Longford GAA: Battle for the Hennessy Cup begins in a wide open affair
Intriguing first round Intermediate championship games on Saturday and Sunday
The stage is set for the start of the 2026 Mulleady Group Intermediate Football Championship this weekend with last year’s beaten finalists Killashee hoping to go one step further in their quest to capture the Gerry Hennessy Cup.
While the return of prolific forward Darren Carberry is a boost for St Brigid’s, the manager Eamon Farrell does not need to be told that they will have to improve on their poor form in the league and the subsequent battle to avoid relegation.
A big number of players were missing for most of the matches due to their county hurling and football commitments and the same situation applied to Sean Connolly’s who had to do without the Reynolds brothers Dessie and Daniel along with Daire Duggan and Evan Tully.
The new Ballinalee boss is Tommy Donohoe who guided his native Killoe to senior championship glory and Connolly’s could finally make the breakthrough this year!
Cashel, who ran the eventual champions Ardagh Moydow close in last year’s semi-final, were operating at a much higher level in Division 1 of the league this season and suffered some heavy defeats along the way.
Relegation was their eventual fate but the experience gained in playing the stronger clubs may well stand to Cashel in their bid to make a big impact in the Intermediate championship under the driving force of the former Clonguish manager Liam Belton.
Pitted in the same tough group are Mostrim and Fr Manning Gaels, who were demoted from the senior grade last season and will be hoping to be in the mix for the Tier 2 title.
Niall Sheridan was the man in charge when the Gaels beat Connolly’s in the 2024 decider and the man of many clubs in the county in the recent past is now in charge of Mostrim who are sorely missing the absence of ace attacker Darragh ‘Doc’ Doherty.
Cavan native Gary Donohoe is back for another stint as coach with the Drumlish/Ballinamuck side who will be without key forward Conor Keenan, currently based in New York and who featured for the Exiles in the Connacht Championship defeat against Roscommon earlier this year.
Former high fielding Mullinalaghta footballer Ruairi McElligott is the manager of Grattans who will be quietly confident of making progress in the Hennessy Cup and will target a semi-final spot through the supposedly easier group.
Ballymahon have enjoyed a fairly positive record in the Intermediate championship, winning the county title in 2022, and will believe in their ability to beat Killashee in the opening round but this is a tough task for Trevor Clendenning’s side.
Last but not least in the race for the Intermediate title are the Killoe second string and after capturing the Junior ‘A’ Championship crown last year the Young Emmets could prove to be the surprise packets.
It all adds up to a wide open affair which has become the norm in the Intermediate Championship and there is a lot at stake with the four clubs who fail to reach the semi-finals ending up in a relegation scrap.
Group A: Ballymahon, St Brigid’s Killashee, Young Grattans and Killoe Emmet Og (second string)
Group B: Cashel, Fr Manning Gaels, Mostrim and Sean Connolly's
Top 2 in each group will qualify for the semi-finals
Last 4 Prediction: Sean Connolly’s, Mostrim, Killashee and Grattans
The bottom two teams in the relegation play-offs (round-robin) involving the non-qualifiers will be relegated to the 2027 Junior ‘A’ Championship.
Mulleady Group Intermediate Football Championship Fixtures
Saturday 8 August
Round 1 - Group A
Newtowncashel, Pairc Chiarain: Ballymahon v St Brigid’s Killashee, 7pm
Prediction: Killashee
Slashers, Michael Fay Park: Young Grattans v Killoe, 7pm
Prediction: Grattans
Sunday 9 August
Round 1 - Group B
Grattans, Dunbeggan: Cashel v Fr Manning Gaels, 4pm
Prediction: Cashel
Ardagh, Keenan Park: Mostrim v Sean Connolly’s, 4pm
Prediction: Connolly’s