Kildare Junior champs Grange set for unusual Leinster start against Offaly IFC runners-up

Raising the curtain on November 1 in Cedral St Conleth's Park are Kildare JFC champions Grangenolvin who are tasked with the peculiar situation of facing Offaly Intermediate runners-up St Brigids Croghan with a 1:15pm throw-in.

St Brigids have progressed to Leinster Junior action because Offaly IFC winners Tullamore are operating as a second team and therefore are ineligible for provincial competition.

Grange wrapped up the Kildare Championship on October 4, a week before the Offaly county final, but both teams will have had a decent break before their showdown. The Kildare champions will hopefully have had time to rest and recover as opposed to having lost momentum from their dominant outings in this year's JFC. As always, their way forward will likely be through the various Bergin’s as they look to beat a team who will have to rise themselves following county final disappointment.
Grange have been tearing through teams this year with their variety in attack causing serious trouble. Fionn Bergin has been the most common finisher with a staggering 5-37 across their six Championship games, which averages out at 8.66 points per game.

As well as his exceptional set-piece talents, crucial to the maintenance of that record has been Grange’s ability to switch things up and they have also found a significant number of scores though Conall Bergin, who has chipped in from long-range, and Cillian Bergin, who has had an incredible eye for goal in this year’s JFC grabbing five goals of his own.
Leinster opponents who do their research will know about these various threats, but whether they can do anything about them is another thing. Key for stopping Grange this year could be testing them for stretches out of possession to see if they can maintain the discipline and solidity required to progress .

The time between the county final and this Leinster opener should serve Grange well in that sense as they prepare for an altogether different challenge.

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