Tubbercurry likely to be the strongest contenders to halt Tourlestrane’s charge
AS the Belfry Senior Football Championship enters the business end, the question remains the same: can anyone stop Tourlestrane?
Few would argue against the opinion that they remain favourites to land another crown this October, and thus secure a historic three-in-a-row.
While Tourlestrane remain the frontrunners, remember that Tubbercurry could, and perhaps should, have beaten their neighbours in last year’s semi-final meeting when they held a one-point lead before John Quinn’s last gasp equalizer forced a replay.
Tubber look to be the strongest challengers to Tourlestrane once again in the current campaign, as they plan for a semi-final following their progression to the last four thanks to clinching top spot in the four-team Group One.
Tourlestrane, meanwhile, put their title on the line against Willie Gormley’s St Molaise Gaels in the quarter-finals.
The north Sligo outfit appear to have all the ingredients to make a breakthrough of some sort in the near future.
A win against the reigning champions would certainly establish their credentials as a coming power.
They brought Tourlestrane to the brink in the 2016 Division One League final – losing by a single point having led for long periods – and have shown some decent form through 2018.
They overcame local rivals Drumcliffe/Rosses Point in a tense final round group game to advance to the knock-out stages and will believe in their ability to cause a shock here.
Tourlestrane, though, should possess enough know-how to overcome what promises to be a stern examination.
One club going well and coming in under the radar is Coolera/Strandhill.
Two solid wins over the aforementioned Drumcliffe/ Rosses Point and St Molaise Gaels saw them safely through to the quarter-finals where they will clash with St Mary’s.
The scoring power and all-round creativity of Niall Murphy continues to be a major asset for the seasiders.
But have they enough to see off a St Mary’s side that contains the pace and running power of Gerard O’Kelly Lynch and Cian Breheny?
The loss of Stephen Coen is major dent in St Mary’s ambitions.
But with Mark Breheny and Rory Guinan contributing heavily on the scoreboard they will be favourites here.
But this could prove to be a very entertaining tie with both sides confident of securing a semi-final berth.
Coolaney/Mullinabreena will be hopeful that they can make it to the final four of the championship when they meet Calry/St Joseph’s in the last of the quarter-finals.
A morale- boosting 0-12 to 1-8 defeat of Tubbercurry in the final group game underlined the potential of the south Sligo outfit.
Barry Gorman has had a big influence in their campaign so far.
Calry/St Joseph’s have responded well to the setback of missing out on promotion back to Division One in the league by defeating St John’s and pushing Tourlestrane all the way and will fancy their chances of going one step further.
Again, this has the potential to be a cracking contest with both sides viewing a semi-final place as an indication of real progress.