Senior Championship draw throws up thrilling ties!

Last Monday’s Masonite Senior Football Championship draw has thrown some up some exciting groups, with some teams receiving a significantly more difficult path to the Championship final.

Champions St. Mary’s will be hoping to qualify from Group 4, most likely along with Allen Gaels and ahead of last year’s Senior B winners, Sean O’Heslin’s. Carrigallen will feel that they could cause an upset, but Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher will really struggle to make an impact.

2003 Runners-up St. Caillin’s make their way through to the quarter-finals from Group 1 along with 1999 Champions Glencar/Manorhamilton, with Ballinaglera, Annaduff and Cloone hoping for a shock victory against one of the big two to squeeze through.

Group 2 is arguably the weakest group, with Bornacoola, Aughawillan, Mohill, Kiltubrid and Drumkeerin all in with a fair chance of making it the quarter-finals, where they’ll meet the qualifiers from Group 1.

However, Group 3 will be the Group of Death with Melvin Gaels and Aughavas, Champions from 1998 and 2000 respectively, being thrown in alongside perennial contenders Gortletteragh and League Champions Drumreilly. Indeed, this is third year in a row that Gortletteragh will face Drumreilly. Adding to the tension, Aughavas Manager PJ Carroll was in charge of Gortletteragh last year! One really has to feel sorry for Aughnasheelin who finished pointless at the bottom of their Championship group last year before finishing bottom of Division 1A.

To add to the difficulties on the latter side of the draw, the winners and runners-up of Group 3 and Group 4 will face each other in the quarter-finals. Certainly, any team on this side of the draw will would be deserved Champions should they be lifting the silverware next autumn.

Full details of the draw are available on the Championship section. Dates for al games will be announced shortly.

 

 

28-Feb-04 by Paddy Reilly

County Board supports “Save Leitrim” campaign

Leitrim GAA County Board has voiced it’s support of the campaign to prevent Leitrim being split into two separate constituencies.

County Chairman Michael McGowan said that while the GAA are a strictly non-political organisation, “we don’t see this as a political issue. We see football as a binding force in the county and it is very important that we have the identity of a single county”.

Should the proposed changes happen, north Leitrim would join Sligo and south Leitrim would join Roscommon to form two new constituencies. McGowan added that he had spent his life “trying to unite north Leitrim and south Leitrim and we will not allow this”.

Anybody wishing to voice their opposition to this decision can do so by e-mailing their name and address to giveleitrimbackitsTD@eircom.net.

 

 

25-Feb-04 by Paddy Reilly

Rowley names Leitrim team to face Clare

Declan Rowley has left one vacancy in the Leitrim team to face Clare in Ennis on Sunday. Seamus Quinn moves to midfield, Colin Regan moves back to defence and Donal Brennan returns at left corner-forward. There’s one vacancy at right-half forward.

Team: G. Phelan, M. McGuinness, J. McKeon, D. Reynolds, B. Prior, N. Gilbane, C. Regan, C. Carroll, S. Quinn, AN Other, P. Farrell, J. Guckian, M. Foley, S. Canning, D. Brennan.

 

 

13-Feb-04 by Paddy Reilly

NFL- Leitrim 1-05 Donegal 2-10

Leitrim suffered their first loss in the 2004 NFL campaign in Cloone on Sunday last, with neighbours Donegal leaving with the points. Donegal forwards Adrian Sweeney and Brendan Devenney wreaked havoc on Leitrim’s defence, Scóring 2-6 of Donegal’s tally between them. Leitrim were holding out well until two second half goals in as many minutes effectively ended the contest.

Early in the second half, Leitrim shocked the visitors with a bizarre Michael Foley goal after a mistake by Donegal goalkeeper Tony Blake to trail by only a point with 40 minutes played.

However, Donegal’s superior quality shone through in the end with goals coming after 53 and 55 minutes, followed by a hat-trick of points to kill off the weak Leitrim challenge.

Leitrim:
G. Phelan, M. McGuinness, J. McKeon, D. Reynolds, N. Gilbane, S. Quinn, B. Prior, S. Canning, C. Carroll, C. Regan, P. Farrell (0-1), M. Foley (1-4), J. McGuinness, F. McBrien, J. Guckian. Subs: J. Goldrick for F. McBrien, N. Doonan for J. McGuinness, M. Greene for N. Gilbane, D. Kennedy for P. Farrell.

Donegal: T. Blake, N. McCready, R. Sweeney, E. McGee, S. Carr, B. Monaghan, K. Cassidy, P. McGonÓgal (0-1), B. Boyle, B. McLoughlin, M. Hegarty (0-1), B. Roper, J. McCafferty, A. Sweeney (1-2), B. Devenney (1-4). Subs: C. Toye for B. McLoughlin, C. McFadden for J. McCafferty, J. Gildea for B. Boyle, J. Haran (0-1) for B. Roper, B. Dunnion for N. McCready.

 

 

09-Feb-04 by Paddy Reilly