Coming up this Friday, the 13th of September at the Vanier College –

• 7pm – Griffintown Gaels (Ladies) vs Goose Village Blackrocks (Ladies)
• 8pm – Concordia Warriors (Men’s) vs Goose Village Blackrocks (Men’s)

This Friday at Vanier we have a meeting between the top and bottom sides in the men’s football, and in the ladies’ football we’re looking at the last roll of the dice for the Gaels as they look to make an unlikely journey to the finals.

Kicking things off we have the Griffintown Gaels facing off against the Goose Village Blackrocks in the ladies’ football. While currently in last place the Gaels aren’t without hope, They’re only four points behind their opponents tonight, the Goose Village Blackrocks. Winning their final two games, and hoping the rocks lose theirs would be enough to bring them to level pegging. Granted, they’ll also need to overturn a eighty four point scoring deficit to push past the rocks and into second place, but before they can worry about that, they’ll need to worry about the game at hand. it’s certainly a herculean task, but stranger things have happened in this league before, and will happen again. The Blackrocks are, by contrast, in a much easier position. A single point out of their last two games will secure their place in the final, and even failing that the scoring difference gives them a solid cushion. But a win here would be preferable, as it would allow them to go into their final game against the Vikings being able to treat it as a dry-run of the final, rather than a must win game.
This is the last chance for the Gaels, so expect them to come out swinging and to leave everything on the pitch, the Blackrocks know they just need to keep their heads and take their points and they’ll book their place in the final. All of which ought to make for a fantastic match, certainly one to watch.

Rounding the night out, we have a bit of dead rubber. With the men’s finalists already decided, the Warriors know that the standings won’t really change no matter how they play against the Blackrocks. But with nothing to lose, there’s nothing holding this side back – a win here would lift spirits on the Warriors and put them on the front foot going into the winter league. On the other side of the equation, the Blackrocks will be looking to use this to get some vital game time and keep their reflexes sharp for the upcoming final, but also need to be mindful of injuries. Will the rocks keep their foot down and look to make their place at the top of the league intact, or will they rest and focus more on the finals? Will the Warriors have one last outstanding performance left for us, or have their eyes turned to the upcoming winter league? But more than likely, once the ball is thrown in all thought of long term thinking will go out thew window as these two sides will go at each other with their trademark ferocity, and give us a cracker of a game in the process.

Coming up this Monday, the 26th of August on the Concordia Stadium –

• 7pm – St Henri Harps vs PSC Cu Chulainn
• 8pm – Concordia Warriors (Men’s) vs Verdun Vikings (Men’s)

Just before Montreal hosts the Eastern Canadian GAA Championships, we have one more week of Superleague fixtures. In Hurling, we have a pivotal game as PSC Cu Chulainn look to stake their claim on a place in the finals, meanwhile in Men’s football, with the narrowest of chances still available to both teams, the Concordia Warriors and the Verdun Vikings are both looking to stage a fairytale of a comeback and nab the one remaing spot in the finals.

Starting off in small ball action with top of the table St Henri Harps lining out against last placed PSC Cu Chulainn. PSC come into this game in last place, but only by virtue of score difference. With a game in hand over their nearest rivals, they do have an oppertunity here to put themselves into second place and narrow the gap at the top of the table to just two points. And while their opponents here have been in fine form all season, the Cus will surely fancy their chances after the last time these two met PSC shocked everyone by taking a well deserved two points, the only team to do so this season. The Harps are already guarenteed a spot in the finals no matter what happens here. This does leave them with an oppertunity to pick their opposition, if they were to slip up here they would almost certainly face PSC instead of Na Fianna in the final, but a firm response to the loss they suffered the last time these teams met would put the ball firmly in Na Fianna’s court. Will the Harps take advantage of the situation, or simply play their best game and let the chips fall where they may? Are PSC about to shock the entire league twice with another upset? And will Na Fianna manage to find a loophole in the rules that means that both teams lose? The answer to these questions and more can be found at the Concordia Stadium, so please do join us.

