NEWTONMORE - WHO CAN CHALLENGE?

Photo - John MacTavish

I'm just sitting here looking at the Orion Premiership fixtures for this weekend, and one thought keeps coming back...

- who can stop Newtonmore?

They are the most impressive team I have seen this season by a distance.

They can match Kyles' fitness and energy levels, and have lads who look like shinty players in every position. What I mean by that (and you'll know if you've played the game) is that the players have balance and athleticism, look at ease, have good stickwork, can tackle and have the determination of guys playing for the shirt. And crucially, they can hit the ball - which sounds ridiculous but as any shinty fan will tell you, good clean hitting (and off either side) is one of the basic skills that can make the difference between a good and a bad team - and between victory and defeat.

All these things are honed by practice, but these Newtonmore players have the natural poise of people who have been playing since they were knee high to a shinguard. There is no substitute for picking up a stick and getting stuck in at the earliest possible age.

I still struggle to reconcile the modern game with the old, pre-summer shinty days of yore, and to compare players of old with the new breed. It's as difficult as, in football, trying to compare George Best with Wayne Rooney or Pele with Messi.

I wonder how MacArthur, MacRae, Campbell and Cheyne compare with the Frasers, Ross, MacKenzie, MacKintosh and...well...MacArthur of days gone by.

All great players in their respective eras - and it should be left at that, in all honesty. But I cannot help but think that the general skill levels in shinty are no better than they were 20, 30 or 50 years ago.

In terms of speed, fitness and stamina the average modern player will (as in football) no doubt be streets ahead of his old-time counterpart, but summer shinty, in lending itself to these traits, has arguably removed some of the focus on basic tackling skills and natural ability in the helter-skelter, frantic rushing around.

Anyway, back to my main point.

Is there a team out there that can challenge this powerful Badenoch outfit?

Will Kyles recover after the shock of defeat to Kinlochshiel last week to mount a serious challenge for the title?
They have energy in spades (while still relying heavily on the vital Kenny MacDonald factor in goal) but have shown an alarming ability to shoot themselves in the foot in the last couple of seasons - as seen when Inveraray emphatically ejected them from last year's Camanachd Cup while the Tighnabruaich men were in the middle of a good league run. And again last week, Shiel perhaps caught them slightly by surprise - but this shouldn't happen to a team that was only narrowly pipped at the post for the league crown just a few short months ago.
Kyles have a relatively small squad but though it is a tight-knit group, lack of numbers with experience might prove to be their Achilles heel.

Fort William have a new-look side, and are going quietly but effectively about their business in the league. They could conceivably prove to be serious contenders for this season's honours.

Kingussie? Still far too reliant on Mr Dependable Ronald Ross, as evidenced by recent results. He's out, they lose. He's in, they win.

Who else?

Kinlochshiel will do well and are an impressive outfit, but lack the experience to sustain a prolonged challenge. Or do they? Time will tell.

Inveraray are a wee bit long in the tooth, but have experience in bucketloads. They haven't been sharp enough up front in many games and are lacking squad depth overall.

At the risk of invoking the curse of the commentator then, I believe Newtonmore are the best team in the league at this moment. Strong and alert in all departments.

But the best teams don't always win. There are many factors that can influence a shinty match.

What are your thoughts on who might mount a challenge to Newtonmore in the race for this year's silverware?