Offaly Club Hurling C'ship 2016

[SearingDrive]

OCP will look like the ploughing site by the time the senior hurling final gets to be played there if this rain keeps up. Look at the amount of games that will go in there between now and October 22.

The ploughing is in Screggan, Shamrocks territory in a month's time.

[Buttons]

Ballinamere play Tullamore in the relegation in Clara on 3rd September, Lusmagh play Shamrocks on the 11th in Banagher.

[mickey]

Tullamore in relagation play off shocked turn around

[shannonbanks14]

Should be decent games at week end. I reckon Birr in a tight one, Rynaghs with bit to spare, Kk in a 'very tight' one and Kinnity in a tight one the 4 for the semis.

[frankthetank]

Shannonbanks in predicting Rynaghs to win comfortably shock!!!!

Write off Coolderry at your peril.

Also think Belmont have a huge chance of pulling off a serious shock.

[greenairfield]

Belmont have a chance if Birr don't turn up but really can't see it happening even if they only hurl okay they still will have enough to beat Belmont.

Coolderry I think will take rynaghs, which will be an upset.

Kk will scrape over clareen and I think shinrone will beat kinnity.

[kaiserchief]

Greenairfield - ''If they only hurl ok'', now thats confidence.

I give Belmont the best chance of an upset at the weekend. 21/10 in paddypower and a good bet in a two horse race.
K/K will be using the league result a couple of months ago as extra motivation and should get over the line.
St Rynaghs I think will breeze Coolderry.
Game of the weekend I think will be Kinnitty and Shinrone. Shinrone are favourites with the Paddy Power and I think they will also take this one.

Lusmagh to beat Shamrocks in the relegation play off. Will be a fairly even game but for the wrong reasons. Both should be relegated. Offaly county board, PLEASE BRING IN A SENIOR B and improved Offaly hurling.

[allstar2010]

PLEASE BRING IN A SENIOR B and improved Offaly hurling.

I think you're right Kaiserchief, I suppose I would have always been in favour of keeping 12 teams and juggling around the structure to make it more competitive but I can't see any structure changing that with 12 teams.

At the start of the year it's safe to say everyone would have picked at least 7 if not all of the quarter finalists and that's not good. So you have 4 or 5 teams starting out at start of year fighting to avoid relegation, not great motivation for a young lad coming through they want to be winning championships and senior B offers that opportunity and then if your good enough move up the ladder and fight it out with the big boys. Look at Brosna Gaels bouncing up and down between senior and intermed, no good to anyone. If Clara, Clodiagh Gaels or C&R went up to senior they would most likely be in a relegation battle next as well and that's going to turn lads off and does nothing to improve hurling in the county.

I sincerely hope change is discussed by our club delegates in the months ahead.

[SearingDrive]

Greenairfield - ''If they only hurl ok'', now thats confidence.

I give Belmont the best chance of an upset at the weekend. 21/10 in paddypower and a good bet in a two horse race.
K/K will be using the league result a couple of months ago as extra motivation and should get over the line.
St Rynaghs I think will breeze Coolderry.
Game of the weekend I think will be Kinnitty and Shinrone. Shinrone are favourites with the Paddy Power and I think they will also take this one.

Lusmagh to beat Shamrocks in the relegation play off. Will be a fairly even game but for the wrong reasons. Both should be relegated. Offaly county board, PLEASE BRING IN A SENIOR B and improved Offaly hurling.

It's Birr, KK, Shinrone and St. Rynagh's for me at weekend. Should be some good matches over the two days.
I think a Senior B hurling championship would be a good idea.

[greenairfield]

Yes it is confidence, while Belmont have improved over the last few years they still have a lot of weaker players on the team toward Birr.

I expect 5+ point win for Birr.

[allstar2010]

4 very even qfinals to look forward to this weekend. Very hard to call all of them which is great, not one game is a clear cut cert for any team regardless of what greenairfield thinks!

[suckindiesel]

i will track over to the 2 Saturday quarters, cannot make sunday as we have our 2 semis in laois.

the draw in laois have worked out a little unevenly as the best two teams are paired in one semi, rathdowney/camross and the winner will be long odds on to defeat the winner of the second semi.

a question from a neutral?

at this remove, with 8 left in the OY championship, which pairing would make for a potentially classic final?....in my rather ill informed position, I think a KK- Birr final would fit that bill, KK on the rebound after 2015 and a re-emerging Birr?

so what is your idea of a classic final?

[SearingDrive]

Depending on the draw, a Birr v Rynagh's final would be a classic. It would be competitive.
For a romantic final it would be Shinrone v Seir Kieran, with Shinrone claiming their first county title. This however depends on the draw, and the teams winning their games at weekend.

[shannonbanks14]

Birr and Rynaghs would be competitive alright, for the first 10 minutes, then bye bye birr!

[Plain of the Herbs]

Senior hurling quarter-final weekend, and those who crave a knockout hurling championship – well, they have it now. All eight quarter-finalists have a fair to middling chance of progression too.

