Can another Cork football club emerge and do a Ballincollig?
AGHADA
Darren Lee
Pearse O’Neill
Avoided relegation play-off by staving off the challenge of St Vincent’s in round 3. Bowed out to Clonakilty in the round of 16.
John Looney and Aaron Berry were to the fore in the club’s recent U21 East Cork final win.
Clean bill of health.
Languishing at the wrong end of Division 2. Have come out second best against Nemo’s second string side, Béal Áthan Ghaorthaidh, Newmarket, Ballincollig and Eire Óg.
Whether at midfield or further forward, Pearse O’Neill will cause problems.
Dohenys at Páirc Uí Rinn tomorrow. Must capitalise on a favourable draw.
With a relatively inexperienced team built around their successful U21 outfits of recent years, a Rd 4 appearance is as much as they can hope for.
BALLINCOLLIG
Michael O’Brien
Stephen O’Donoghue
Reached the summit of Cork football for the first time in the club’s history.
Dylan Kirstein.
Luke Prendergast and Niall Allen (both groin).
It might be Division 2, but Ballincollig’s spring form suggests second season syndrome won’t be an issue. Are six wins from six with a scoring difference of +47.
Patrick Kelly is to line out on Monday against the Barrs despite a recent calf injury and though the likes of George Durrant, Cian Dorgan and John Kelly are prominent contributors in front of goal, for leadership and class they will continue to turn to the 29-year old.
St Finbarr’s - a repeat of last summer’s first round clash. The champions had one point to spare then and they should again emerge on the right side of this latest meeting.
Avoid fellow contenders Nemo, Castlehaven and Carbery Rangers in round 4 and they’ll take stopping coming down the home stretch.
BISHOPSTOWN
Leo Jones
Eoin Byrne
Knocked out at the semi-final stage for a second successive year.
Killian Davin, Darragh O’Connor.
Broken finger rules Mark Dorgan out.
Mid-table in Division 1 with three wins and three defeats. Stand out result was their 3-19 to 2-5 hammering at the hands of Valley Rovers last month.
Conor Dorman in defence and Sam Oakes in attack stand as the two most exciting members of this Bishopstown cast.
O’Donovan Rossa at Clonakilty on Monday afternoon. Will be forced to show close to their full hand in order to secure direct passage to round 4.
Injuries derailed their title ambitions last summer. Keep the casualty list relatively low and they’ll still be knocking about in late September/early October.
CARBERY RANGERS
Michael O’Sullivan
John Hayes
Coughed up a seven-point lead to Ballincollig in their unsuccessful attempt to secure a first county senior title.
Christopher O’Donovan, Cathal O’Rourke.
John O’Rourke dislocated his shoulder in Cork’s league final loss.
Mixed bag. Scored victories against Clonakilty, Clyda Rovers and Newcestown, lost on the road to O’Donovan Rossa and Nemo Rangers.
John Hayes will be asked to shoulder the bulk of the scoring responsibility in the absence of John O’Rourke for Monday’s clash.
Valley Rovers at Ballinascarthy on Monday - a tricky opening hurdle they should clear.
Will at least be targeting a semi-final berth given last year’s run. Another prolonged summer adventure is not beyond them.
CASTLEHAVEN
Jim Nolan
David Limrick
Stunned in their round 4 replay against Carbery Rangers, bringing the curtain down on their three-in-a-row dream.
Plenty of minors have featured during their league campaign - Conor Nolan, Conor Cahalane, Cathal Maguire and Ronan Walsh.
Michael Hurley pulled his hamstring training with the Cork U21’s prior to the Munster final. He will be absent this weekend.
Four wins has them second in the top tier. Lost narrowly to O’Donovan Rossa and Bishopstown.
Brian Hurley kicked 3-14 in their three outings last summer. Enough said.
Clyda Rovers at Carrigadrohid tomorrow week, May 9th. Clyda’s disciplined and defensive structure will provide an early examination of how Castlehaven are shaping up for the summer ahead.
Jim Nolan’s men will be hurting from last year’s early exit. Remain relatively injury free and they must be considered title favourites.
CLONAKILTY
Eoin Ryan
Donal Lyons
Fell at the quarter-final juncture to West Cork rivals Carbery Rangers.
David Lowney and Sean McEvoy both impressed for the Cork minors in their opening Munster bout.
Tiarnan O’Connell remains sidelined after pulling up injured in Cork’s first round Munster minor championship win over Limerick.
League hints: Second from bottom in Division 1. All five games lost were by a margin of less than five-points. Buoyed, however, by victory over Castlehaven in West Cork U21 final.
Tom Clancy and Sean White offer stability and composure in their half-back line.
Newcestown at Dunmanway on Sunday. The absence of Tony Anglin, Jonathan Leahy and Sean Nagle through suspension - all three were sent off in last year's championship defeat to Carbery Rangers - could see Clonakilty heading down the byroads in search of a round four berth.
