Joe Carroll: Lannleire a popular choice to win junior title

First Things first, Inside Track’s sometimes correspondent, Maria McShane’s fancies for this year’s Louth championships.

As you would expect from some born in Dunleer, Maria goes for Lannleire to win the junior. She admits to being “probably biased”, but there’s more to it than that.

Nicky Malone’s charges have shown a big improvement in recent weeks, she says, competing in the higher intermediate league. And she adds: “If they don’t win it this year, they never will.”

That might be a wee bit harsh. A club with such a fine tradition in a town that is growing by the day, must get the twist some day, and it could be this time around. There are lot of young guns about.

Lannleire finished their intermediate league campaign – admittedly in the lower section – with defeats of Hunterstown Rovers and St Joseph’s and a draw with Dundalk Gaels. They have a lethal forward in Darragh Malone, who might just follow in the footsteps of his dad, the already-mentioned Nicky, on to the Louth team.

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Maria has a liking for the other team in the Dunleer parish, St Kevin’s, in the intermediate championship. If that were to happen it would be rich compensation for last year’s defeat by a Brian White-inspired Cooley Kickhams in the last round.

Is she can get odds on the intermediate and junior, Maria will be including Naomh Mairtin with the two local teams in a treble.

She has stolen Inside Track’s thunder in her tip for junior. We’re also going with Lannleire, who are playing in a grade lower than they did in the first half of the season. When looking odds-on to be a in a fight to preserve their status, they found form to condemn Glen Emmets to seek a play-off win to stay up.

We’ll part company with our correspondent in the search for intermediate winners. It’s sure to be serious stuff here in this grade – it nearly always is – almost all of the dozen runners with a good chance of claiming the Seamus Flood Cup.

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Shane Lennon is back to bolster Kilkerley’s challenge, but the Emmets have been rocked by their manager, Sean Connor’s surprise resignation; Clan na Gael have a key player in Conall McKeever, one of Louth’s best this year, and Roche Emmets, taking instructions from senior championship winner, Jamie O’Hare, are better than they’re being portrayed.

Boasting of nice blend of experience and youth – they won last year’s under-21 –  Roche are well equipped to win the title for the first time.

And now to the competiton that carries more status than any of the others. The betting suggests senior is a three-horse race – the holders, St Mary’s; the team that the Ardee side dislodged as champions, Naomh Mairtin, and the representatives of a club that has more Joe Ward Cup winners about it than any other, Newtown Blues.

It will come as a surprise if the winner doesn’t come from this trio. But it would be good for the game if it did. St Mochta’s and St Patrick’s would seem to be forerunners in the race among the others.

The Villagers, Mochta’s, have the astute John Moylan calling the shots, but are hampered by the absence of the unavailable Ciaran ‘Casey’ Byrne. Injured in the opening round of the National League, the Louth player set his sights on getting back as quickly as possible, but that is not likely to happen until next year.

Pat’s won’t want for assistance from the line either. Former Dublin player and county team manager, Jonny McGee has Paul Gibney as his assistant, and they’ve seen their side run into form in the latter part of the league, with key players making their return.

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All eyes will be on Sam Mulroy as Naomh Mairtin go for a third title in four years. A match-winner on his good days, the county No 14 will head the Monasterboice charge, which might not end until the day the Joe Ward is on offer.

If they avoid each other in the meantime, Mairtin’s could have Mary’s as their opponents, and that would be repeat of the 2020 final, when the final went ahead in Darver and the few dozen present were wearing masks.

Mary’s suffered most from county players being unavailable for most of the O’Donnell. They had eight under Mickey Harte’s care, and that was an imposition. But they’re all back now to strengthen their side’s defence of the title.. It could be a telling factor.

So that’s it, Maria’s going for Mairtin’s, Lannleire and Kevin’s, Inside Track for Mary’s, Roche and Lannleire.