Intermediate Football Championship Semi-Final preview

A double-header on Saturday in Duggan Park, Ballinasloe will decide the two teams left in the race for this year's Intermediate Football Championship and who the recipients of the John Cotter Cup will be for 2024. At the start of the campaign, Division 1 outfit St. Michael’s were seen as the favourites for this year's championship after a disappointing 2023 which saw them get relegated from the Senior Football Championship for the first time in fifteen years, but Oranmore/Maree footballers are on the crest of a wave right now after winning both the Under-19 A and the Under-17 A championships in the space of a week. While many see the clash of Oranmore/Maree and St Michaels as the semi-final most likely to provide the winners of this year's title, those involved with Glenamaddy and Caltra will be quietly rubbing their hands at the draw that both sides wanted.

In an extraordinary twist, three of the four semi-finalists came from the same group, Oranmore/Maree, St Michaels and Glenamaddy. In the very first game of the campaign in August, Oranmore Maree came with a late burst to defeat the city side 2-16 to 0-19. St Michaels led that game by 0-18 to 1-10 with ten minutes to go, but Oranmore Maree finished like a train and a late Johnny Kelleher goal proved the difference as they won by three points. Both sides have won every game since, with unbeaten Oranmore Maree topping the group with further victories over Glenamaddy and Menlough, while St Michaels beat the same two sides and then overcame Cortoon Shamrocks (0-8 to 0-5) and St Gabriels (3-15 to 0-5) to make it to the last four. In their quarter-final, Oranmore Maree defeated St Brendans 1-17 to 1-7. It's the first match in Duggan Park on Saturday and might well be the game of the weekend.

In the second semi-final, Glenamaddy take on Caltra at 4 o'clock, with both sides coming into the game on the back of very different results. Caltra cruised to top spot in Group 4 of the Intermediate Championship with comfortable wins over Micheal Breathnach (2-13 to 0-12), Cortoon Shamrocks (2-10 to 0-9) and Kilkerrin Clonberne (0-18 to 0-10) and then dispatched Kilconly 3-9 to 2-7 in the quarter-finals. After beating Menlough (3-9 to 1-9) in the opening round, it went downhill for Glenamaddy as they lost to both Oranmore Maree and St Michaels in Group 3 and ended up having to battle past An Spideal (1-8 to 0-9) in a preliminary quarter-final and then Clifden on penalties to make it to the semi-finals. Caltra will be the favourites, but Glenamaddy will feel that lady luck is finally shining on them this year. An intriguing battle awaits.

1. Cormac Haslam
2. Peter Thomas Keaveney
3. Aidan Geraghty
4. Cillian Geraghty
5. Mark Dolan
6. Aaron Hynes
7. Odhran Geraghty
8. Padraig Geraghty
9. Luke Divilly
10. Conor Rafferty
11. MacDara Geraghty
12. Jack Divilly
13. Michael Fox
14. Tom Collins
15. Ryan Duffy
16. Ethan O’Dowd
17. Aidan Keaveny
18. Luke Conneally
19. Evan Duffy
20. Michael Heneghan
21. Liam Conneally
22. Cathal Hynes
23. Aaron Comer
24. Willie Comer
25. Brandon Joyce
26. Darragh Keaveney
27. Adam Flynn
28. Dara Lee Clarke
29. Darragh O’Dowd
30. Sean Rafferty

1. Odhran Loughrey
2. Tommy Morrissey
3. Enda Murray
4. Rian Hennelly Ryan
5. Mark Kelly
6. Luke Burke
7. Darragh McCabe
8. Eoin O’Ceallaigh
9. Robert Kelly
10. Craig Naughton
11. Mikey Mulryan
12. Oisin Butler
13. Alan Naughton
14. Shane Loughrey
15. Kelan Murray
16. James Birch
17. Luke Cosgrove
18. Ross Hannon
19. Brendan McLoughlin
20. Stephen Nolan
21. Fergal Mulryan
22. Shaun Keane
23. Robbie Greene
24. Shane Murray
25. Eoghan McCabe
26. Cian O’Ceallaigh
27. Brian Connolly
28. Evan Naughton
29. Ciaran Naughton
30. Lee Kelly

1. Stephen Daly
2. Stephen Kerr
3. Eoin Kerin
4. Cathal Meagher
5. Eamonn O’Donnell
6. Brian Madden
7. Shane Moloney
8. Conal Gallagher
9. Dave Cunnane
10. David Hurley
11. Gavin Summerville
12. Ethan Fiorentini
13. Eoin Day
14. Brian Harlowe
15. Eamonn Brannigan
16. N/A
17. Jack Browne
18. Liam Brannigan
19. Cathal Keane
20. Ronan Mac Giolla Ri
21. Fionan Cruise
22. Darragh McGovern
23. Darren Sinton
24. Frank Daly
25. Stephen O’Reilly
26. James Summerville
27. Darragh O’Malley
28. Dylan Thornton
29. Eoin McConnon
30. Mikey Maguire

1. Declan Burke
2. Alex Fearon
3. David Walsh
4. Daniel Cahalane
5. Ultan Fallon
6. Shane Finn
7. Liam Fahy
8. Harry Keady
9. John Burke
10. Eanna Costello
11. Eoghan McDonagh
12. Ryan O’Donnell
13. Mark Ronaldson
14. Jonathan Kelliher
15. Liam McDonogh
16. James O’Meara
17. Alan Connaughton
18. Evan Melia
19. Hugh Costello
20. Michael Burke
21. Harry Duffy
22. James Murphy
23. Jamie Cullinane
24. Aaron Doyle
25. Barry Smyth
26. Ciaran McDonagh
27. Kevin Horgan
28. Owen Jordan
29. Conor Quaine
30. Tiarnan Keane