Likely to experience early turbulence, but once Eoin Ryan has his full panel at his disposal, they will challenge those harbouring title ambitions.
CLYDA ROVERS
Liam Cronin
Oliver O’Hanlon
Lost to Bishopstown in quarter-final replay.
Seamus Ronayne.
No injures to report.
Seventh in Division 1 with three wins and three defeats. Notable results include wins over Douglas and O’Donovan Rossa, pushed Nemo and Carbery Rangers all the way to the line.
35-year old Paudie Kissane can no longer be expected to carry the can. Assistance to be provided by Fionn O’Shea, Dan Callaghan and Conor Flanagan.
Castlehaven. Near impossible to see Cronin’s charges springing an early championship upset.
Strong enough to survive down the back roads. A second successive quarter-final showing would represent another progressive season.
DOHENYS
Stephen Mohan
Brian McCarthy
Condemned St Vincent’s to intermediate football by virtue of a 1-10 to 0-10 win in the relegation decider.
Eoin Lavers, Sean Daly
Declan O’Dwyer (medial ligament tear).
Second in Division 2 with four victories in seven outings.
Alan Sheehan. Commanding defender and reliable free-taker.
Aghada. They won’t get a better chance to avoid the all too familiar relegation scrap.
Lose tomorrow evening and the panic buttons will be hit.
DOUGLAS
: Tony Leen
Philip Shine
Never left the starting blocks when falling to O’Donovan Rossa by eight points in the fourth round.
Blooding a raft of younger players, with 2014 minors Kevin Flahive, Mark Dolan, Luke McGrath and Eoin O’Sullivan among them.
Ray Keating and Philip Shine are doubtful with hamstring injuries, Paul Fitzgerald (knee), Conor O’Brien (knee) and Sean Walsh (shoulder) will not be available.
Three won, three lost. Fell to Castlehaven on their home patch by 3-14 to 1-9.
Match-winner: Hasn’t been seen in the Douglas colours this year due to county commitments and his role with the Armagh hurlers, but Eoin Cadogan will still be expected to lead the troops into battle next weekend.
St Nicholas’ at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday week. Is that a banana skin over there in the corner?
Hard to know. Haven’t progressed beyond the quarter-final stage since 2008. Semis would still appear beyond them.
ILEN ROVERS
Johnny Holland
Kevin O’Sullivan
Comprehensively dismissed by Nemo Rangers in round 4.
Sean O’Donovan, Stephen Leonard.
Cork minor Tom Bushe (torn hamstring) is ruled out; questions marks hang over Kevin O’Sullivan and Alan Holland.
Rooted to the bottom of Division 1. Only one win from seven.
Dan McEoin. Will be targeted by opposition defences as assistance is lacking up front.
Nemo again. Don’t expect last year’s margin of 11-points to be considerably closed on Saturday.
Round 2 fixture could well be their county final. Lose and they could be in danger of falling through the trapdoor.
NEMO RANGERS
Stephen O’Brien
Peter Morgan
Out-worked, out-thought and out-classed by Ballincollig in the semi-final.
Alan O’Donovan, Conor Horgan, Ryan Kennedy.
Are reporting a clean bill of health.
League hints: Promising. Four wins in five outings - St Finbarr’s, Clyda, Newcestown and Carbery Rangers they've taken. They’ve also got a certain Tomás Ó Sé in their ranks now.
Several beginning to challenge Paul Kerrigan’s long held title; namely Barry O’Driscoll and Luke Connolly.
Ilen Rovers this Saturday in Dunmanway. Are unlikely to learn a whole pile about themselves here.
Such is their tradition that nothing less than at least a final appearance will be tolerated.
NEWCESTOWN
Tom Wilson
Martin O’Brien
Edged past Dohenys in round 3, but were subsequently unable to turn over Clyda Rovers.
Leigh O’Donovan, Greg Murphy, Michael McSweeney and Luke Meade.
Trevor Horgan is a long-term casualty following shoulder surgery.
Indifferent. Won three, lost four. Well beaten at home to Nemo and away to Valley Rovers but won at Clyda.
Daniel Twomey. Short of real attacking flair, however.
Clonakilty at Dunmanway on Sunday evening. Confidence is brewing their West Cork rivals can be turned over.
Might benefit from a round 2 fixture to bed in emerging crop. Quarter-final most they can aspire to.
O’DONOVAN ROSSA
Shane Crowley
Daniel Hazel
Exit at the hands of Nemo in the quarter-finals.
Sean Fitzgerald and Dylan Hourihane have impressed in their first year out of U16 level.
Pat Gilmore, Eoin Hodnett.
Four wins in Division 1 has the Skibbereen club fourth at present. Had the better of both Castlehaven and Carbery Rangers.
Donal Óg Hodnett. Off the left or right, he will trouble even the most effective man-markers in the county.
Conor McCarthy and Ger Minihane are missing through work commitments for the clash against Bishopstown.
