GROUP A: Can Confey bounce back to Kildare’s top tier ahead of local rivals Leixlip?

Leixlip and Suncroft arrive at their opening round meeting having had very different league campaigns with Suncroft languishing in Division 4 (and finishing third) while Leixlip reached a Division 2 final, where they lost out to Allenwood.

Despite a league campaign of nine wins and a sole defeat, The Lip were decimated by injuries before and during their league final with Allenwood; losing Jack Barrett to a knee ligament injury ahead of the decider, while dual star Jack Travers and former county midfielder Tommy Moolick departed with, by all appearances, significant shoulder injuries before Ronan Fitzsimons was taken off in the closing minutes with what appeared to be yet another knee injury.

If you were to ask a Leixlip supporter to name four men they would not want to lose ahead of their next run at Kildare Intermediate Championship glory, you could easily hear all four the names mentioned. Their respective fitness and the extent of their presence this year will dictate whether Leixlip have any chance of finally getting over the line.

Suncroft’s ambitions have lay at the other end of the Intermediate Championship in recent years with survival the focus in the main. Their presence alongside Leixlip, newly-relegated from Senior side Confey and Straffan represents a stiff challenge for The Croft with their clash against the latter the most winnable on paper. However, an upset result against a depleted Leixlip has to be the target in this opening game.

Leixlip’s strength for the opening day looks bleak at the time of writing and Suncroft are often good value for one major win in this Championship, what a boost it would be to produce it in the first round.

The Croft managed their group stage wins against Nurney and Monasterevan well in 2025 before producing their alluded to 1-16 to 1-7 victory over Ellistown to book a surprise quarter-final spot. A place like that will be harder to find from a tougher group this time around but hope springs eternal for The Croft ahead of Round 1 with Leixlip likely still favoured for this one.

Confey arrive off the back of their aforementioned relegation after they lost out to Allenwood in a dramatic play-off for the drop last year. Recent data suggest that the recently-relegated are not always poised for an immediate return with the likes of Round Towers and St Laurence's still plying their trade at Intermediate level.

Confey’s mission had been about survival for some time and the switch of mentality needed to become a side in the ascendancy is the key to their prosperity this year. If the recently-relegated side have the player buy-in for an IFC run, they could be very dangerous with strong two-point shooters in their ranks and a depth of experience.

They face Straffan who have made Intermediate their home since JFC success in 2022 and, despite being viewed as third best in this group, pose problems for all three in Group A. Straffan will be hoping to test the mettle of the Championship newcomers in Round 1.