Premier SFC: Only one knockout spot to be decided

Anybody placing money on the ‘big three’ qualifying for the knockout stages of the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Premier SFC would never expect to become a millionaire off the back of it.

Only in 2021 did any of Castlehaven, Nemo Rangers or St Finbarr’s fail to make it out of their group – and that was when Nemo had to begin their campaign a week after beating the Haven in the delayed 2020 county final.

Otherwise, that trio have comprised 75 percent of the semi-finals and two of them have been in every final since the change in format bar 2021, when Clonakilty lost to the Barrs in the decider.

This year, all three are safely qualified with a game to spare – but, perhaps surprisingly, two of the other two spots in the latter stages have already been locked down, too.

The evenness of the grade outwith the top three can be shown by the fact that no other club has reached the semi-finals more than once since the competition was restructured for the 2020 season – Clonakilty, Douglas (both 2021), Ballincollig (2022) and Mallow (2024) have been in the last four, while divisional side Duhallow have the distinction of being the only team apart from the troika to get there on multiple occasions, doing so in 2020 and 2023.

Only one of the quartet of clubs looking to challenge the established order will even have the chance to make the semis this time around; both Clon and Mallow have been eliminated after two defeats from as many games while Douglas and Ballincollig will battle for the one remaining place that is up for grabs.

Their Group 3 meeting in Ballygarvan on Sunday – all six of the premier senior matches start at 4pm – could turn out to be quarter-final play-off. However, while Nemo’s position at the top of the group cannot be shaken, there is a chance that defeat for the Trabeg outfit against St Michael’s could allow the Dazzlers to take second place.

Such a scenario would require a lot to happen: as Michael’s have already lost to Douglas, they would need Ballincollig to win as well, leaving both clubs on three points each. As they have already drawn with each other, scoring-difference would come into play to determine placings and currently Michael’s are on minus-11 with Ballincollig on minus-2.

Should Nemo, who will be targeting the single automatic semi-final spot, win or draw in Shanbally, then the Douglas-Ballincollig game will provide the runners-up in that group, Douglas having the advantage of progressing if the game finishes level.

Otherwise, the final-day action is about finalising the seedings for the knockout stages and finding out who ends up in the relegation play-off.

In Group 1, the double county champions Castlehaven and Newcestown have both beaten Mallow and Valley Rovers and so their Rossmore encounter will decide first and second places.

Last week, Valleys beat Mallow in the Premier IHC in Páirc Uí Rinn to reach the quarter-finals while the north Cork side have ended up in the relegation play-off; this weekend, the sides meet in Blarney, seeking to avoid the drop from the football top tier.

It’s a similar state of affairs in Group 2, where St Finbarr’s and Carrigaline have secured their knockout tickets and their Páirc Uí Rinn encounter will not have as much jeopardy. By contrast, the Clonakilty-Carbery Rangers clash in Ballinacarriga will be full of intrigue as the prize for the winners of the local derby clash will be the guarantee of premier senior football in 2026 while the losers will have to negotiate the tricky terrain of the relegation play-off.

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