Preview: Weekend’s senior club championship action from around the Country:
Saturday 15th November
AIB Munster Club SFC Quarter-Final
Clonmel Commercials v St. Finbarr’s in Clonmel Sportsfield at 1.15pm
Their record-breaking 21st Tipperary SFC title last weekend was an emotional one for Clonmel Commercials coming as it did so soon after the death of Premier County senior football team manager and clubman Philly Ryan.
Philly’s son Shane is goalkeeper on the current Commericals team and all of them have been coached by him at some stage so their comfortable victory over Kilsheelan-Kilcash meant a lot to all involved.
It was comfortably their best performance of the season and they’ll be keen to put their best foot forward once more against St. Finbarr’s.
The Tipp club have a good record against Cork opposition in Munster and home advantage should benefit them here, but St. Finbarr’s have arguably displayed better form throughout the season than Clonmel have.
Their powerful midfield partnership of Ian Maguire and Brian Hayes should give them an edge in the middle third and Steven Sherlock is a potential match-winner.
AIB Leinster Club SFC Quarter-Final
Athy v Summerhill, Cedral St. Conleth’s in Newbridge at 5.15pm
The record of Meath clubs in the Leinster championship has been very poor. Only one team from the Royal County has won it in 40 years and no Meath team has even reached the final since Skryne did in 2004.
Summerhill started their provincial campaign like men very determined to change that narrative as they defeated Longford champions Killoe Young Emmets by 2-22 to 1-16.
As in their county final win over Ratoath, Meath captain Eoghan Frayne was very much to the fore as he kicked five points.
Their little and large midfield partnership of Adam McDonnell and Adam Flanagan were also very influential, kicking a combined 1-4 between them, and will be key men in this game against an Athy team that are also very strong in the middle third.
Their county midfield partnership of David Hyland and Kevin Feely are a serious double act, and if either team can dominate this battle then it could be the winning of the game.
Athy will be full of confidence after stopping Naas’ drive for five in Kildare. They’re a seasoned outfit and that greater experience might give them an edge over Summerhill.
AIB Ulster Club SHC semi-final
Setanta v Naomh Eoin in Owenbeg at 6pm
Donegal champions Setanta are a very upwardly mobile club. In 2022 they won the Ulster Junior Championship and they followed that up with the provincial intermediate title the following year.
They have very talented county players in the shape of men like Gerard Gilmore, Declan Coulter, and Danny Cullen, but a provincial senior semi-final still represents a big step up for the Donegal club.
They’ll take some heart from the fact that St. John’s aren’t any more experienced than them at this level.
The Belfast club won their first Antrim title since 1973 so an Ulster campaign is something new for them too.
If they replicate the sort of performance that saw them beat Loughiel Shamrocks in that Final, they should be too good for Setanta.
Forwards like Conor Johnston, Oisin McManus and Shea Shannon are all fine finishers and should build a winning total given a good supply of ball.
Sunday 16th November
AIB Munster Club SHC semi-finals
Éire Óg Ennis v Loughmore-Castleiney in Zimmer Bioment Páirc Chíosóg at 1.15pm
By their own admission, Loughmore-Castleiney haven’t performed as well as Munster as they would like when the opportunity has come their way.
Tipperary champions in 2021 and 2024, they were twice drawn against Ballygunner and twice beaten.
Éire Óg Ennis don’t quite have the same pedigree as the Waterford champions did in those years, and Loughmore will hope their greater experience of the provincial crucible will stand to them.
Éire Óg are Clare champions for the first time in 35 years but they have undoubted quality in their ranks, principally in the shape of Clare stars Shane O’Donnell and David Reidy.
Those two aren’t the only threats in a very lively attack where players like Marco Cleary and Danny Russell are also clinical finishers.
A Loughmore team spearheaded by hurler of the year, John McGrath, has plenty of firepower itself, and as a team they’re more than the sum of their parts.
With so many brothers and cousins playing together, it’s no surprise that they’re such a well-oiled machine.
There won’t be much in this one, but Loughmore’s greater experience could give them the edge.
Sarsfields v Ballygunner in Azzurri Walsh Park at 1.15pm
Ballygunner will be itching for revenge here having been stunned by Sarsfields in last year’s Munster Final.
The Waterford side went into that game as raging hot favourites but Sarsfields were full value for their four-point win on the night.
If Ballygunner were guilty of any complacency going into that game then it shouldn’t be an issue this time around.
They made light of their long lay-off after the Waterford championship to defeat a very strong Na Piarsaigh team in the quarter-final when they scored five of the last six points to win by three.
They looked understandably rusty at times, but the match should have done them the world of good.
Sarsfields were impressive champions in Cork and are a hard-working, well-balanced team, but they’ll need forwards like Jack O’Connor and James Sweeney to produce really big performances if they’re to pull off another shock.
AIB Leinster Club SFC Quarter-Finals
Naomh Máirtin v Portarlington in Integral GAA Grounds at 1.30pm
This is Portarlington’s fifth Leinster football championship campaign in six years so they’re much more well-versed in the demands of the competition that Louth champions Naomh Mairtín.
They showed all of their experience in the first round when suffocating Carlow champions Old Leighlin by holding them to just six points.
