| TIME FOR THE REAL ACTION |
Kildare senior football championship has been a strange beast so far this year.
It may well be down to the fact that Kildare’s run in the All-Ireland qualifying rounds was so brief and so disappointing that the supporters have not quite recovered.
Or perhaps it is simply that the same supporters are looking on with with a mixture of envy and excitement at the newly revamped inter county championship which has been so successful - even without the Lilywhites taking any further part beyond their ill fated meeting with Sligo.
Whatever the reason there is a strong feeling that the SFC hasn’t quite caught fire. Never mind catching fire it hasn’t managed to grab the imagination.
But, hopefully, that will all change this weekend when the first of the quarter finals take place: Sarsfields v Kilcullen and Athy v Leixlip.
At first glance the competition has thrown up a few surprises but at times the standard of football has been less than outstanding and this in a competition that has been entertaining and competitive on a consistent basis over the years.
Naas and Suncroft got it off to a quite dreadful start by finishing level in their preliminary round game with Naas failing to score at all in the second half.
Later still Kilcock, a team that has threatened to do the devil and all most years for the last few seasons produced one of the few sparkling performances in their win over Carbury which send Mattie Kerrigan into early retirement.
Clane, bidding to return to the glory days with a team which is dripping with individual talent, almost came to grief in another excellent game in mid-May. They were held to a draw (0-17 apiece) by Rheban but the favourites prevailed the next day out.
Kilcullen and St. Laurence’s provided some excellent score taking when they met but overall there has been little enough quality football in what is one of the most competitive championships anywhere in Leinster.
Sarsfields and Allenwood drew before Sarsfields came through in the replay after Allenwood wasted a barrow load of chances late in the game.
On that weekend Athy caused a genuine surprise by dumping pre-match favourites Suncroft out having capitalised on Suncroft’s lack of penetration from midfield upwards and the long serving Anthony Bracken contributed four points.
The other quarter final pairings see Clane face Kilcock and Moorefield face Raheens.
All in all it makes for an interesting series of games between now and the final because it is genuinely hard to pick the winner.
Moorefield may well be the favourites and deserve to be. But they were hesitant for long periods against Round Towers and Raheens, dependent almost to a fault on Dave Malone, do not fear anybody.
The Clane team resembles a who’s who of the Kildare team for the last few years but all too often they are less than the sum of their parts and on the basis of form so far Kilcock have every reason to fancy their chances of defeating the more experienced side.
Sarsfields and Kilcullen looks like the easiest to call. Kilcullen are now to the competition while Sarsfields are old hands at this stage. Yet Sarsfields lost their way near the end of the game against Allenwood and a depleted Allenwood at that. With a bit more luck Allenwood would have prevailed.
Leixlip look stronger than Athy but they have looked stronger than many teams since 1986, when they got to the county final, but have not yet reached the summit and Athy will be justifiably encouraged by the defeat of their neighbours.
Believe it or not the Barlo SFC is alive and well and the entertainment, we hope, gets underway in earnest this weekend.
| CHAMPIONS HIT INJURY NIGHTMARE |
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| Ronan Sweeney and Dermot Earley in action in last season’s championship |
THOUGH they are the reigning county Senior and Under-21 champions and haven’t been beaten once in competitive action this season, Moorefield are uncertain as they go into their Quarter-Final clash with Raheens.
The Moors are going through a terrible injury crisis that manager Mickser Condon calls a “nightmare”.
While many of those on the injured list may pick themselves off the treatment table in time for the Raheens game, there will still be doubts surrounding their sharpness and match fitness.
Worst hit is the back line. County man Kenny Duane is extremely doubtful having hurt himself in a challenge game recently.
Corner Back Seamus Murray is gone for the year, while the versatile Kevin O’Neill is very doubtful and hamstrung David Barry has only a very slight chance of making it.
Noel Buckley and Jim Bob Murphy, meanwhile are currently playing their football in America.
