PREVIEW: Naas should have too much for emerging Moorefield side in Division 1 final

While few out there would have managed to predict the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship finalists of 2026, coming back home and it is fair to suggest even less would have predicted the two finalists for this season’s Hanlon Concrete Kildare Senior Football League Division 1 decider and holders of the Leinster Leader Cup for the next twelve months.

Yes, of course, Naas would have been on most folk’s list to reach the decider, even, for most of this campaign having to operate without their sizable inter-county contingent.

That in itself gave new Naas manager, Jimmy Higgins, the opportunity to throw his eye over players who may not have got the chance to impress had circumstances been different.

And the new boss of the county town side certainly has seen quite a number of players throughout the campaign that has seen his side win eight, lose two and draw one in their eleven match programme, before defeating Raheens in the semi-final, a game that was close for long periods, the boys in blue and white moving clear down the stretch.

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Moorefield on the other hand came into this campaign with much trepidation, with a different mindset and different aims as manager Frank Hanniffy and his management team’s no. 1 objective to retain their status and see what unfolds then.

Moorefield, while retaining a few of their ‘seasoned’ campaigners, along with some experienced lads but overall have a team that could reasonably be described as young and inexperienced.

So reaching the final of the Division 1 League, can certainly be described as a major achievement and an achievement that certainly be built on, regardless of how Saturday’s game unfolds.

Naas, on the other hand, even without their main men, have shown their impressive strength-in-depth; the introduction of some young players has, and will put pressure on some of the more established lads and overall the favourites for the senior championship are in a very good place at the minute.

Eoin Doyle remains their leader, wearing no. 3 most times these days, he is in top class shape, lean and mean as ever, he drives this side on, gets forward at every opportunity and is the ideal player to have around younger lads.

Mark Maguire in this writer’s view, has a really bright future while Paddy McDermott has been dictating the movement forward using his pace and skill to great effect.

Liam O’Connor, a lad we have been keeping a close eye on and he has not disappointed, and the same can be said of Kevin Cummins, the Hanifin boys need no introduction while Neil Aherne is probably Naas’ most consistent forward.

And that is before you look at the bench and, of course, the return of some, or all, of their county stars.

Moorefield shocked Celbridge in the semi-final, not for the first time it has to be said, and it could affect the side from north of the county come the championship.

Moorefield won five, lost three and drew three of their eleven games in this Division 1 campaign and while they finished with the same number of points as town rivals, Sarsfields, The Moores had an aggregate score line of +12 as against The Sash’s -13.

Moorefield will come into this decider with absolutely no pressure on them, as said, the evergreens, such as Kevin Murnaghan and Liam Callaghan, the experienced such as Aaron Masterson, Mark Dempsey and James Murray and the emerging lads such as Evan O’Brien, Jack Butler, Tommy Rooney, not forgetting Eoin Mehan and Mark Murray, all make up a side that will test Naas, the confidence from that win over Celbridge should stand to them.

Naas will arrive in Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge, on Saturday afternoon, as warm favs and it is difficult to see them failing to lift the oldest trophy in Kildare GAA club history, but having said that for Moorefield this is a great opportunity as they go about building a team for the future, a side that has its sights set on competing up there once again with the best and this is a big step in that direction.

PREDICTION: NAAS