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Replying To wicklowsupport: "Should be some entertaining matches this week as the football championship reaches its conclusion.
I'm not familiar with Junior A teams so I'll leave that one to the local experts.
Dunlavin vs Laragh
I'd give a hesitant vote of confidence to Dunlavin. Based upon my poor record with predictions, I may get it wrong. I think Dunlavin's forward scoring power might be the difference. Dunlavin's defence is porous and they've conceded a lot of goals in the championship which is something Laragh might exploit. Laragh overcame Barndarrig who I thought, along with Dunlavin would be the two teams likely to compete for Intermediate honours. After beating Barndarrig, Laragh will fancy their chances and will push Dunlavin all the way.
An Tóchar vs Blessington
This should be a game of football between two talented teams.
I think Blessington are favourites, purely on the basis that they've won two senior championships in 2021 and 2023 and have a wealth of experience at this stage in the competition. They've gradually improved as the championship has progress which is a sign they may be peaking at the right time. An Tóchar have been talked about as an up-and-coming team with lots of talent who have failed to produce results on the big occasions. They have as much talent, if not more than Blessington but the club haven't won since '95 and haven't contested a final for the last twenty-five years. I'm picking Blessington to win narrowly due to their experience. As a neutral, with no connection with either of the clubs, I'd like to see An Tóchar win as they play attractive football and it is so long since they won the Miley cup." I cannot see Dunlavin losing this. They have played in a senior semifinal back in 2024. The team is there for a few years now. If they go back to senior they will be there for a few years.
The senior final I think Blessington have the experience to manage the game on their terms. An tochar aren't running at defences often enough and when they do they are good. It would be great to see a new winner. As long as it's a good match I will be happy.
Best of luck to all the teams this weekend
kodak13 (Wicklow) - Posts: 147 - 09/10/2026 22:48:54
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Replying To FearThoir: "At least they have a ref, Valleymount/ Newtown intermediate relegation decider was called off at 3 hours notice as there was seemingly no ref. Only one other Wicklow ref referring anywhere in the county on the same day! An absolute shambles for what is probably the 6th most important football game in the Wicklow club year. Very unfair on both teams." AND?
heavyheart19 (Wicklow) - Posts: 192 - 10/10/2026 22:23:21
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Dunlavin cruised past Laragh fairly easily in the end. I think if Laragh had taken those goal chances early in the game and the early second half, it could have swung momentum but Dunlavin were much superior on the day. Miley was kept quite today which also reduced their chances of winning. It's not too often a team gets relegated in Wicklow and bounces straight back to senior. Avondale thought they'd manage to do it but it's such a difficult championship to win. Laragh are making great strides and it would be savage to see them get a taste of senior football in the years to come. Some double championship honours for a few Dunlavin lads after today's victory.
TheChampion (Wicklow) - Posts: 51 - 10/10/2026 23:05:41
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Disappointing weekend for the neutral with the heavy victories in senior and intermediate finals.
An Tochar by far the best team today; their second half display was absolutely awesome. I'd love to see them make a good push at Leinster, but it's always difficult for a team to go again after wining their first championship in a long time. This Roundwood team were beaten well in the first round after winnning the intermediate, but hopefully they can build on that second half.
Blessington were embarrassingly bad apart from Kevin Quinn. They looked like they should have been playing in a relegation final in that second half. Some strange decisions from the management with using all their subs yet somehow keeping the same back on Conor Fee who scored 10 from play. I think they must have lost 90% of their own kickouts in that second half, truly awful performance for a county final.
I think Laragh can be a bit less disappointed. They showed a good amount of fight and could have changed the course of the game if they'd converted more chances in the first half. Dunlavin have too many good players to be intermediate. I'm hopeful they could also give Leinster a good rattle this year as I think Ballinacor will struggle in the Junior.
Victorious87 (Wicklow) - Posts: 611 - 11/10/2026 17:19:20
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Well, there is no doubt about An Tochair anymore. They have arrived, and looking at the age profile of the panel, and the quality of some u 17s of recent yrs, they should be there or thereabouts for a while. Couldn't find a weak link anywhere in their performance today. Their speed and skill sets had Blesso all over the place, particularly in the second half. And another positive for them from their performances in recent games, they refuse to be intimidated. Congrats to them on finally getting their hands on Miley. In Saturdays games, Dunlavin underlined their senior capabilities against Laragh, who threatened briefly at the start of each half, but in the end, couldn't match the quality of the victors. Jun A was a close tussle with maybe the physical strength of Ballinacor making the difference in the end. Kilcoole didn't do themselves any favours in their attacking strategy, particularly in the second half. It was a game they could have won, but fair play to Ballinacor who battled away and got their just rewards in the end.
Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2362 - 11/10/2026 17:32:10
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Congratulations to Ballinacor, Dunlavin and An Tóchar who were victorious this weekend.
I didn't see Ballinacor's victory but Dunlavin and An Tóchar were very impressive. The main theme of both finals is the quality of the football. I thought Dunlavin and An Tóchar proved that good players playing to a game plan are very hard to beat. Both teams are a good example of how gaelic football shoudl be played. Both recipients of the man of the match award gave outstanding displays - Cian O'Sullivan and Conor Fee.
Dunlavin were a class above Laragh. Both teams were evenly matched for the first ten minutes but thereafter Dunlavin's class up-front kicked in and Laragh weren't able to respond nor cope with their forwards especially Cian O'Sullivan. The game was really over at half-time. Laragh tried to haul in Dunlavin early in the second half but Dunlavin were able to respond and kept the score board ticking over.
I'm just back from the senior final and this current An Tóchar team came of age today. I've doubted their ability to win games when it mattered but they've proved that they have it with victories over Rathnew, AGB and Blessington today. An Tóchar blew Blessington out of the water in the second half. Conor Fee and JP Nolan were class. For a team to win a county final by eleven points and to score twenty-one points from play is some achievement. The years of investing in their underage has been rewarded and the cream certainly rose to the top today.
I'll be watching An Tóchar with interest in the Leinster club championship. If they play like they played today then they can make an impact. They've a tough first round away to the Meath champions and a lot will depend on how long and hard they celebrate. From a county perspective I hope they can make an impact in the Leinster club championship as a Wicklow team hasn't does so for a number of year. Hopefully this will change this year and they can do what they did back in '95 when they won their last senior championship title and reached the Leinster club final and were unlucky to lose to Eire Og from Carlow after a replay.
wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2290 - 11/10/2026 17:34:24
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Congratulations to An Tochar today. They were simply awesome. I hope they go on and represent wicklow well in Leinster. Blessington certainly got their substitutes wrong. Everyone in the full backline was taken off except the man who was destroyed by Conor fee. Mind boggling really
kodak13 (Wicklow) - Posts: 147 - 11/10/2026 20:18:51
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Replying To kodak13: "Congratulations to An Tochar today. They were simply awesome. I hope they go on and represent wicklow well in Leinster. Blessington certainly got their substitutes wrong. Everyone in the full backline was taken off except the man who was destroyed by Conor fee. Mind boggling really" I didn't get a chance to see the final. Who was marking Conor Fee?
TheChampion (Wicklow) - Posts: 51 - 12/10/2026 00:28:08
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Congratulations to An Tochar today, great game of football and the celebrations well deserved. Not surprised with the wins for Dunlavin and Ballinacor. I can see Dunlavin becoming serious contenders in Senior next year, they have been progressing nicely in recent years. Hopefully all will give us a few days out over the coming months.
Hoggie10 (Wicklow) - Posts: 18 - 12/10/2026 01:29:56
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Replying To kodak13: "Congratulations to An Tochar today. They were simply awesome. I hope they go on and represent wicklow well in Leinster. Blessington certainly got their substitutes wrong. Everyone in the full backline was taken off except the man who was destroyed by Conor fee. Mind boggling really" That's a very good point. Equally, Laragh left the same player on Cian O'Sullivan in the intermediate final for the whole game and never tried a different player. Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference in either game.
wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2290 - 12/10/2026 09:06:49
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Replying To TheChampion: "I didn't get a chance to see the final. Who was marking Conor Fee?" I think, in fairness, Conor would have been a handful for anyone yesterday. I don't believe Blesso had anyone who could have done any better.
Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 2362 - 12/10/2026 10:05:42
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Replying To Freethinker: "I think, in fairness, Conor would have been a handful for anyone yesterday. I don't believe Blesso had anyone who could have done any better." Fair point. He's a serious operator when he gets going. Hopefully An Tochair and all teams representing Wicklow in the Leinster competitions can push on better than in previous years
TheChampion (Wicklow) - Posts: 51 - 12/10/2026 10:55:55
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Replying To wicklowsupport: "Congratulations to Ballinacor, Dunlavin and An Tóchar who were victorious this weekend.
I didn't see Ballinacor's victory but Dunlavin and An Tóchar were very impressive. The main theme of both finals is the quality of the football. I thought Dunlavin and An Tóchar proved that good players playing to a game plan are very hard to beat. Both teams are a good example of how gaelic football shoudl be played. Both recipients of the man of the match award gave outstanding displays - Cian O'Sullivan and Conor Fee.
