Modeligo and Kilmacthomas’ Big Day Draws Near

          I am sure that most reading this will agree with me when I say that this year’s County Intermediate Football Final has two sides doing battle against each other at the Saint Mollerans Club Grounds in Carrickbeg on Sunday evening that few would have predicted a few weeks back let alone at the start of the championship.

Those associated with the Kilmacthomas and Modeligo Clubs will disagree with me in my opening statement and on this occasion I will allow them to do so, but I am sure there is numbers associated with both clubs who would have felt that they would win a divisional title this year, but I am sure they will agree that they maybe could not see their opponents this weekend as their opponents in a county final.

In the Eastern half of the county most would have expected the likes of Bunmahon beaten in last year’s Divisional Final and beaten in the County Final back in 2015 to push strong again this year, and even though they will be disappointed to replicate their 2017 finish to the championship last weekend, few myself included saw that result happen.

Saint Saviours relegated from the senior grade two years ago were many people’s favourite to go one step further than they did last year when they lost out to Dungarvan in the County Final, but they were to bow out this year at the semi final stages of the competition.

Kill and John Mitchell’s two traditional football sides were also expected to push hard for a place in the divisional and county finals this year as would De La Salle who played in the senior grade in recent years, while Newtown and Tramore would have been expected to be there or there about, but in the end it was Kilmacthomas that came out on top in the eastern half of the county and are involved in this weekend’s county final on merit.

Up west, it was much the same story. Ballinameela who were relegated from the senior status were spoken about from the off as the team to beat, and were expected to win a fourth Western and County Intermediate Football Double since 2009 and while they will be disappointed that their football year ended last weekend with a comprehensive defeat in the Western final, they still have something to play for having won the County Junior Hurling Final in recent weeks and will compete in the Munster Championship in two weeks time.

Colligan Emmets, Sliabh gCua who won last year’s Junior County Final, Geraldines and Ballinacourty’s second string side were all expect to push Ballinameela all the way as they did, all finishing above Ballinameela after the group stages of the competition.

But while it would not come as much of a shock result as Kilmacthomas winning in the East of the County, it was Modeligo that finished top of the pile after the group games and went on to win the divisional final last weekend, more people would have expected them to have a better finish in the hurling championship than in football, despite probably being a better footballing side than a hurling one.

The novel paring is surly going to attract a bumper crown to the Carrickbeg venue where the prize will be for the winners not just going on to play in the senior grade in 2019 but to represent the county in the Munster Club Championship where they will play the winner of Saturday’s Munster quarter final game in Kilrush between Kilrush Shamrocks from Clare and Kerry champions Kilcummin. These two sides play in Kilrush on Saturday afternoon at 1-30pm.  

Both of these sides will go into this game believing that they can make the step up to play in the senior grade in 2019.

Benji Whelan’s Kilrossanty side look to have a strong spine to their team which could well be the winning of the game for them with Niall Cronin in goal, Gary Kiely at full back, Peter Gallagher at centre back, Jack Dee and John Cleary in the middle of the field while Alan Fitzsimons could well be at centre forward and inter county player Adam Walsh at full forward.

Conor Prendergast has worked well with his charges since they were knockout of the hurling championship some weeks back and they may well prove to be a better footballing side than most would expect and should be able to call on different sets of brothers like the Troy’s, McCarthy’s, O’Donovan’s and Devine’s they could well prove to be a match for anyone if they were all to click on the one day.

Which of these teams will come out on top is hard to tell. Whichever does will celebrate well their win, but they won’t overdo the celebrations knowing that they have another big game coming up.

For most the outcome of the game is very much a 50/50 situation. Modeligo get the nod to win a first title to go with the first western title won last weekend, but expect Kilmacthomas looking for a first Intermediate title since they beat An Rinn back in 2001to push them all the way.