AIB All-Ireland Club Intermediate Football Championship Semi-Final

Truagh v Geraldines, Sunday, 2.00, Crossmaglen

 

Truagh bid to become the first Monaghan club to qualify for the All-Ireland IFC Final since Inniskeen in 2006 when they take on Louth and Leinster champions Geraldines on Sunday.

Truagh, relegated from senior in 2012, lost their IFC opener to Donaghmoyne, but wins over Corduff, Drumhowan, Clones, Currin and Tyholland won them the county title and they went to see off Drumgath (Down) and Foreglen (Derry) and Tyrone side Eskra for a first Ulster championship.

Their opponents Geraldines crushed Glen Emmets in their Louth IFC Group Four opener and although they then lost St. Brides, they had already done enough to advance to the quarter-finals, where they had five points to spare against Dundalk Young Irelands. They battled past Roche Emmets to set up a rematch with St. Brides in the county final, which saw Geraldines turn the tables with a convincing ten-point victory. The Haggardstown club cruised past Westmeath champions St. Malachy’s in the Leinster quarter-finals, but their credentials were certainly tested from then on. Geraldines needed extra-time to edge out St. Fintan’s from Wexford, while not even the extra 20 minutes could separate them from Dublin’s Naomh Olaf in the final, before they eventually came out on top in the replay.

Between them, Adam Treanor, Christopher, Daniel and Paudie McKenna and Niall Coyle have accounted for 12-88, of Truagh’s IFC total, and they have been in flying form. Pauric Treanor, Neil McRory and Barry Cuddy will be tasked with winning enough possession to supply the shooters, while Rory Treanor, John McCarron and Niall Feely anchor the backline.

Geraldines are managed by former Monaghan player and manager Eamon McEneaney, whose son Jim is the star on the pitch, having contributed 4-37 to their championship run, despite missing the first two Leinster matches through injury. Shane O’Hanlon and Glen Traynor are other threats to the Truagh defence, with Michael Rogers and Stephen Reidy ever-present at midfield and Gerard Hoey, Tiernan Hand and Seán Thornton likewise at the back.

 

Truagh IFC scorers 2013: Adam Treanor 7-15 (0-1f); Christopher McKenna 1-26 (0-15f, 0-2 ‘45s); Daniel McKenna 0-25 (7f); Pádraig McKenna 0-18 (7f); Niall Coyle 4-4; Mark Counihan 1-8 (0-1 pen, 0-2f); Seán McKenna 1-4; Damian McRory 1-1; Neil McRory 0-4; Barry Cuddy 0-3; John McCarron, Rory Treanor, Gary Todd, Eoghan Kelly, Daniel Finnegan 0-2 each; John Treanor 0-1

 

 

AIB All-Ireland Club Junior Football Championship Semi-Final

Emyvale v Two Mile House, Sunday, 2.00, Longford

 

Emyvale bid to become the first Monaghan club to make it through to the All-Ireland JFC Final since the competition became officially recognised in Sunday’s semi-final against Two Mile House from Kildare at Pearse Park.

Emyvale were also strongly fancied for the Monaghan JFC title after losing out narrowly in the 2012 final and wins over Blackhill and Oram saw them safely through to another decider. It took a late Martin McAree point for them to escape with a draw first time out in the renewal of rivalries with Blackhill, but Emyvale were a transformed team in the replay, running out comfortable winners. A comprehensive defeat of Derry side Ardmore in the Ulster quarter-finals was followed by two low-scoring encounters against Annaghmore (Armagh) and Killeeshil (Tyrone), where Declan Brennan’s men needed to call on all their resilience to win a second provincial JFC title. Emyvale then saw off Liverpool side John Mitchels in the quarter-final and they will now be looking to go one step further than 2010, when they were beaten by Kiltimagh from Mayo.

Like Geraldines in the IFC, Two Mile House have scored heavily throughout their run to this stage and they have only failed to find the net once. Wins over Milltown, Straffan and Rathcoffey saw them top Group B of the Kildare JFC and they went on to cruise past Milltown in the semi-finals to once again cross paths with Straffan in the county final, which they won by two points to erase the hurt of losing three deciders in the last four years. Straightforward victories against Drumbaragh (Meath) and Fenagh (Carlow) saw them through to the Leinster final, where they were six points too good for Louth’s Hunterstown in a high-scoring shoot-out. That was a fourth trophy of an amazing 2013 for Two Mile House, who also won the Dowling Cup and the Kildare Division Three League; only losing one game all year.

Emyvale have an attack which features Daniel McMahon along with county minors Ryan McAnespie, Daithí Colton and David McAlister, who have all regularly chipped on the scoreboard. Michael Flannery, James and David Bellew and Colin Hughes will all have parts to play around the middle, with John Flannery, Seán McMeel and Mervyn Brown key men at the back. Goalkeeper Gerard McCaffrey’s excellence in the Ulster campaign, in particular, earned him a Monaghan debut in the Dr. McKenna Cup.

Chris Healy, Aiden Casey, Chris Julian, Mark Sherry, Niall Browne, Brian Byrne and Niall McLoughlin are integral parts of a Two Mile House team, who suffered a major blow in the run-up to this game with an injury to former All-Star Peter Kelly.

 

Emyvale JFC scorers 2013: Daniel McMahon 5-26 (0-13f); Ryan McAnespie 2-15 (0-1f); Daithí Colton 2-12; David McAlister 2-9 (1-0 pen, 0-4f); Martin McAree 0-14 (9f); Michael Flannery 2-2; James Bellew 1-3; Paul McCarron 0-3; Garreth McQuaid, Karl McQuaid 0-2 each; David Bellew, Colm McKenna, Colin Hughes, Ciarán Connolly, Stephen Askin 0-1 each.