In a busy weekend of club championship action, the SFC gets underway and the IFC continues.
Greenfield Foods Senior Football Championship Preliminary Round
Donaghmoyne v Truagh, Saturday, 5.30, Castleblayney
Inniskeen v Scotstown, Saturday, 7.00, Castleblayney
The SFC starts with a preliminary-round double-header in Castleblayney on Saturday.
Donaghmoyne defeated Truagh in the IFC in 2013 before the north-Monaghan side went on to win Monaghan, Ulster and All-Ireland titles. Truagh have gone on to establish themselves in senior football and they currently sit joint-third in the SFL, helped by a double-scores win in June over last year’s IFL winners Donaghmoyne, who are rooted to the bottom.
Truagh will be without Paudie McKenna through injury, but they should be able to call on fellow county panelists Daniel and Christopher McKenna and John McCarron, along with the likes of Adam, Rory Treanor and Niall Feely. Pádraig Donaghy and Ciarán Daly are significant injury absentees for Donaghmoyne, who have brought through several of their successful minors from the last few years such as Mikey Murnaghan, Niall Keenan and Ronan McDonald, with Francis Markey and Darren McElroy other key players.
2013 county champions and last year’s runners-up Scotstown face Inniskeen.
Scotstown, who relinquished the title to Clontibret in the 2014 final, are top of the league with 24 points, while 2014 IFC winners Inniskeen are in ninth place and have already fallen to a heavy defeat against their championship opponents.
Darren and Kieran Hughes, Shane Carey, Rory Beggan, Conor McCarthy and Dónal Morgan should play key roles for Scotstown, while Inniskeen will need big performances from Paul, Ronan and Dónal Meegan, Matthew McKenna and Gerard McArdle if they are to cause a shock.
Greenfield Foods Senior Football Championship Round 1A
Castleblayney v Monaghan Harps, Sunday, 1.30, Truagh
Ballybay v Latton, Sunday, 5.30, Inniskeen
Clontibret v Magheracloone, Sunday, 7.00, Inniskeen
Castleblayney and Monaghan Harps contest the first of Sunday’s SFC games at St. Mellan’s.
Blayney reached semi-finals of both the SFC and SFL last year – something the Harps managed in 2013 – but the Faughs have slipped a bit down the league table this year, while the county-town side are in second place.
Dermot and Fergal Malone, Barry and Ciarán Hanratty and Martin McElroy are key players for Blayney, with Neil McAdam, Conor Galligan, Dónal Hahessy and Fearghal McMahon among the main men for the Harps.
Finishing the weekend’s action is a double-bill in Inniskeen on Sunday evening, where the first game is a local derby between Ballybay and Latton.
These clubs are currently two of three teams tied for fifth place in the league and they drew their most recent clash after Latton had won in their first meeting back in April. Both teams have been leading contenders in recent years and Ballybay have shown in their last couple of league games, with their county contingent back in tow, that they can be up there again this year.
Drew and Ryan Wylie, Paul Finlay, Christopher McGuinness and Thomas Kerr will all have big roles to play for Ballybay, while Latton have their own Monaghan stars in Owen and Kieran Duffy and Owen Lennon, along with the likes of Owen Coyle and Aidan Farmer.
Clontibret then begin their defence of the Mick Duffy Cup against Magheracloone.
Clontibret have won six county championships since 2002 – beating Magheracloone in two finals – to overtake last year’s runners-up Scotstown in the roll of honour. Clontibret are joint-third in the SFL, four points ahead of the Mitchells, who claimed a draw at O’Neill Park in June.
Conor McManus, Dessie Mone, Vincent Corey, Conor Boyle and Colum Greenan are all big players for Clontibret, while Magheracloone will need James Ward, Gavin Doogan, Tommy Freeman, Alan McCahey, Alan Kieran and Paudie McMahon on top form.
McElvaney Recycling Intermediate Football Championship Round 1B
Clones v Cremartin, Friday, 8.15, Emyvale
Drumhowan v Tyholland, Friday, 8.15, Inniskeen
There are two IFC back-door games under floodlights on Friday evening.
Clones and Cremartin both led for large chunks of their IFC first-round games last Sunday, only to eventually lose to Emyvale and Currin respectively. Cremartin have had the better league form, helped by a recent run that has moved them into a share of fourth place, while Clones are bottom of the table and lost to the Shamrocks in their last meeting.
Fintan Kelly, Adrian Alford and Darragh Holland (who was only able to come on as a sub last week) are crucial to Clones, who will also be looking to minors James Mealiff and Eoin McQuaid to step up, while Cremartin will be dependent on Johnny McGuigan, Niall Flanagan, Paddy McNally and Shane Burke.
The other game is between Drumhowan and Tyholland in Inniskeen.
Drumhowan made an unhappy return to the scene of their 2014 JFC win when they fell to a heavy defeat against Carrickmacross last week and they now travel once more to Páirc Grattan to face Tyholland, who conceded two late goals in their loss to Doohamlet on Sunday. Drumhowan made a fine start to the league campaign before slipping to seventh place on 11 points, four points and two positions better off than Tyholland, who edged their last clash.
McElvaney Recycling Intermediate Football Championship Round 1A
Corduff v Currin, Sunday, 1.30, Scotstown
The last Round 1A game in the IFC sees preliminary-round winners Corduff and Currin go head-to-head in Scotstown on Sunday.
Corduff battled past Aughnamullen last weekend, while Currin came from behind to see off Cremartin, with Jack McCarron’s introduction at half-time proving decisive. Just a single point separates the sides in the IFL, where Corduff are two places higher in sixth, helped by a seven-point win when they last met.
Keith McEnaney, Pádraic Keenan, Declan Larkin and Ciarán Brennan should be prominent for Corduff, along with Philip and Gerard O’Callaghan, who transferred from Currin earlier this year. McCarron could be in from the start for Currin, who will also need Dick Clerkin, Stephen Smyth and Ciarán and Conor McCaffrey to the fore.
By cshalvey Fri 21st Aug
