BY SEÁN HOLLAND
SATURDAY is D-Day for Argideen Rangers.
The Timoleague side will meet Douglas in a relegation-playoff in Ovens at 4pm, with their premier junior hurling status hanging in the balance.
Defeats to St Finbarr’s, Glen Rovers and St Catherines in the group stage have left the Carbery side one loss away from the dreaded drop.
Since the regrading of the old ‘intermediate’ grade to ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ intermediate (now premier junior and intermediate A), one thing has been consistent – there’s very little room for error.
Back in 2019, in the old intermediate grade, there were 26 teams. Sides awaited that first-round draw with bated breath. Because of the disparity in quality in the grade, there were a lot of one-sided clashes and the championship was lacking because of that.
Now since the grade was split in two, both premier junior and intermediate A are flourishing with every game holding the utmost importance. The group stage format has added to that. Whether it’s round one, two, or three, each game is critical. You want to get off to a fast start in round one. Round two is all about putting yourself in a position to qualify and round three will always be vital to either avoid relegation or look to advance to the knockout stages.
When Argideen Rangers went out for their round three clash against St Catherines, both those possibilities were at play. It’s a format that has gotten praise from managers, players, and supporters alike. With each game, everything’s on the line, with everything to play for. That was the case for Argideen Rangers. Their opponents, St Catherines, had lost their opening round tie with Glen Rovers so there was equal pressure on them to produce a result. Fortunately for them and unfortunately for the Carbery side, Catherines came out on top by two points, 1-20 to 0-21.
Argideen had led in the game and were even level heading into added time. As it transpired, if they held onto a draw, they would have been safe by the tightest of margins, and their near neighbours Barryroe would have been taking to the field in Ovens this Saturday. Such are the margins. There is no room for error.
If they are to come out on top this weekend, Argideen will have to rely heavily on their key men. John Michael O’Callaghan is one of the best free takers in the grade and they’ll need him to be firing on Saturday. Finbarr Butler shone in the St Catherines game and will be their main scoring threat from play. Matthew Lawton is the lynchpin in the team at centre back and if he goes well so does everyone around him. With so much at stake, it’s all hands to the pump.
Now in the age of group -stage permutations, there’s still more to unfurl after the fact. There will be changes made to the Carbery junior A championship for 2025 if Douglas come out on top this Saturday. As things stand, and if Argideen Rangers win, two teams will be relegated from the Carbery JAHC. The bottom team in each of the four groups will be involved in two relegation semi-finals. The games are Bantry Blues v St Colum’s and St Oliver Plunkett’s v Bandon, with both losers being relegated.
However, if Argideen Rangers lose, they will be playing junior A next season and an extra team will have to be relegated. That would mean the two winning teams in the two relegation semi-finals would have to play a final, the loser going down to junior B. Come Saturday evening, Argideen Rangers will either be celebrating survival or facing the harsh reality of relegation. Either way, the intensity and unpredictability of the group stages have once again proven why this format is so thrilling.