Meanwhile in the Men’s football a pair of struggling sides are looking to make one last push for glory as Concordia Warriors face off against the Verdun Vikings. On paper both these sides have what it takes to be contenders for the final but have failed to find their form this season. And with only a narrow route to the finals available to both of them, any lazurus like performace will need equal measures of skill and luck, srarting here. Of the two the Warriors have the better prospects – only a point behind the Vikings and six behind the second placed Gaels, but with four fixtures left, giving them a possible total of eight points to pick up. Grabbing them all would put them within touching distace of the top spot, provided the Gaels fail to win any of their remaining games. But that’s a long way from today, where the’ll need to get the better of a Vikings side that are very much their equals. In previous meetings it’s a game apiece, with the Warriors taking the first game and the Vikings giving a loud reply to take the second. The Warriors are well capable of doing the business here, they’ll just need to want it more. Meanwhile, the Vikings have a less forgiving road ahead of them, with only three games left, they can only pick up a maximum of six points, which would just allow them to slide into second, again provided the Gaels are afflicted with a curse than prevents them from winning any matches for the rest of the season. But as with the Warriors, they need to worry more about what’s in front of them. Their last game against the Blackrocks showed flashes of the side that won the Summer Superleague a year ago and if they can find that form again, they’ll be well on their way to winning here. Which one of these two teams will get to hang onto their slimmest of chances, and which will get first dibs on the good seats for watching the finals? Come and join us at the Concordia Stadium and find out.

Coming up this Monday, the 19th of August on the Concordia Stadium –

• 7pm – Griffintown Gaels (Men’s) vs Goose Village Blackrocks (Men’s)
• 8pm – Goose Village Blackrocks (Ladies) vs Verdun Vikings (Ladies)

We’re firmly in the business end of the season now and that means that the top of the table clashes in both men’s and ladies’ football we have for you tonight could well decide who gets to finish the season on top of the table.

First up, the Griffintown Gaels line out against the Goose Village Blackrocks for the final time in the regular season of the men’s football. Currently on top of the table, the Rocks have a narrow lead of a point over the Gaels and the Gaels have a game in hand. The Rocks will be keenly aware that even if they do the business here, they’ll be reliant on either the Vikings or the Warriors to take two points off the Gaels in order for things to stay as they are, which is a tall order. But all that is in the future, as the only side to have taken points off the Gaels all season, the Rocks will be hoping that they can win this particular best of three which should set them up nicely should these two sides meet in the finals.
The Gaels have been in fantastic form all season, and there’s no reason to suspect that will be coming to an end here. A narrow opening day loss to the rocks has been their only stumble, and that was repaid with a rout back in June, so they must surely fancy their chances here. The only worry for them will be that they’ve not played in a month, where as the Rocks have already seen action since the midseason break, perhaps some rust as set in?
Will the Rocks take the Gaels to task for only the second time so far this season, or will the Gaels clean out their cobwebs and the Blackrocks all at the same time? Join us on the main field of the Loyala campus and find out!

Following that we have our second top of the table clash with the Goose Village Blackrocks and the Verdun Vikings squaring off in the ladies’ football. The Vikings have had things all their own way this summer, four wins out of four games and now four points clear of their nearest rivals with a game in hand. One more win here will see them into the finals, and they’re certain to have nothing but that on their minds as they step out for their first game after the midseason break. They’ll be well rested and key players have spend the break in Ireland at the world games, so they’ll be sure to come out swinging
Looking to land a momentum shattering counter punch are a Blackrocks side that have shown themselves capable of great things, but only in fits and starts. Fine performances against the Gaels have been married to less inspiring ones against the Vikings, but as the season has worn on this side has slowly started to find it’s grove. Recent games have had more of the spirit of the dominant Blackrocks sides of old and with only three games left for the Blackrocks and the Gaels snapping at their heels, the Blackrocks will need to dig deep here and find something special to answer this Vikings side. Like their opponents a lot of Blackrock player shone at the world games, it might just be time for the blackrocks as a whole to shine too.
At the end of this, will the Vikings be celebrating getting to their second consecutive final, or will the Blackrocks have delivered a sharp reminder to the league of what they’re capable of? This will be a fine game to end the night on, so please, do come and join us at Loyala campus.