Intermediate Football Championship

[GOOFY]

RemarkabLe..... truly remarkable reporting HSM

It has brought a tear to my eye

[white and green flag]

David Egan made a pure gobsh*te out of Padraig Kelly twice by selling the exact same dummy for both goals... 2 great finishes i might add

[The_heen]

Raheen 3-8 Shannonbridge 0-10

Raheen looked much fitter and sharper the Shannonbridge. Shannonbridgee did well to stay in it in the first half raheen miss a few easy score. But for once our boys finished a team off. With two quick goal in. The second half. I really never would offthought after cappincur destroy us that we'd get out off the group let along make the semis and now with nothing to lose who know what will happen. Has to be said I think Shannonbridge were poor tonight. But I think the fact that this was raheen third knockout game really stood to them. So bring on the rest LOL

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Real surprise to many that Raheen beat the Bridge last night. Shannonbridge have mixed the good with the bad over the last few months, and I would have fancied them to give Croghan a real test again before this grade is decided.
I think Croghan will have way to much for any of these now, as I they hammered Bracknagh, and Ballyfore or Raheen are as far as I would have expected at the starta of the championship, no more than semi finalists.
It would take a complete collpase from Croghan to not secure Senior status, and they should be focussed enough after collapsing in last years final.

[clubman]

that was a great result for raheen,would not have expected that.heard they played realy well with a young reynolds and crombie were on firel.bracknagh beat cappinciur as well, just shows topping the group says nothing as the to top teams are now gone.bridgets will still be odds on.

[The_heen]

Both lad did real damage shannonbridge could not live with there pace.



I think its croghans to lose. But I feel if they are going to be caught out it will be in the semis. Saying that I'll be hoping we still avoid them in the draw. As I feel we can beat the others if we play like we did yesterday

[The_heen]

Semi finals are

Raheen v ballyfore

Bracknagh v croghan


Happy with that we have a real shot at getting by ballyfore. Croghan we be to good for bracknagh

[Lean Times]

I am still bitterly disappointed after the game Friday night! From the point of view that the season started so poorly one cannot but be impressed at how the team turned things around but at the same time if could have been an awful lot better! Even with all the emigration, and depletion it really looks like there could have been an inter championship in this team this year. The Bracknagh game was our worst performance since the opening Doon game and we kicked this match away spurning so many chances and handing possession back to Bracknagh repeatedly. At the same time, whichever team lost out on Friday would have felt bitterly disappointed as both teams wasted so many scoring opportunities. In the end our small numbers really hit us hard. 19 players togged out on friday with Ger Treacy (torn calf) and Brian Norris (Infected ankle) not fit to play but played regardless as we had no other options. Our two highest scoring forwards were hugely missed. A good year overall but cant help but feel it could have been better! Congratulations to Bracknagh and the very best of luck to them in the semis! Cappincur have 4 league matches left with ambitions of qualifying for the semis and the St. Judes 7's a side tournament to look forward to in Dublin so hopefully the club can finish on a high!

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Birr back down to Junior after being well beaten by Kilclonfert yesterday evening. Fair play to Kilclonfert but I would say they will struggle again next year.

[Fargo Boyle]

It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times.
The thoughts of this most eagerly-awaited Intermediate Football Championship clash left many a man salivating in the week leading up to the big match. I made my way by automobile to the designated match location, arriving almost 30 minutes before the start. Over the course of the next 20 minutes or so, the crowd gradually started to build, and definitely amounted to a 3-figure number after a short time. A quiet hush descended over the well-prepared grounds during the warm-up as the two teams took centre-stage against the backdrop of the economic recession. The Croghan men sporting their traditional blue & white ensemble, lining up against the Shamrocks of the Mucklagh/Rahan landlocked peninsula in their less than traditional but block-colour-heavy strip, which I would imagine is almost unique to this club in terms of colour choice.

The game started with the obligatory ‘throw-in’ from the man in black, as he is affectionately known. Both teams played the traditional ‘man-marking’ system and exchanges between opponents in close proximity were quite physical early on, and as time progressed. Scores were exchanged over the course of the first half as both teams worked up quite a thirst before retiring to their changing quarters for a little over 10 minutes. Management & selectors followed quickly along, with a pre-prepared Powerpoint presentation the likely half-time encouragement.

For this reporter, the interval proved to be just the right time to procure a snack from the nearest food & drink stall. Having flirted with the chocolate options, I eventually decided on Cadburys finest, the trusty Dairy Milk bar, 8 squares of pure goodness. The drink options were less complicated, due to the lack of choice, so a ‘Club’ orange was the only serious candidate in this department. By the time I had resumed by position, I had barely enough time to compile my full 1st half report, detailing the team line-ups and scorers so far. And almost on cue, as I clicked my pen back into itself, the 2nd half resumed in similar fashion to the 1st half with the mandatory ‘throw-in’. Both teams gave all they could in they could in the 2nd half and the outcome of the game was still very much in the melting point at some stage during the half. Try as they might, Shamrocks couldn’t breach the Brigids rearguard and rattle the net for the goal that, on reflection, would’ve tied this game. Scoring was relatively low, but this only emphasises the quality on show from the defense’s of both teams, right from No. 1, all the way to No. 12. The 2 goals scored by St. Brigids ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.

The final scoreline proved to be an accurate representation of the amounts of scores that were converted in the game. Best on the day for St. Brigids were their vocal support, always on hand to add the “C’mon Croghan!!” soundbyte to an atmosphere already packed with decibels from a variety of sources. All in all, this was an enjoyable evening, especially with the rain holding off. The reward for the men from the hill is a semi-final spot. And one things for sure, St. Brigids will really fancy their chances of making a return to the Senior Ranks. There are only going to be 2 teams able to stop them and if they’re not to go all the way this year I’ll definitely put my head on the block and guarantee a top 4 finish for this talented bunch from Rhode parish.

HSM this is the report of the year. I haven't read anything as good on this forum since your preview to the Monaghan Offaly game which was infamously taken down off the site due to the PC police. They should just close down the Forum in honour of your awesomeness. On a side note i have always imagined you look a bit more like an 18th century middle class gentleman with a top hat and monocle.

[High School Musical]

HSM this is the report of the year. I haven't read anything as good on this forum since your preview to the Monaghan Offaly game which was infamously taken down off the site due to the PC police. They should just close down the Forum in honour of your awesomeness. On a side note i have always imagined you look a bit more like an 18th century middle class gentleman with a top hat and monocle.

Fargo, I would just like to bring one piece of information to your attention. With all due respect to your comment, good-natured and all as it was, your knowledge of gentlemans apparel from the 18th century leaves a lot to be desired. While the monocle was in use in the 18th century (mostly for use in the examination of engravings and antique gems), it's use as an everyday item of gentlemans apparel did not happen until well into the nineteenth century. If you're imagining me as an 18th century gentleman, sporting a monocle casually in day to day wear, then you're conjuring up a largely false image. I think its disrespectful to other posters & readers on this site to have this Inaccurate image thrust upon them. It's like somebody looking back at the 1990's in 100 years time and assuming that everybody of the era wore those 'MC Hammer' pants. And while I may have worn them for a spell between 1990 & 1992, it would be grossly unfair on the 1993-1999 period if I were to suggest that that this look defined my image for the 1990's as a whole.

I will, however, thank you for your kind words regarding my match report. I felt that it was my duty, as a pillar of the community, to impart a fully comprehensive review of the game to the many others who were also unable to attend the game. I know they would do the same for me.