Castletown hoping to put miserable year behind them and bounce back

Plenty of competition at the top of the JFC Power Rankings

With the 2021 GAA season set to be split into definitive inter-county and club campaigns and a possible start date still up in the air due to Covid-19 restrictions clubs have been delayed in commencing their preparations for league, knockout cup and championship campaigns.

Of the 52 clubs that will contest the football competitions less than half can harbour realistic ambitions of winning anything, while on the hurling front only a handful of teams can justifiably claim to have a shot at the big prize in their respective grades.

Next up for evaluation by FERGAL LYNCH are the 15 contenders for the JFC crown and that number could increase to 16 if St Paul's rejoin the JFC picture from the Premier FC.

After losing out narrowly to a dominant Ballivor side in a rain-sodden final last October St Vincent's will be hoping to make amends and finally make that leap to the intermediate grade for 2022. several other clubs can look back at 2020 and wonder what might have been with Carnaross, Dunsany and St Ultan's all expected to make considerable bids for honours.

1 - Castletown

The fact that Castletown are even amongst the junior power rankings beggars belief. In 2019 they stormed through their group, suffering just one defeat against eventual finalists. In the quarter-finals they saw off Meath Hill before being narrowly beaten, after extra-time, by Nobber who went on to beat Trim in the final by 15 points. What happened in 2020 is bizarre. The year started well with Corn na Boinne victories over Bective, Dunderry and Moylagh. Castletown looked set for another serious stab at the IFC, but then Covid hit and when play resumed they couldn't buy a win, losing to senior sides Curraha and Nobber in A FL Div 2A. However there was worse to come in the championship as hammerings by Blackhall Gaels and Dunderry left them out of the reckoning and in the relegation zone where their season continued to plummet when they lost to Drumbaragh and were relegated. Undoubtedly Castletown are too good of a side to be in junior football, and with their quality and determination to bounce back they are by far the biggest force to be reckoned with in the grade.

2 - St Vincent's

St Vincent's resolve to be genuine contenders will be severely tested this year. After losing out to Dunboyne after extra-time in the 2018 final, they struggled to regain momentum the following year, but bounced back in some style to reach last year's final. However another defeat has dampened spirits and with manager Ronan Kearns and his assistant Daithi Whyte gone back to their native St Patrick's they are in a spell of transition. Last year started well for the Ardcath men with wins over Dunsany, Kilbride and Slane to advance to the semi-finals of the Tailteann Cup. They stunned Ballivor to book their place in the final before lockdown hit. When play resumed they beat IFC contenders Meath Hill, but then lost to Donaghmore/Ashbourne's second string in A FL Div 3C. Wins over Moynalty, Cortown and Slane saw them comfortably top Group C in the championship and in the semi-final they edged out Dunsany to set up the final against Ballivor where they lost out by five points. That defeat was just their second in 11 outings, so they are a real force at this level.

3 - Carnaross

As it transpired Carnaross's final group match of the JFC turned out to be the key game of their season. They lost out to Ballivor in that outing and were eliminated with many feeling that had they managed a win in Pairc Tailteann that late August evening then they would have won the whole thing. Easy wins over Kilmainhamwood and Moynalty gave their year a perfect start as they advanced to the semi-finals of the Tailteann Cup where they beat St Brigid's. With the final held up because of Covid, Carnaross's next game, after lockdown, was a draw with St Patrick's in A FL Div 2B before they lost out narrowly to Duleek/Bellewstown. Then it was onto the JFC where wins over Clonard and Boardsmill set up that winner advances clash with Ballivor. The loss in that game was just their second in nine competitive games for the year.

4 - Dunsany

It was yet another tale of woe for Dunsany in last year's JFC and you have to wonder will they ever manage to get over the line. Undoubtedly they are good enough, but when it comes to the big games they always seem to falter. Just look at last year's semi-final against St Vincent's. Going into that game off the back of championship wins over St Mary's, Drumconrath and Kilbride by a combined total of 81 points, they were well fancied to win, but came up short by a point. That loss to St Vincent's was the second time they lost to the Ardcath men last year as they also fell short to them in the in the Tailteann Cup. When play resumed in July Dunsany were too strong for Summerhill's seconds, but fell lost out to Ratoath's reserves in A FL Div 4B. Three defeats from eight games, two of them against St Vincent's, proves Dunsany are capable of being contenders, but they need to find another gear for the big games.

5 - Moynalty

Losing to Carnaross in the second round of the Tailteann Cup left Moynalty out of the running in that competition early on, but they resumed in July with an impressive win over St Ultan's before slipping up again against Bective in A FL Div 3B. Unfortunately for Moynalty their championship campaign was over almost as soon as it began as they lost out by two points to St Vincent's in the opening game. With St Vincent's not slipping up again, Moynalty had to settle for second in their group with wins over Cortown and Slane by a combined total of 27 points.

6 - Boardsmill

At first glance Boardsmill's JFC campaign appears disastrous, but closer inspection of their performances suggests they might be major contenders this year. Unlucky to be drawn in the same group as the two favourites for the championship, Ballivor and Carnaross, Boardsmill didn't let themselves down as they pushed Ballivor to within five points in their opening game and were then unfortunate to lose 0-17 to 2-14 to Carnaross in round two. Clonard didn't field in the final game, but Boardsmill can hold their heads high after a year that saw them start with a three-point loss to Ballivor, a draw with St Ultan's and record an easy win over Clonard in the Tailteann Cup. In A FL Div 5 Boardsmill beat Wolfe Tones and lost to O'Mahonys, but despite managing just one win from their seven outings there was plenty of promise.

