Talented Tones aim to avoid shock

In an enticing local derby, Devenish Park will play host to the SFC quarter-final between Wolfe Tones and Rathkenny at 3pm on Saturday.

Shane McCoy’s Wolfe Tones have looked very impressive. The talk within the county surrounding the destination of the Keegan Cup has been largely about Summerhill and Ratoath but there is a fair argument to be made that the Tones are right up there with last year’s finalists. As always the lack of hype around the Kilberry side suits them down to the ground.

Rathkenny will relish the prospect of knocking their neighbours out of the championship. There wasn’t much expected from Joey Farrelly’s squad at the start of the campaign but they kept their cards close to their chest and have been the surprise package of this year's SFC. Of course, all eight teams in the quarter-finals want to win but the hunger for victory within Rathkenny will be off the charts.

On paper, the talent that Wolfe Tones have at their disposal in the likes of Adam O’Neill, Thomas O’Reilly, Saran O Fionnagain, Caolan Ward and Oisin Martin should be far too strong for their plucky neighbours but there are concerns to take into consideration. The Tones have conceded six goals in their last two outings and that is far from ideal in terms of targets that would have been set for those clashes.

The local derby element adds so much to this contest and Rathkenny relish a battle, in fact, they thrive on it. Wolfe Tones are a dogged side themselves when they want to be but they won’t want to leave anything to chance.

The Tones will approach this with a mindset that they are the better football team and they can beat Rathkenny on ability. However, Wolfe Tones could very easily get sucked into a battle and that scenario will make for a very entertaining contest that could swing either way. Verdict - Wolfe Tones.