Dunlavin were a class above Laragh. Both teams were evenly matched for the first ten minutes but thereafter Dunlavin's class up-front kicked in and Laragh weren't able to respond nor cope with their forwards especially Cian O'Sullivan. The game was really over at half-time. Laragh tried to haul in Dunlavin early in the second half but Dunlavin were able to respond and kept the score board ticking over.
I'm just back from the senior final and this current An Tóchar team came of age today. I've doubted their ability to win games when it mattered but they've proved that they have it with victories over Rathnew, AGB and Blessington today. An Tóchar blew Blessington out of the water in the second half. Conor Fee and JP Nolan were class. For a team to win a county final by eleven points and to score twenty-one points from play is some achievement. The years of investing in their underage has been rewarded and the cream certainly rose to the top today.
I'll be watching An Tóchar with interest in the Leinster club championship. If they play like they played today then they can make an impact. They've a tough first round away to the Meath champions and a lot will depend on how long and hard they celebrate. From a county perspective I hope they can make an impact in the Leinster club championship as a Wicklow team hasn't does so for a number of year. Hopefully this will change this year and they can do what they did back in '95 when they won their last senior championship title and reached the Leinster club final and were unlucky to lose to Eire Og from Carlow after a replay." I thought it was a pretty good championship overall. I came away feeling more positive about Wicklow football. The game was pretty fast in wet conditions and felt like it was a decent standard. At least I'm not on here saying the best players in Wicklow are still Furlong, McLoughlin, McWalters, Stafford or McGrath, which I feel like I have been for the last few years! There was a pretty good crowd there yesterday too.
I agree with a few of the points people have made. I think Dunlavin have too many good players not to be contenders at senior level, but it's still some achievement for Laragh to be getting there. Maybe even David Milley could get a look-in with the county.
On the Junior A, looking at the team sheet, a lot of Balincor's main players seem to have been around a long time, but it's still great for them to get the win.
Groundskeeper5 (Wicklow) - Posts: 51 - 12/10/2026 15:32:14
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Replying To Victorious87: "Disappointing weekend for the neutral with the heavy victories in senior and intermediate finals.
An Tochar by far the best team today; their second half display was absolutely awesome. I'd love to see them make a good push at Leinster, but it's always difficult for a team to go again after wining their first championship in a long time. This Roundwood team were beaten well in the first round after winnning the intermediate, but hopefully they can build on that second half.
Blessington were embarrassingly bad apart from Kevin Quinn. They looked like they should have been playing in a relegation final in that second half. Some strange decisions from the management with using all their subs yet somehow keeping the same back on Conor Fee who scored 10 from play. I think they must have lost 90% of their own kickouts in that second half, truly awful performance for a county final.
I think Laragh can be a bit less disappointed. They showed a good amount of fight and could have changed the course of the game if they'd converted more chances in the first half. Dunlavin have too many good players to be intermediate. I'm hopeful they could also give Leinster a good rattle this year as I think Ballinacor will struggle in the Junior." I agree on the senior final. I thought Roundwood just had a little too much firepower. I'm not sure it would have made a difference in the end, but if I was in the Blessington dugout, I think I would have given O'Gallchobhair a go on Fee. He was doing quite well on Nolan. Nolan got a few points, but they weren't really the type of scores you could blame the man marking him for.
O'Gallchobhair must have picked up a knock to be taken off, i though him quinn and mcloughlin were there main men. I think the other side reacted pretty quickly and made a change on Kevin Quinn early enough.
Groundskeeper5 (Wicklow) - Posts: 51 - 12/10/2026 15:36:08
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Dunlavin play Kilcavan in the round one of the Leinster Intermediate championship. Kilcavan won the Laois Intermediate championship this year. The fixture is scheduled to be in O'Moore Park on Sat, 31st October. An Tóchar are also away against the Meath champions on 15 November at a venue in Meath as the county grounds in Meath are being renovated. The Leinster GAA's website isn't up-to-date currently in terms of the Leinster junior championship fixtures as yet. Playing away in the Leinster championship makes winning any of these ties more difficult. It is an advantages to play at home. I'd imagine both these fixtures will be tough assignments but they are games both Dunlavin and An Tóchar can win. Also, it allows the Wicklow champions to pity themselves against teams from other counties which will give us an idea as to the standard of club football in the county presently. I don't know if it is because of Wicklow winning the Tailteann cup and/or the quality of the football in the recent Intermediate and Senior championships but this is the first year in a long time that I feel optimistic about Dunlavin and An Tóchar's chances of progressing outside the county. Time will tell.
wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 2290 - 12/10/2026 18:48:44
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