Spotlight on the Longford Junior, Minor and Ladies football finals

First into action at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday is the clash of Clonguish and Longford Slashers in the Droplink Ladies Football Senior Championship final (throw-in 12 noon) and this is a game which could go either way.

Slashers are seeking to complete a magnificent four-in-a-row of senior title triumphs but Clonguish will be quietly confident in their quest to capture the coveted Alison Smyth Cup. 

Next up is the Herterich Artisan Meats Minor (U-17) ‘A’ Football Championship final at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Sunday (throw-in 1.30pm) with Clonguish Og strongly fancied to collect the Harte Cup for the second year in succession. 

Standing in their way are Killoe Og, who suffered a heavy 3-18 to 0-10 defeat against the title holders in the group stage of the competition, and it will be a major surprise should they happen to reserve that result in the match that really matters.

Paddy Moran and Eamon Igoe will be leading the charge for the underdogs as they face fellow Longford minors Matthew Carey, Andrew Flynn, Jonathan Burke, Michael Flynn, Ross Shields and Conor Flynn in the battle for the county title.

With that sort of promising talent on the better balanced Clonguish team, it is no wonder that rising young star Carey and company cruised through the group stage with four easy wins and the boys in green are the firm favourites to come out on top in the final.  

The main event at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Sunday is the Junior ‘A’ Football Championship decider between Ballymore and Young Grattans (throw-in 3.30pm) with both clubs bidding to end a long wait for this particular title.

Ballymore looked sharp in their easy 1-21 to 0-10 win over the Ardagh Moydow second string last Saturday and the general opinion is that the north Longford outfit can make amends for the disappointment of losing to Legan Sarsfields in a cracking final last year. 

Grattans, on the other hand, were hard pressed to hold out against the Killoe second string in the other semi-final last Sunday (3-7 to 1-11) and will need to improve on that performance.

It is great to see the two solely Junior clubs battling it out to win the third tier county championship and on the evidence of their fairly convincing 1-12 to 0-7 win over Grattans in the group stage, Ballymore are given the vote to succeed with the probable prospect of a much closer contest this time.

For the record, Ballymore last won the Junior Championship back in 1995 while Grattans emerged victorious in 2013.

Junior ‘A’ Football Championship Final

Ballymore v Young Grattans

Prediction: Ballymore

Minor (U-17) ‘A’ Football Championship Final

Clonguish Og v Killoe Og

Prediction: Clonguish 

Ladies Football Senior Championship Final

Clonguish v Longford Slashers

Prediction: Slashers