The Intermediate Championship

[Silken Thomas]

The Intermediate Championship- The Preview
Here’s a nice little Monday morning read for the board. Enjoy!

With St. Brigids resounding opening success fresh in the memory( 0-17 to 0-5 against Raheen) and Bracknagh getting off to a disappointing start against a Clara second string -minus Kieran O’ Meara*- Silken Thomas previews the three main championship contenders and informs the board on these Senior aspirants...

Walsh Island

Last Year:

Beaten by a ravenous Edenderry crew despite overcoming them in the group stages. Won the division 2 league title comprehensively against a disinterested Erin Rovers team to guarantee a better standard of football.

Key Man:
William Mulhall- A developing forward with a keen eye for the posts.

Player to watch:
Brian Connor- An Offaly minor with a famous surname to live up to.

Best Players:
Alan and William Mulhall, Gary Comerford, Rory Connor, Gary O’ Connor and Ross Connor.

Silken’s Summary:
Managed by the legendary Richie Connor this is no doubt a monumental year for the maze like parish of Walsh Island. Division 1 football will inspire them but a leaky defence and lack of a major ball winner will weaken their hand. Walsh Island though have an embarrassment of attacking riches and with the prodigal son that is Gary Comerford in their ranks will push hard to regain former glories.

Weaknesses:
Full back line and strength in depth

Doon

Last Year:

Demolished wannabee contenders Raheen in the semi-final before being reeled in by the glorious reds in the O’ Connor park showpiece. Had to give second best to the upcoming Walsh Island marauders in the division 2 league semi-final replay.

Key Man:
James Coughlan- Tidy and exciting Offaly panellist who takes and creates scores with poise.

Player to Watch:
Adrian Egan- An industrious half back who gets involved in the play

Best Players:
James Coughlan, Trevor Phelan, Fintan and Donal Ryan, Paul Heavin, Damien Hunt( Will he return?)

Silken’s Summary:
Have fallen from the dizzying heights of senior semi-finalists in 2003 but still possess the wherewithal to challenge this September. With the two exceptional Ryans in tow, Doon play an exciting edge of your seat brand of football. Lack the midfield tools required despite the elevation of Desmond Egan to the Offaly panel. Seem to struggle to field fifteen really competitive players but are marshalled well by the caustic Paul Heavin.

Weaknesses:
Midfield ball winners and especially the concession of soft goals.


St. Brigids

Last Year:
An uncharacteristic lack of spirit and fight led to St. Brigids really struggling to compete throughout the whole of 2007 culminating in being outmuscled by St. Rynaghs in the senior relegation playoff despite Luke Dempseys assistance.

Key Man:
Seán Casey- Rock solid physical presence with an enviable ancestry. Pacey and composed a guaranteed Offaly starter in the current climate in this writers eyes.

Player to Watch:
Shay Hannon- An impressive wing back with the right build for senior football

Best Players:
Ken and Seán Casey, David Egan, Enda Egan, James Carroll, Anthony Foy

Silken’s Summary:
Reknowned for their verocious but legitimate hits this proud East Offaly bastion will try and regain senior status as a minimum aim this year. Croghan contain a plethora of battling half backs and midfielders but are extremely light on even Intermediate standard forwards- let alone senior. Their hopes will be pinned on the prince of Offaly football that is Ken Casey and with their masterful ability to win breaks and hussle the opposition will endeavour to supply him at every opportunity.

Weaknesses:
Lack of forwards and any substitutes of note



* To Magpie and others;
Why is Kieran O’ Meara not featuring? A very solid club footballer...

By the way...
Who the hell is gonna win the bloody thing???!!!

[Lone Shark]

Excellent rundown - at the start of the year I would have said that Raheen were entitled to be included as a number 4, but after that performance last week.....

My gut feeling is that it's St. Brigid's to lose. I don't think anyone genuinely expected them to make the drop last year, it was just the nature of their initial defeat to Tullamore that absolutely rocked the club back onto their heels. I feel sorry for the other two clubs in that they've been on the brink the last couple of years but they've ended up with a genuine senior standad club in their ranks - I don't mean to be disparaging, certainly not after some of the weaker senior clubs got some great results last week, but there are three or four senior clubs in Offaly who wouldn't be quite as imposing at this grade. In that regard too I think Brigid's did themselves a big favour with the manner of their win over Raheen - that will have sent out a big message.

I don't think the absence of a big line up of forwards is a big problem - they have two decent ones in Casey and David Egan, and there are plenty of senior clubs who don't have even that. The problem is that you are comparing them to Doon and Walsh Island - two clubs with the most ridiculous top heavy panels that you could imagine. Forward lines that would do justice to Ballinderry Shamrocks or Kilmacud Crokes, Back lines that would be more like what you'd find in football teams for Ballyhale Shamrocks or Kilmacow. (I exaggerate, but ye get the point)

Personally I'd always pick a balanced team over a good/bad mix like Doon or WI.

