Table toppers Lacken could further improve

Having studied the form and pondered the permutations, Paul Fitzpatrick gives his thoughts on the Junior Football Championship.

Stand out young players to impress?

Most of the teams in junior this year are seasoned outfits, with a high quotient of players in their late 30s and even into their 40s.

Cian Galligan, the young forward from Lacken, is a graduate from successful Southern Gaels underage teams and has caught the eye, scoring heavily and working hard.

Padraig Smith from Redhills has led the line well for the border side, whom he captains, shooting 0-8 last time out against Kill. The Shamrocks, for their part, have a number of good young footballers including the McAuley brothers and Cian Flynn.

Nathan Loughnane of Drumalee, also a talented rugby player, has had a couple of excellent performances and is a turnover specialist.

Tightest defence in the grade?

Statistically, Drung and Mountnugent have conceded least, with an impressive 37 points across three matches. However, those figures are skewed because both sides ran into Maghera MacFinns, who have struggled for a long number of years and probably unwisely returned to the Junior Championship this year. They scored 0-1 against Drung and 0-6 against Mountnugent, although they did run Kildallan to a single point, which possibly says more about the Ballyconnell men.

Belturbet have been hard to break down over the last 10 years or so and that remains the case, an early barrage of scores from Swanlinbar in round one aside.

Who is proving a threat from two point range?

Lacken have some excellent orange-flag specialists, notably Ray Galligan.

Ben McIntyre is a tremendous place-kicker off the deck for Kill while Sean Reilly fills a similar role for the Rorys.

Goalkeeper of note?

Again, this conversation begins and ends with Ray Galligan. The former Cavan senior team manager and Ulster-winning county captain remains, for our money, the best net-minder in the county. Assured under a high ball, comfortable with short, mid-range and long kick-outs and, crucially, he has that intangible thing which stands out immediately – presence.

Stand out match?

Drumalee vs Swad was a good game as was Redhills v Kill but overall, despite four draws suggesting closeness, it has been a poor renewal to date with a lot of one-sided matches.

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

Not many players from junior ranks make the county team – only Jason McLoughlin and Caoimhan McGovern from Shannon Gaels and Gearoid McKiernan from Swanlinbar were part of the Cavan senior panel this year.

Templeport duo Dylan Edwards and Sam Maguire are two with great potential; Maguire just recently turned 18 while Edwards played with the county U20s earlier this year.

What's the atmosphere been like?

Not great. Lacken, with two former All-Stars in their team and a panel of players who were mostly blooded in senior football, looked like the strongest team from the outset and nothing has occurred in the first three rounds to change that opinion.

Swanlinbar were many people’s second-favourites and they have imploded; only Maghera are beneath them on the table at present and they face Kill next. Qualification for the knock-out stages is mathematically possible but very unlikely at this stage.

Belturbet, Drung and Shannon Gaels have been knocking around the last eight and last four for a few years and each have made at least one final in the recent past. With respect and while they have come on under good management, it’s hard to argue that any of that trio have made enormous strides this year, yet they remain the best of the rest after Lacken and probably Kill.

The Shamrocks, who lost the final by a point last year, looked ordinary against Redhills last time but they are a good side, committed and well coached, and look like the strongest outside of the Celts.

Killeshandra got the band back together and looked like a dark horse but their loss to Drumalee was a setback.

Overall, the standard in junior ranks has fallen, having been very strong after two restructures. Maghera’s heavy losses have added a farcical element to some matches and the system of deciding the draw for the quarter-finals is a bit of a lottery and unsatisfactory.

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

Thomas Galligan. There are few in the county with his ability as an old-school alpha midfielder – the exact type of player back in vogue now – and he should get better the longer his team stay in the competition. He was away travelling for a couple of years, returned and played some league games before heading to America for the summer but back on board now, big things are expected of the former county man.

Which team has the most room to improve?

Well, Maghera MacFinns and Kildallan are clearly at a low ebb but they are out of contention for the Sean Leddy Cup; maybe they can do something in the Junior Championship Shield, a competition for teams who don’t make the quarter-finals which has been very successful since its introduction. Kudos must go to the county board for that.

Of the teams who look likely to make the last eight, maybe Shannon Gaels but they have been hit with a spate of injuries at the wrong time. Worryingly for the rest of the field, the answer could be Lacken.

Your prediction for last eight?

The biggest matches in round four are arguably Drumalee v Redhills and Killeshandra v Mountnugent. Redhills and the Leaguers get a tentative vote to win those which would propel both into the last eight if Drung beat Templeport, who have a score difference of +12 to the Leaguers' +3 and Redhills' -2.

All of that is a short way of saying it's very hard to call but we'll go with the following to advance: Lacken, Belturbet, Kill, Drung, Shannon Gaels, Templeport, Redhills and Killeshandra.

Prediction for champions?

Lacken Celtic haven’t before found themselves in junior ranks since the club was re-formed in the 1960s. They have a good manager in Aidan McCabe, players returning from injury at the right time and, in the 50th anniversary of the opening of their grounds at Crowe Park, they are strongly fancied to bring back some silverware.