Underdogs Annaduff face high flying Kilmeena in Leitrim's graveyard

Hastings McHale Park is known as Leitrim's graveyard but Annaduff will be hoping to buck that trend when they travel to the famed Castlebar venue next Sunday, November 12, to take on Mayo's Kilmeena in the AIB Connacht Intermediate Club Semi-Final (2pm throw-in).

Leitrim teams, club or county, don't have a good record in the home of Mayo football but travelling over as underdogs will suit Joe Cox's side as they look to build on an excellent season for the club. 

They proved in the Leitrim Final that they could mix up their game plan as they eschewed their traditional front foot, open style of play for a more cautious, systematic style of play against Melvin Gaels and it worked a treat as they bamboozled the Kinlough men on their way to claiming what was ultimately a comfortable enough victory.

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The big query for Annaduff is what approach do they go with next Sunday? McHale Park is known as a big field and they may suit their swashbuckling tendencies a bit more, a good surface that will allow them exploit their pace in attack but they will also want to keep it tight against a highly rated Kilmeena outfit.

Led by Mayo star Jack Carney, Kilmeena have had a meteoric rise in Mayo club football over the past three seasons, winning the Mayo Junior crown in 2021 before going all the way to win the All-Ireland in 2022. Their progress through the Intermediate ranks has been just as impressive as they edged past favourites Ballinrobe on a 1-11 to 1-9 scoreline.

Remarkably, Ballinrobe scored a goal with their very first attack and led by four points five minutes before halftime but Kilmeena rallied with five unanswered points to lead by a point at the break. That trend of finishing a half strongly was replicated in the second half when Ballinrobe grabbed the lead with just less than minutes left.

However, Kilmeena hit the last three scores of the game to take the title. Boasting a strong spread of scorers, target man Caolach Halligan will pose a threat for Joe Cox's side while Carney, operating from midfield, will take some watching.

No doubt, Kilmeena will have done their homework and be well aware of the threat posed by Darren Cox - the fleet footed youngster could thrive in this setting but he will need more support from his teammates to take Kilmeena's attention away from him.

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Much of this contest will depend on who has maintained their form since their County Final wins - Kilmeena were in action much closer to Sunday's game, whether that means they are sharper is anybody's guess but having won the All-Ireland Junior title less than two years ago, the Mayo men will have ambitions of provincial and national glory.

Does that give them an edge over a young Annaduff side who were just aiming for the Leitrim title after so many near misses? Probably but Annaduff will take this game seriously - Kilmeena have to start as favourites but Annaduff have upset the odds before!