Senior Football Final Preview

[Lone Shark]

(Apologies for jumping the gun with this on what should be a weekend for hurling to the fore, but I had to do it for the Indo, so here ye go....)


Shamrocks will win the Offaly senior football championship this Sunday.

No doubt if Mark Plunkett is reading this, minor conniptions will be the result as the last thing any manager wants these days is to see his charges being hyped up in advance of a big game. Equally, Tullamore management will be delighted to have the opinion of some two bit hack to “pin to the wall of the dressing room” in order to drive the boys in blue to prove the fecker wrong. Perhaps your writer is mistaken, and Tullamore (rightly) couldn’t care less about what any journalist in the county puts forth as their opinion in advance of Sunday’s clash, but the obligatory sideswipe at “the meedja that wrote us off” is so commonplace nowadays that it’s hard to escape the imagery of managers scouring every parish bulletin in the land looking to get some piece of dismissive commentary to use as motivation.

Except here’s the problem – whatever motivation Tullamore can muster, it will do extraordinarily well to compete with the longing that exists in Shamrocks GAA club to finally put their first ever county championship on the record books. County stars and great clubmen like Ronan Mooney, Padraig Kelly, Conor and Barry Mooney and many others have been playing their hearts out for the past decade looking to secure this accolade for the club, and it looks for all the world like all the pieces are falling into place.

It’s not that long ago since Tullamore achieved the last of their 25 county titles with their one goal victory over Gracefield in 2002, but survivors from that team are few and far between – most likely five of the starters from that day will line out next Sunday. The town have had a marvellous run of minor successes in recent years, and look the hottest of favourites to take this year’s under 21 title, but many of these players have yet to develop to their full potential. Stalwarts like Cathal Daly and John Kenny are as good leaders as any club could hope to have, but most of their team will be new to the county final experience.

In contrast, Shamrocks tick all the boxes. The core of their team is playing at their peak, with both youth and experience scattered throughout the side and they’ve gone through all the rites of passage. In 2005 they reached their second county title decider in 32 years and third ever, and although they were only edged out by a late Paschal Kelleghan goal, their slow start cost them dearly as they should have been well in front by then. The old saying that you have to lose one to win one still carries a lot of weight, with many observers feeling Shamrocks would come back even stronger in 2006. To a certain extent they did, but they were sucker punched in the semi final by Clara in a result that not many in the county saw coming. Whatever chance there was of Shamrocks suffering from complacency in the 2007 campaign was obliterated on that day. With the lessons of the last two years on board, Shamrocks mentally are in a much better place than Tullamore right now.

All that said, the game will still come down to football – who will kick the most scores, who will secure the most possession, and who will defend with the most intensity, discipline and craft. Once again, it’s hard to see past the men in red. Tullamore have ground out their way to this final, no small achievement, but at no time have they come close to the level of play that Shamrocks displayed in the semi final against Rhode. True, they had no answer to Niall McNamee, but one could ask the question, what club in Offaly does? Take away the incredible display from McNamee and Shamrocks comfortably dominated Rhode in every area of the field, a Rhode team that was going for four county titles in a row and was a drier pitch away from winning a Leinster club title last year. Shamrocks move the ball well, their midfield and half forwards work hard to slow the progression of opponents, and the addition of PJ Ward to their range of attackers that can score makes them very difficult to contain. In recent years Shamrocks big problem was always finding the last three names on the team sheet. All too often one or two weak links let the side down. This year Ward and minor stars Karl Mollen and Nigel Dunne have filled the gaps and with no injury concerns, it looks like Shamrocks finally have the balanced team that will push them over the line.

This Tullamore side that have plenty of county titles in them – but not this year. Pin it up on the wall all ye like lads, 2007 belongs to Shamrocks.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Pin it to the wall? They'll be burning copies of the paper in the square in Tullamore, that's what!

