Big guns close to firing blanks

TOM GANNON

The final round of group-stage action in the SFC will take centre stage this weekend and there are plenty of questions still to be answered.

Can last year's Keegan Cup champions Summerhill bounce back from defeat and secure a quarter-final spot? Will St Peter's continue their good run of form? What are the chances of Rathkenny upsetting the odds against Ratoath and potentially eliminating them?

Summerhill v Donaghmore/Ashbourne: Summerhill come into this game knowing that it's now or never in their title defence. It is hard to know how they are going to react after their soul-crushing loss to Dunshaughlin last time out. It wasn't as if Summerhill had a bad day at the office, but a defeat like that can lead to questions within the camp around whether or not they have what it takes to defend their title, especially when there aren't too many areas where they can improve upon. The last thing they need is those sorts of doubts arising ahead of this crunch clash.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne are on a serious high after a massive performance against a tough Ballinabrackey outfit. The two McGovern twins are playing exceptional football and they have a really exciting young talent in Michael O'Sullivan. They will feel that they are due a big win over Summerhill after the county champions knocked them out of both last year's championship and this year's league at the semi-final stages. Donaghmore/Ashbourne can claim a big scalp here.

Verdict - Donaghmore/Ashbourne.

Dunshaughlin v Ballinabrackey: The only drawback of the knockout stages and the relegation play-offs being open draws is that you can end up with games such as this which are effectively dead rubbers. After making two late runs to come from behind in both of their clashes so far, Dunshaughlin has secured themselves a place in the quarter-final. While Ballinabrackey have two defeats to their name and will compete for survival. The smart thing for Dunshaughlin to do at this stage would be to put out an experimental side of sorts and rest some of their key players. If you can afford to give a rest to the likes of Mathew Costello, Conor Gray and Ruairi Kinsella to get them sharp for a quarter-final clash why wouldn't you?

After a poor showing in round two, Ballinabrackey will probably need to get some confidence back. A win for them would do them the world of good heading into the relegation play-offs while the result is probably meaningless to Dunshaughlin. However Dunshaughlin do have depth to their squad and if they do field an experimental side, those who do take to the field will be hungry and will want to impress to throw their hands up for a starting place in this very exciting outfit. Therefore they might just have enough to win but it will be tighter than what the championship has suggested so far.

Verdict - Dunshaughlin.

St Peter's v Gaeil Colmcille: St Peter’s have done what’s been needed and sit atop the group with four points. Jack Kinlough has been very impressive and is the focal point of a strong attack. They did need Cathal Lacey to produce three fantastic points in the second half to make their win over Wolfe Tones somewhat comfortable. The issue with St Peter’s is that they have not yet met a side that really is going to match their scoring ability. You can't knock the Dunboyne outfit defensively though as they have conceded the lowest tally in the championship.

While a draw will see St Peter’s through to the next round, Gaeil Colmcille will be keen to give this game a good rattle to give themselves a chance to qualify for the knockout stages. The rugged Kells side will probably pose a similar challenge to St Peter’s that Wolfe Tones did in round two. There will be some hard hits and scores will be at a premium. However, St Peter’s have proved that they can overcome that sort of a test and they will likely be able to do so again.

Verdict - St Peter’s.

Wolfe Tones v Curraha: Wolfe Tones have taken a slightly pessimistic approach in their opening two fixtures and it did not pay dividends last time out against St Peter’s. You would have to think that a change of tactics is on the horizon and the likes of Saran O Fionnagain and Thomas O’Reilly will be given more of a creative licence to go out and dominate. At their very best, those two are among the best forwards in the county.

Curraha have really struggled to get any sort of rhythm going so far and have looked off the pace in this group. They have some fantastic talent within their ranks in the likes of James McEntee, Jack O’Connor and Diarmuid Moriarty.

However, Curraha are struggling to get those sort of players involved enough. They need to produce a lot more than what they have been doing if they are going to trouble Wolfe Tones, especially if Tones start to click from an attacking perspective like we know they can.

Verdict – Wolfe Tones.

Simonstown v St Colmcille’s / Seneschalstown v Na Fianna: Group C has already been decided and these two games are essentially dead rubbers. St Colmcille's and Simonstown have both won their opening two fixtures which puts them four points clear of Seneschalstown and Na Fianna and out of sight. On the evidence so far, there isn't much to separate Simonstown and St Colmcille’s and it will probably come down to who has the bigger appetite. Finishing top will probably do the young up-and-coming St Colmcille’s side the world of good in terms of confidence so maybe they might edge this one. Seneschalstown haven’t at all shown what they are capable of yet. Their last competitive win was a very good performance in the A FL Div 2 semi-final, and a return to that sort of form would see them over the line.

Verdict – St Colmcille's / Seneschalstown.

Ratoath v Rathkenny: Ratoath weren't exactly back to their very best but they showed huge improvement last time out when they defeated Trim. The return of Eamon Wallace reignited the three-time champions and his leadership as well as hard work ethic had a huge influence on the outcome of that game. If Ratoath continue to get their top players back to playing at the level that we know they are capable of, they are going to be hard to stop. However, before that they have to get over a Rathkenny side who, despite sitting bottom, will take a lot of confidence from what they have shown so far in this championship.

On two occasions Rathkenny have held commanding positions only to relinquish the lead and as it stands their one solitary point doesn’t really reflect the efforts of Donal Curtis’ men. That being said, Ratoath would have to take a significant step back in their progression if Rathkenny is going to stand any chance of getting something from this game.

Verdict – Ratoath.

Skryne v Trim: Skryne’s excellent progress was slightly halted when they failed to take home the full two points in their last clash against Rathkenny. They did battle hard to get a share of the spoils and will come into the clash sitting top of the table on three points. Trim looked very average against Ratoath. The men in red lacked any real creativity and there was a lot of aimless shooting from players who aren’t necessarily in the side for their precision in front of the posts.

The sides are fairly well-matched and this clash could be decided by a few individual match-ups. Trim have two important decisions to make in terms of who picks up Darragh Campion and Harry Rooney. Ciaran Caulfield is certainly a contender when it comes to Campion but his influence going forward is something that Trim rely heavily on. It will take a real physical sacrificial performance from one of Trim’s midfielders to curb Harry Rooney’s influence. Skryne will surely point to Trim's corner forwards Aaron Lynch and Tom Carmody as the major threats and Ciaran Lenehan’s leadership will be vital in that regard.

Verdict – Skryne.