I can see Garrycastle as the darkhorse and going far this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up with a Garrycastle vs. The Downs final. They've been consistent all season and reaching the league final was a huge statement for a club that only just came up from intermediate. That said, I know some people on this forum don't put much weight on the league.
For me, it's between St. Loman's and Garrycastle for the other final spot. Loman's are really feeling the loss of Sam McCartan he was the engine that drove the ball forward to their forwards, while also being a huge defensive asset. Without him, they've looked wide open at times and have been run through on multiple occasions. I know they're missing T.J. Cox, Gaffney, O'Toole, and Danny McCartan who just returned back, but they still have a big hill to climb. The Shamrocks game will tell us a lot about where they stand. At the moment though, I think The Downs and Garrycastle look like the two strongest teams in the county. but this wasn't a good weekend for the county we saw a number of heavy defeats-something nobody likes to witness midway through the competition. Bal, Kilbeggan, Ballycomoyle, Shamrocks, and Multy all suffered tough losses that will be difficult to bounce back from.
Replying To Captainfantastic: "Lomans were beaten but not dispossessed yet. They'll be in a SF or final for sure and probably could well play Downs again in a real championship match in the final. Different game then. Yesterday's game was just a bit of shadow boxing. Look at Kerry in the league phase of the AI series versus the real championship knockout. League championship lacks the full bloodiness of knockout."
They're definitely not a spent force, but do they still have the same power and depth as in recent years? At halftime they made three changes, yet the game barely shiftedThe Downs still saw it out with ease. In previous seasons, Lomans could bring on subs just as strong as the players already on the pitch, but that no longer seems to be the case.
Replying To Fighting-Cocks69: "I can see Garrycastle as the darkhorse and going far this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up with a Garrycastle vs. The Downs final. They've been consistent all season and reaching the league final was a huge statement for a club that only just came up from intermediate. That said, I know some people on this forum don't put much weight on the league.
For me, it's between St. Loman's and Garrycastle for the other final spot. Loman's are really feeling the loss of Sam McCartan he was the engine that drove the ball forward to their forwards, while also being a huge defensive asset. Without him, they've looked wide open at times and have been run through on multiple occasions. I know they're missing T.J. Cox, Gaffney, O'Toole, and Danny McCartan who just returned back, but they still have a big hill to climb. The Shamrocks game will tell us a lot about where they stand. At the moment though, I think The Downs and Garrycastle look like the two strongest teams in the county. but this wasn't a good weekend for the county we saw a number of heavy defeats-something nobody likes to witness midway through the competition. Bal, Kilbeggan, Ballycomoyle, Shamrocks, and Multy all suffered tough losses that will be difficult to bounce back from."
Garrycastle dropped down to intermediate for one year, came straight back up having consistently been a top senior team for well over two decades. It wasn't like a new team on the block when they won the intermediate last year. Right now, Garrycastle are miles off St Loman's, let alone The Downs. They have a good chance of getting out of Group B and making a quarter final but I'm amused how you've put them as one of the two strongest teams in the County, on top of the reigning County champions. How can you put much weight on the League when most Clubs don't bother with it or don't field their best team. Garrycastle were one of the small number of teams able to put a full team out. The League run clearly stood to them but saying it was a huge statement reaching the final is a bit much. They didn't even win it.
Replying To Captainfantastic: "Lomans were beaten but not dispossessed yet. They'll be in a SF or final for sure and probably could well play Downs again in a real championship match in the final. Different game then. Yesterday's game was just a bit of shadow boxing. Look at Kerry in the league phase of the AI series versus the real championship knockout. League championship lacks the full bloodiness of knockout."