Baltinglass trip a chance to ease nerves for Offaly ladies

by Kevin Egan

Once the groups were confirmed for this year’s TG4 Intermediate championship, Offaly were always up against it when it came to trying to qualify for knockout football. Tyrone and Clare look like very strong contenders for the outright title, alongside last year’s finalists Wexford, and the surprise package that is Antrim.

That being said, this is still the right championship for this group, and a win over Wicklow in Baltinglass this Sunday will stamp that ticket for the year ahead. Otherwise, a relegation play-off series against (most likely) Louth and Longford lies ahead, given that Roscommon are protected from relegation by virtue of their Connacht championship success.

Home advantage is significant in this competition – one only has to look at how competitive Offaly and Wicklow were in their first games at home against the top two sides in the group, losing by five and six points respectively, and compare that with the hammerings both teams took last weekend. Nonetheless, Louth have had the better of Offaly in their last few meetings, while Longford are a young group, packed full of players from last year’s successful minor team, and they should be suited by summer conditions and their drive to avenge the decisive league game between the two sides, where Offaly dodged relegation with a win. Sunday is the first chance for this group to dodge the drop, and it may also be their best one.

Throw in at Baltinglass (2pm)