Unbeaten Kingscourt and Gowna have yet to play their best football

A weekend break in the Senior Championship gave Damien Donohoe a chance to take stock of the many games he's watched.

Stand-out young players to impress?

Jake Mills of Laragh Utd has impressed, particularly with his ability to kick two-pointers off his left foot, while Aaron Plunkett has added to the Mullahoran defence and has shown an ability to take on difficult man-marking jobs. Jamie Clarke of Castlerahan has caught the eye with his high fielding and clever use of the ball, while Darren Noonan has shown leadership in Killygarry’s forward line and helped take the scoring burden off Keaney. Odhran Madden has shown his athleticism and two-point range for Gowna. The young player of the championship so far, for me is Fiachra Brady. The Gowna wing-back has been close to man of the match in both games, combining an ability to score with tenacious tackling at the other end.

Tightest defence in the grade?

On paper, Cavan Gaels have the tightest defence, having conceded just 29 points, although that probably comes with an asterisk given their comfortable victory over Laragh Utd. The defence which looks the tightest while also having been challenged is that of reigning champions Kingscourt. They have conceded only 30 points in their opening two matches against Mullahoran and Ramor Utd. In John McCullough, Killian Farrelly and Aaron Shackleton, Kingscourt have mean, tight defenders who seem to take genuine pleasure in spoiling the opposition’s scoring opportunities.

Who is proving a threat from two-point range?

Arva have been the outstanding two-point team in the competition so far, landing nine in their opening two matches. More importantly, they have a great spread of players scoring them, with Dobson, Bouchier, Sheridan, Donnelly and Morris on target from that range. Castlerahan and Cavan Gaels are next with seven two-pointers apiece. Interestingly, Gowna, who were prolific from long range last year, have managed only three so far. At the bottom, Ramor have registered just one two-pointer, Sean McEvoy converting from a free, meaning they have yet to score one from open play in two championship games.

Which team has kick-outs down to a fine art?

Arva stand out, particularly on the evidence of their opening-round performance against Crosserlough, when they retained around 85% of their own kick-outs. What was even more impressive was the percentage of those possessions which ultimately resulted in a shot at the other end. Cian O’Hara’s delivery is excellent, but it is the movement and strategic set-up around the kick-out which makes Arva particularly effective. They are not merely retaining possession; they are using the restart to launch attacks immediately. Their kick-out has been the platform for two consistently strong performances and, at this stage, they are the outstanding team in that department.

Goalkeeper of note?

Tom Martin has had an excellent start to the championship for Kingscourt, while Gary O’Rourke has shown leadership for Ballyhaise and appears to have added another dimension to his kicking. Darragh Gilsenan also looks like he may have solved what has been a problem position for Killygarry over a number of seasons by providing a steady presence between the posts. However, if picking one goalkeeper on the opening two rounds, it is difficult to look beyond Arva’s Cian O’Hara. His influence on their kick-out strategy makes him the stand-out so far.

Stand-out match?

There have been a lot of excellent matches, which reflects how the leading pack and chasing pack of recent seasons appear to have merged into one very competitive group. Cuchulainn’s against Ramor in round two was excellent, with Ramor building an early lead, Cuchulainn’s clawing them back and the game eventually decided by an injury-time winner. But the game of the championship – and possibly the game of the year, if not longer – was Crosserlough’s 2-22 to 2-21 win over Arva. Dara McVeety’s two-pointer a minute into injury-time turned a one-point deficit into a one-point victory. The drama, attacking quality and excitement throughout made it an absolute dream of a football match.

Any players who deserve a second look for the county team?

Tristan Noack-Hofmann has amassed six points, all from open play, in Arva’s first two games and is certainly worthy of being in the conversation. James Smith remains one of the best footballers in the county, scoring three points against Arva before following that with 2-1 against Gowna. Sean McEvoy has also impressed for Ramor, scoring five points against Kingscourt before adding 1-2 against Cuchulainn’s, including a spectacular long-range free. Niall Magee from Cuchulainn’s looks to have the cut of a county player too. Cian Keaney’s scoring for Killygarry keeps him in the conversation, while Brian O’Rourke of Ballyhaise is another worthy of consideration.

What’s the atmosphere been like?

It was disappointing in some of the opening-round games. The large expanses of Breffni made it difficult at times for supporters to generate much atmosphere. That changed for the refixed Arva-Crosserlough game on the Wednesday night, although the quality and drama of the football undoubtedly helped create the atmosphere. Cuchulainn’s against Ramor also generated a really good buzz in Breffni in round two. In contrast, Laragh against Cavan Gaels in Crosskeys was very flat, although the one-sided second half meant there was little for supporters to become engaged in. It leaves an interesting question: is atmosphere more influenced by playing games in Breffni or club grounds, or is the bigger issue a championship structure in which round-one games perhaps do not feel consequential enough?

A player you’d pay to see in this grade?

Jordan Morris. At this point, he is the most exciting player to watch in the country, bar none. He has the ability to produce something out of very little and is the type of forward who creates anticipation whenever he gets possession. There are plenty of outstanding players in the championship, but if the question is simply who you would pay through the gate to watch, Morris is the obvious choice.

Which team has the most room to improve?

Ramor United, unquestionably. Their opening two rounds have been well below the standards they have set for themselves over the previous decade. The positive way of looking at that is that there should be significantly more in them. Their upcoming game against Ballyhaise now takes on major importance, but a Ramor team playing closer to its capabilities would still be a dangerous proposition for anyone in the championship.

Your prediction for the last eight?

Trying to predict the quarter-finalists after two rounds is a fool’s errand because, without knowing the round-four draw, there are too many variables. I would be confident, though, of Cuchulainn’s, Kingscourt, Gowna, Arva and Crosserlough qualifying. For the remaining three positions, Ramor need to beat Ballyhaise this weekend to give themselves a chance; if Ballyhaise win, they become front-runners themselves. Cavan Gaels, Mullahoran and Killygarry all have chances, with Mullahoran against Killygarry potentially dictating one of those places, while Castlerahan have two bites at the cherry to collect the points they need. Forced to pick eight now, I’ll add Ramor, Cavan Gaels and Mullahoran – but that prediction could look very foolish by Sunday evening.

Prediction for champions?

There appears to be a greater possibility of a winner coming from left field than at any stage since Ballinagh’s breakthrough championship success.

The competition looks unusually open and there is very little separating a sizeable group of teams. Having said that, Kingscourt are not yet playing at their best and remain undefeated, which is generally a good sign for reigning champions.

Gowna are in a similar position: unbeaten without yet producing their best football. At this stage, I would have those two marginally ahead of the pack, with Kingscourt just shading it as the championship favourites.