Round 1 Senior: Coolera v DRP - Draw Tourlestrane v St Marys....Marys by 4 Shamrock Gaels v E.Harps....Draw Easkey v St Molaise Gaels....Molaise by 5
Round 1 Intermediate: Bunninadden v Enniscrone...Bunninadden by 4 Curry v Ballymote....Curry by 8 St Farnans v St Pats....St Farnans by 5 Castleconnor v Cloonacool....Castleconnor by 4
Junior: Coolera v Marys...Marys by 5 Owenmore Gaels v St Michaels....Owenmore by 7 DRP v Molaise....DRP by 2 St Johns v Shamrock Gaels....Johns by 4
Round 1 Senior: Coolera v DRP - Draw Tourlestrane v St Marys....Marys by 4 Shamrock Gaels v E.Harps....Draw Easkey v St Molaise Gaels....Molaise by 5
Round 1 Intermediate: Bunninadden v Enniscrone...Bunninadden by 4 Curry v Ballymote....Curry by 8 St Farnans v St Pats....St Farnans by 5 Castleconnor v Cloonacool....Castleconnor by 4
Junior: Coolera v Marys...Marys by 5 Owenmore Gaels v St Michaels....Owenmore by 7 DRP v Molaise....DRP by 2 St Johns v Shamrock Gaels....Johns by 4"
Winners Drumcliffe. I'm going for them to be the first team to bring the cup across the bridge .
Intermediate. Has to be Curry.
Junior. Owenmore Gaels. They have already tasted success. Hardly any team left that will put it to them.
Drumcliffe by 2 Gaels by 3 Molaise by 7 Mary's by 6
Enniscrone by 5 It's hard to cross the mountain and win. Curry by 4 Castleconnor by 4 Farnans by 6
Mary's by 6 Owenmore by 3 Johns by 5 Drumcliffe by 5
Replying To MrUnderhill: "Is it a fact that owen B has never crossed the river (garavogue)? Must be a curse in there somewhere if its true."
It is true....but then again north Sligo wouldn't be seen as the traditional home of football. Look at the number of clubs and former county players down through the 130 plus years of Sligo GAA history in Southern and eastern divisions. County teams especially are more balanced now if not more skewed towards Northern division.
You must also take into account where there are now two large clubs in DRP & Molaise there were once a lot more smaller clubs operating at Junior level mainly, (before the introduction of intermediate grade which I think was in 80s). They should for sure in the modern era have had some success, but both DRP and Molaise are not that terribly long in senior ranks. Molaise in particular went up and down a lot in the 00's. You could argue similar about Owenmore Gaels, which is now the old Ballisodare and Collooney clubs. There hasn't been a senior title there since the 60s. I can't recall when they were a senior club last, and population has probably increased four if not five fold since then.
Feel like senior championship is a toss up this year between 4-5 teams all closely matched. I'm pick Shamrock Gaels to come good and put behind a disappointing league albeit the lack of firepower during most the league missing the Deignan's and Quinn.
Intermediate looks like it's Curry's to loose they have look strong during the league and look a step above the competition at this grade.
Owenmore gaels should cruise through the Junior championship and might push teams in the Connacht series from other counties.
Round 1 Senior: Coolera v DRP - DRP by 2 Tourlestrane v St Marys....Marys by 6 Shamrock Gaels v E.Harps.... Gaels by 3 Easkey v St Molaise Gaels....Molaise by 7
Round 1 Intermediate: Bunninadden v Enniscrone...Enniscrone by 1 Curry v Ballymote....Curry by 9 St Farnans v St Pats....St Farnans by 7 Castleconnor v Cloonacool....Castleconnor by 3
Junior: Coolera v Marys...Marys by 3 Owenmore Gaels v St Michaels....Owenmore by 12 DRP v Molaise....Molaise by 3 St Johns v Shamrock Gaels....Johns by 5
I'm cutting the last tight again with my predictions as the first game is in 2 hours time. I'm not in favour of this format. Three team's getting to knockout out of five isn't Championship. I will go for Mary's to win it outright. They had a decent team showing in the league final and still have Rooney, Brady , Breheny, O Kelly Lynch and Niland to return. Gaels will be missing King and Conlon and I don't know what the story with Lyons is. Coolera have a huge addition with the inclusion of the the lad ( can't think of pronounce his name) that originally played his football in Westmeath before trying it out with Marys and then Curry. If he is settled down he will be a huge threat. Molaise Gaels have lost Jack Davitt and Spillane and I think the bubble is burst there anyway. They had their chances but fluffled their lines. Drumcliffe are a decent side. I would rank them highly. Harp's who will be missing Hunt and Molaise will also get knockout Relegation will be between Tubber, Tourlestrane, Coolaney and Easkey
Tonight Coolera to beat Drumcliffe by 5 and Bunnies to win by 3 in the intermediate
Bought the stream last night I couldn't be bothered driving out to Keash and back and tbh by looks of the attendance neither did too many. Have to say was great to hear John Hughes on Co-commentator duties he has plenty of insight over the years so a welcome addition.
On to the football I thought it a boring affair. Coolera lost all engine power after scoring the goal in the first half and went a long time without a score. Loads of hand passing by both sides. Coolera then tried pumping the ball into the box to their new signing then during second half but to little success. Lally had a good day out as did DRPs primary ball winners in middle of field. However will Coolera be too panicked? I don't think so given there was no Murphy on the field and as eoinog pointed out with 3 teams qualifying they'll probably be fine.
Bunnies got the job done with plenty to spare but the half time update online means Enniscrone only scored 1 point in the second half. If there was a wind which isn't unusual in the West, normally it's the Westerners who know how to play with it, not on this occasion clearly.
For what it's worth would have went with DRP & Enniscrone last night.
Senior outright Mary's, intermediate curry and junior Owenmore Gaels. Attendances last night poor by all accounts - not helped perhaps by the so called central choices of venues. Not a fan of 60% of the teams still been alive after the group stages as noted by another poster but let's hold fire on that until the end of the campaign to see how it plays out.