Joe Carroll: Search for the championship winners is on in earnest

It’s club championship time and for the next number of months at GAA venues up and down the county activity will be feverish. Okay, ‘feverish’, is probably pushing it a bit, certainly in relation to the early stages.

Since the win-you’re-in-and-lose-you’re-out element has been dropped from the preliminaries, replaced by a series of mini-leagues with two of the three teams competing in each of then qualifying for the knock-outs, there’s not been the same sense of anticipation early on, or, to use a recent addition to the GAA lexicon, intensity.

The present system gives teams across the three main grades at least two games. Its introduction, however, had probably more to do with raising extra finance than anything else. There are now considerably more games, and that should bring, but not guarantee, an overall bigger return.

Louth is not the only county where this system is in place, but it could be the only one where just a single game is featured on each programme. This is a change from other years, and again you’d have to ask is this not another money-making exercise.

That question was asked at a recent Co Board meeting, but according to a report on proceedings no answer was given. I often wonder why, when situations like this arise, someone at the top table doesn’t come out with an explanation, in this case – if it is so – saying yes, finances aren’t good and this is a way of trying to improve them.

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This is the first year in which club football will have it all to itself, not having to compete with county fare. Everything at the higher level is done and dusted, and it will interesting to see if this reflects in bigger attendances at club games, something the Co Board would obviously welcome.

My memory takes me back when I was handling this paper’s GAA coverage. Championship programmes in the competitions’ early stages would have two games on a Friday night at the one venue. It would be the same on Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon and again that evening. Eight matches in all, and I’d cover each of them.

The task facing me at the desk on Monday morning was daunting to say the least, with so many reports to piece together. When you think of it, how could I avoid reaching for the bag of clichés every so often? I knew every player on every team in every grade – now I’d have difficulty identifying even some of the younger blades up at The Ramparts.

Then I got the bright idea: why not write the Friday and Saturday accounts on the night, easing the Monday morning burden. That was grand, except I was adding a few more hours to an already heavy weekly load.

I’m not as well informed now, but still know enough to take a stab at picking the winners of the three main competitions. I got the treble up before; but while I didn’t think it was that big of a deal – I had an inside line of a kind on two of the winners – the then-Democrat Editor thought it worthy of a front-page story.

The year was 2007. St Patrick’s won the senior, Gaels took the intermediate (winning a final with Dreadnots against all the odds), and by beating St Mochta’s at Clan na Gael Park, Young Irelands collected the Christy Bellew Cup, finding their way out of junior football.

None of that trio is likely to be around when the trophies are being handed out this year. Pat’s, while they have the best championship record of the 2000s and have gathered momentum in the league, finishing with far more points than some of the teams in the senior elite section, are engaged in the most competitive of the mini-leagues.

Johnny Magee’s team can make the knock-out section and might even advance to the last four. But that could be it. The race for the Joe Ward looks to be between St Mary’s, Newtown Blues and the champions of the past two years, Naomh Mairtin, and if they avoid each other along the way, this trio could provide the finalists.

Sam Mulroy has been out of the news since the county team made its championship exit. That’s because the National League’s top scorer has been on the easy list. Indeed, he may not have been 100% as Louth blazed a trail through Division Three before attempting a championship breakthrough.

Mulroy has missed all of Mairtin’s indifferent Cardinal O’Donnell campaign, the aim being to get himself ready for his side’s treble bid.

There’s a local flavour about the group Mairtin’s are involved in, and it will be a shock if the champions don’t end up with more points than Dreadnots and St Fechin’s, and a fit-again Mulroy is not their leading marksman.

Mary’s should also finish top of their group, the only question here being, which of the opposition will it be, Dundalk Gaels or St Joseph’s, having to go through the relegation play-off route to avoid dropping to intermediate.

Newtown Blues are not guaranteed full points in their section. They have Pat’s to contend with along with last year’s runners-up, St Mochta’s, and without doubt this is the eye-catcher.

Blues to go through along with Pat’s, but St Mary’s to take the title. The Ardonians have had a good league, are well prepared and have on call five players who came under Mickey Harte’s guidance and were instructed by Gavin Devlin in the first part of the season. They caught the eye.

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If the bookies are not going at least 3/1 the field in intermediate they’re not giving value. O’Rahilly’s are probably entitled to be favourites, given how well they’ve done in the league. More than that, they have a well-equipped team behind them, and certainly won’t want for advice from the sideline.

It’s far from a one-horse race, however. Sean O’Mahony’s were senior champions just six years ago, Hunterstown Rovers have ace forward, Ryan Burns, scoring for fun, St Kevin’s have made a dramatic improvement in the past number of weeks, and Glen Emmets are doing just fine since moving up a grade. Still, none of these might be able to put a stop to O’Rahilly’s onward march.

John Mitchel’s face a tough task in their bid to compensate for last season’s final round defeat. They’re in one of the four-team groups, which includes Glyde Rangers, but should still be able to make the knock-outs.

Likely opposition at that stage could include Glyde, Lannleire and Stabannon Parnells, who have a chance to take a step towards the level their club once occupied. Lannleire got the vote before and are getting it again.

The three, therefore, for glory are St Mary’s, O’Rahilly’s and Lannleire.