Four to take advantage of first bite of cherry
SFC RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS
If you take quick glance at the list of the eight teams that find themselves involved in the SFC relegation play-offs, you could be forgiven for thinking that that is the quarter-final line-up for the race for the Keegan Cup, with a couple surprise packages throw in for good measure.
St Peter's Dunboyne were Keegan Cup finalists in 2021 when they lost out narrowly to Wolfe Tones, Gaeil Colmcille lost by an even smaller margin to Ratoath in the 2020 final.
Na Fianna were semi-finalists just 11 months ago, while Skryne, Gaeil Colmcille and Moynalvey were also in the quarter-finals last year.
What a difference a year makes.
Now those sides face games of even greater significance, with their positions as senior clubs under threat against sides who have been in this quandary before and have an uncanny knack of surviving.
Skryne's 86-year run as a senior club is on the brink of ending. They have been a senior club since they won the IFC in 1937 and are the second must winning club in the senior championship with 13 titles, their last coming in 2010. Next Saturday they begin their battle for survival with a quarter-final clash against Ballinabrackey in Summerhill and on recent form it is hard to hold out much hope for them.
After three successive losses in their group Skryne are low on confidence and while Ballinabrackey must still be reeling from their title ambitions being ended by Wolfe Tones they are still a considerably better side than the Tara men.
Teams will get three chances to secure their status, but it won't get any easier for Skryne if they lose as they will then take on the loser of Na Fianna's relegation quarter-final against Seneschalstown.
Na Fianna, like Ballinabrackey, were a hair's breadth away from reaching the last eight of the Keegan Cup, but instead find themselves facing a tough Seneschalstown side in Batterstown on Saturday in their bid to survive - or do they?.
Whoever loses this game should be safe in the next round, but they will both be keen to avoid prolonging their agony and while Seneschalstown had a decent result when drawing with Simonstown last time out they might find Na Fianna too tough to handle if the game goes ahead.
The clash of St Peter's and Gaeil Colmcille wouldn't have been out of place as the Blue Riband final in any of the last few years, but now they find themselves in real trouble. St Peter's were denied a quarter-final place by late goals conceded against Simonstown and Trim and are too good to find themselves in this position. Gaeil Colmcille have lost a plethora of players and while they have plenty of good young players coming they are a few years away from competing at the top again.
Defeat in Walterstown on Sunday is likely for Gaeil Colmcille and that will put them in a relegation semi-final against either Moynalvey or Curraha.
Both Moynalvey and Curraha were considered as among the favourites for the drop prior to the start of the championship, but they both showed enough form in the group stages to suggest they could be good enough to survive.
Both will be eager to avoid having to play another game in the relegation series and with players like James McEntee, Jack O'Connor and Diarmuid Moriarty Curraha might just have too much for Moynalvey in Dunshaughlin on Sunday.