How the contenders are shaping up in battle for club football glory

By Kevin Egan

It feels as if now, rather than the middle of last month, is the appropriate time to really assess the various runners and riders in the race for football championship glory in Offaly. With round robin action having been completed, it’s only now that things will begin to whet the appetite of supporters everywhere.

Here, we’ll break down the overall picture at the top grades, starting – naturally – with the senior 'A' football championship. And where else is there to start but with Tullamore, who have done what they’ve needed to do without really pulling up any trees. Winning three games and conceding 18 scores in the process would suggest that the Blues are defending incredibly well, and there’s no doubt that modern football tactics are ideal for a panel with a profile like theirs.

Defending nowadays is all about mobility, focus, tactical awareness and working as a collective unit. The key metrics would be fitness, a settled management team that has been able to implement their system over a long period of time, and players that know each other well and understand the strengths and weaknesses of their colleagues.

Questions remain over Tullamore’s attack and whether they are blessed with the elite inside forwards they need, but they have most of their ducks in a row and are in the perfect position right now.

On paper, Rhode are the side with the most quality and flair up front, but if Niall McNamee misses the rest of the domestic campaign – and that’s a very real possibility – then that picture changes. If they can keep themselves in games, they have some incredibly experienced and wily individuals on the bench to help them see out contests, but their energy and stamina will be tested by Ferbane next time out.

For their part, Ferbane’s failure to hold on to a good position midway through the second half againt Edenderry last Sunday week leaves them with a treacherous road to glory. More than any other team though, they look likely to make plenty of personnel changes for the quarter-final, with Oisín Kelly and David Nally in particular likely to benefit from the extra couple of weeks. They aren’t without hope.

It appears that Edenderry need Seán Doyle fully fit and firing on all cylinders to make a deep run this year. Cian Farrell is in sensational form, but Doyle is the only other player contributing consistently for the Reds up front, and with Mark Abbott now out for the year, they’re further hamstrung. In terms of mobility and energy from two to nine, however, they’re as good as there is out there.

It might seem disrespectful to only mention Shamrocks now after they topped their group, but their last game against Durrow was deeply underwhelming, and it’s not obvious if they have another gear to find, as every team will need from now on.

Durrow are probably more dangerous on a one-off basis, and in one sense, Tullamore is the perfect draw for them. Many of their players are fighting on two fronts, but this way they will either be out of the running, or they’ll know they’re good enough to win it all. They’ll need goals, they’re not going to score 14 or 15 times against their neighbours, but they have the players to score them.

Ballycommon will feel that Shamrocks are beatable, but they need to find more scores from somewhere. A scoring return of 2-19 over three games won’t cut it, and for all their energy and vim, that lack of real craft at the top end is likely to prove fatal.

Meanwhile Bracknagh rounded off their campaign with a good win and are hitting form at the right time. They continue to look three or four players short of a really strong team, but an Edenderry side that has a couple of weak spots of their own is a decent match up for them. They’re not without hope in that tie, even if they have a bit of ground to make up.

Senior B FC

This championship looked like it was destined to meander to a Clara versus Cappincur final, but suddenly Daingean’s win over the Magpies has blown it right open. Like their neighbours Ballycommon, Daingean look like they are in the mix to put back-to-back championship titles together, as they have talented players in key positions and really trust their structure to give them a chance to win games.

For Clara, it was the wrong result at the perfect time. Daingean shone a light on some of the chinks in their armour, and while they’ve paid a price in that Tubber will smell blood in the water, they should be able to right the ship. We can’t see them being held to eight scores again.

Tubber have been impressive this year and a couple of their younger players have given them a huge injection of quality, most notably Donal Shirley. But they’ll wonder how they let last weekend’s game against Clonbullogue slip, and though this was a decent, entertaining encounter, both sides probably have a bit to find if they’re to upset one of the big guns.

At the risk of being dismissive, nothing that we’ve seen so far from Gracefield, Walsh Island or Ballycumber would suggest that they’re really in the mix, so that leaves Cappincur, who have arguably taken over as championship favourites. Bill Carroll is in the form of his life, they’re scoring consistently well with lots of players chipping in, and they have a high ‘floor’, in that their form rarely dips below a certain level.

Intermediate FC

It seems to be a question of whether or not there is a team out there who have the ability to beat St Brigid’s, who have been the clear standout team so far. They will bring Dan Molloy back in at some stage – they might try and overcome a struggling St Rynagh’s side without him - but expect to see him in action after that, if that game goes to form. Nothing we’ve seen from any other club so far would suggest that they will be anything other than strong favourites in any possible tie.

Someone is likely to find form and gather momentum, however, and whoever comes through the quarter-final clash between Erin Rovers and Raheen will have to be watched. Raheen are nowhere near as poor as three defeats from three would suggest, while Erin Rovers still lean heavily on a few veterans that have a lot of miles on the clock, but the longer the year goes on, the less that will be an issue.

Tullamore won’t take Ferbane for granted and that battle of the second teams will be tight, but Tullamore have a slightly higher ceiling and are more likely to be a threat to the Croghan men in the longer run, and while one of Ballinagar and Kilcormac-Killoughey will make a semi-final, it would be a surprise if either of them went any further than that.