Pat Roe’s team are very well-drilled defensively so it’ll be fascinating to see how a Naomh Máirtin attack that has been putting up some big scores will fare against them.
Louth star Sam Mulroy is their main man but he’s well supported by the likes of Tom Gray and Darragh Dorian with midfielder Dara McDonnell another reliable provider of scores.
McDonnell has a very good partnership with Adam Booth and their battle with Portarlington duo, Keith Bracken and Eoin McCann could be decisive.
If Portarlington break even there then their well-drilled defence and the opportunism of forwards like Rioghan Murphy, Colm Murphy, and Jordan Fitzpatrick could see them edge this.
The Downs v Tullamore in TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar at 1.30pm
This should be a tight battle between two very well-drilled teams.
The Downs arguably showed the better form in their county championship, racking up a series of high-scoring wins that culminated in a convincing six-point win over Coralstown/Kinnegad in the final.
They have a lot of firepower in attack where Luke Loughlin has been in sensational form this year and is ably assisted by the likes of Dean Egerton, Kevin O’Sullivan, Tom Tuite and, if fit, dual star Niall Mitchell.
Tullamore have struggled to play consistently for the duration of matches this year but when they hit their stride they’re very good as they as they showed once again in the county final against Ferbane when they trailed by three points with four minutes of normal time left but came with a late charge that saw them win by four.
Mike Fox, Luke Plunkett, and Harry Plunkett are a very dangerous trio of inside forwards and given a good supply of ball will do damage.
There won’t be much in this but if Niall Mitchell is fit to play for The Downs then you’d fancy them to pose more of a scoring threat.
Castletown-Liam Mellows v Ballyboden St. Enda’s in Chadwicks Wexford Park at 1.30pm
Dublin teams have been very dominant in the Leinster Club SFC in recent times, winning 12 of the last 14 provincial titles.
There’s every reason to expect that Ballyboden will push hard to improve that record further given they came through a very tough Dublin championship and were provincial champions themselves as recently as 2019.
They’re defensively very sound, have a powerful midfield pairing in Cein Darcy and James Holland and consistently dangerous forwards like Colm Basquel, Daire Sweeney, Ross McGarry and Ryan O’Dwyer.
Castletown Liam Mellows won’t be a pushover, though. They’re a seasoned outfit that has won three of the last four Wexford senior championships.
They’re tight at the back and have a good midfield partnership in county star Liam Coleman and Rory Heffernan.
Ballyboden’s greater firepower though means they’re the more likely victors here.
AIB Connacht Club SFC Semi-Finals
St. Brigid’s v Ballina Stephenites in King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park at 1.30pm
Both of these teams are battle-hardened after requiring replays to win their hard-fought county finals.
Ballina’s dramatic come from behind victory over Westport was their third Mayo title in a row and underlined their ability to really get going when the going gets tough.
They weren’t hugely impressive in their subsequent Connacht SFC quarter-final victory over North London Shamrocks, but their performance level seems to vary based on the difficulty of the challenge they’re faced with.
St. Brigid’s haven’t quite played to their full potential all year but the fact that they still find themselves in a Connacht semi-final testifies to the quality in their ranks.
Forwards like Ben O’Carroll, Bobby Nugent, Brian Derwin, and Senan Kilbride are clinical finishers and if they hit a day where all play to their full potential then St. Brigid’s will be hard team to stop.
Ballina are probably too reliant on Evan Regan to be a consistent source of inspiration, and if St. Brigid’s can limit his influence then you’d fancy the Roscommon side to come out on top.
Leitrim Gaels v Maigh Cuilinn in Pearse Stadium at 1.30pm
It’s four weeks since Leitrim Gaels won their county championship which might not do them any favours against a Maigh Cuilinn team that were in action just last weekend.
The Galway champions were very impressive too, beating Sligo’s Shamrock Gaels by 11 points.
That followed up a fine win in their own county final against a strong Salthill team, so Maigh Cuilinn bring a lot of momentum into this match.
The Kelly brothers give them a strong spine from the full-back line to midfield, and forwards like Dessie Conneely, Fionn McDonagh, and Niall Walsh are all in good form.
The Gaels are first-time champions in Leitrim so this is uncharted territory against a team that won the provincial title as recently as three years ago.
They’re a talented young team nicely seasoned by the experience of the three Jones brothers, Ryan, Garvan, and Conall, but Maigh Cuilinn’s physicality and craft will be hard to match.
AIB Ulster Club SHC semi-final
Slaughtneil v Portaferry in B0X-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh at 3.30pm
When these two teams met in last year’s provincial decider it was a ferociously contested match and something similar is expected here.
Portaferry looked like they would win that game when they forged eight points ahead in the second half, but they were overwhelmed by a devastating final quarter performance by Slaughtneil.
The Derry side have now won 13 county titles in a row and their most recent one – a 20-point win over Kevin Lynch’s – suggested they’re still very much at the peak of their powers.
Their full-forward line of Brendan Rogers, Chrissy McKaigue, and Shea Cassidy hit 3-12 from play in that county final and will be very difficult for the Portaferry defence to hold if they get a similarly good supply of ball here.
Portaferry have prolific forwards of their own like the Sands brothers, Eoghan and Daithi, and Tom McGrattan, but Slaughtneil’s physicality in the middle third and impact off the bench could give them a vital edge.