The draw has been unkind in recent years, knocked out by Nemo in 2013 and 2014 (R4 and QF) and Castlehaven (R4) in 2011. Avoid the big guns and they could sneak into semis.
ST FINBARR’S
Tony Leahy
Paul Kennedy
Exited in Rd 4, 0-11 to 0-9 they fell to Bishopstown.
Enda Dennehy, Cian Madden, Eoin Finn and Alan O’Connor.
Cork midfielder Ian Maguire (back) is a major loss.
Not encouraging. Two wins from seven games. Were beaten last time out by basement club Ilen Rovers, handing the West Cork side their first win of the year.
In the absence of Maguire, the bulk of expectation has been dropped at the doorstep of Michael Shields.
Ballincollig, again. Without Maguire, very difficult to see how they can engineer victory.
Will secure passage to round 4 through the backdoor.
ST NICHOLAS
Michael Brosnan
Paul O’Brien
Arrived at Rnd 4 via the backdoor where they were hammered 4-14 to 1-6 by Muskerry.
Adam Lynch, Glenn Kennefick, Dean Brosnan.
Sickbay is empty.
From seven league games in Division 3 they have managed only a solitary win - St Vincent’s beaten 5-15 to 2-11 last month.
Robert McCarthy-Coade and Barry O’Donovan have been instrumental in maintaining Nicks’ senior status in recent campaigns.
Douglas. A first round shock is unlikely but they invariably win one game to retain senior status.
The back roads of the Cork championship again beckon.
VALLEY ROVERS
Ger Slyne
Fiachra Lynch
This Innishannon club returned to the senior ranks three years after being relegated.
Eoin O’Reilly, Darragh Looney.
Tim Cummins, Hughie O’Donovan.
Top of the class. Sit at the head of the Division 1 table thanks to wins over Ilen Rovers, O’Donovan Rossa, Bishopstown, Nemo Rangers and Newcestown.
Jack Murphy and Fiachra Lynch are their two main operators in attack, but it is Kevin Canty at midfield who represents the engine of this Valleys operation.
Carbery Rangers - could really have done with an easier draw to ease themselves back into senior life.
League campaign suggests they will be involved in the round of 16. Will require favourable draw if they are to remain afloat beyond that point.
DIVISION/COLLEGES SECTION
BEARA
Aidan McGurn
Brian T O’Sullivan (Garnish)
Fell to Seandún in round 2.
Cork minor Gary Murphy kicked 1-2 in their first round win.
Will be a keeping a close eye on opening rounds of premier intermediate and intermediate championships to see if any injuries are incurred.
Were most clinical when hitting four goals in the 4-13 to 0-13 revenge mission against Seandún.
Former Cork panellist Andrew O’Sullivan. The Castletownbere midfielder notched 1-2 in a superb display last time out.
UCC on June 19.
If UCC are depleted come mid-June, then McGurn's men have every chance of being present for the fourth round draw of the championship proper.
DUHALLOW
Ned English
John McLoughlin (Kanturk)
A one-point extra-time defeat to Muskerry denied Duhallow a place in round 4 of the county championship.
Kevin Crowley (Millstreet), TJ Brosnan (Kanturk).
No injuries to report at present.
Dominant, though somewhat wasteful in their 3-11 to 1-10 win over Avondhu.
Donncha O’Connor and Aidan Walsh provide composure, leadership and the required touch of class in the second half of the field.
Muskerry on June 16.
Vital the services of Aidan Walsh are secured if the North Cork division are to progress. He was absent for their first round victory.
Andrew McCarthy
Rory Buckley (Macroom)
Outclassed by Ballincollig in the county quarter-final, 0-20 to 1-9 it finished.
Peter Kelleher (Kilmichael), Sean Kiely (Macroom).
Dripsey’s John Carey missed their opening bout.
Nothing spectacular when disposing of CIT by 0-12 to 1-6.
Daniel Goulding kicked four points against CIT – a most valuable asset in an experienced forward unit.
Duhallow on June 16th.
Safely negotiate the challenge of Duhallow and they will again eye a last eight spot. With Peter Kelleher no longer tied to CIT, Muskerry will benefit from the aerial prowess of the Kilmichael footballer.
Dr Con Murphy
Tomás Clancy (Fermoy)
Beaten by Muskerry in round 2 of the Division/Colleges section.
Barry O’Sullivan (Dingle), Colm Hyde (Noamh Abán).
Availability of players rather than injuries is the main concern ahead of their next outing.
Looked very impressive when overcoming Carbery by double scores in round 1. Were able to call on eight of the team that started February’s Sigerson Cup decider.
None more threatening close to goal than Kerry All-Ireland winning forward Paul Geaney.
Beara on June 19.
If Kerry contingent travel for Beara clash – Barry O’Sullivan, Geaney, Shaun Keane, Conor Cox and Fergal McNamara – they’ll ease into the championship proper.
