PREDICTIONS: Junior Championship jousts to light up Mayo

The level of anticipation is at fever pitch as the battles to reach the last eight of the Mayo Junior Club Championship continue this weekend.

By the close of business on Sunday, some sides will be toasting success and looking ahead to a thrilling finale to their season, while others, in the five-team group, will still have a round to play. Here, we’ll walk you through each of those ties.

In Group One, Ballycroy will be playing their hearts out with that sweet oasis of knockout football in mind when Ardagh come to town. The men from the Barony know that a win here would see them guaranteed at worst third place with a game to spare, but with Lee Traynor hitting the high notes and James Carr a handful for any defence in the land, one would suspect that the visitors would have a touch too much here.

The second Group One game sees Killala make the trek to Bonniconlon in a clash which is nothing short of win or bust for the away side. Killala have shown well in each of their games, with Ben Stowe showing an unyielding ability to cause hassle, but ultimately, at this stage, they need points, not plaudits.

They’ll be hard to come by against Bonni’ though. The men in blue have been a cut above every side they’ve laid hands on, and winning margins of 13 and 17 points tell their own tale. In fact, I’d expect nothing less than a win here again.

Group Two is wide open, with positions far from secure. Tourmakeady will go toe-to-toe with Kilmovee in Mayo Abbey, with both sides knowing victory will cement their place in the knockout rounds and ensure they’ll have no part in the third-place playoff.

Tourmak’ made all the headlines when they usurped Kiltimagh last time out, with a former Kiltimagh man, Ronan Malee, a crucial part of the battle in Gilmartin Park.

That’ll need to be parked, though, as the Shamrocks could prove a worthy match-up on Saturday evening. It’ll be tight, but I’ll just favour the men from the shores of Lough Mask.

The other game sees Kiltimagh and Northern Gaels gear up for battle.

It’s a tough one for Northern Gaels, who cannot progress to the quarter-finals. For Kiltimagh, they’ll have taken that Tourmakeady result badly and will be looking to make a statement to all the other contenders. I reckon they’ll do just that.

Lastly, there’s Group Three, where every side could potentially progress.

Achill and Swinford meet with only a win capable of saving the men from Robert McCallion Memorial Park. Swinford will be kicking themselves given how unbearably close they were to pipping Eastern Gaels, where Mark Forkan was on fire with the two-pointers.

However, Achill hold the cards at the minute, and I would back them to get the job done here.

First against second sees Eastern Gaels and Shrule/Glencorrib meet in a group decider. The comeback the last day from the Gaels was mesmerising, while Shrule-Glencorrib just about withheld a late Achill surge.

With the likes of Senan Guilfoyle in their ranks, you’d back the Brickens boys to do the business here.