Kildare minors face Offaly this weekend to open campaign

This Saturday (March 19) Kildare minor footballers open their Leinster MFC campaign with a group game against Offaly in Tullamore (12 noon).

With no minor league operating in Leinster, manager Niall Cronin, pictured, and his selectors Eamonn Callaghan, Hugh Lynch and James Devane, have had to curtail preparations to challenge games, of which they have had a few but manager Cronin admitted while it was difficult to get their panel together, from an initial look at some 140 players that has now been cut back to 35, from a total of 17 different clubs from throughout the county.

“A great spread of clubs involved, captain is James Harris of Castlemitchell but happy we have a really talented bunch of players, we have 35 club players, we don't have 35 county players but they are all proud to represent their clubs and their families.”
A very compact window with the final fixed for May 11, games every two weeks.

Kildare are in group, along with Meath and Offaly and in the words of the manager “face a very tough challenge against Offaly in Tullamore on Saturday.

The format of this championship sees the top team to the semi-final, second to the quarter-final, the third into a pre-quarter final, so plenty of games in a very tight schedule.