The race for the Gilroy Cup is wide open

The Intermediate Football Championship tends to be the most intriguing competition in Cavan, and this year is no different.

There are clubs coming down from senior football, others on the rise from junior, seasoned intermediate campaigners who have been knocking on the door for years and ambitious young teams convinced their time has arrived. You could make a plausible case for eight or nine teams winning it and nobody would laugh at you.

That uncertainty is what makes the competition so compelling. So, who is it to be?

Killinkere arrive having shown last season that writing them off is dangerous. After a very poor opening-round showing against neighbours Bailieborough, many neutrals drew a line through their chances. Instead, they responded magnificently, defeating Cornafean, Drumlane, Butlersbridge and Ballymachugh to reach the semi-final, where eventual champions Cuchulainns proved too strong.

Ciaran O'Malley is a smart manager who consistently gets the best out of his players. The loss of speedster Peter McCabe is significant but there is genuine excitement about the younger generation.

Fintan O'Connell, Alex Sweeney, James Farrelly, Conall Mooney and Neil McCabe will all be expected to assume greater responsibility. For years the team has leaned heavily on experienced figures such as Jason McMahon, Emmett Fitzsimons and brothers Kevin and Liam McCabe but the changing of the guard is well underway. Sixth in the league was respectable enough and they open against Ballinagh in what looks one of the most interesting first-round ties.

PROGRESS

Drumlane continue to search for the momentum they appeared to have built after winning the Junior Championship and reaching the Ulster final in 2022. They defeated Arva in that county final but while Arva have established themselves as a solid Division 1 and Senior Championship outfit, Drumlane have struggled to kick on.

Fourth in the league represented progress and there is no shortage of talent. The crop of youngsters who emerged a few years ago are now the established players. Daryl McGurren and Cormac Flynn impressed at times during the league but consistency remains the biggest issue, both individually and collectively.

County sub goalkeeper Ryan Connolly will continue to shoulder much of the scoring burden. Their home form was excellent, winning every league game on their own patch, but they managed just one away victory, against Munterconnaught. They lost by four points to Ballymachugh in the league and will believe that opening-round rematch is there to be won.

THREATENED

Bailieborough are another side who have threatened for several seasons without quite making the breakthrough. Bryan Bates has assembled an exciting young panel packed with pace and attacking quality.

Last year they defeated Killinkere, Drumgoon and Lacken while drawing with Cootehill in the group stages before conceding three goals in a quarter-final defeat to Butlersbridge. It summed up their championship history in recent seasons. They have reached the quarter-finals in five of the last six years but their only semi-final appearance in that period came in 2020. This feels like a massive championship for them. Anything less than reaching the last four would represent a disappointment given the quality available.

REGENERATION

Shercock's regeneration has been impressive; they will be the answer to a trivia question in years to come as the only team to be promoted to Division 1 two years in succession. League restructuring denied them promotion the first time around but they finally sealed it this season. Although they lost the Division 2 final to Killygarry, they were highly competitive throughout and have blended youth and experience impressively.

Rangy Roman Hrushchak and the athletic Andrew Hill add freshness to a side still built around experienced leaders such as Killian Clarke. Clarke's injury in the league final is an obvious concern because he remains hugely influential. Shercock escaped relegation in last year's championship through a play-off victory over Lacken but they appear a much stronger proposition now. Their meeting with Lavey is among the most difficult first-round fixtures to call.

PRIME

Knockbride endured a miserable championship in 2025. There was considerable optimism beforehand but a difficult draw contributed to a campaign which never got going.

Ollie Fay's side should be better this year. Young talents Lorcan Reilly, Kyle McCabe and Micheál Smith complement a core group who are entering their prime years. Having spent longer in junior football than they would have wished, perhaps last season represented something of a hangover.

The league suggested improvement. They scored 18 goals in 10 games, demonstrating real attacking potential, although inconsistency again surfaced when they lost the promotion play-off semi-final to Shercock. Like many teams in this championship, they have every right to believe they can mount a serious challenge.

CONSISTENCY

Few clubs can match Butlersbridge for consistency. Since 2020 they have won 24 of their 32 Intermediate Championship matches and drawn another. That is an extraordinary record.

Keelan Melaniff remains at the helm of a side who reached last year's final despite disappointing league form, so it would be foolish to judge them on league performances alone; the ‘Bridge have become specialists in championship football.

Once a club which bounced regularly between junior and intermediate, they now have genuine ambitions of establishing themselves as a senior force. Strong underage structures continue to produce well-coached footballers. The return of former county player Caoimhín O'Reilly from Australia is a major boost while brother Fionntán remains the creative heartbeat. Joe Dugdale provides a commanding aerial presence around midfield and they look major contenders once again.

MOMENTUM

Cornafean are impossible to ignore. Once the dominant force in Cavan football and still leading the county roll of honour, they have endured lean years but there is unmistakable momentum behind them now.

Former county captain Martin Cahill (Denn) has done an excellent job, assisted by Eddie O'Reilly from Mullahoran. They reached last year's semi-final before losing a replay to Butlersbridge and followed that by winning the Division 3 title comfortably against an understrength Denn. This is primarily a young side blessed with pace and physicality. Cullain Mac Seain and Peter Doyle are outstanding ball-winners around the middle while Dean Kilkenny brings blistering speed. They have not reached an intermediate final since 1994 but that statistic could soon change.

