Drumhowan are the team to beat in the JFC
By Maitiú Monaghan
The Junior Football Championship has always been ferocious in Monaghan. The competition has never lived up to stereotypes about Junior football. In fact, it continues to produce plenty of excellent inter-county footballers. In years gone by, good teams have struggled to win it outright. This year will be no different.
Growth:
Clubs should be looking at what Drumhowan have been doing in recent years and start taking notes. A small club on the edge of Ballybay, Drumhowan have continued to produce quality footballers, including Darragh McElearney and Monaghan u20 ace Tom Doherty. It is no surprise that they have already been promoted, winning the JFL last weekend. Their sights will be firmly set on winning the JFC and having a crack at the Ulster title.
Ambition:
It’s the worst kept secret in Monaghan club football that Aghabog have promotion aspirations this season. All three of the rural club’s adult teams have been competitive so far this year, and they fancy their chances of grabbing a promotion spot. Oisin Gleeson and Cian Greenan provide them with remarkable stability, while the O’Hanlons continuing to lead the line in the forwards. They should not be written off.
Dark Horses:
Nobody will fancy playing Blackhill in the JFC this season. The Emeralds have a hard-earned reputation for being a hardy outfit that come into their own in big Championship games. There remains a large contingent of the Courtney family in the side, with Phillip Donnelly another massive figure in the club. If Blackhill can continue to make their home ground a fortress, the knockout stages await- at a minimum.
Families:
It isn’t that long ago that there were worries out in Scotshouse about where the next generation of players would come from. Although such worries are normal for rural clubs, they were acutely felt out in Currin. Now, they’re facing into the Championship with a realistic chance of getting promoted. Everyone in Monaghan knows how good Tiernan and Killian Kierans are, but Aaron and Conor Smyth are also playing fine football. Currin have a proud history of defying the odds and getting promoted in unlikely circumstances, they’ve all the tools they need to do so again.
Faith:
A mid-table finish in this season’s JFL was probably about right for Killeevan. The Newbliss club have proven unable to maintain early season success in recent years and were beaten by Currin in the League quarter-finals. However, it isn’t as if wholesale changes are needed to change their fortunes. There is talented coming through at under-age levels, and key men like John McGuirk and Kieran Smith are entering the peak of their career. The Newbliss club are one of the most well supported clubs in Monaghan. Regardless of form, they will believe that they can win.
Underrated:
After a disappointing league campaign, Oram will be hoping to turn things around in this year’s Championship. The south Monaghan club have got plenty of talent to work with and will be no pushovers in a difficult group. As always, Jason Irwin will be the key man for them. Having featured regularly for Monaghan in the early part of the year, Irwin has the quality and the temperament to lead Oram into the knockout stages.
Building:
There's a quiet belief in Rockcorry, who are going into the competition completely under the radar. Talk in the village is that numbers in training have sky-rocketed, and that the talent being produced in under-age teams will eventually filter into the Senior team. Still, this year may come slightly too soon for Rock, although a place in the quarter-final or semi-final is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Hybrids:
As always, the question around the Scostown Reserves is simple: What are they going to bring? There's a fluidity to their side that makes them almost impossible to pin down. The team is not a retirement home for former club greats, nor is it solely a training ground for young players who need more time to develop. The truth is somewhere in the middle. They could win the JFC, but against club's first teams, may struggle with the intensity.
Inconsistency:
Sean McDemott’s have proven to be consistently inconsistent. Last season, they were beaten JFC Finalists, and this year they finished bottom of the JFL with just one win. This type of carry on has been happening in Three-Mile-House for a few years and makes them dangerous ahead of the Championship. Surely, they cannot completely turn their fortunes around for the Championship once again? It would take a brave man or a fool to rule it out completely.
Mercurial:
Toome's performance in the knockout stages of the League have shown that the south Monaghan club have found form at the right time. Led by mercurial talent James Wilson, they will keep themselves tight at the back, knowing that they have the fire-power up front to hurt teams. At this stage, Toome are seasoned veterans at getting out of Junior. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them playing Intermediate football next season.
Newbies:
Truagh are the unknown quantities in this year’s JFC. It is said that familiarity breeds, if not contempt then staleness. Their emergence as the new kid on the block is a good thing for the JFC. Nothing can quite prepare teams for the dogged desperation in a must-win Junior game. However, if Truagh can adapt quickly and learn on the fly, they are a team to look out for in this year’s competition.
Prediction: Drumhowan have been the favourites to win the JFC since the beginning of the season, and nothing has changed.
Their JFL final performance showed their quality, and they should have enough to do the double. However, Blackhill and Toome will not make it easy for them.