Kildare IFC final preview: Ballyteague and Castledermot face off in potential Championship final thriller

It wouldn’t be outrageous to say that this is a surprising Intermediate Football Championship final match-

up. Two brilliant teams with quality in many areas of their game but, at different stages, it didn't look like 2022 would be their year in this ultra-competitive Championship.

Ballyteague were the underdogs up against one of the Championship favourites in Leixlip at the quarter-final stage. Having lost their last six quarter-finals and against big opposition things weren’t looking good on paper. But thankfully for them the game wasn’t played on paper but instead the green grass of St Conleth’s Park as Ballyteague and star man Jimmy Hyland put on a performance for the ages. They beat Leixlip 1-14 to 1-11, with Hyland scoring 1-7 of that tally.

Castldermot would not have expected to be here as recently as ten minutes to go in their last game.

Castledermot trailed by six points against Sallins late into their semi-final and moreover didn’t ever look like turning it around. But Gavin and David Keating had something to say about that, with David driving his side forward and then converting a penalty that would turn this game on its head.

Gavin Keating would stand over a kick to win the game and slot it right between the posts to complete a famous come-

back.

Tactical setup

Castldermot started the game against Sallins in a low-block, looking to deny space to that brilliant forward line that Sallins have and hit them on the break.

I would predict that we see a similar shape when this final kicks-off and that presents a number of challenges for both sides.

For Castldermot, much of the failure of their approach in the first half of the Sallins game came from an inability to hit the intended target.

Castledermot manager Tony Gray said in his post-match interview that the wides gave his team “an up-hill battle” for the second half. Add that poor shooting with Sallins scoring points for fun and you don't have a recipe for success.

Ballyteague will likely receive the treatment that Sallins did in that first half. There is little they can do in regards to the accuracy of Castldermot’s strike rate but it is all about how they respond to the deep defence when they are on the attack.

Jimmy Hyland doesn’t need much space, he has rarely had any of it in this Championship. I have seen him be repeatedly double marked and still finish the game with eight or ten points. There is a near acceptance he will put up a great score, it is more of a damage limitation effort when it comes to him.

However, hyper-focus on Hyland would be a fatal mistake for any team. The Ballyteague’s forward line boasts the likes of Fionn Murphy and Brian McGrath who have both been exceptional across this Championship.

McGrath has been a sharpshooter from range, both from set-pieces and open play, and has put up great scoring numbers in this campaign.

Fionn Murphy maybe lacks the point scoring contributions of the other two. But the benefit to his team that his ball carrying has cannot be understated. Murphy will typically operate at centre-forward and when in possession he has the ability to turn and beat his man. His ability to do so could be crucial in a tight game.

GOAL THREATS

One aspect that perhaps has worked in terms of putting extra focus on Jimmy Hyland has been a somewhat reduced goal threat from the Kildare forward.

That was an accurate statement up until Leixlip gave him too much space and he smashed one into the roof of the net. The threat is always there.

Gavin Keating, away from his ice cold free-kick taking, has incredible vision and finesse with his passing. On multiple occasions in the Sallins game and in many more that he has played this year, he got the ball and got his head up.

More often than not Keating then distributes a perfectly weighted pass into a teammate, who doesn't even have to break stride as they go through on goal. Those passes didn't get the finishes they deserved the last day but that threat is a very real one for Ballyteague.

It’s an absolute toss-up for me, there are so many unpredictable factors to be considered but that’s why we love this game. I know it should be a cracker and I’m gonna give Ballyteague the nod here, I think those star forwards have it in them to produce on Championship final day.

Verdict: Ballyteague.