By Rory O'Donnell
The 2014 Boston Championships begin this coming
weekend. All 8 senior football clubs
will be in action, with the first game on Saturday afternoon, followed by 3
games on Sunday. In addition, there will
be a recognition ceremony for the Barley House Wolves hurling club for their
contribution to the spread of hurling beyond the Greater Boston area, and the
service of club members to the country. With
the main field in pristine condition, and clubs chomping at the bit for early
(and very valuable) championship points, the stage is set for a weekend to look
forward to.
 |
| Christopher's Paudie Kenneally will be one of many graduates of the undertage programs in action this coming weekend. |
Of course, these clubs have already seen plenty of action in
the Pat O'Brien Cup. The finalists were
decided last weekend and it is fair to say that the two strongest sides at this
point in the season will be the ones contesting the trophy. A resurgent Kerry, who are already the talk
of the town, will be playing Galway in the
opening game in Saturday afternoon. Galway will be up against it as Kerry look like they have
covered all positions with strong players covering the field. The Kingdom also have the advantage of having
played a game on the new sod of the main field, Galway
will be experiencing that for the first time on Saturday. There were no playoffs for the club last
year, although there was no game where the side was not in with a chance to
win. Flying the lone Brighton flag in
senior football, Galway might be a few players
short of turning Kerry on Saturday.
First up on Sunday are the 2013 Champion Connemara Gaels and
Shannon Blues. Both teams were beaten
semi-finalists last Sunday, and each side has a good representation of American
born players. There will be plenty of
banter in the Murray
household leading up to this one as brothers, Pat, (Blues) and Stephen, (Gaels)
will be looking to establish bragging rights, until the playoff stages at
least. The Gaels also team also featured
Brian Joyce and AJ Maguire, and the Blues Conor Fitzgerald, makes for a healthy
representation of graduates from the underage program. Each side will see this as a great opportunity
for 2 points. Although the game will be
played at a morning hour, expect this to be a keenly contested encounter that
will waken the senses.
Also in action are Donegal and Christopher's. Like Kerry, Donegal have the bases covered in
all areas of the field, and like their opponents, feature some locally grown
talent in Mark Dunphy and Kieran McDevitt.
Christopher's Kenneally trio of Dan, Jerry, and Paudie, have anchored
the team for many years now. Also coming
into the team will be Mark and Pat Delaney, pending the status of
injuries. Although they did not progress
in the Cup, Christopher's are likely to give Donegal a contest. For their part, Donegal are battle hardened
after their extra time encounter with the Gaels last week, and that should
stand to them. I'd expect Donegal to
squeak it.
The final game of the day matches the old rivals, Wolfe
Tones and Aidan McAnespies. Wolfe Tones
will be looking to hold the South Boston/North Dorchester bragging rights after
this game. While McAnespies did not have
all the cards in the deck for the cup, it is hard to see them matching the
Tones in depth. The Tones might argue
that depth is not a word to be used at this early stage in the season, however,
even though not all players may be available Sunday, the Tones should have an
edge. Although McAnespies will not go
down without a fight, it would take a massive effort to claim the 2 points.
Finally, with the board honoring the Barley House Wolves,
and the Irish Consul General, Breandán O'Caollaí, Town of
Canton Police Chief, Kenneth
Berkowitz, and Fire Chief, Charles Doody, a great
weekend lies in store for the Boston Northeast GAA.
Schedule of Games
Saturday May 24
2:00 Kerry v Galway
Sunday May 25
10:30 Connemara Gaels v Shannon Blues
11:45 Donegal v Christopher's
1:30 Honoring the Barley House Wolves
2:00 Wolfe Tones v Aidan McAnespies
Field C
12:00 Orla Benson Cup:
Connacht Ladies v Tír na nÓg
No comments:
Post a Comment