PTSB Dublin Camogie Senior 1 Championship: Penultimate Round Permutations

PTSB Dublin Camogie Senior 1 Championship: Penultimate Round Permutations

With just two rounds remaining in the group stages, the stakes could not be higher across both tables. The top two teams in each group book automatic spots in the Senior Championship Semi-Finals, 3rd place earns a spot in the Shield Final while securing Senior 1 for next year,  and 4th and 5th face relegation finals where the losing teams will go down to Senior 2. Scoring difference when teams finish level on points means every single score matters down the stretch.

Group 1A

Top 3 Battle (Ballyboden St Endas, St Vincents, Lucan Sarsfields)

Heading into Round 4, Group 1A features a three-way contest for the two semi-final spots. Ballyboden St Endas, St Vincents, and Lucan Sarsfields all enter the weekend with 4 points, but with very different routes to the finish line:

• Lucan Sarsfields (4 pts, 1 game remaining): Lucan have played three games and travel to St Vincents this Sunday before sitting out on a bye for the final round. A win takes them to 6 points and keeps them right in the hunt for the top two. A defeat keeps Lucan on 4 points; while not mathematically impossible to advance, finishing 2nd would require Ballyboden to lose both of their remaining games heavily enough to wipe out their scoring advantage (+17 vs Lucan's -3). Otherwise, a loss directs Lucan straight to the 3rd-place Shield Final.

• Ballyboden & St Vincents (4 pts, 2 games remaining): Both sides have won two from two and control their own destinies with a maximum of 8 points available. Ballyboden host Na Fianna this Sunday, while Vincents host Lucan. If both take care of business this weekend, they officially secure the two semi-final berths with a round to spare—turning their Round 5 clash on 20th September into a top of the table decider. 

Relegation Battle (Na Fianna & Castleknock)

Castleknock have their bye this Sunday, meaning they can only reach a maximum of 2 points. They are guaranteed to feature in a relegation final and must wait until Round 5 against Na Fianna to decide whether they finish 4th or 5th.

While currently on 0 points, Na Fianna can still dramatically alter their fate. If they win their final two games (away to Ballyboden and home to Castleknock), they reach 4 points. If Lucan slip up against St Vincents on Sunday, Lucan also finish on 4 points—pulling Na Fianna right into the mix on scoring difference to snatch 3rd place, claim a spot in the Shield Final, and completely avoid relegation. Na Fianna can only control their own games by aiming for back-to-back wins, then wait and see how the other results go.

Group 1B

Top 3 Battle (Kilmacud Crokes, Naomh Jude, Cuala)

• Kilmacud Crokes (6 pts, 1 game remaining): Crokes have won three from three and have their bye in the final round. Because no team outside the top two can reach more than 4 points, Crokes are officially guaranteed a top-two finish and a championship semi-final. A home win over Naomh Jude on Sunday secures top spot.

• Naomh Jude (4 pts, 2 games remaining): Judes have won both of their opening fixtures and need just a single point (a win or a draw) from their remaining two matches to seal their semi-final spot. A win against Crokes puts them in pole position for a top of the table finish heading into their final-round clash with Faughs. If Judes beat Crokes but slip up against Faughs, both Judes and Crokes will finish level on 6 points—meaning top spot will be settled purely on scoring difference, where Judes currently hold an edge (+29 vs +22).

• Cuala (2 pts, 1 game remaining): Cuala sit in 3rd place and have their bye this weekend, leaving them with just one game left against Plunketts. To snatch 2nd place and a semi-final spot, Cuala need Judes to lose both of their remaining matches while Cuala win on the final day. Even then, Cuala would need to overturn a massive 26-point scoring deficit against Judes (+29 vs +3). For now, Cuala must focus on securing 3rd place for the Shield Final and guarding against the teams below them.

Relegation Battle (St Oliver Plunkett ER & Faughs Celtic)

With 4th and 5th heading into relegation finals where the losers are relegated, avoiding a relegation battle entirely by snatching 3rd is the ultimate prize:

Plunketts and Faughs, both on 0 points, meet head-to-head this Sunday. The loser will be in trouble and will almost certainly have a 5th-place finish.

If Plunketts defeat Faughs and follow it up with a win over Cuala on the final day, they reach 4 points, leapfrogging Cuala to take 3rd place for the Shield Final — plunging Cuala into the relegation playoffs instead.

With championship semi-finals, the Shield final, and top-flight survival all hanging in the balance, it’s all to play for as the championship drama unfolds over the next two weekends!