Rhode remain the team to beat as football championships finally begin

With the curtain drawn on another bitterly disappointing championship for Offaly"s inter-county footballers, supporters in the county now turn their attention to the Tullamore Court Hotel football championships where, after a long period of inactivity, the county"s club players now get the peak summer months to compete for the main domestic prizes. Wednesday night saw Tubber and Shamrocks open their campaigns with wins, but the bulk of the competition starts this weekend and here is how KEVIN EGAN sees the season panning out for each of the senior clubs. Senior Championship Group 1 Rhode (2008: Winners. Ladbrokes" Odds, Outright betting, 10/11) The undisputed top club in Offaly football in this decade, Rhode will look back on 2008 as a year when they lorded the domestic scene but threw away a glorious opportunity for higher honours. It would be understandable if they were to gear their season towards autumn rather than summer yet again, however the injury to Niall Darby could impede their domestic campaign. Paschal Kellaghan and Roy Malone aren"t getting any younger, and Darby"s pace and scoring ability forced opposing defences to do more than simply focus all their attention on Niall McNamee. In his absence, it falls to younger players like Garret Hickey or Anton Sullivan to step up and give McNamee the scoring support he needs. If this happens, the crown remains theirs to lose. Ballycumber (2008: Semi-finalists. Ladbrokes" Odds: 25/1) Without question one of the value bets of the field. The famous saying in sport is that attack wins games and defence wins championships - it could be argued that Gaelic football, where defenders can be made but forwards have to be born, is the exception to this rule. Ballycumber are one of the most stylish teams to watch in the county and they can accumulate significant numbers of scores in the blink of an eye. They need to cut out the horrendous off days, but if they do, they can beat anyone on a given day. Their inability to play to the height of their potential on successive days explains their generous odds. Shamrocks (2008: 3rd in Group. Ladbrokes" Odds: 4/1) It seems harsh to pick on the mental weakness of a club that has endured the tragedy that Shamrocks have in 2009, but when a team has every other attribute required to win a championship and yet manages to throw it all away year in year out, clearly something is amiss. PJ Ward, Brian Monaghan and Nigel Dunne is an inside line that will terrorise defences, while the Coughlans and Mooneys are great players at this level. But they"ve been a 'nearly' club for a long time and on Wednesday night they looked like a team that was getting older rather than better. Shannonbridge (2008: 3rd in Group. Ladbrokes" Odds: 100/1) The 1996 champions have mastered the art of winning one game in order to survive every year, but a horrendous draw has made that task all the harder this summer. They came very close to beating Shamrocks on Wednesday night, however, and if they continue that form throughout the year, they should avoid the drop. Jason Kelly"s free-taking will keep teams honest while Kieran Flannery is a real livewire, but beating Rhode, as they now have to do in order to make the knockout stages, looks beyond them. Senior Championship Group 2 Tullamore (2008: Finalists. Ladbrokes" Odds: 13/2) For the last two years, Tullamore have lost their first championship game of the season and still made the county final and now they"ll have to repeat this trick in 2009. Tubber made them look very ordinary on Wednesday evening and the absence of key attackers Gearóid O"Grady and Shane Dooley was very evident, with none of the alternatives selected doing anything to fill the void. Tullamore have some good players but will have to address some problem areas around the middle of the field if they are to reach a third successive county final. Tubber (2008: Quarter-finalists. Ladbrokes" Odds: 20/1) Their middling form in division two of the league suggested that Tubber might struggle this summer, but they were a revelation on Wednesday, deservedly securing a comfortable win over Tullamore. Bernard Allen and Brian Kelly each had fine games and proved that they are now serious contributors at adult level, but manager James Stewart will have been particularly pleased with the performance of his half-back line and midfield. Captain Eddie Kavanagh was outstanding at centre-back and Tubber must now be odds on to reach the knockout stages at the very least. Ferbane (2008: Survived play-off. Ladbrokes" Odds: 16/1) Mixed the good with the horrendous in 2008, but their league results in 2009 indicate that Ferbane could be a tough opponent for any team during this championship. A strong midfield sector will give them a solid platform of possession, while good performances against both county finalists in last year"s championship showed that there is plenty of potential in the club. With this Ferbane team likely to be well prepared and committed, they look set to improve on recent seasons and possibly go deep into the championship. Edenderry (2008: Survived play-off. Ladbrokes" Odds: 50/1) With a big town to pick from, a big name manager (former Dublin player Jack Sheedy) recruited to take the reins and one trophy on the mantelpiece already, Edenderry have a lot of ingredients in place to perform well in 2009. They have a good group of teenagers who look set to backbone the club in years to come, but 2009 may be a little bit soon to see the best of these players. They competed well in every game in 2008, despite failing to get results, so if their division two success drummed home the art of winning, they could surprise a few people in a wide open group. Senior Championship Group 3 Gracefield (2008: Semi-finalists. Ladbrokes" Odds: 6/1) With a tigerish backline, several very capable forwards and the county"s leading midfielder, Gracefield are justifiably considered one of the real dangers to Rhode in 2009. Padraig Duffy was one of the revelations of last season and if he and Ruairí Allen continue to improve, Gracefield could be in for a big season. Probably the most likely team to beat Rhode this year. St Brigid"s (2008: Intermediate Champions. Ladbrokes" Odds: 50/1) Their relegation in 2007 shocked most observers, however they dealt with the blow very well and worked their way back up to senior at the first attempt. A couple of key absentees could prove costly, however they are unlikely to be caught on the hop in the same way as they were two years ago. Their unique style may need to evolve a little to survive at the highest level. Clara (2008: Quarter-finalists. Ladbrokes" Odds: 11/2) The loss of Joe Quinn to illness is potentially a huge blow to a club with no shortage of attacking talent but a little bit light in terms of defensive strength and leadership. Clara have the football to beat anyone, but their tendency to have shocking off days is likely to be their undoing, at least until they learn how to keep opponents to ten scores or less on a regular basis. Erin Rovers (2008: 3rd in Group. Ladbrokes" Odds: 33/1) Based on league form, Erin Rovers appear to be in very poor shape approaching this championship, however they have been very depleted and a lot will depend on how many of their long-term absentees make it to the start tonight (Friday) fully fit. Players such as Declan Kelly and Richie Fox are crucial to the cause and with them they can compete with most sides. In the absence of leaders of that stature, a tough battle with relegation would be most likely. From a county perspective, it will be interesting to see if Alan Lynam continues his good form from last summer.