REMARKABLE

Munterconnaught's return to intermediate football was one of last year's best stories. After spending a quarter of a century in the wilderness they captured the Junior Championship by defeating Kill before winning two matches in Ulster.

It was a remarkable achievement driven by the O'Shea brothers, Ryan Nwaneri and others. Stephen McGovern has since departed and experienced manager Paddy Bates takes charge. Survival was the immediate objective in the league, where they found themselves in a relegation play-off but performances did improve over the campaign.

The opening draw against Denn is unforgiving but there is very little easy in this championship. They will need to improve considerably to become genuine contenders but there is enough youth within the panel to suggest further progress is possible.

ENIGMAS

Cootehill Celtic remain one of the competition's great enigmas. They play some outstanding football and possess arguably the most naturally skilful forward line in the championship.

Shane Sexton leads the attack while captain Seanie O'Connor remains the driving force in defence. Shane McCabe continues to develop into an excellent goalscorer while Jake Whyte, the McGahan brothers and the Delaney brothers all add quality. Connor Delaney, in particular, looks a young footballer with real power and ball-playing ability.

Since their relegation from senior football in 2019 they have consistently reached the knock-out stages but have repeatedly fallen short. Ballyhaise eliminated them in the 2020 quarter-final and 2022 semi-final.

Denn ended their run in the 2023 quarter-final. Cuchulainns beat them in the 2024 quarter-final before Cornafean knocked them out at the same stage last season. They are always there but can they finally take the next step?

BALANCED

Denn perhaps possess the most balanced squad in the competition. Brian Donohoe oversees a panel which combines proven experience with an exciting crop of young footballers.

Many of the players who won county and Ulster junior titles remain involved while the club have since introduced several talented county minor-type players.

Nathan Quigley is perhaps the stand-out, a gifted left-footed poacher with an eye for goal. Thomas Edward Donohoe remains the key figure although he increasingly operates as a creator rather than an out-and-out forward, even appearing at half-back.

Oisín Kiernan provides tremendous power through the middle. Ben Conaty has been in electric form throughout the league while Caoláin McCabe continues to develop into a hugely important player. Bernard Gaffney and Sean Donohoe give them a formidable midfield partnership, with Sean carrying a constant goal threat. Promotion from Division 3 added further confidence.

COMPETITIVE

Lavey continue adapting to life outside senior football after spending the best part of a decade as a highly competitive knock-out team at the top level; in fact, they were probably unfortunate not to contest a final.

Captain Paul Gilcreest admitted at the championship launch that intermediate has proven tougher than expected. Experienced performers such as Gilcreest himself, Gerry Smith, Danny Cusack and Chris Conroy remain central to their ambitions but there is plenty of youth too. James McBreen and Oran Daly have impressed, although may not be there for the early rounds, while Thomas Plunkett is an excellent ball-winner around midfield.

There is also considerable excitement surrounding young forward Cathal Smith, a county minor graduate. Their 4-12 haul in defeating Butlersbridge in the league relegation play-off will have provided a valuable confidence boost ahead of a difficult opener against Shercock.

EXPERIENCE

Ballinagh enter familiar territory. They are the only team in the championship able to boast senior championship medallists within their ranks but recent results suggest the trajectory is pointing downwards.

Relegation from the Senior Championship football last year was followed by relegation from Division 1 this season. Despite that, experience remains abundant. Niall McDermott captains the side while younger players such as Ronan Connolly, Evan Finnegan and Thomas Smith are increasingly expected to become the team's leaders. Manager Daragh McCarthy knows the club inside out and brings considerable coaching expertise. They are difficult to assess, though; used to competing at a higher level, they could respond positively or they could find confidence hard to recover.

PHYSICALITY

Ballymachugh perhaps frustrate more than any other side because the ingredients are clearly there. Inconsistency has prevented them fulfilling their potential.

They possess tremendous physicality along with genuine scoring threats. Mark Kiernan dominates around the middle while Liam Buchanan's driving runs regularly produce goals. Shane Tynan remains one of the classiest footballers in the competition. Peter Devine's possible absence in America for the opening rounds would be a blow. Ballymachugh generally struggle to negotiate the quarter-final stage but on their day they will fear nobody and their first-round clash with Drumlane should reveal plenty about where they stand.

TREMENDOUS

In recent years the Eire Ógs have consolidated in intermediate ranks. Most years have been a relegation battle, but the club did very well to maintain their status during that transitional period, and the excellent work at underage level now means that they're entitled to be optimistic about their chances in the intermediate grade, with some tremendous young players, including the likes of Mattie McDermott and Dean Carroll. However, the Boyle Park men may still find the going tough based on league form, and a lot will depend on the draw. Dangerous on their day as they showed when rattling eventual champions Cuchulainns last year.

CLICKS

Trying to identify a winner is almost impossible. The standard is exceptionally even and there are compelling arguments for Killinkere, Bailieborough, Shercock, Knockbride, Butlersbridge, Cornafean, Cootehill Celtic, Ballymachugh, Ballinagh and Lavey if everything clicks at the right time.

It is about as open a championship as Cavan football has produced in years and predicting the outcome is bordering on guesswork.

If pushed, though, Denn get the nod, although their league-final collapse, with a number of players unavailable, is a concern. They appear to have a potent blend of youth and experience, possess scoring power all over the field, arrive with confidence after promotion and look to have just enough quality to edge what promises to be a fascinating Intermediate Championship.

But there will be many twists and turns in the race for the Gilroy Cup yet.