The bank holiday weekend marks the start of the pinnacle of the club season; namely, the start of the club championships.

Having completed their league campaigns last weekend, all clubs are now fully focussed on the championship with 20 teams in action this weekend.

Senior

Group One

Coolera/Strandhill, Drumcliffe/Rosses Point, St Mary’s, Tubbercurry

Arguably the toughest group of the three, Group One puts the champions of 2014 and 2015, Tubbercurry and St Mary’s, up against one another, as well as Coolera/Strandhill and Drumcliffe/Rosses Point.

The top team will go straight through to the semi-finals – a prize worth fighting for – and both the second and third placed teams will progress to the quarter-final stage.

St Mary’s should, on last year’s evidence, be the strongest team here but their struggles so far this year plus the loss of a number of key players from last years’ campaign means the group is not a foregone conclusion.

Tubbercurry also have some players abroad but similar to St Mary’s they are likely to return for the knockout stages should they get there, but whether the players are returning for a quarter-final or a semi-final remains to be seen.

You would imagine that Drumcliffe/Rosses Point and Coolera/Strandhill will battle it out for third place, and with Niall Murphy stateside, it could well mean Coolera/Strandhill’s poor league form will continue into championship. That said, Drumcliffe/Rosses Point only just held onto their status in 2015 and it will be a tight group in any event.  

Group Two

Curry, Coolaney/Mullinabreena, Easkey

This is an intriguing group, where all three teams will harbour hopes of progressing.

Curry – finalists in 2015 – will expect to progress despite the fact that they have never quite re-discovered the form of their title-winning campaign of 2012.

That said, Adrian Marren continues to be one of the county’s most prolific forwards, and with him in their side Curry will remain a dangerous opposition for any outfit.

Coolaney/Mullinabreena have been touted as potential champions in some circles though such talk may be premature, but their league form in finishing in the upper half would indicate a progression. Quarter-finalists last year, they will look to improve on that this year and should make it through this group with relative ease.

That would suggest that Easkey might struggle here on their return to the top flight, but they could potentially spring a surprise. They lit up the latter stages of last year’s intermediate championship, and have some promising young players coming through. However, the step up to senior at this stage may prove a bridge too far, but they could well retain their status if it comes to a relegation battle.

Group Three

Calry/St Joseph’s, Eastern Harps, Tourlestrane

Tourlestrane are widely regarded as favourites for this year’s title, and given their unbeaten record in Division One so far this year it is not difficult to see why.

The management duo of Eamonn O’Hara and Gerry McGowan have their side well drilled and there is an abundance of talent at their disposal. They should progress comfortably from this group, but it won’t be as easy as some people might expect.

Eastern Harps are a team with plenty of pedigree and lots of experience and should be able to cause Tourlestrane more than a few problems. Anything less than a quarter-final spot would be viewed as a major failure for the men from the east.

Calry/St Joseph’s fantastic campaign in 2015 culminated in a narrow semi-final loss, but it will be very difficult to replicate such a successful championship this year. They will hope to reach the knockout stages, but will have their work cut out against two seasoned teams.

Intermediate

Group One

Bunninadden, Shamrock Gaels, St John’s, St Patrick’s

Like the senior grade, Group One in the intermediate is a difficult one. The top two teams are guaranteed to progress – the third will potentially have a play-off – and at the outset, it is very difficult to call.

St John’s are a strong outfit at this level, despite the fact that Charlie Harrison is still ruled out, and they should be progressing here given the quality in their squad.

Likewise, Shamrock Gaels are a team with ambitions of going all the way, particularly after their capitulation to Easkey in last year’s quarter-final and after a solid Division One campaign they should be well placed to be in the shake-up in the latter stages.

Bunninadden and St Patrick’s will probably feel they left a title behind them in recent years – particularly St Patrick’s – and they face a difficult task to progress from this group but are capable of doing so if they perform.

Group Two

Castleconnor, Ballymote, Geevagh, Owenmore Gaels

Geevagh look set to be the strongest team by a distance in Group Two. The east Sligo men will be regarded as one of the favourites for the title and given the strength-in-depth they have they could well go the distance.

Second place looks set to be Castleconnor’s to lose here despite the fact that they haven’t scaled the heights of last year, though Kevin McDonnell’s departure to the US is a hindrance.

Owenmore Gaels will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds after retaining their Division Two league status and their success in the Junior grade last year, but will need a couple of big performances to make an impact.  

Ballymote have endured a torrid time thus far in 2016 and there are few signs that their struggles will abate before championship. They could well make the drop to Junior if improvement doesn’t arrive soon.

Group Three

Enniscrone/Kilglass, St Farnan’s, St Mary’s, St Molaise Gaels

St Molaise Gaels are head and shoulders above everyone else in Group Three, and are rightly regarded as favourites for the title outright. Given the fact that they are contesting the Division One league final, the pedigree of the north Sligo men is unquestionable.

More intriguing here is the battle for second place. Enniscrone/Kilglass and St Farnan’s will clash on the opening weekend, and that could well be the decisive tie in the group. St Farnan’s have built up a lot of momentum since a management change mid-season and recently captured the Benson Cup, but Enniscrone/Kilglass will also harbour hopes of securing a quarter-final spot.

St Mary’s second string is tipped to be involved in a relegation battle, but are very capable of springing a surprise.