormac Flynn also very dangerous and wing-forward Liam Belton good for a couple of scores. That’s not to mention speedster Darragh Dolan, whose ball-carrying and finishing ability was a huge asset last year.

At the back, Harry Clarke is sound in goals and James McCahill and Mark Maguire are among the stand-outs.

The league started with three defeats but they only lost two of the following 10 games and finished in seventh position. The big imponderable is how they will cope with the loss of Donal Monahan, who has emigrated. The full-back was a tour de force in recent seasons and, as Connolly admitted at the championship launch, is irreplaceable.

While it’s a step up, a repeat of their form from the business end last year would see them go a long way but without Monahan, an outright win could be a bridge too far this time.

Killinkere

The Jim Smith Park men have been in the quarter-finals of the Intermediate Championship for the last three years, losing to Butlersbridge and neighbours Cuchulainns (twice). Prior to that, they lost the final by a point in a replay in 2016, were relegated in 2017, lost the Junior final in a replay in 2018 and then won it in 2019 so it’s fair to say they have amassed vast experience at this stage of their development.

The key men have been there all the way through. Emmett Fitzsimons is the go-to attacker, reliable from frees and play. Jason McMahon is the pulse of the team around the middle and Liam and Kevin McCabe lead the defence.

Speedster Peter McCabe remains a real goal threat also and youngsters Cian McGovern and Conall Mooney are dangerous up front.

Killinkere have been a goalscoring side for a few years now and they bagged another 21 in the league, although the majors dried up in the closing rounds with three blanks in four games. Overall, league form was solid although they will have been very disappointed to concede a late goal against Cornafean in the final in the final round which denied them a semi-final place.

Their opener is against Drumlane; there will be nothing easy there but they won the league fixture between the sides and will fancy their chances. In a very competitive division, they are probably towards the top of the chasing pack behind Ballyhaise, Cuchulainns and Cootehill and are one of several teams who could take scalps and go deep in the draw.

Shercock

Having come from off the pace to win the Intermediate Championship in 2017, Shercock remained in senior ranks for four years, which was a fair achievement for a team working off tight numbers.

In the last couple of years, they have lost quite a few players to emigration and that has told in their results; last season, a two-point round four loss to Cornafean send them out of the championship but they were unlucky in that five teams had four points on the board. The margins could scarcely have been finer.

While they put three wins together against Drumalee, Lavey and Cornafean in late April/May, for the most part league form was disappointing this year, although they picked it up late on and stayed up in a relegation play-off.

Firepower has been an issue at times over the years but Sean Clarke has really stepped up this season. Realistically, it is hard to make a case for the O’Hagan Park men returning to the winner’s enclosure this season and with young talent coming on stream, consolidation would possibly be the aim.

Templeport

The St Aidan’s went on a brilliant run last year of 20-odd games unbeaten before losing to Killinkere in the championship and then collapsing against Cootehill in the quarter-final.

This year, they have been hit by injuries but as players started to return, results improved. In their first seven league games, they won two and drew one; in the remaining six, they won three and drew one.

There is lots of experience in the squad now with anything up to nine of the 2015 Junior Championship winning side likely to see game time in this championship.

They have winning pedigree and, crucially, plenty of firepower in the likes of Liam Galligan, Eoin McCaffrey and the in-form Eoin Doonan among others.

If they can keep their leading men fit, they should be just outside the top tier group and capable of breaking into it. While Conor Galligan is gone to America for the summer and is a big loss, Ciaran McManus is a welcome returnee who has been going very well around the half-back line.

Reports from the challenge game circuit suggest results have not been great but they showed enough last year, notably a big win over Cootehill in the first round, to suggest they have the tools to go close if they find their groove. They will need everyone, though, to repeat the 1995 success in this grade.