Under-21 Championship Preview
The under-21 football championship takes another step forward at the week-end but this will certainly not be a giant stride as the competition falls behind schedule.
There’s a preliminary game remaining to be completed, which involves St Brigid’s who’s senior team are on the Ulster trail, and the opening round of both the A and the B competition cannot proceed at present.
There are a couple of games scheduled for Saturday and one for Sunday but it will take several weeks before the competition gets back on schedule and it might not be completed until late November or early December.
Sat 28th October
Under-21 A Football Championship at 2-00pm
St Ergnat’s Moneyglass v Gort na Mona
Moneyglass impressed in their opening game of the competition when they travelled to Ballymena and returned home victorious when they recorded a ten point win over All Saint’s.
The St Ergnat’s side which includes quite a number of seniors within their ranks are back on home turf this time and will look forward to the arrival of Gort na Mona.
Ryan Mc Greevey, Seamus Devlin, Callum Mc Stocker and Patrick Mc Cormick have certainly gained from their experience in the first team this term while Antrim minors, Dermot Mc Erlaine and Eamon Kelly figure prominently in a side which includes Conal Prenter, and the Duffin brothers, Tiarnan and Seanaghan.
Gort na Mona enjoyed a good win in their preliminary round game and the West Belfast recorded a good 3-06 to 1-06 win over a fancied Casement’s side.
That was an excellent opener for Liam Enright’s charges and they will travel down the M2 looking for further progress.
The Gorts will include more than a few from the senior ranks and will look to Michael Savage, Thomas Mc Gouran, Brendan Corr, Andrew Mc Donagh, and Chris Carson to lead them on the road to the next phase.
This may well be a close one with ground advantage possibly enough to tip the balance in favour of Moneyglass.
Under-21 B championship at 2.00pm
St James Aldergrove v Cuchullian’s Dunloy
Having endured a reversal and a heavy defeat to Rossa on a 7-11 to 1-01 scoreline in the grading round Dunloy will be looking for a better return this time as they travel to Crumlin and meet up with Aldergrove in the opening phase of the B section.
The Cuchullain’s, having won the minor title in 2016 were expected to make a mark in the under-21 grade this term but they failed to deliver despite home advantage when they lost heavily to Rossa.
Dunloy will look to Keelin Molloy, Callum Scullion, Ryan Elliot and Conal Scullion to lead them on the come-back trail but improvement is required.
Aldergrove lost out to the visiting Johnnies in what was a feisty encounter on the artificial surface at the Crumlin leisure centre in their grading round game but they may look on this as a less taxing affair.
The St James’s men will look to Seamus Mc Garry in front of posts to lead the way while James Brazier, Ryan Owens, Brendan O’ Callaghan and Padraig Hanna are others who could swing it in their direction .
This may well prove a close one which could go either way with just a tentative nod going the way of the visitors.
Sunday 29th Oct
Under-21 A Football Championship at 2.00pm
St Gall’s v O’ Donovan Rossa
Having won this year’s minor championship Rossa, last year’s beaten under- 21 finalists carry the burden of favourites this year and indeed they impressed in their opening grading round.
They travelled out to Dunloy in the opening round with more than a few expressing the opinion that the home side would test them but with Dominic Mc Enhill leading from the front they were never tested.
Mc Enhill bagged a personal haul of 4-05 in a 7-11 to 1-01 win with a number of the 2017 minor championship winners included in their side. With Eoghan McMenamin, Michael Close, Daire Matthews and senior players Tiarnan Murphy, James Connolly, Gerard Walshe, Deaglain Murphy and Noel Crossan they look potential champions.
St Gall’s produced the goods in an opening round win over the visiting St Paul’s but this looks a more difficult test for the Milltown men as they welcome Rossa.
The home side will give of their best but a Rossa win looks the most likely outcome.