PREVIEW | Neighbours Feenagh-Kilmeedy and Castlemahon battle it out for Premier Junior A Football honours

It’s the second final of the Premier Junior Football Championship since the Junior A was divided last year.

The Premier Junior Football Championship comes to a close this Sunday with Feenagh-Kilmeedy and Castlemahon drawing the curtain on the competition with throw-in at 12pm.

The two teams have already shared a group this season as they made up the top two in Group Two which gave the pair qualification to the knockout stages of the competition.

Their previous meeting this season came on the final day with the game deciding which team would top the group. Castlemahon ran out 1-10 to 0-8 victors on the day and secured first place and an automatic spot in the semi-final while Feenagh-Kilmeedy scraped through to the quarter finals via head-to-head.

Throughout the group stages, both sides were impressive in their own regard. 

Castlemahon, who didn’t reach the last four of the competition last time out, won every game in their group bar one with their only loss coming in the opening round. A four-game winning run lifted the side to top spot where they would go on to beat Cappamore, the side that handed them their opening round loss, 0-17 to 0-8 in the semi-finals on the 15^th of October.

Feenagh-Kilmeedy, on the other hand, were promoted to the Premier Junior A this season after their triumph in the Junior A Championship. A 1-10 to 0-9 victory over Camogue Rovers in the final promoted them to the Premier and they’re now on the verge of making it back-to-back. 

Three wins and two losses was their fate in the group stages, including the final day defeat that resulted in a quarter-final place in which they got the better of Kilteely Dromkeen. The following week, they edged out Croom in the semi-final by a goal, setting them up for a final clash with Sunday’s opponents.

Paths to the Final

Castlemahon

• R1: 2-8 : 1-13 v Cappamore (L)
• R2: 6-14 : 2-7 v Monaleen (W)
• R3: 4-7 : 0-8 v Monagea (W)
• R4: 2-12 : 0-10 v Mountcollins (W)
• R5: 1-10 : 0-8 v Feenagh-Kilmeedy (W)
• SF: 0-17 : 0-8 v Cappamore (W)

Feenagh-Kilmeedy

• R1: 3-2 : 1-10 v Monagea (L)
• R2: 2-8 : 1-8 v Mountcollins (W)
• R3: 5-13 : 3-10 v Monaleen (W)
• R4: 1-7 : 0-8 v Cappamore (W)
• R5: 0-8 : 1-10 v Castlemahon (L)
• QF: 3-9 : 1-13 v Kilteely Dromkeen (W)
• SF: 1-5 : 0-5 v Croom (W)

A win for Castlemahon on Sunday would mean a return to the Intermediate Football Championship for the first time since their relegation in 2018 where a loss to Bruff in the relegation final ended their stint in the IFC.

Meanwhile, Feenagh-Kilmeedy have the opportunity to achieve successive promotions and place themselves in unfamiliar territory competing in the IFC.

Castlemahon certainly have more pedigree at the grade but Feenagh are rising rapidly with the battle of Belville Gaels promising to be an exciting one.

Castlemahon face Feenagh-Kilmeedy on Sunday at 12pm in Tournafulla in the Premier Junior A Football Final.