If you listen to knowledgeable football fans, retaining the ISSA Manning Cup title will be a mere formality for champions Jamaica College (JC).

Hence topping Group G will be a cakewalk for the boys from Old Hope Road.

JC, the most successful school with 25 Manning Cup titles, are grouped with Norman Manley High, Kingston Technical High, Jonathan Grant and St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS).

Having waited 33 years for Manning Cup success in 2007, The Miguel Coley-coached boys will be hunting their fourth title in seven years and are heavily favoured to achieve it. But first they must negotiate this five-team group that can be a tricky one.

“It is always our intention is to do well in the group and basically top the group because it will be very competitive,” Coley told the Jamaica Observer.

“Theses are teams that over the years are making some strides. Jonathan Grant never made it out of their zone but did particularly well in terms of finishing third,” he noted. “Norman Manley is a team that normally gets out of their group, so those two teams with STATHS who sometimes have a good year and a bad year can be difficult,” he added.

According to Coley, he has retained only four members of the starting team in captain Junior Flemmings, Raffique Bryan, Alonso Brown and Courtney Dowdie, but he has blended a nicely balanced squad with some Under-16 players stepping up and with the current team camaraderie, attitude to work and the discipline, this team will go far.

National Under-17 goalkeeper Jahmali White, Ronaldo Watson and Ajeanie Talbott are some of the young players who are expected to fill the gaping hole left by the departure of several starting players.

Three-time winners Norman Manley (1996, 2000, 2002), will as usual give a good account of themselves and will be there in the reckoning when group honours are being decided.

They finished second last year to Excelsior before being knocked out in the quarter-final stage, finishing third behind Wolmer’s Boys and Bridgeport High.

Despite finishing fourth last year with nine points courtesy of just two wins and three draws in Group A, Jonathan Grant could be the surprise team in this group this year and should be competitive once again.

The 1987 champions STATHS remain an unknown factor based on their inconsistencies over the years, and again it is left to be seen how they will perform.

Last year they went winless in the same group as Jonathan Grant and will have to improve significantly to make an impact in this group.

Kingston Technical (KT) did a little better than STATHS, garnering seven points, inclusive of one win last year and will again find it extremely difficult to make an impression.

All in all, JC should easily advance to the next stage and should be joined by Norman Manley. But football as it is, any number can play, hence, Jonathan Grant, KT and STATHS will feel they have a chance as good as any.