John Courtney expects fierce battles as Avondhu GAA prepare for championships

With the 2026 Avondhu Junior A hurling and football championship draws having taken place a couple of months ago, Avondhu GAA chairman John Courtney says clubs across the division can expect another season of excitement. 

Courtney believes the depth of competition in both codes has never been stronger.

In hurling, he expects the conversation to begin where last year’s left off — with the traditional heavyweights under pressure from ambitious newcomers.

“Dromina will want to bounce back, and I’d expect them to come out of their group again,” he said.

“Harbour Rovers are still hurting from last year, so they’ll have plenty to prove. 

"In Group 3 — Killavullen, Buttevant, Ballyhooly and Clyda Rovers — you’re going to lose two very good teams there. You’d want to be a brave man to predict who comes out of that group.

“Buttevant are well capable of causing an upset. Last year was their first season up after winning the Junior B county the season before.

“Looking at it overall, Dromina will take solace from Kilshannig going all the way and winning the county. They’ll say to themselves, ‘We weren’t that far off.’ But a new season brings new challenges.” 

Courtney also pointed to the fine margins that defined last year’s championship.

“Kilshannig got the rub of the green against Newmarket in the county. Would Dromina have beaten Newmarket on that cold day in Kanturk? Hard to know. But Dromina deserved to come out of it, to be honest.

“In saying that, I think the Avondhu Junior A hurling championship is the toughest division in Cork. There’s no easy group, no soft game.” 

The 2026 championship will again run on a round-robin basis, beginning on the August Bank Holiday weekend, with further group rounds on the weekend of August 23rd and September 6th.

In the Synergy Credit Union Avondhu JAFC, Courtney is pleased with the balance.

“There’s a lovely spread again, just like the hurling,” he says.

“Charleville are the holders and, to be fair, they have a lovely football team capable of going on and winning the Junior A football county. They’re big men, they’ve plenty of football in them.

“Liscarroll/Churchtown Gaels are knocking on the door again. You have Ballyclough, Killavullen and Ballyhooly. Then you have the second teams, the likes of Kilshannig, Mallow and Clyda Rovers.

“As the adult competitions go on, second teams lose players, subs get called up. The rest don’t, and that stands to them later in the year.” 

The football championship will also run on a round-robin format, beginning the last weekend of July, with further rounds on the weekend of August 16th and September 13th.