WE have now seen two rounds of the Limerick Senior Football championship, with every team having played at least one game.
Seven teams are guaranteed a quarter-final place with three certain to face into the relegation play-offs.
Ballysteen and Drom Broadford are the only teams uncertain of which side of the draw they will be in with one full round of fixtures to play.
Below Jack Neville gives his first Power Rankings of the championship.
12.Na Piarsaigh
Without their hurling contingent, Na Piarsaigh have struggled in this year’s championship, having lost their first two games by a combined -18. To their credit, they pushed Fr Caseys for large periods in round 2 but 1-2 at the end put a gloss on a result that looked set in stone once Caseys goaled after 45. After contesting the relegation final in 2018, the City side are in danger once again as they await a relegation semi-final against either Ballysteen or Drom Broadford.
11. Galtee Gaels
Galtee Gaels return to the senior level has not gone to plan as they are also -18 after a pair of losses to Oola and Ballylanders. Fitness will be a cause for concern having only scored 0-4 combined in their two second halves thus far. Their collapse against Ballylanders where they were outscored 1-9 to 0-1 in the second half will be a huge concern going forward. If they can match their first half displays in the final half hour, they should have enough to stay safe but they will face a daunting task in St Kierans in the semi-finals.
10. St Kierans
The most notable name towards the bottom of this list is St Kierans who are the only other team who are pointless after two games. After contesting the semi-finals last year, they now face into the relegation semi-finals. On Saturday this was confirmed as Monaleen had five points to spare, as they lead from start to finish against the West side. Darragh Treacy’s return is a huge boost for the Ardagh side who will be favourites to survive when they meet last years Intermediate Champions in the semi-finals of the relegation play-offs.
9. Drom Broadford
Drom showed great spirit to overturn an eight point deficit against Ballysteen to earn a draw in Newcastle on Sunday and as such they are still alive in the competition. Granted they had extra men down the home stretch but there were still evidence of their do-or-die attitude as they scored 1-5 without reply in the final quarter. They will need a favour from Newcastle however to avoid the relegation play-offs after a heavy round 1 loss.
8. Ballysteen
Ballysteen will rue a huge missed chance to get a first win over Drom Broadford Senior Championship having thrown away a bug lead late on. Indiscipline was a major factor in the result with two black cards in the second half proving very costly. Nonetheless, Ballysteen still have their fate in their own hands with a win or draw over Newcastle guaranteeing a knockout place. A loss of less than 13 points will also see them through.
7. Galbally
Seventh on the list may seem harsh for a Galbally side who overcame last years semi-finalists St Kierans, but comparing it to other victories, it seems right for the South side. The absence of James Ryan is a big one as he hopes to be recovered in time for the quarter-finals. Galbally will face either Oola or Ballylanders in the quarter-finals but will look ahead to Monaleen this weekend where they can continue momentum by securing top spot.
6. Fr Caseys
While the final scoreline from their game with Na Piarsaigh was relatively flattering to the City side, the Abbeyfeale men will know they were far from their best in Mick Neville Park. But in this truncated championship, a win in their opener against a side who had already played a game was vital. They have blooded a number of last years minors who didn’t look out of place one bit. Their clash with Adare will give a clearer indication of where they are.
5. Monaleen
While it was far from stylish, Monaleen got the job done against St Kierans and in truth, the result never looked in doubt as they held the lead from start to finish. They are now assured of their place in the last eight and face Galbally this weekend to see who finishes top. Again, we will get a clearer representation of where they are after this weekend.
4. Oola
Without 11 of their squad that reached the 2019 Limerick SFC final, Oola will have been more than happy by the manner of their 1-14 to 0-10 win over Galtee Gaels a week ago. They trailed by four within as many minutes but showed their determination to regain the lead before the half time whistle. From here they demonstrated their class to win out by seven. Obviously, they will miss those whom they are without, notably Richie English but the experience of 2019 should stand to them.
3. Ballylanders
Ballylanders were the big victors in round 2 as they overcame Galtee Gaels 1-16 to 0-8 after a exceptional final quarter of an hour. It may have taken them 45 minutes to get a two point lead, but once they did, they overpowered their opponents and this will give them huge confidence as they face Oola knowing their knockout place is secure. Finalists in 2018, Ballylanders could be a big threat once again.
2. Adare
While positions 3-7 could be interchanged quite easily, there is no doubting who numbers 1 & 2 are in the Limerick SFC. Adare had the biggest win of the competition thus far, a 3-14 to 1-4 win over Na Piarsaigh in round 1 and look poised for a long run in the competition having won out in 2017 and ’18 but falling in the last four to Newcastle West last Autumn. They looked back to their imperious best in the second half against the Caherdavin having failed to put them away in the first half. They would score 1-8 without response in the final half hour and will be looking for a 12th consecutive group game win against Fr Caseys this weekend.
1.Newcastle West
Still the team to beat are the champions Newcastle West who strolled into the knockout stages with a comprehensive 2-12 to 1-3 win over Drom Broadford in the first round. They never came out of second gear in that game and in truth didn’t need to as they strolled to an impressive win. Their strength in depth was a huge feature on the night as they were without the likes of Darren O’Doherty, Sean Murphy and AJ O’Connor to name a few as well as Jamie Lee who will not feature this championship. They will look to lay down another marker against Ballysteen.
While it is likely that they will avoid each other in the quarters, depending on results we could have a meeting of the top two in the last eight.
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