Four sides confirm knockout berths with a round to spare | SFC Round Four Recap

Newcastle West, Kildimo Pallaskenry, Fr Caseys all booked their knockout places in group one while Monaleen assured progression in the two.

Four of the final six knockout places in the Limerick Senior Football Championship have been confirmed following an intriguing penultimate round of fixtures.

Adare and Ballylanders clash was postponed for three weeks following a bereavement but each of the other ties were played out over the weekend.

Newcastle West, Kildimo Pallaskenry, Fr Caseys all booked their knockout places in group one while Monaleen assured progression in the two. Adare are likely to join but aren’t mathematically guaranteed having only played three games with it likely coming down to either Na Piarsaigh or Ballysteen.

Elsewhere, Oola took a huge leap towards safety with the first win since the final round last year.

Group One

In group one, Newcastle West‘s win over Kildimo Pallaskenry on Thursday evening means the defending champions will top the group regardless of what happens in the final round. Brian O’Sullivan grabbed the games first goal with Iain Corbett netting from the penalty spot to seal the five point victory and a place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.

KP will meet round three winners Fr Caseys to see who finishes second in three weeks time after they got past St Kierans by five points on the same night, eliminating the Ardagh men from the reckoning. Dylan Moloney netted early on for Kierans but David Ward found the net for the Abbeyfeale outfit who led by three at the break. Kierans will now be embroiled in a final day battle to avoid relegation.

In the groups final game, Oola gave their survival chances a massive boost with a one point win over Claughaun that keeps the City side rooted to the foot of the table. A strong second half from the East men was enough to get over the line following a toasty turvy opening where a goal separated the teams. Seven of the first nine scores of the second period went the way of Oola who know that another point in the final round will keep them safe. Claughaun meet Kierans where anything but a win will see them into the relegation final.

Group Two

In group two, Na Piarsaigh put themselves in pole position to earn the final quarter-final spot as they held off Galtee Gaels. The game wasn’t without its controversies as the Gaels had a last minute goal that would have seen them finish level and keep their knockout hopes alive. After trailing by a point at the break, goals from Gordon Browne and John Moloney had Na Piarsaigh cruising heading into the final minutes of the contest. But the Gaels responded with seven successive scores to leave just a goal between them teams before Tommie Childs last minute effort was ruled out for a square ball. Galtee Gaels are now out of the reckoning for the quarters while Nap know a win against Ballylanders will secure a knockout berth.

Elsewhere, Monaleen booked their place in knockout stages with a six-point win over Ballysteen. There was nothing to separate the sides at the break and while Monaleen did move five clear shortly after the resumption, a Paul O’Shaughnessy goal helped Ballysteen draw level. However, Luke Murphy goaled from the next passage for Monaleen who saw out the contest from here. Monaleen are guaranteed to finish second if Adare win one of their final games but will top the group should Adare lose out in both and Monaleen win their finale. Ballysteen need to better Na Piarsaigh’s final round result to qualify.

The fifth and final round takes place on the weekend of September 16/17.

Limerick SFC Round Four Results

Group One

Newcastle West 2-10 : 0-11 Kildimo Pallaskenry

Fr Caseys 1-14 : 1-9 St Kierans

Oola 1-11 : 2-7 Claughaun

Group Two

Monaleen 1-17 : 1-11 Ballysteen

Na Piarsaigh 2-13 : 1-13 Galtee Gaels

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