Rynagh's and Ballinamere fancied but have reason to be wary
By Kevin Egan
On form, both St Rynagh’s and Ballinamere would be entitled to be very confident going into this weekend's Offaly SHC quarter-finals. However, both will be wary of the threat posed by their opponents, for different reasons.
St Rynagh’s face Shinrone at St Brendan's Park, Birr on Sunday (4pm). Shinrone’s track record in knockout hurling is so dreadful that every Offaly Independent reader will be well-aware of it, and under normal circumstances, that would be a millstone around their neck at this stage of the championship.
The possible difference in 2022 is that they lost so badly last time out against Belmont, that if anything, the focus will be taken away from the idea of winning a knockout game, and pushed back towards the idea of regaining a little bit of credibility as a serious hurling team.
A return to the fundamentals of imposing yourself on a game and physically competing aggressively might be no bad thing, and while it’s unlikely to be enough for them against a team of the calibre of the county champions, it will still bring them a long way.
Birr - who face Ballinamere on Saturday evneiung in Tullamore (6pm) - have shown signs of their ability all year long but just haven’t quite put it together over a full hour. Take away one poor showing against Rynagh’s, and they’ve hurled quite well, with a good mix of defensive solidity and attacking movement and cohesion.
Ballinamere, for their part, have a decent cohort of some of the best young hurlers in Offaly, and a reasonable degree of physical power and strength dotted throughout the team.
Durrow’s success in last week’s relegation showdown will have given something of a boost, and while there is a sense that Birr’s wiliness and craft will bring them a long way, particularly if the weather turns as it is supposed to, Ballinamere might still have a bit too much firepower.
Likewise at Senior B, Birr are probably very slight outsiders against a Clara side that has a nice age profile and a few good attacking weapons, but arguably not the all-round reliability of the south Offaly club.
We’ll tentatively suggest that they might prevail, to be joined in the final by Kilcormac-Killoughey, albeit their contest against Tullamore also looks like one that will be settled by no more than two or three points.