St Rynagh’s face huge task as vaunted Ballyhale await
Long after Offaly fell from grace as a contender in the All-Ireland SHC, the local club scene continued to provide incredibly competitive and high-quality fare, as proven by the performance of the county champions in Leinster competition.
For those of us who lived on the terraces through it all, the noughties saw the Faithful County go from All-Ireland finalists at the start of it to something close to an irrelevance by the end, too good to be relegated but nowhere near good enough to threaten the top tier counties either. Midway through that decade, the trauma of the 2005 Leinster championship defeat to Kilkenny by an incredible 31-point margin was a pretty clear indication that there was no easy way back.
Yet the following year, 2006, ended with Birr contesting a Leinster club final, and that was the start of a run of nine Leinster club championships in which four Offaly clubs reached seven finals, with Birr, Kilcormac-Killoughey and Coolderry all winning at various stages.
To put that in context, just two Kilkenny clubs (Ballyhooed Shamrocks and O’Loughlin Gaels) reached finals in that time, and no more than one from any other county. Offaly hurling at county level was at a low ebb, but local clubs could hold their own with anyone.
Fast forward to now, and there are some signs of revival at county level, albeit coming from an even lower base, but arguably the club game is weaker than ever. This year’s senior championship never really caught fire, and it’s hard to pick out a game that will live long in the memory in terms of quality or intensity. Certainly, there can be no comparing St Rynagh’s form in the knockout stages with that of Clough-Ballacolla, the Laois champions who are in with a glorious chance of becoming the first team from the O’Moore County to reach a provincial senior hurling final in 20 years.
That’s the context of Sunday’s game in Tullamore (1pm), where St. Rynagh’s will attempt to knock over Ballyhale Shamrocks, the All-Ireland favourites, though deep down, not even the most ardent follower of the Banagher club will feel that a win is realistic. Keeping the margin to six or seven points would probably represent a decent afternoon’s work, even allowing for winter conditions, though it’s entirely possible that Ken Hogan’s side could hurl quite well and still be a dozen adrift by the final whistle, such is the talent in this Ballyhale Shamrocks group.
St Rynagh’s will have learned a lot from the performance of Mount Leinster Rangers last weekend, as the Carlow champions made some tactical errors and yet still had long spells in which they were a good match for their illustrious opponents. In aspects such as ball retention, pressuring the ball striker in the half-forward and midfield area, and denying Ballyhale clear-cut goal chances, Rangers ticked a lot of boxes that should be similarly achievable targets for the home side this weekend.
In scoring terms, Rynagh’s will need to find a world of improvement however. Tallies of 0-13, 1-18 and 1-11 in their last three games, or an average of 16 points per match against Offaly opposition doesn’t bode well for trying to pillage a backline anchored by Joey Holden and Richie Reid. Quite where that improvement is going to come from is hard to tell.
Clodiagh Gaels and Shamrocks back in action
The games keep coming for Offaly’s two other hurling champions, both of whom are also chasing Leinster final spots tomorrow afternoon (Saturday).
Shamrocks’ win over Boardsmill of Meath last weekend was no huge surprise, but to do it in the manner they did definitely was, and suggests that they’re primed and ready to extend their run in this competition for at least another week.
Maynooth will be a step-up in class and players like Cathal McCabe, Tadhg Forde and Kevin Dunne around the middle third will control a game if they’re given the chance to do so, but there simply isn’t that much depth in Kildare hurling and while Naas have forged onwards and left the rest of the county behind, there’s still a gap between the next best four or five senior teams and the likes of Maynooth. Shamrocks should certainly approach Saturday's game (Hawkfield, 1pm) with confidence.
Clodiagh Gaels aren’t without hope either against Oylegate-Glenbrien of Wexford (Bellefield, Enniscorthy, 2pm) and there’s no doubt that the two heavy hitters of this championship – Naas and Glenmore – are the other side of the draw, so there’s a great chance to extend the club’s campaign into 2022.
Moreover, any club that has just won back-to-back games by a single point will feel very confident about their chances in a tight finish, if they’re able to force one. That won’t be simple. Club hurling in Wexford is very open, with no exceptional teams but lots of decent ones, and Oylegate-Glenbrien are likely to be in the middle of the senior pack next year in the county.
At the higher level, a few weak links along the flanks will catch them, but down the spine of the team, they are incredibly solid. Damien Reck is the key man at centre-back, Podge Doran is a fine target man on the edge of the square with plenty of hurling in his wrists into the bargain, while Seamus Casey is unlike a lot of modern centre-forwards in that he’s a pure scorer – as evidenced by a ludicrous haul of 4-3 in their quarter-final win over Bray Emmets, with all four goals coming from open play.
If Clodiagh Gaels were hurling either Glenmore or Naas this weekend, we’d say a win was out of their reach. Oylegate-Glenbrien are a bit more beatable, but the Offaly side will still be outsiders, for good reason.
- Kevin Egan