7 - St Ultan's

Simply too strong for the other contenders in Group D of the JFC it was no great surprise that St Ultan's advanced to the semi-finals with victories over St Brigid's and Kilmainhamwood. However, Ballivor were a significant step up in class and the Martry side were well beaten in the last four. St Ultan's did manage to draw with Ballivor earlier in the year in the Tailteann Cup after drawing with Boardsmill and beating Clonard in the earlier rounds and in A FL Div 3B they found the going too tough against Moynalty and Kilmainham.

8 - St Brigid's

Just four points separated St Brigid's and St Ultan's when they met to decide who would advance to the semi-finals of the JFC, but the Ballinacree side are well down the pecking order when it comes to contesting for top honours. They opened their Tailteann Cup campaign with a draw against Cortown before receiving a walkover from Drumconrath. In their final game they defeated St Mary's to top the group, but in the semi-final they found Carnaross too strong. Prior to the championship St Brigid's drew with Simonstown and hammered Clonard in A FL Div 5A. That form just about keeps them in the top half of the JFC rankings.

9 - Kilbride

Undoubtedly a young promising side with plenty of hope for the future. Have a good coaching team in place, but off the back of victories over Drumconrath and St Mary's it is hard to get overly excited as they were beaten by 11 points by Dunsany. When the year started they beat Slane in Tailteann Cup opener before losing to St Vincent's and Dunsany and ending their run there. In A FL Div 4A Kilbride beat Seneschalstown, but lost to Kilmainhamwood, hardly ringing endorsements.

10 - Slane

After opening their JFC with a win over Cortown there was plenty for Slane to get excited about, but then they lost by a point to Moynalty and all that hope went out the window, that agony was further compounded by the loss to St Vincent's as Slane's year petered out. It didn't exactly start well either with losses to Kilbride, Dunsany and St Vincent's in the Tailteann Cup and when play resumed they only managed a win over Clonard, who everyone was beating, before losing to Simonstown's reserves. Finding the jump up from Junior B difficult.

11 - Cortown

There is very little to separate the bottom six in the JFC rankings, but Cortown just about top that pile after a year that saw them win just two from seven outings. Their higher ranking than the other five is based on the fact that they drew with St Brigid's and St Mary's (who are below them in the rankings) in the Tailteann Cup, and then beat St Mary's by 10 points in A FL Div 5c when play resumed and also managed to edge out Dunshaughlin reserves. However in the championship they lost to Slane by four points, St Vincent's by 19 and Moynalty by 13, so there is plenty of room for improvement for Cortown.

12 - Kilmainhamwood

Just one win all year, and that came when they beat Kilbride in the second game back after lockdown, it is hard to see much light at the end of the tunnel for Kilmainhamwood. Were unlucky when losing to Moynalty at the start of the year in the Tailteann Cup, but that promise was wiped out by Carnaross in the next round. Lost to both St Ultan's and St Brigid's in the JFC, so need a massive improvement to climb the ranks.

13 - St Mary's

Being ranked number 13 is unlucky for St Mary's and just about sums up their year. They started off 2020 with a win, a loss and a draw in the Tailteann Cup as they hammered Drumconrath, drew with Cortown before losing to St Brigid's. When play resumed in July their form slipped further with a hammering from Cortown and an eight-point loss to na Fianna's reserves in A FL Div 5C. It didn't get any better in the JFC as they lost to Dunsany by 26 points and to Kilbride by 16 points, but they are a young side and will surely improve.

14 - Clonard

Disappointingly didn't field in their last game of the JFC after losing by 16 points to Carnaross and 18 points to Ballivor. Their early season form was no better as they lost to St Ultan's, Ballivor and Boardsmill by a combined total of 33 points in the Tailteann Cup and when play resumed after lockdown they lost to Slane by 13 and St Brigid's by 11 in A FL Div 5A. That left them with no wins from their seven games and a losing average of 13 points.

15 - Drumconrath

Another side who didn't win a game all year. Lost to St Mary's in the first game of the Tailteann Cup in January 2020, failed to field against St Brigid's and Cortown and when football restarted in July they were beaten by O'Mahonys and Wolfe Tones in A FL Div 5B. In the JFC they only fulfilled two fixtures, losing to Kilbride by 18 points and Dunsany by a whopping 45 points. The only way is up - or is it?

16 - St Paul's

There are proposals to seed the JFC to avoid the hammerings that were dished out to the sides in the bottom six of our rankings and if that comes into place it might bring St Paul's back into the picture. it is hard to believe they won the Meath JFC in 1999 and operated at intermediate. Last year they played in the Premier FC Div 4C where they failed to win a game against the second teams of Carnaross, Blackhall Gaels and St Michael's, losing by a combined total of 27 points and scoring just 2-23 in their three games. If they do come up to the JFC they might manage a win or two against some of the other sides in the bottom three or four, but that has to be the height of their expectations. They have to start some where.