PREVIEW | Four sides remain unbeaten in the SFC ahead of fourth round of group fixtures

Penultimate round of fixtures sees none of the four unbeaten sides go head to head.

As we approach the business end of the Senior Football Championship group stages it’s getting tight at the top for both group one and two.

Newcastle West and Fr. Casey’s both sit on three wins from a possible three in group one while Adare and St. Kieran’s are joined at the hip in group two with a matching point difference as well.

Caseys and Newcastle West are the only sides guaranteed to progress however.

Limerick SFC Permutations

Claughaun’s first win of the tournament leaves them as the best of the rest in group one with Monaleen, Galbally and Oola folloowing in that order.

Meanwhile, three teams sit on two points in group two after Kildimo-Pallaskenry got their first win last week while Ballylanders sit bottom with no points.

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Senior Football Championship

Group 1

Galbally v Fr Caseys

(7:30 pm on Thursday 25th August in Mick Neville Park)

Fr Caseys have cruised their way to the fourth round, maintaining a 100% record with a seven point win in the previous round being the lowest margin of victory so far for the side in the championship. They have Newcastle West breathing down their necks so there will be no margin for error ahead of their clash in round five. They are one of two teams safely through to the knockout stages and can seal top spot in round five with a win over NCW.

Galbally are yet to pick up any points since their first round draw against Claughaun and a 3-13 to 0-7 loss against Newcastle West was their worst result in the third round. Only Oola are below them in the table and it will take a real upset for the side to build on their previous point.

Monaleen v Oola

(6:30pm on Friday 26th August in Knocklong)

Monaleen failed to build on their second round win from five weeks ago last week as they fell to defeat against leaders Fr Caseys. The side sit on two points but have the top two sides out of the way as they look to push on for a third place finish after reaching the semi-finals last year.

Oola have struggled to find any real form this season, failing to get any points on the board or to put the ball in the back of the net. They face a tough task against Monaleen to get their first points of the season with their round five clash with Galbally likely to be a must win.

Newcastle West v Claughaun

(6:30pm on Saturday 27th August in Mick Neville Park)

Jimmy Lee’s Newcastle West have looked a strong force this season, beating every side they’ve faced so far and keeping up the pace with their closest competitors Fr. Caseys. They’ll have first place on their sights and can assure that with a win over the Abbeyfeale outfit in a couple of weeks. But for now, the defending champions will be keen on maintaining their 100% record.

Claughaun got their first win of the campaign in the last round and will be no push-over against a strong Newcastle side. A second place finish is still possible for the side but only if they manage to beat this weekend’s opponents as they face off in a repeat of last year’s quarter-final where NCW proved too strong for the then Intermediate champions.

Group 2

Adare v Ballylanders

(6:30pm on Friday 26th August in Feenagh)

Adare will look to maintain their winning streak as they look to keep up the pace with St. Kieran’s. A narrow victory against Ballysteen was an extra two points on the board in the last round as they continued their exceptional group stage record since promotion in 2017. In 2018, ’19 and last year they topped their respective group and will see Ballylanders as a stepping stone in doing so once more.

They face a struggling Ballylanders side who have failed to secure any points this season. They raced into an early lead against Kildimo-Pallaskenry last weekend but were thoroughly outplayed in the second half. Hard to see where much needed points will come from.

Galtee Gaels v Kildimo-Pallaskenry

(6:30pm on Saturday 27th August in Caherconlish)

Galtee Gaels failed to build on their second round win as leaders St Kierans got the better of them last Sunday. The side will have an added motivation from that loss and look to secure the win in the mid-table battle with chances of reaching the knockout stages firmly within reach with a win on Saturday.

History was made last week as KP got their first Senior Football Championship victory against Ballylanders and they’ll have the momentum on their side going into the game. It will be a tough task but KP have qualification in their own hands with two wins from the last pair of rounds ensuring a quarter-final place.

Ballysteen v St. Kieran’s

(6:30pm on Sunday 28th August in The Bog Garden)

Ballysteen have the task of facing the two group leaders consecutively after they were beaten last week by three points against Adare. They’re yet to win since their opening round fixture against Ballylanders so confidence will be low ahead of the game. They know anything other than a win will all but end their hopes of a top three finish.

St Kierans, on the other hand, are flying high in group two and have beaten every side on their path to first place. A draw will be enough for them to seal a top two berth. They will look to continue their rich run of form ahead of their all important fifth round clash against joint leaders Adare.

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Watch our preview of this weekend’s SFC action in the latest episode of Treaty Talk as Matt and Jack preview the fourth round from 11.30.

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