Cork GAA: Mallow led way on scores from play average across Premier Senior Football

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025 - 09:11

Jack McKay

Last week, we broke down how each of the 12 Premier Senior hurling teams performed on the scoring front from play across the championship this year, so now it’s the turn of the footballers.

And unlike with the hurling rankings, the football numbers change quite dramatically when you strip back any placed ball scores. Gone are the penalties, frees, two-point frees, marks and sidelines, just scores from play across the top grade. What remains are the raw returns from play.

St Finbarr’s topped the overall scoring chart in the championship proper with an average of 20.5 points per game (PPG), but once you remove their placed balls, they slip to third. Their 14.5 PPG from play is a full six points lower, while Nemo Rangers edge ahead with 14.8 PPG, but it’s a team that didn’t even make it out of the group who lead the lot.

Mallow – eliminated after defeats to Newcestown and Castlehaven – boast the best scoring average from play in the grade. The north Cork side hit just 0-8 from placed balls all season, returning 15.3 PPG from play.

Castlehaven, meanwhile, take fourth with 14.3 PPG from play – only a fraction behind the Barrs – and registered the fewest placed-ball scores (0-16) of any side to reach the knockout rounds.

Clonakilty take fifth, their average from play reading 13.0 PPG. Like Mallow, very few of their scores came from placed balls – just 0-12 across the three group stage games.

Clonakilty's Mark White is tackled by Carrigaline's Kieran McCarthy. Picture: Denis Boyle

Completing the top six are Valley Rovers, the Innishannon club scoring a total of 0-20 from placed balls across their five games which leaves their average from play at 12.0 PPG. Carrigaline, who reached the quarter-final stage on their return to the top flight, finished with 11.3 PPG from play across four outings, plus extra time with Newcestown.

Ballincollig follow closely, having finished the season with 11.0 PPG from play, a number that is remarkably only 0.3 PPG worse than their full scoring average last year including frees, a sign of how much the rule tweaks have lifted open play scoring.

Carbery Rangers rank ninth, their tally of just 0-9 from placed balls across five games proving too meagre to offset a low 9.8 PPG from play, the best of the four clubs who failed to hit double figures.

Just behind Rangers are Newcestown, who finished with 9.7 PPG from play, with 0-35 of their scoring arriving from placed balls. Only county champions St Finbarr’s managed more.

St Michael's Adam Hennessy tries to avoid a tackle from Nemo's Alan O'Donovan during their PSFC clash at Shanbally. Picture: David Creedon

Further back in 11th and 12th, it’s familiar territory for two teams that have struggled to put points on the board across the last two seasons. Douglas averaged just 8.6 PPG from play this year, almost a third of their scores coming from placed balls.

But they’re still not the lowest, St Michael’s managed a mere 7.0 PPG from play in their three group stage outings, with 0-10 of their entire 0-31 from placed shots.

Rankings in full:

1st – Mallow

15.3 PPG from play

Scored: 3-45

Scored from placed balls: 0-8

GP: 3

2nd – Nemo Rangers

14.8 PPG from play

Scored: 9-76

Scored from placed balls: 1-21

GP: 5.33

3rd – St Finbarr’s