That means that, theoretically, Moorefield could be without five of the six backs (Captain Martin Ryan is the exception) that started last year’s county Final against Kilcock.
At midfield, Ronan Sweeney is another massive doubt, but Sean Whyte is back from injury and should be fit to play, and the same goes for Michael Ryan.
Free-taker Patrick Murray suffered a smashed toe recently but Moorefield are hopeful he will play.
While all these problems are casing headaches for the Moorefield mentors, they do at least have plenty of young talent to act as possible replacements.
The likes of youngsters Alan Melia, Niall Whyte, Pauric O’Flynn, and James Lonergan could all play their part in a reshuffled defence.
If Duane fails to make it, the defence will centre around Leslie Hogan, who is having a superb year and should be a key man for the Moors.
Mickser Condon says that although he is happy that his team will be focussed and motivated, he still fears Raheens.
“They are a bit of a bogey team for us, and their gander is up. We have an absolute nightmare of an injury crisis.
“We’ve been told to plan without Kenny Duane and Ronan Sweeney and they would be huge losses. We’ve had to introduce new blood recently, but we’ve kept winning matches in the League.
“However, Johnstownbridge are a decent side and Raheens made them look very ordinary in the first round. So we’re very concerned, very anxious heading into this game”.
| It’s on the day says veteran Daithi |
THE last time Raheens took a major step forward, according to veteran full-forward Daithi Malone, was when they beat Moorefield two years ago - and victory on Sunday would represent another quantum leap for the Caragh outfit.
Malone, now 40 years of age but still one of Raheens’ best and most influential players believes that game (in which Malone was man-of-the-match) was a turning point for the club.
“That was a major victory, no doubt about it.
It brought us on no end, and we’ve always been very tough to beat ever since.
“But since then, Moorefield have progressed to become one of the best teams in Leinster. I would even say that they are potential Leinster Champions,” Malone continues.
“So we are underdogs again, they are red hot favourites.
“I know they have injury problems, but they also have a conveyor belt of good young footballers coming through, and that’s down to nothing other than their own hard work.
“I mean, It think 7 or 8 of their fringe players would get straight on to our team, even though we’re playing well this year”.
And Raheens, let us not forget, have problems of their own. Midfielder Declan Winders is out for the year with injury while corner back John Sharpe is plying his trade in the US.
Nonetheless, Raheens are playing well, and made mince-meat of Johnstownbridge last time off, with quality forwards such as Ross McMahon, Declan O’Toole, and Malone himself looking confident and sharp.
“It’s the young lads and the love of of playing that keeps me going, and I do believe that this team has huge potential,” says former inter-county star Malone.
“It’ll be very tough against Moorefield. Realistically, we need to play to our very, very best and have them play below par.
“That mightn’t seem like we have a great chance, but it’s on the day, and anything can happen in football”.
Malone has been on the hard road for long enough to know it.
-EAMONN O’MOLLOY
| Moors get the vote by three points |
IT is a long time since Moorefield were beaten in seriously competitive action; O’Hanrahans aside, Raheens were the last team to do it.
With the Moors’ current injury problems (Kenny Duane and Ronan Sweeney are just two of those on the doubtful list), it is not inconceivable that a resurgent Raheens could repeat the trick.
They played fluent and incisive football against Johnstownbridge the last day.
If “Roly” is indeed absent and Sean Whyte is not sharp, Raheens will win more than their fair share of possession.
In using it, they will look to find Daithi Malone, and Moorefield are likely to give Martin Ryan the task of marking him.
When these two clash, the ground will shake, and the outcome of this duel will have a big bearing on the result.
Moorefield have looked more and more impressive with every match under Condon’s reign; even if they are missing some influential players, the likes of Martin Ryan, Leslie Hogan, Whyte, Pa Murray and Michael Ryan provide a stronger backbone than any club side in the county.
Thus despite their problems and Raheens’ undoubted enthusiasm for the task, Condon’s men should just about survive a close contest.
Moorefield by three points.
- EAMONN O’MOLLOY
