Offaly Senior Football Club Championship 2011

[Hyper]

I heard that being spouted about at the weekend also. I thought there was no change in the format from last year. Can someone confirm this? or where can you find details re draw etc and also the "email" where clubs were informed that no q/f's would be played in the junior b and junior c. Transparancy doesnt seem to be the name of the game!

[Plain of the Herbs]

See the criteria here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5429

On a point of pedantry the verb is 'seed' and not 'cede'. Thats not aimed at you, club125, it's aimed at whoever on the Board drew up the criteria in the link.

My understanding is that if Rhode beat Walsh Island then the Semi Final draw will not be fully open as the two table toppers Gracefield and Rhode must be ceded and kept apart.

This will result in Edenderry & Clara being kept apart also

[Hyper]

Thanks for the link POTH. Although it says teams will be "ceded" for semi's, on what basis will this be?

[Plain of the Herbs]

My interpretation of “Winners of 1st vs. 4th Quarter Final games ceded for semi final draw” is that there will be two ‘hats’, one with the two 1st v 4th winners, the other with the two 2nd v 3rd winners. There is a difference here between merely keeping the two group toppers separated.

Someone who knows who was 1st, 2nd etc. might post up who will be in what hat. Offhand I don’t know how the groups finished and I don’t want to hijack a football thread by speculating the hurling draw.

Thanks for the link POTH. Although it says teams will be "ceded" for semi's, on what basis will this be?

[Hyper]

Group 1
Rhode
Erin Rovers
Edenderry
Ferbane

Group 2
Gracefield
St Rynags
Clara
Walsh Island

So if Rhode beat WI there would be no need for a draw and if its visa versa? Would there only be two hats if the top of each group wins their q/f? otherewise it would imply that there would be no need for a draw for the s/f?

[Plain of the Herbs]

It doesn't say you can't get a team from your own group (unless I'm missing something). Seems to me there'd be two hats, one with Rhode and Gracefield or Walsh Island, the other with Clara and Edenderry. So on that basis Rhode would get either Edenderry or Clara.

I'm taking it that "Winners of 1st vs. 4th Quarter Final games" means literally that. If Walsh Island win and if Ferbane had won they'd both have been seeded and kept apart too.

So if Rhode beat WI there would be no need for a draw and if its visa versa? Would there only be two hats if the top of each group wins their q/f? otherewise it would imply that there would be no need for a draw for the s/f?

[uibhfhailiabu]

Quarter-Final Result : Rhode 2-17 Walsh Island 3-8.

Semi-Final Draw : Rhode v Clara and Edenderry v Gracefield.

[Goodsupporter11]

With no disrepect ..Who would have taught at the start of the Championship, Edenderry or Gracefield would be in a county final? I feel Edenderry will win this one by a few points.
Rhode will be hot favourites to retain the Dowling this year. Only team to stop them now is a underpreforming Clara team. Both teams find themselves in a semi-final having not played well all year. Dosn't say much about football in Offaly. The return of some key players for clara will boost them, wouldn't rule Clara totally out of a final spot but think the village will win this with 3 r 4 to spare...

[Abercrombie Fitch]

Clara will have known they'd have to face Rhode at some stage and vice versa. Rhode hot favourites but you cant write off Clara when facing this opposition. The winner of this one should have the quality and momentum to lift the cup. I'm tentatively going for Clara if they can get the returning players back to full fitness by then.

[townman]

Rhode Gracefield final for me i think.

[Lone Shark]

I've been impressed with Edenderry the couple of times I've seen them this year and unless they get bullied out of it by Gracefield, I'd be surprised if they didn't reach the final. In fact I'd be disappointed if they didn't because I could see them causing Rhode problems in a final, whereas my guess is that Rhode would walk all over Gracefield in that situation.

I'd love to see Clara step up and give Rhode a good game, but they've played six championship games so far this year and with the exception of a five minute spell against Pullough and for twenty odd minutes against Ballycumber, they haven't played well at all. It's a huge ask for them to suddenly produce a good hour of football now all of a sudden. A lot will depend on whether or not Scott Brady is fit to return - he's been a huge loss as the natural leader of that team, but even so I'd be surprised if Rhode didn't win with four or five to spare.

Incidentally, Moorefield and Sarsfields both losing at the weekend has opened the door for the Offaly champions in Leinster a little bit. Playing Moorefield in Newbridge would have been a big challenge and even Rhode would have been no better than 50/50 to come through, however it has opened up a bit now. I know Rhode won't thank me for mentioning this, but you're now looking at an Offaly championship where they are long odds on, a match against the Kildare winners who will be very decent but unspectacular, a game against the Carlow champions who shouldn't be up to this level, and then probably a match against Garrycastle, provided Garrycastle don't slip up against Mullingar or the Slashers.

It's a good few games, but none that Rhode wouldn't be favourites to win. They're not the type of club that needs any more motivation, but a place in another Leinster Final looks to be in their hands at the moment.

Another interesting possibility is Rhode playing Carbury, managed by Stephen Darby, in the Leinster championship. Carbury would be a little bit behind Athy and St Laurences in the Kildare pecking order, but not by much. Four very evenly matched teams in the semi finals there.

[offalyman08]

In fact I'd be disappointed if they didn't because I could see them causing Rhode problems in a final, whereas my guess is that Rhode would walk all over Gracefield in that situation.

Depends on whether the game is in Birr or Tullamore............................

[clubman]

think rhode/clara and edenderry/gracefield will be two great games. rhode should win but only by a few points,the other game is hard to call but gun to head i would say edenderry.

[Thereorthereabouts]

What is the fixture list for the weekend...?

Offalygaa dont seem to have any football semi fixtures!!!!

[naasmanxrhode]

Another interesting possibility is Rhode playing Carbury, managed by Stephen Darby, in the Leinster championship. Carbury would be a little bit behind Athy and St Laurences in the Kildare pecking order, but not by much. Four very evenly matched teams in the semi finals there.

I saw Carbury playing Naas in a league match about 2 months ago and was very impressed with them. Darby had them flying, playing some good football and they beat Naas handy 2-13 to 0-07. It would be very interesting if they won Kildare and Rhode won Offaly with Stephen's two sons playing with Rhode. They are a good side.