Having said that, Doon have a trickier group, but that might stand to them if they get out of it. I can see Brigid's sailing into a semi final with neither Bracknagh nor Clara getting within ten points of them, and then having to face a battle hardened Doon team who would have been hard pressed by Kilcormac/Killoughey and/or Birr.

Birr to my mind are the wild cards here. The only way they could win this competition would be if all those teams above knocked each other out and they pulled off a one off upset which won't happen with this draw. However they could pull off that one off upset and take some big fish out. If it's Doon in the group that'll be of little use because Doon would rebound. If they got Walsh Island in a quarter final though it could be interesting. I don't think Birr would score more times than any of the above teams, but they might score more goals than them and cause a shock that way.

[GOOFY]

LS the "3 or 4 senior clubs that wouldnt be as imposing at intermediate level" - would you be including Ferbane in that bracket considering their result last weekend?

[Lone Shark]

I'd consider Ferbane to be similar in standard to St. Brigids overall, which is why there would be plenty of concern about the town after what happened to Croghan last year. One bad result was never recovered from, and ten weeks to think about it does not help.

Of course if that result turns out to be our true form, then we couldn't impose on anyone. Hopefully that won't turn out to be the case.

[theman]

lads hang on there. Your talking about Doon getting it hard to get out of ther group with Kilcormac and Birr in it, but you never mentioned Clonbullogue. Doon got it very hard to beat them. They left it till the last 5 minutes when they were awarded 4 frees due to poor refeering and got 1-3 out of them. Clonbullogue out played them for the majority of the game and should of won,maybe a bit of inexperience went against them as they had a fairly young looking team.

On the otherhand,Walsh Island,St.Brigids,Raheen and Doon are my favourites to win.

Any one any opinions on who will get relegated from intermediate??

[Lone Shark]

I wasn't at the game but even if ten points flattered Doon it still does not bode well for Clonbullogue's ability to get points against K/K or certainly Birr. I'd say they're too good to go down but I'll be quite surprised if they rebound from that level of defeat and make it into the knockouts.

As for relegation, that's a bit harder to call but if push came to shove my gut feeling would be that Kilclonfert, Clonbullogue and K/K are all in a bit of bother now but that Clara would be my marginal call if I was forced to hazard a guess.

[OY13]

Excellent post there silken thomas. Would have to say i totally agree with everything that is said there. Going to be interesting to see how it turns out. The head would have to say St. Brigids but you just never know when the teams are so evenly matched.

[theman]

Well lets just say Clonbullogue will do there talking on the field. Gonna be dark horses for tghe intermediate.

[Lone Shark]

Well lets just say Clonbullogue will do there talking on the field. Gonna be dark horses for tghe intermediate.

Fair play if they can. They were fairly silent in the first game.

[Silken Thomas]

I don't know L.S. St. Brigids annus horibillis had been signposted from February or March of 2007.

As for Clonbullogue I do sometimes wonder at clubs like so...

Twice Intermediate finallists this decade and Division 1 football experience they are now being swept aside by the current of fallen senior teams who have the ability, talent and motivation to restore their pride and perhaps natural order.

Incidentally I would place Clonbullogue in a sub-division along with Raheen and Bracknagh and looking at the groups I believe they will still make it.
Clonbullogue will never be shy of primary possession but will need to box clever if you know what I mean

Likewise re-employing the services of Greg Quinn would be a very strategic business move.

[theman]

i do agree on the last point, Clonbullogue had there chance twice and blew it, but with Greg Quinn back from australia and 3 more starting players returning from injury, i think this year could be there year..........

[Doon Massive]

I may be a bit biased here, but the ref was poor for both sides, and I don't think it had a bearing on the outcome.

Doon made heavy work of it in the first half, but kicked into gear in the second half. I thought we worked the ball a bit smarter and deserved the win.

[Archangel]

Doon deserved the win. Clonbullogue won't have a chance really, sure they only beat Ballycommom (Junior-B) by a few points in a challenge the week before, not the sort of form when moving up two grades.
Brigids would still be my favourites to win it out, and maybe Doon as second favs, two soild all-round teams.

[MF35]

I have seen it down through the years that any team that are 'flying it' this time of the year find it really hard to keep the momentum up for the duration of the whole championship - and more so this year in our couty as we all well know that the championship will be a well drawn out affair in all grades.

Will St. Bridgids be able to keep up that momentum? They were always a team that everyone dreaded playing in a first round fixture because of the high intensity game that they play. However, as the championship wore on, they were a team that were easier to break down. Laz has also had them back in the field since very early in the year too so lets just see what happens.

Walsh island - Had a long year last year and were rewarded with the Div 2 league title. Their tails will be up a bit this year. Seem like a team that are cantering along nicely and its one of the camps that i have heard nothing from at all this year. Gary was a big loss last year to them. He could be the difference as he is back to the level he was at a few years back and that is priceless at this level.

Doon - started training in March and now have a full panel to pick from with Hunt and a few other borderline players back in the fold. Again , had a long year last year and with the rest period at the beginning of the year and also the long break between games to allow for the physical work to be put in, it makes for an interesting year ahead.