Group One
LATTON are the last team outside of the big three (Scotstown, Clontibret and Ballybay) to have captured the Mick Duffy Cup and this season they are making all the right noises to suggest they are one of the top contenders in Monaghan.
Their championship record has been perfect thus far as they enter into the final game of the round robin series tomorrow evening against Corduff (in Latton at 5pm) hoping to secure a fourth victory on the trot.
Aughnamullen, currently sitting in second place, can’t catch them as they have fulfilled their four fixtures so Corduff are the only side that can halt their progression to the last four. A win for Seamus McEnaney’s men would see them go through on head-to-head advantage.
Like the league leaders, Corduff have yet to taste defeat in the campaign. Their solitary victory over Traugh split two draws with reigning champions Ballybay and Aughnamullen.
Neither has been scoring freely throughout the campaign, although Latton did rack up 0-18 against bottom of the table Truagh, so this has the potential to be a real arm wrestle and should go right down to the wire.
At the bottom end of the table, Seanie Johnston’s Ballybay sit just one point above Truagh, thanks to that first round draw with last years Ulster Intermediate finalists Corduff, and it’s all about avoiding relegation for them as they surrendered their title last week.
It’s winner takes all for both sides as both look to secure their fate at the top tier and if nothing else, home advantage should be enough to steer the men in maroon to safety.
Group Two
Inniskeen are home and hosed in Group Two and can sit back this weekend and watch the wreckage of rest of the group as John McEntee’s side have already made their way through to the semi-finals with four wins from four.
All eyes will be on Scotstown and Clontibret tomorrow as they battle it out for second place. Although neither side can threaten the top spot, they’ll both want to get one over the other.
It’s arguably just shadowboxing in Scotstown between two of Monaghan’s big hitters, but perhaps both David McCauge and Mick O’Dowd will encourage their charges to lay down a marker and land a few haymakers for potential clashes down the line.
It’s in name alone really that tomorrow’s encounter in Scotstown is the biggest game that Group Two has to offer. In reality, it’s at the bottom of the table where the real knockout football will be played.
And it’s all about knockout for Donaghmoyne and Magheracloone as only one of them can safely cling onto their senior status. Neither picked up a point in their three outings with Scotstown, Clontibret and Inniskeen so both are tied at the bottom of the table with nothing to show for their championship efforts.
Magheracloone, who earned promotion to the top tier last season, look destined for relegation as David Lennon’s Donaghmoyne, who finished top of Division One in the league, may have too much knowhow for them.
