Mouthwatering ties in 2025 Muskerry U21 A football championship 

The 2025 Macroom Motors Muskerry U21 A football championship draw was made recently. 

For the first time ever, Ballinora will head into the new campaign as reigning champions after the team in red and green famously won the championship last February after overcoming Naomh Abán in the final. Before that, they took down a fancied Ballincollig side, who were going for three-in-a-row.

Over the last 20 years, Ballincollig and Éire Óg had dominated the championship between them. Prior to last season, you had to go back to 2018 when a club other than Ballincollig and Éire Óg won the divisional championship, which was Kilmurry, so it was a brilliant achievement when Ballinora broke the mould.

This year, there are five teams in the competition, with all of them genuinely believing that they can be the ones to lift the divisional trophy towards the end of February. The first team that were drawn out will have home advantage. It will start on Sunday, February 9 with a preview in Friday week's paper, with the final down for Sunday, February 23. The county section then won’t begin until the first weekend in October, according to the Cork GAA planner.

Ballinora will start their defence of the crown with a tricky looking encounter against Éire Óg in the quarter-final. Willie Lyons’ side will make the short trip over to Ovens, the ground where they made history 11 months ago after the win over Naomh Abán in the decider. They will naturally start as slight favourites, but Éire Óg will be looking to improve on what has been a frustrating few years for them. Their last taste of Mid-Cork glory at this grade was in 2021.

The Ovens-based team have a high-powered management ticket led by former Kilmurry, UCC and Cork footballer Johnny Clifford. 2010 All-Ireland winner Daniel Goulding is part of the management team.

The winners of that game will face Kilmurry on home soil. Kilmurry are back up at A level, having won the Mid-Cork U21 B championship last year before then going on to win the county.

Ballincollig would have been bitterly disappointed with how last year went for them at this level. It’s a straight knockout competition as they lost out to Ballinora in the semi-final by a point. They would not have only been tipped to win Mid-Cork, but to also do very well in the county.

Ballincollig Premier Senior football goalkeeper Ciarán Noonan has taken over the U21 A team this season with John Stack, Brendan Hogan, John Noonan, James O’Leary, John Buckley and Stephen Halligan with him. The Collig will host Naomh Abán in this year’s semi-final.

Naomh Abán will be no pushovers and won’t have any fear of travelling into Ballincollig. They are spearheaded by Cork U20 footballer Ed Myers up front. If he’s on fire, the Ballyvourney men most certainly have a chance.

The draws for the Mid-Cork U21 B and C football championships were also made, and they are in full below.

Macroom Motors Muskerry U21 A Football Championship Draw:

Quarter-final: Éire Óg v Ballinora.

Semi-finals: Winner of Éire Óg/Ballinora v Kilmurry; Ballincollig v Naomh Abán.

Macroom Motors Muskerry U21 B Football Championship Draw:

Quarter-finals: 1 - Macroom v Inniscarra, 2 - Canovee v Kilmichael, 3 - Grenagh v Ballincollig, 4 - Donoughmore v Aghabullogue.

Semi-finals: 1 v 2, 3 v 4.

Macroom Motors Muskerry U21 C Football Championship Draw:

Quarter-finals: 1 – Aghinagh v Cill na Martra, 2 – Iveleary-Dripsey v Donoughmore, 3 – Blarney v Clondrohid, 4 – Macroom v Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh.

Semi-finals: 1 v 2, 3 v 4.