Familiar foes collide as SFC semi-final places go on the line
TODAY promises another packed afternoon of football with the remaining two Senior Football Championship quarter-finals.
There will be no need for introductions when the senior sides take to the field, with St Joseph’s and Ballyroan Abbey renewing their rivalry before neighbours Portarlington and O’Dempsey’s battle for the final place in the last four.
St Joseph’s will look to underline their strong start to this year’s championship when they face Ballyroan Abbey. It is a fixture that has become increasingly familiar in recent seasons.
The sides met at the same stage of the championship last year, when St Joseph’s edged a thrilling contest by two points. They also crossed paths in the 2025 ACFL Division 1 final, with St Joseph’s again coming out on top.
St Joseph’s have taken the direct route to this year’s quarter-finals, winning their opening two championship games.
They were made to work hard by Crettyard in Round 1 before another tight encounter followed against Graiguecullen. St Joseph’s held their nerve coming through by the minimum, 1-13 to 1-12.
St Joseph’s have also enjoyed another strong league campaign this year. They reached the ACFL Division 1 final although Courtwood denied them the title.
Ballyroan Abbey have had to take the longer road to Sunday’s showdown.
They opened their campaign with a victory over Rosenallis, with Diarmuid Whelan accounting for 10 of their 19 points.
Things proved more difficult in Round 2 as Courtwood struck 5-16 to send Ballyroan Abbey into Round 3.
They responded strongly against Park/Ratheniska, with two goals proving crucial in a 2-17 to 0-17 victory. James McWey was particularly impressive against Park/Ratheniska, contributing 10 points to the victory.
One major question for Ballyroan Abbey will be the availability of Whelan. He was forced off inside the opening 10 minutes against Courtwood and subsequently missed the victory over Park/Ratheniska.
His return would undoubtedly strengthen Ballyroan Abbey’s hand, but St Joseph’s have been moving well throughout the championship and their recent record in this fixture is difficult to ignore.
Portarlington’s pursuit of another piece of Laois SFC history resumes when they face neighbours O’Dempsey’s in Sunday’s second quarter-final.
Ronan Sweeney’s defending champions have not played in the championship for five weeks after securing their quarter-final place with an emphatic Round 2 victory over Stradbally.
That followed an opening-round success against The Heath and means Portarlington arrive into the knockout stages with two convincing performances behind them.
Their record over recent seasons speaks for itself.
They are chasing a sixth county title in seven seasons and, remarkably, a second championship three-in-a-row during that period.
Standing between them and another semi-final appearance are familiar rivals O’Dempsey’s.
The history between the neighbouring clubs adds another dimension to the contest. Portarlington defeated O’Dempsey’s in the 2022 county final to complete their first three-in-a-row, while they also met in the opening round of the 2024 championship with Portarlington again emerging victorious.
Their most recent meeting came only in July, when Portarlington defeated O’Dempsey’s in the ACFL Division 2 final.
O’Dempsey’s could consider themselves unfortunate not to get something from their opening championship encounter with Courtwood, but their response was emphatic.
O’Dempsey’s hit 5-13 in a comprehensive victory over Emo, restricting their opponents to just 0-6 in the process.
That sent them into Round 3 for a meeting with Arles Killeen.
They had negotiated their opening two games without Mark Barry, who had been playing football in Boston, but his return provided a timely boost. Barry marked his comeback with eight points as O’Dempsey’s won by nine to secure their quarter-final place.
That gives them another significant attacking threat heading into Sunday’s derby, and O’Dempsey’s will know they cannot afford to waste opportunities against a Portarlington side which has developed a formidable championship pedigree.
Portarlington have repeatedly found a way to come out on top in these local battles in recent seasons.
Expect O’Dempsey’s to test them, but Portarlington are fancied to advance and keep their remarkable run of Laois SFC success firmly on track.