[arbarg]

I disagree ,
Tullamore will just shade it.
shamrocks are more afraid of Tullamore than Tullamore are of them.
I have a funny feeling they will bottle again (although in fairness they are a crackin team and I wouldnt begrudge them a senior title).
I sat beside a couple of their players at the Clara Tullamore game and they didnt look too happy that Tullamore got through.
Again though its a County Final and it all boils down to the day.
hope its a cracker though

[Lone Shark]

Obviously opinions are just that - opinions - but even so you've summed up right there why I think Shamrocks will win this game with a bit to spare. The only reasons I've heard why Tullamore might win are gut feelings about how Shamrocks mightn't play their best game, and how being the underdog will suit them, and various other non-football reasons.

Maybe I'm doing a dis-service to the blues, and I didn't see the county semi, but nothing I saw from Tullamore in any other game this year would have caused Shamrocks any discomfort whatsoever. Brigid's were woeful, Tullamore were charmed to get past Ballycumber, they were God-awful against Shamrocks, and a fit Slattery would have made all the difference in the quarter.

The beauty of sport is that anything can happen - but I seriously doubt it will here.

[the Untouchable]

My sources in Shamrocks tell me that Derek Molloy & Neville Coughlan are both gone for the county final...Neville has done ligaments in his ankle & Derek broke a few fingers against Coolderry...without those 2 lads Tullamore might just shade it!!

I'd give anything to see Shamrocks win it...but the Town won't be easy bet!!!

Slan!!

[The Magpie]

In agreement with LS here. Nobody has put forward a good case for Tullamore winning this game, aside from the 'Shamrocks could bottle it' sentiment.

If Shamrocks really are missing those two, that would certainly soften them. However, I've lost count of the number of big games I've heard big players are injured for - and then majestically, they play.

As I've said before, it's Shamrocks to lose. Roll on Sunday.

[naasmanxrhode]

Shamrocks will win if they play the aggresive type football that they played against Rhode and they don't have an Niall Mac to worry about. I think that Shamrocks could win this easily.

[redser]

Alot of die hard GAA people i know in Tullamore fully expect to win. They are delighted to be playing Shamrocks and not Rhode.

I fancy them cause they have alot of good footballers outside their county players (past and present). The likes of Dooley, O' Grady, Duffy, Martin and Egan and goin to be county players in the near future.

[redser]

Alot of die hard GAA people i know in Tullamore fully expect to win. They are delighted to be playing Shamrocks and not Rhode.

I fancy them cause they have alot of good footballers outside their county players (past and present). The likes of Dooley, O' Grady, Duffy, Martin and Egan and goin to be county players in the near future.

[redser]

I know alot of die hard GAA people in Tullamore who fully "expect" them to win. They will openly admit that they are happy to be playin shamrocks and that shamrocks will fall apart.

I was impressed with them against clara. O'Grady, Dooley and Duffy were very impressive aswell as the much talked about backline. Kenny and Daly are playing their best football in years.

[rocket57]

I think that Tullamore can win why not it is two teams of 15 against one another it is all on the day.
Isaw the previous game and dont read anything into it as their was nothing at stake they seemed to go trough the motions ?, now a county title is at stake you will see every player want it badly so i think we will have a good match which either team can win but i still think that the Tullamore backs are the difference if they get on top as i expect they will win their forwarde are only starting to play as we know.
Tullamore by a couple No 26

[The Magpie]

Lads, I don't know where this confidence in the Tullamore backs is coming from. Clara kicked 12 points against them, missed several fairly easy chances and should've scored two goals. Ok, Tullamore have yet to concede a goal, but I think Lady Luck is playing a big part there...the Clara and Ballycumber games spring to mind.

You want to talk about mean defences? How many points have Shamrocks conceded in the entire championship? They have yet to concede more than 7 in one game.

[rocket57]

Tullamore have a very strong backline you could make a case for them all to make a county panell at the moment.
Shamrocks dont have the same quality in their backs.
But tullamore have better forwards this year not like before.
That is why i think that Tullamore will win this year

[Lone Shark]

Obviously clubmen will always be optimistic, and so it should be - however I'd be very interested to see if anyone from outside Tullamore actually thinks that they're going to win. Myself and the Magpie are singing from the same hymnsheet, but there are a lot more pundits out there than just us...

[TheManFromFerbane]

My two cents: Shamrocks, but not by much. Overall I think they are just that bit better.