A big weekend for the football championships, starting out with senior, old leighlin pulled off the result of the weekend with a big performance last night, solid at the back and countering at pace. They now face rathvilly with the winner topping the group.
Saturday night saw rathvilly and eire og battle it out in what was a very entertaining game, I felt the standard of football on display was excellent rathvilly just shading it but eire og could get to exact revenge before the year ends.
Tinryland took a while to get going but their second half showing was a big improvement on week 1, bagenalstown kicked so many wides many of them unforced they will be disappointed after such a good start to the game
Mlr were easy winners over fenagh who's only chance of survival would appear to be a possible eire og win at intermediate.
My take away from the senior championship so far is the performances of the veterans, Brendan Murphy Sean gannon seamus kinsella Paul broderick benny kavanagh to name but a few , aside from Liam gavin I'm not seeing any breakthrough players. Rathvilly will be favorites to win it now but eire og and tinryland won't be far off them.

Intermediate is starting to take shape. Eire og look strong, plenty of good young players coming through, kilbride will have to beat balinabranna to keep their chances alive and likewise kildavin will need a result or a close defeat against eire og to stay in the hunt. Tullow are going well on the other side whilst clonmore were held to a surprising draw against naomh eoin I'm going to predict a tullow eire og final, I think clonmore might need a bit of time before they are ready to step up.

Junior is looking clearer now, o hanrahans had a good win over tinryland which guarantees them a quarter final spot atleast, fighting cocks had a great win away to leighlinbridge, they top the group and go straight to a semi.
Ballon are looking good on the other side and will fancy themselves for it at this stage, both ballon and the cocks are starting to feel the benefit of st martins juvenile club now with both clubs adding division 1 footballers to their squads each year. A local Derby final would be great to see.

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1625 - 04/09/2023 12:44:48    2502981

Group stages over. Senior quarters next weekend eire og vs mlr and old leighlin vs bagenalstown. I'm going to go with eire og and bagenalstown to progress with rathvilly and tinryland waiting in the semis. I think it with be a rathvilly eire og final they look the two standout teams

Big win for clonmore in the intermediate over tullow grange beat naomh eoin to make the quarters and kildavin clonegal had a big win over eire og. Clonmore and eire og straight into the semis with kildavin vs tullow and grange vs ballinabranna in the quarters I'd expect tullow and grange to emerge from those games and I think it will be a clonmore eire og final.

Junior saw a surprise win for St mullins over ballon while leighlin Bridge secured 2nd spot with a big win over o'hanrahans quarter finals are ballon vs o hanrahans and leighlin vs St mullins with palatine and the fighting cocks awaiting them in semis. Hard to call this grade it's competitive I think mullins will beat leighlin and ballon will come through on the other side. I'll stick with a local Derby final of the cocks and ballon but St mullins could upset that

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1625 - 11/09/2023 11:16:47    2503747

Overthebar53 (Carlow) - Posts: 227 - 15/09/2023 16:03:24    2504379

Now we are down to the last 4 in each grade. Looking back at last week's post I seem to be 6 from 6.
Eire og had a big win over mlr and have some momentum going again, Ross dunphy is in great form and in the conversation for poty, gannone pulled up near the end and eire og will be hopeful it was just cramp and nothing more serious, they will need everyone for next week's game.
Bagenalstown just about deserved their win they are the dark horses for the sfc and won't be afraid of tinryland I think the weekly games will probably bring them on, it's hard to call these two games, I think tinryland might just shade it, and the other game is 50/50 but I'll go with rathvilly again just to shade it.


Grange had a great win in the intermediate quarter they won't fear clonmore but I think night struggle to match the pace of the game, tullow easily accounted for kildavin/clonegal and are going into the semi against eire og with great confidence, hard one to call I'll stick with my initial call of eire og but again its very close I just think tullow probably won't bring the kind of phsyical challenge that this eire og team struggle against.
Ballon had a big win over o hanrahans in the junior quarter, the biggest talking point there being how far o hanrahans have fallen in just a few seasons, a club with over 100 years of tradition now just hanging on at junior. In the other game st mullins had a big win over leighlinbridge who must be wondering where it has all gone wrong, they brought clonmore to a replay in last years final but haven't looked good at all this year another club who's future looks uncertain.
Semis see a huge local Derby between ballon and the cocks, this should draw a good crowd, i think the cocks might shade this but it could go the distance, pal play St mullins on the other side and I think St mullins will get through that game
Asca look like they will win junior B how far they can go after that I'm not sure but they have a few decent young players and will make a strong junior team who could push for intermediate down the line.

