GROUP C: Milltown aiming to top group in bid for Kildare Championship glory

The 2026 Kildare IFC curtain-raiser sees Championship contenders Milltown face Ballyteague in Round 1 of a group that the former will be looking to top. Milltown put together a fascinatingly impressive relegation campaign in 2026 as they narrowly missed out on Division 1 survival to county champions Athy on the final day. Their swashbuckling style could feasibly win or lose them any game at the top level with scoring galore at either end.

Those experiences will stand to them against Intermediate opposition and in this championship they find themselves once again as one of the stronger outfits with a superb stable of young talent supported by reliable heads. They missed out at the semi-final stage in 2025 to eventual All-Ireland semi-finalists Sallins and a place in the decider (or even more) could be in the offing here.

Ballyteague meanwhile finished bottom of Group B in 2025 with their presence in a winner’s group under the old format already being enough to secure their safety. To their credit, it was somewhat of a group of deaths for The Larks, landing alongside Sallins, Casteldermot and Round Towers, who they beat in Round 1. Milltown seem strongest in Group C but Ballyteague will be gamely jostling for position alongside them with the other group members.

Those other group members are 2025 Leinster Junior champions Granegnolvin and Nurney who face off in Round 1. Nurney staved off relegation with a one-point group stage win over Monasterevan in 2025 and there is little to indicate that their goals will be any grander just yet.

That said, Nurney reached a Division 3 final this year, narrowly being beaten by SFC outfit Kilcock, and looked much improved under Alan Jordan in 2026. Mikey Conway is still doing the business up front and even in moreso recently with the advent of the 40m arc a further boost to his impressive output. Nurney appear stronger than they have been in recent years but getting a firmer foothold in Intermediate remains the most important thing for them in 2026.

For Granegnolvin, the world is their oyster, a rollicking 2025 adventure that saw them achieve provincial glory has been carried into survival in the second-tier of the leagues with Intermediate Championship football now on the agenda. A fit and organised outfit with some reliable scorers sets them up well to tackle the Intermediate ranks.

History is on their side too with none of the last five Kildare Junior Championship winners returning since, while 2020 winners Caragh are now a Senior outfit. They find themselves in the ideal scenario of a wide open group and will be targeting a previously struggling Nurney in their first outing. That opening round fixture will give huge confidence to whomever comes out on top.