So here are my assorted thoughts on the different clubs going through the groups.Group 1
Rhode County Champions two years in row, under 21 champions (with Brigid’s and Clonmore) for about thirty eight times in a row, and a heavy helping of some of the county’s best players – there’s no real reason to oppose them. Within Offaly big and mobile full back lines are thin on the ground, which means that the McNamee and Kelleghan tandem is generally very hard to stop, since they are equally adept at winning high and low deliveries. Their only concern will be the poor spring form of Alan McNamee, 2005’s player of the year. If he gets back to last year’s form, in theory at least it’s hard to see them being beaten.
All that said, for some reason I expect them to fall somewhere towards the end of the line this year – most likely in the final. The tough nature of group one will keep them honest and on the back of a 2005 campaign that extended into November, having to be fully tuned in for two championship games in April will not suit them. I expect them to win both those games, but something tells me they’ll get caught later as a result of having to maintain such a strong level throughout the summer. This is only a hunch, but nonetheless a strong one.
Tullamore Much like Rhode that have been accumulating under 21 crowns for fun in recent years, Tullamore have monopolised the minor grade and some fruits of that stream of success should become apparent in the coming years. They had a bad day out against St. Michael’s in the under 21 semi this year, but one bad day out doesn’t mean these players are suddenly ordinary. For such a young player, last year proved how James Keane has come on in spades and his fitness in their key clashes will make a huge difference in how Tullamore fare this summer. It’ll take some time to replace the stalwarts such as Kenny, Daly and Rouse that will be departing the scene, but for now they still have a bright and young panel which can score heavily when they click into gear. They are favourites to take second spot in the group behind Rhode, but an off day like they had against Gracefield or Rhode last year could cost them. They’ll find a quarter final against some team on a roll – most likely Clara – a very tricky assignment, and might come a cropper there.
Edenderry Last year they took some small steps towards getting back to a level where the Dowling cup is a realistic ambition. Sadly for the Reds, a similar level of progress this year would still see them eliminated before the knockout stages. In order to upset the apple cart and get into the top two, they’ll have to really step up and cut down on conceding goals and find a little bit more penetration up front themselves. The biggest danger is that they will put a huge effort into winning the games against Tullamore and Rhode, games where they could play well and still fall short, leaving themselves vulnerable against Ballycumber and Ferbane, both teams who are dangerous in different ways. Their opening clash with Ballycumber is huge – if they lose that they’ll find themselves drawn into a dogfight with Ferbane, a not unfamiliar situation in games between those two sides. Ultimately it’s ironic that with the new system, despite the fact that Edenderry are some two or three points improved on where they were twelve months ago, relegation is a real danger for them – one they will ultimately avoid, but not without a scare or two.
Ballycumber There are many obvious weaknesses in the ‘Cumber lineup, easily apparent to anyone who sees them in action on a regular basis. Despite this, they have several players that are good enough to compensate for this and as a result no-one will look forward to playing them this year. Colm Quinn may be struggling to keep up to county pace, but at club level he is still the best playmaker in the county, and there is no shortage of forwards in Ballycumber capable of making good use of that standard of delivery. They are vulnerable to teams with real power around the middle, but last year they made a habit of playing well for fifteen or twenty minutes in each game, and scoring enough in that brief spell to all but win the match. On that basis alone, they remain dark horses to pull off a surprise or two in this group.
Ferbane 2006 has the makings of a tough year for Ferbane, one where relegation is a real threat. No-one could really be held responsible for this – as a team they have consistently outdone the sum of their parts in previous years, but this draw has really made life tough for them – before for added difficulty, they were scheduled to make their opener against Rhode after the Village will have had a game behind them. All in all it’s just too hard to see them scoring 14 or 15 points in any game of football, and while no team will hammer them – their attitude will see to that – it’s all to easy to see them finishing up with four defeats by a combined nine or ten points. Of course to compound this, this year sees two teams relegated, and while Ferbane are a long way from being among the two worst teams in Offaly – it is a live possibility, and one which they will do well to avoid. The Edenderry game will be crucial – that game is guaranteed to be tight, and a win there might see them safe and guarantee another year for their young forward line to develop.
Group 2
Shamrocks Hopefully the poor performance of Gracefield in 2005 will have alerted all those around Rahan and Mucklagh way as to the dangers of not completely keeping focus after one good year. If Shamrocks can see 2005 as a year when they proved that Rhode were only one kick of a ball better than them, then they have every chance of stepping it up and going on from there – it remains to be see if that will be the case.