BIRR v BELMONT
Unlike many commentators, I think this is the most unlikely source of an outsider winning. Yes, Belmont have enjoyed probably their best year yet, but beating Birr in a knockout match will require a massive leap of faith on their part. Tradition, and all that.

Brian Mullins’ availability following injury would hand Birr a ‘new’ forward with Eoghan Cahill released to the attack. A team can’t have too many quality forwards on the pitch. An experienced goalkeeper would steady the defence too. Belmont ‘s full-forward line (the last day it was Damien Egan, Alan Egan and Oisín Kelly) looks superior to Birr’s full-back line of Michael Verney, Eoin Hayes and Kevin Donovan, and I wonder would Paul Cleary be poised to start. Belmont’s biggest problem will be getting the ball in to the full-forward trio, and their own defence mightn’t have the pace for Colm Mulrooney, Emmet Nolan, Brendan Murphy and Eoghan Cahill.


KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY v SEIR KIERAN

First things first – Kilcormac shouldn’t be losing to Shinrone. Now maybe they weren’t fully tuned in, and yet maybe they were sizing up quarter-final opposition. Neither looks good, and a team with November ambitions (as they do) really should be laying a marker down. And getting Clareen in the quarter-final mightn’t be as ideal as getting Coolderry.

Now, while Kilcormac have been experimenting, you would wonder at the point of playing Daniel Currams at left half-back, as they did against Ballinamere. Or at midfield as he did against Shinrone. Particularly with Kilcormac’s midfield playing such a defensive role (as Killian Leonard and Damien Kilmartin did when they were at their peak).

Clareen ahve a recent history of running K-K close, drawing with them in 2012’s first round, while 2014’s first round meeting was a minor classic in Banagher. The Vertical stripes won’t burn anyone for pace, but they won’t be scorched by K-K here either. They’d have a good shout here if Tom Carroll and James Mulrooney could add consistency to their game over 60 minutes. There’s a psychological deficit over playing in Tullamore too, and K-K should advance, albeit wobbly.


KINNITTY v SHINRONE

Sunday’s gonna get the worst of the weekend weather, and neither of these teams will thrive in adverse conditions. More likely whoever gets first use of the wind blowing into the town goal will build a lead and hold onto it.

The Rynagh’s result excepted, Shinrone are uncharacteristically consistent this year. Then again, you never know when they will derail. The defence looks secure, though I’d prefer Conor Cleary in goals. The centre of the defence is good, the half-back line is good, Michael Cordial is on his best position and Joe Cleary is a good covering midfielder. I see Seán Cleary played in the half-forward line against K-K, which is better than him being isolated in the full-forward line. And they have the underrated Darren Crean to come on. If Adrian Cleary can pick a few points and Jason Sampson can have an influence they could be heading for Tullamore in three weeks.

Kinnitty enjoyed a good July, culminating in an impressive win over Coolderry, something that is treasured on mountainside. They appear to have lost momentum since, which is a concern. That said, Kevin O’Connor has been impressive in goals, and Paddy Delaney will probably be charged with keeping Adrian Cleary quiet. I’m not sure about James Dempsey as a centre half-back though, and Aodán Kealey may be a better fit here. Upfield, Shane Kinsella can do great things, but is inconsistent, and his tussle with Michael Cleary will be a key one. Kinnitty tend to gain a decent share of possession from which they draw fouls, and veterans Liam Bergin and Matthew McRedmond can lead the charge in the storm.


ST RYNAGH’S v COOLDERRY

Revenge. Dish. Served cold. From midway through last year’s semi-final I couldn’t see St Rynagh’s not winning the final. They didn’t, and I still think last year was one of the great upsets in a County final. They should be well geared to atone for their first half no-show in that decider.

Then again, Coolderry have been showing some form in recent rounds, and Brian Carroll has been playing the hurling of his life. He is a willing freetaker too, something they didn’t have while he was away. They lined out with what is (on paper, at least) an impressive half-back line of Mark Bergin, Kevin Brady and David King, which releases Barry Teehan to join William Malone into midfield. Malone showed very well against Kinnitty when all around him were on the back foot.

We can be fairly sure of the St Rynagh’s fifteen (unexpected injuries excepted); how they line out is quite another thing. The optimum full-back line of Danny Maloney, Ben Conneely and Niall Wynne should smother a full-forward line of Kevin Connolly, Declan Parlon and Andrew Connolly, particularly if the day is bad. Which leaves Brian Carroll to plough a lone attacking furrow faced by Aidan Treacy.Indeed, Dermot Shortt, Treacy and Pat Camon would form a formidable half-back line. Joey O’Connor and Garry Conneely would have an edge. Still, a half-forward line of Quirke, Quirke and Hughes could be in bother if faced by the aforementioned Coolderry half-back trio, and if Coolderry push up on the Rynagh’s puckout the Shannonsiders would be in bother. Mattie Maloney and Trevor Corcoran will be the clash of the weekend. The combination of dominant defences and a team relying on a ‘short’ game in a storm will likely see a low scoring encounter with 1-12 a possible winning tally.