GAA Connacht Gold Senior Championship

Ranking the contenders - Connacht Gold Senior Championship

Reporter:

John Connolly

6 Sept 2017

8. DRUMREILLY
Drumreilly have defied all expectations by reaching the Quarter-Finals despite losing John McKeon to injury midway through the Group stages. They are ranked eighth purely down to the fact that they face a powerful Mohill in the first round. PROS: Drumreilly know exactly what they want to do every game and work like dogs to achieve it and in Conor Gaffney, they have a forward to real quality. And that is without mentioning the quality down the spine of the team of Nigel Maguire, James Holohan, Declan Maxwell, Sean Fee and Donal McCabe. CONS: Strength in depth is lacking and they will miss John McKeon if he is not available. Also they are coming up against a Mohill team with more strength in depth than anything they have faced.
7. ST. PATRICK'S DROMAHAIR
Dromahair pulled off the greatest escape by winning their last two games and defying all the odds but if you look at their ranks, the north Leitrim team is populated by players who have represented Leitrim at all levels. PROS: After avoiding the relegation series, Dromahair are in complete bonus territory here and nobody is expecting them to match the Ballinamore men - that is a huge advantage as they can play without fear and perhaps exploit any complacency in the opposition ranks. CONS: They face probably the form team in the competition in Ballinamore and they will need to lift their performance a few levels from what they showed in an admittedly weaker Group 2.
6. GLENCAR/MANORHAMILTON
Hard to believe that last year’s Championship and League finalists are only ranked sixth but that is down to who they face in the Quarter-Finals. Inconsistency has cursed them so far in the Group stages and they have have yet to hit their normal heights. PROS: No better team to use their experience to grind out a result and the quality is still there in the Glencar/Manor ranks with players like Paddy Maguire, Adrian Croal, Evan Sweeney, James Glancy, Killian McGriskin. And they will definitely benefit from not being the hot favourites as usual - it would not be a huge surprise to see them advance. CONS: Patchy form has seen them lose to Bornacoola and they should have been beaten by Annaduff so the form is not great. And the over-reliance on the likes of Glancy, Maguire, Darren Sweeney and Pat Gilmartin, players who have well over ten years at the highest level, is a worry for the future.
5. MELVIN GAELS
Hard to separate the Kinlough men from St. Mary’s and Glencar/Manorhamilton in the rankings as there is very little between the sides. But coming through a much tougher group may ultimately stand to a young Melvin Gaels team who will bring their customary fire and passion to the knockout stages. PROS: The young players coming through in Melvin Gaels are truly exceptional and in Darragh Rooney, they have a special talent. Their workrate and passion will make them extremely difficult to beat. And even in their defeats, the Gaels weren’t far off some of the favourites. CONS: Inexperience may cost some of the younger Gaels and an over-reliance on Darragh Rooney could come back to haunt them. A few lapses in games have cost them dearly, notable against Aughawillan in the second half and the start against Ballinamore and that could leave them fighting an uphill battle.
4. ST. MARY'S KILTOGHERT
St. Mary’s get the nod for fourth spot ahead of Melvin Gaels and Glencar/Manorhamilton but it could easily have been the other way around. They have recovered from a poor start to the League and have quietly and efficiently gone about their business so far in the championship, an uncharacteristic lacklustre display against Annaduff their only lapse. PROS: Same as Manorhamilton, St. Mary’s are brimming with experience and know-how and it is the older lads, the 30 pluses, who are leading the way. Nobody will like playing them as the Carrick men have great physical presence and an ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over. CONS: Those same strengths may be a weakness as new players coming through have been few and far between and the over-reliance on the older crew may catch them out against some of the speedier young teams. And Melvin Gaels are a speedy team although a heavy and tight pitch in Drumkeerin might suit the physically powerful St. Mary’s a little more.
3. AUGHAWILLAN
If there is one team able to raise their game when the stakes get higher, it is the reigning champions who, in each of their two triumphs, have moved up a gear when the competition reaches the knockout stages. Nobody but nobody will fancy playing Aughawillan. PROS: Their reputation and belief - Aughawillan have dealt with injuries and absentees throughout this campaign but such is their belief in themselves that they always believe they will win if a match is kept close. The opposition fears that reputation so it is worth a couple of points in a close match and the tallies Aughawillan have been racking up, even in defeat, illustrate awesome firepower. CONS: Injuries have stopped Aughawillan from reaching top form so can they turn a switch now and turn it on? And with so many players coming back from injuries, is their fitness and strength in depth what it should be? But then again, it is Aughawillan, no better team to defy the odds!
2. MOHILL
Mohill have looked a team on a mission all year and only their loss to Ballinamore in the Group stages denies them top spot. The strength in depth in the Club is huge as their second string team reached the Quarter-Finals - that has to be driving on competition for places. PROS: Experience, quality and strength in depth - Mohill possess all the quality you’d expect from prospective County Champions and they could even afford to rest injured players during the Group stages. And they will feel they missed enough good chances against Ballinamore to reverse that result if they are to meet again. CONS: The absence of Alan Armstrong may expose a defence that only kept one clean sheet in the Group stages and there would be a belief out there that crowding out Ronan Kennedy and Keith Beirne shuts down a potent Mohill attack. Of course, easier said than done.
1. BALLINAMORE SEAN O'HESLIN'S
Unbeaten in the Group stages and victors over Aughawillan and Mohill, last year’s Intermediate Champions have been incredibly impressive so far and look a hungry team destined for success. PROS: Huge strength in depth, fierce competition for starting places, a young team brimming full of ambition and Niall McGovern - in any order, those four qualities mark them out ahead of the opposition at the moment. At midfield, they can rotate between Dean McGovern, Shane Moran and Wayne McKeon and have the ability to make switches to suit opposition. And Niall McGovern is on fire at the moment. CONS: Many feel they haven’t been truly tested yet and wonder could they be vulnerable to an ambush. And judging from their own club notes in this week’s Observer, even the Club are worried about soaring expectations and battling against over-confidence - it has caught out many a team in the past.

It is Quarter-Final time and we are getting down to do or die time in the Connacht Gold Leitrim Senior Championship.

We decided to take a look at each of the eight teams who have qualified for the Senior Quarter-Finals and rank them ahead of their matches this weekend.

A small caveat before we begin - these rankings are based on opinion only and at least three of the teams could change position in the rankings without much argument. Of course, these rankings may look pretty stupid by the end of the weekend but here we go anyway, starting from eight to one!

Simply click on each picture to find out where we rank the teams.