If this writer was forced to give an opinion however, they won’t break the drought in 2006 either. In contrast to the teams above, the draw has not been kind to Shamrocks either, but for completely different reasons. Shamrocks should, if they are even at 70% of the level they were at last year, cruise this group. There is a strong possibility they will play out this group and not have a single match where the result is in doubt with ten minutes to go. However at that stage they will sail into a semi final against either the group 3 winner or the group 1 runner up – a team that will be much more game sharp and will have the advantage for that very reason. The best thing that could happen them, funnily enough, would be a scare against Gracefield first game up. However that for now seems unlikely, and I expect Shamrocks to reach the county semi final, unchallenged, with 12/13 strong players and a few weak links still unproven, and fall at that stage.
Gracefield A relatively soft group draw sees them odds on to reach the quarter finals, and even at that stage they will meet a group three runner up, so a semi final slot is far from unrealistic. However that is the stage when the spectre of Rhode would start to loom large, and no matter what way you look at that game, it’s hard to see Gracefield coming close to toppling the champions. The underage cupboard has been very bare for a considerable time now, and while in Duffy and Knight they had two of last years successful county minor team, it’s still a senior panel that’s seriously short on depth. When one looks at the likes of Tullamore, Clara and Rhode, all of whom have intermediate teams backing up their first string, Gracefield’s backup team were playing junior B last year. I’m not sure at the moment as to whether Tom Fitzpatrick will be around for the summer or not – with him they should make a semi final. Without him they could easily fall short of that.
Doon Everybody’s second favourite team before now, this year sees county legend Vinny Claffey take the helm and his progress will be watched carefully by most as the year goes on. On the surface of it, the job is tough. As things stand Damien Hunt won’t be featuring this year, while Aidan Holly, who looked a decent midfield prospect last year, has returned to Kerry. The forward line is as dangerous as ever, with Trevor Phelan fast now coming into the reckoning at county level, but the back line remains seriously porous and their league form is downright poor.
Their never-say-die attitude will always stand to them, but Saturday’s game with Erin Rovers represents a real banana skin for the Doon boys. Losing it could have dire consequences.
Erin Rovers Based on last year’s form you’d say relegation will be a real issue for the Pullough boys this year, and it’s hard to find any reasons why that simple analysis won’t hold true. Much like Ferbane in group one, scores tend to just come too hard to the Rovers, and no amount of stout defending or tactical planning will compensate for that. Their first game against Doon will be of vital importance to them – a win there and they could just have done enough to palm off relegation for the year – a defeat and it’s hard to see them surviving.
Group 3
Clara Their league form is poor, the didn’t win a game in the 2005 championship, and several of their key players will be over in America. For all that, Clara are my best bet to take the Championship this year. Make no mistake, they’re not favourites or anything like it, but it’ll be the first summer in a while that Thomas Deehan will be fully fit and available, and that will allow Shaper to drop deeper and become more involved in games, playing the half forward role he has been doing for the county. It’s hard to see them failing to get out of their group, which will give them momentum, momentum that could carry them through a winnable quarter final. At that stage they will meet a group winner who will be comparatively cold – the stage is set. They will take time to find their feet, but I just suspect that once these Magpies take off, they might be very hard grounded.
St. Brigid’s The surprise element is certainly gone from Croghan at this stage. There will be no surprise at the in-your-face physical style that Brigid’s employ, and as such they may find the wins that little bit harder to come by this year. They still have a lot of very talented players, and they are more than good enough to come out of this group despite that, but the suspicion is that in Shannonbridge and Rynagh’s they’ll meet two teams only delighted to engage them in a “No Quarter asked or Given” style encounter. Last year they beat Clara by a point to secure their status as group three winners – the danger for Brigid’s is that they may need that result just to qualify this year.
Betting wise, favourites for second spot in group three – only just, and my gut feeling is they mighn’t make it
Shannonbridge For several years now I’ve been saying that there is some good football in this Shannonbridge team – I’d say lads the far side of the county are beginning to wonder am I looking at Roscommon or something instead because they haven’t shown it in the Championship. If they can get all their ducks in a row they have every reason to believe a knockout slot is within their grasp – the question is if they can manage that. A good start and they could pick up the focus and go on from there – a bad start and they could lapse into old habits, which could very easily end in relegation. I’m going to very
tentatively suggest that they might make it – but if they lose on Saturday, then I predict a complete fall off and relegation.
St. Rynagh’s Intermediate to senior is a big step up, but Rynagh’s are one of the clubs I could see making a go of it – if for no other reason than St. Rynagh’s will never have to field a really “poor” footballer, the likes of which sometimes ends up being fielded in teams that make up a half or a third of a parish. From a county point of vie, seeing how the Raffertys and Gary Mahon get on at senior level will be well worth a look – and I can see them picking up a win somewhere along the year and holding on to senior status for another year at least.