Intermediate A Football: Picking the teams to beat this season

SINCE the current Cork GAA championship format was introduced in 2020, it’s nearly impossible to nail down who will be the last team standing at the end of the respective campaigns. 

The Bon Secours Hospital IAFC has been no different with the 2023 championship widely regarded as an open race.

A look through the three groups and trying to predict who will finish in the top two is like doing the lotto. 

Starting with Group A, St Vincent’s, Glanworth, Glanmire and Dromtarriffe make up that particular group.

St Vincent’s lost their Premier Intermediate status last year following a one-point defeat to Naomh Abán. 

They applied their trade in Division 4 of the league this year and would have been satisfied with how it went finishing mid-table.

Glanworth reached the last eight in 2022 where eventual winners Kilshannig prevailed by four points. 

The North Cork team had a torrid league campaign losing all nine games in Division 3. 

St Vincent’s and Glanworth clash in the first game, a match that could set the tone for the respective teams. 

Glanmire failed to get out of the group last year which would have been a big disappointment for them. 

They are one of a number of teams who if they can get it together, the reward could be a big one. Dromtarriffe lost a game they should have seen out as Mitchelstown somehow snatched victory in the quarter-final last year. 

They will look to get over that disappointment by starting the championship positively.

INTERESTING

Group B is an interesting one. Gabriel Rangers missed out on qualification from the group last year due to Kilshannig posing a better scoring difference. 

The West Cork team were in Division 6 of the league this year, ending up in third, two points off promotion. Glenville failed to get out of their group last campaign but with a young team, they are heading in the right direction. 

The Avondhu club finished fourth from bottom in Division 5 of the league, with the tough games in what was a competitive league bound to help them. Aghabullogue have been knocking on the door in recent years including losing the final last year to Kilshannig. 

They will be fancied to go deep into the latter stages again in the coming months. Adrigole reached the last eight of the championship in 2022 and with a solid Division 5 league campaign behind them, finishing fourth, they will be hopeful of making further progress.

Group C sees Mitchelstown, one of the teams that were fancied to go all the way in recent years but as of yet it hasn’t come to fruition. The North Cork outfit suffered relegation from Division 4, losing seven out of nine games. 

Boherbue lost to Aghabullogue in the semi-final last year and look a good bet to reach the business end of the championship once again in 2023. 

Ballinora finished third in their group last year and it will be interesting how they get on with Bishopstown’s Ken O’Halloran part of the management team. 

The Muskerry outfit suffered demotion from Division 5, picking up just one victory, but despite that, the vibe is still positive around the club. Kildorrery got to the last eight in 2022 while the league results were mixed in Division 7 this year ending up in mid-table. 

Ballinora and Kildorrery clash in the first game, a pivotal one with the losers firmly on the backfoot.

NEW GRADE

2023 will be the first year of the new Premier Junior grade comprising of the bottom four teams from the 2022 IAFC and the eight Divisional JAFC winners from last year. 

There are some big teams at this level rich in tradition. St Nick’s, a top-flight club as recently as 2019, are in Group A with Ballydesmond, Urhan and Cullen.

In Group B, Buttevant, Cobh and second teams St Michael’s and St Finbarr’s are pitted against each other.

In Group C, Kinsale are with St James’, Millstreet and County JAFC winners Kilmurry.

Buttevant enjoyed a fine league campaign gaining promotion from Division 6 with Kilmurry. Both teams will be fancied to make a serious impression. Ballydesmond, Cobh and Millstreet will all be expected to have a say in the championship.

This new grade is now the fifth tier of Cork football. The standard of the championship will undoubtedly be high-quality, further proof of how strong the grades are in Rebel County.