PREVIEW | Fr Caseys and Kildimo Pallaskenry do battle in the Limerick SFC quarter-final

The two sides square off this Saturday in a bid to reach the last four of the competition.

The knockout stages of the Limerick Senior Football Championship begin this weekend with both quarter-finals being played this Saturday at 4pm.

Fr Caseys and Kildimo Pallaskenry go head-to-head in Newcastle West in one of the fixtures, with a semi-final clash against either Adare or Newcastle West at stake.

Fr Caseys enjoyed a successful group stage and were unlucky not to go straight to the semi-final, with their final round defeat against Newcastle West being the sole loss for the side. The Abbeyfeale side cruised through their other four fixtures in the group stages, only conceding one goal throughout and constantly putting pressure on favourites Newcastle West.

Even in defeat in the final round, the West side pushed the reigning champions all the way, eventually succumbing to a one-point loss.

Kildimo Pallaskenry scraped through to the quarter-finals on scoring difference with their final round draw with Ballysteen leaving seven points between the sides at the conclusion of the group stages. Considering it is their first venture in the Senior championship after claiming Intermediate honours, the City side have exceeded expectations, not for the first time in recent times.

KP were Junior B champions just eight years ago, winning the A title in 2018 before annexing the Intermediate championship last October.

Incredibly, the last meeting of the teams came back in 2018, when Kildimo Pallaskenry were 3-6 to 1-8 winners over Fr Caseys second side in the Junior semi-final. KP went on to win the title and haven’t looked back since. Moreover, their senior hurlers will be in quarter-final action next weekend in just their second year at the top table.

Caseys will be desperate to halt the emergence of KP with their quarter-final record abysmal in recent years. You would have to go all the way back to 2009 to find their most recent knockout stage success as they beat Pallasgreen in the county semi-final. Their previous win in the quarters came the previous year against the same opposition.

In the meantime, they have been beaten in the quarter finals in 2021 (Monaleen), ’20 (Ballysteen), ’19 (St Kierans), ’16 (St Patricks), ’15 (Ballylanders), ’10 (Monaleen). Allied to that they have also been beaten in a number of semi-finals where they qualified directly to the last four, losing to St Patrick (2014), Drom Broadford (2012), Monaleen (2011)

Perennial underachievers, Caseys performances this year have been of the highest order and they certainly looked poised to end the hoodoo. But KP’s ability to churn out wins in both codes has become a staple and the defending Intermediate champions will be a dangerous opponent.

Fr Casey’s v Kildimo Pallaskenry in the Limerick Senior Football Championship quarter-final throws in this Saturday in Newcastle West at 4pm