Mac's View: Club championship draw gives us something to look forward to

The draw for the senior club championship was made on Tuesday night and we here in Bundoran have not got anything easy. There will be good interest in our match with Ballyshannon but I have to say we are not in good shape at the moment.

But still, it is great to have the draw made. We have suffered a little being in the wrong side of the draw and after Aodh Ruadh, we are down to host St Eunan's in the second round, which is not a game that Bundoran can look forward to.

And then we could possibly get Kilcar in one of the other rounds, which would make it very difficult for us to survive and our season could be over early. It doesn't look too bright at the moment, and it could come to a bitter end.

There will be plenty of interest in the first game in Ballyshannon and hopefully we can make a game of it. There is word that Jamie Brennan might be going to Philadelphia, which would not help our cause. Maybe he might be back for some of the later games in the championship.

But whatever, we have to take what the draw throws up and the opening game will create good interest. The advantage of the open draw means you can be lucky or unlucky. Unfortunately, we cannot field a reserve team at the moment. We will meet Aodh Ruadh in the league before that.

There are some good match-ups in the championship draws but Bundoran v St Eunan's is not a good match-up. There is a strong argument to say that there aren't 16 teams capable of playing in the senior championship, and if there was a re-structure, there could be a very competitive Intermediate championship.

Here's how all the All-County Football Leagues are shaping up

With the draw for the championship made earlier this week, there is plenty to play for in the latter stages of the leagues over the coming weeks

I was talking to Manus Boyle who was up in Bundoran this week putting up nets on the ballstop and he was talking about the need to reorganise the league on a north-south basis.

There is probably a good argument to look at all the structures, league and championship. Bundoran have a few league games left, including this Friday night against St Michael's, and they need at least one more win to stay out of relegation trouble.

ALL-IRELAND QUARTER-FINALS
I'm looking forward to travelling to Croke Park this Sunday to see two of the All-Ireland quarter-finals and it should be a good weekend for the GAA. I know it would be nice to have our own team involved, but I will be supporting the Ulster teams and I'm hoping that we can have an all-Ulster All-Ireland semi-final.

I fancy Dublin against Cork on Saturday evening while Derry should beat Clare, although Clare will put it up to them. They have been playing well and have been competitive now for a good few years.
Kerry should beat Mayo on Sunday but maybe there is one last game in Mayo. However, they lack the forward power that makes the difference. They have a good backline and midfield but up front they don't have the score getters.

The best game could possibly be the Armagh and Galway clash on Sunday, two good sides. I have a feeling that the extra competition that Armagh have got with wins over Tyrone and Donegal will have brought them on.

Galway played Mayo at a stage when Mayo were not playing well. They then played a poor Roscommon team, who were not firing. They have got very little competitive football and that might be to Armagh's benefit. I'm predicting that the All-Ireland semi-finals will be Dublin against Kerry and Derry against Armagh.

TAILTEANN CUP
I must say I sat back last Sunday and really enjoyed the Tailteann Cup semi-finals. Cavan amassed 20 points and played well within themselves. But fair play to Sligo, they had a bad start and looked nervous, but they opened up the Cavan defence for three or four goals. They really went at them in the second half.

I think Cavan maybe had another gear, but they will need it for the final, when they meet Westmeath, who really impressed me. I know Offaly, like Sligo, had a bad start, but at times they almost matched Westmeath. John Heslin, up front for Westmeath, is a super player. Offaly will benefit from the competition, especially having won the U-20 grade last year.

Overall, you would have to say, the Tailteann Cup has been a great success, as distinct from the B competition that was tried a number of years ago. Having the games televised and played in Croke Park was a factor and hopefully it will grow, similar to the ladies game, which took some time to get going. It was great viewing and the football was very entertaining with plenty of scores.

SYMPATHY
Finally this week, my sympathies to the Gillespie families of Kilcar and Glencolmcille on the sudden death of Martin Gillespie, who was an important member of the Naomh Columba panel who were one of the top teams of the 1990s.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.