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1625 - 18/09/2023 11:15:11    2504585

Word this morning is Gannon is out for the season and will surely be a huge blow for Eire Og.

Carlowrising (Carlow) - Posts: 137 - 18/09/2023 13:59:10    2504611

2024 Hurling & Football Championship proposal

Given there are 5 rounds of group games in the senior hurling championship and only 3 rounds in the football group stage, is there anything to be said for letting the hurlers get off to a headstart in July and then introduce the football after a few weeks so one is not getting too far ahead of the other.

(July) Week 1. Hurling round 1 group stages
(July) Week 2. Hurling round 2 group stages
(July) Week 3. Hurling round 3 group stages
(Aug) Week 4. Football round 1 group stages
(Aug) Week 5. Hurling round 4 group stages
(Aug) Week 6. Football round 2 group stages
(Aug) Week 7. Hurling round 5 group stages
(Sep) Week 8. Football round 3 group stages
(Sep) Week 9. Break
(Sep) Week 10. Hurling Semi Finals
(Sep) Week 11. Football Quarter Finals
(Sep) Week 12 . Hurling Finals
(Oct) Week 13. Football Semi Finals
(Oct) Week 14. Football Finals

Carlowrising (Carlow) - Posts: 137 - 19/09/2023 12:31:50    2504795

carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1825 - 19/09/2023 20:07:05    2504866

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1625 - 20/09/2023 11:50:07    2504910

Anyone with predictions for this weeks Championship Games? Two close games, but I'm going with Rathvilly and Bagenalstown to emerge victorious

TrueBlue95 (Dublin) - Posts: 9 - 20/09/2023 11:54:54    2504911

TrueBlue95 (Dublin) - Posts: 9 - 20/09/2023 15:39:49    2504969

CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 652 - 20/09/2023 16:27:49    2504981

CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 652 - 20/09/2023 20:58:35    2505018

TrueBlue95 (Dublin) - Posts: 9 - 20/09/2023 22:58:42    2505023

TaosHum (Carlow) - Posts: 240 - 21/09/2023 08:01:36    2505027

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1625 - 21/09/2023 13:16:54    2505047

Ceatharlach15 (Carlow) - Posts: 7 - 21/09/2023 13:55:47    2505065

CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 652 - 21/09/2023 19:30:15    2505114

CARPS (Carlow) - Posts: 652 - 21/09/2023 19:31:53    2505116

Another big weekend with the football semis taking place, very tough conditions for the senior games yesterday, tinryland and bagenalstown were first up, pretty much a text book tinryland performance of keep ball and wait for the right opportunity to score, bagenalstown couldn't get into the game at all and the result never felt in doubt from the first score to the end. Defensively tinryland were solid and have added a bit more on the foot passing side this season at least that's my perception of them.

Eire og and Rathvilly went all the way to a penalty shootout and with rathvilly 3 1 up they looked to be home and hosed but josh Brady kicked two expertly placed pens and a couple of saves from furey and that was it. Molloy also saved a really good one and was a bit unlucky for the last one. Rathvilly will look back on a goal chance on the second half that probably would have sealed it for them, also with 15 seconds left on the clock and about to go on the attack the ref blew it up which seemed a poor call. Eire og had some poor wides too when they were in the ascendancy. Two evenly matched teams.

Looking ahead to the final I'm going to predict a tinryland win. Eire og struggled against a set defence yesterday granted that was helped by the weather but I think tinryland are more disciplined in the tackle and will get turnovers. There is a possible tinryland vulnerability to the high ball to the edge of the square though. I'll go with a tinryland win by the smallest of margins

I didn't get to see any other games over the weekend as I was away but I'm going to go for clonmore at intermediate just about.
I think the fighting cocks will win the junior A and I'm going to go for asca in the junior B

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1625 - 25/09/2023 09:44:21    2505527

Fancy Tinryland for Sunday. Great win for EO yesterday, but I think Rathvilly let that slip more than EO imposing themselves on the game. A week recovery after playing about 90 mins yesterday (inc injury time) and look to have lost Gannon and Furey.

Tinryland, although some might not like it, are very structured and that consistency is why I would fancy them. Broderick has also been excellent and I don't think EO have anyone that will be able for him.

Not allowing Tinryland get in their defensive shape is the best way to get through them. EO will need to press that kcikout and they could get some joy there. Likewise EO have been vulnerable when forced to go long in the past two games, but I don't see Tinryland pressing them at the kickout.

It will be tight, Tinryland don't put up big scores, but I see them frustrating EO, forcing turnovers and picking them off on the counter.

TaosHum (Carlow) - Posts: 240 - 25/09/2023 16:24:36    2505675