PREVIEW: PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship- Round 3

With the final group matches in the PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship taking place weekend, now is as good a time as any to run the rule on the four groups as teams look to secure precious knockout berths.

A thrilling conclusion is in store with only two teams having already clinched their knockout spots and it’s highly likely that the calculators will be out in force, especially if mini-leagues are set to decide the knockout places.

Ahead of the action, check out team news here.

GROUP 1

Ballyboden St Enda’s have already qualified for the quarter-finals with the holders having beaten Templeogue Synge Street and Castleknock in Group 1.

With St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh already destined for a relegation play-off, that leaves Synger and Castleknock battling it out for the second last-eight berth when they meet in Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon (3.30).

The return of Lorcan O’Dell and Scott McConnell to the TSS line-up in Round 2 added a vibrancy to their attack but Castleknock, who just require a draw to proceed, will look to the experience of Rob Shaw, Ciarán Kilkenny and Senan Forker to get them over the line.

GROUP 2

In Group 2, Ballinteer St John’s are in poll position, having secured narrow wins against Whitehall Colmcille and Clontarf. But their place in the quarter-finals is not guaranteed as the group concludes on Sunday afternoon.

Wins for Kilmacud Crokes over St John’s and Clontarf against Whitehall Colmcille would leave three teams on four points, forcing a mini-league involving the three sides that would exclude their results against Whitehall.

The return of Paul Mannion to the Crokes attack was central to their improvement from Round 1 but their near neighbours Ballinteer will be a tough nut to crack given their incremental improvement over the past few seasons.

Whitehall looked out of sorts when falling to Crokes but have enough firepower in their ranks to push Clontarf all the way. A victory over ‘Tarf would see them overtake their opponents, as long as Crokes overcome St John’s.

GROUP 3:

Thomas Davis have no such concerns, with their place in the last-eight already secured. They have already confirmed top spot in the group, ahead of their meeting with relegation play-off bound Raheny in O’Toole Park on Saturday (5.30).

Skerries Harps and Na Fianna have suffered reverses to Thomas Davis and beaten Raheny to date and will play-off for the second qualifying berth from Group 3 as they lock horns in Parnell Park on Saturday (5.30) with a draw sufficient for Skerries based on their points scored.

Both teams let large leads slip from their grasp against Thomas Davis and their clash could well go down the wire, with Stephen Smith of Skerries and Conor McHugh from Na Fianna the key men in their respective forward lines.

GROUP 4:

The TG4 cameras will be in Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon (4.00) as Ballymun Kickhams and St Jude’s meet in Group 4.

Ballymun and Cuala are best placed of the quartet in Group 4, as they share top spot on three points and any positive result for Kickhams will see them into the quarter-finals.

That could prove easier said than done against a St Jude’s team that were just caught on the line by Cuala in Round 2, with Oisín Costello and Eoghan Costello highlighting the youthful promise of their side.

Con O’Callaghan remains a talismanic figure for Cuala, scoring the winner against St Jude’s and securing a last-gasp draw with Ballymun in Round 1 but Lucan Sarsfields, who will finish bottom of the group irrespective of Sunday’s result, can cause them plenty of problems through the twin threats of Rian Doherty and Mark Lavin.       

Fixtures:

PTSB SFC1 Group 1: Ballyboden St Enda’s v St Oliver Plunkett’s/ER (O’Toole Park, Saturday, 5th September, 3.30); Castleknock v Templeogue Synge Street (Parnell Park, Saturday, 5th September, 3.30). 

PTSB SFC1 Group 2: Clontarf v Whitehall Colmcille (O’Toole Park, Sunday, 6th September, 2.00); Ballinteer St John’s v Kilmacud Crokes (Parnell Park, Sunday, 6th September, 2.00).

PTSB SFC1 Group 3: Raheny v Thomas Davis (O’Toole Park, Saturday, 5th September, 5.30); Na Fianna v Skerries Harps (Parnell Park, Saturday, 5th September, 5.30);  

PTSB SFC1 Group 4: Cuala v Lucan Sarsfields (O’Toole Park, Sunday, 6th September, 4.00); Ballymun Kickhams v St Jude’s (Parnell Park, Sunday, 6th September, 4.00).