West Offaly Senior Football Championship Group 2006

[Bogman]

Any views on the finishing order of the West Offaly Mini-Championship next year!! Would it be something like (hope I have the teams right from memory):

1. Ferbane
2. Doon
3. St.Rynaghs
4. Erin Rovers
5. Shannonbridge

[Hocker]

I Do not agree......
How about:

1.Ferbane
2.Shannonbridge
3.Erin Rovers
4.Rynaghs
5.Doon

Genuinely I reckon Doon or Rynaghs are the weakest teams in this group,
There'll be feck all in any of the matches, and possibly the riot police might
be needed in one or two situations????

I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Erin Rovers win or come second either, they've come on leaps and bounds in the last year.

[ructions]

It wouldnt suprise me if St.Rynaghs where to finish 2nd in the group. The lads will step up to the plate next year and show what St.Rynaghs football is all about.

It will be some group. Roit Police may have to be called. Sure as the song goes 'We F***en hate *******' .

1. Ferbane
2. St.Rynaghs
3. Shannonbridge
4. Erin Rovers
5. Doon

[Trib]

Really don't think Doon are as bad as the past 12 months suggest + won't be surprised if Ferbane struggled to top the group. However at the moment they have to be favourites. Rynagh's weren't hugely inpressive in the intermediate decider although the weather conditions were awaful. As for riot police, water cannons may have to be called upon.

1. Ferbane
2. Shannonbridge
3. Doon
4. Erin Rovers
5. Rynagh's

[Doon Massive]

I'm with bogman on this.

[Mighty Pair O' Hands]

The group will be as follows;

1. Doon
2. Erin Rovers
3. Ferbane
4. Shannonbridge
5. St. Rynaghs

Not much points at the end though between 1st and 4th. I reckon rynaghs will go straight back down.

[Hocker]

Sorry lad, Doon will not be topping any group next year i'm afraid.
I Reckon either them or Rynaghs will go down to intermediate, and if we're not careful we could either... its a good thing McGowen got the boot, he did nothing with us this year.
If we got a decent coach in we could at least match Ferbane.

[black and red exile]

Without doubt Ferbane will be top dogs. I have a feeling Doon will regroup and finish a close second, they will hardly be as bad as they were this year!
1 Ferbane
2 Doon
3 St. Rynaghs
4 Shannonbridge
5 Erin Rovers

[the Untouchable]

Its is a sort of a group of death really, who ever loses their first game in the group is going to be under huge pressure for the next game or two. I reckon none of the teams will go through the group unbeaten, purely because there all going very tight games & I don't think any of them are really good enough to sneak 4 wins in tight games!!!

Ferbane have gone back alot in the last year & don't seem to have much of a scoring treat to teams, Shannonbridge for their part have a few nice young players coming through but haven't found a replacement for either Mick Devine or Vinny Mooney. If the Bridge get everyone back fit & mad to play then they'll have a good enough team to come out of the group but I get the feeling that there was more wrong with the club than just the manager!!!

Doon are in dire straights because there seems to be a huge loss of interest among alot of the players & really they haven't found anyone to replace the players that have left in the last few years. Its hard to see doon staying in senior this year & its highly unlikely they'll come out of the group because while they may have a few forwards capable of hurting teams they lack real physical presences around midfield & defensively they are still a joke!!!

Pullagh have had a good year by their own expectations but they finished 2005 without beatin any of the strong teams in the group, while they were much better than both Shannonbridge & edenderry they still only drew with them & lost badly to Ballycumber!!! If Pullagh get off to a winning start against any of the 3 teams named above it'll give them huge confidence to go on & come out of the group.

St. Rynaghs will probably be favourites to get relegated but I think they might just survive if they beat doon, I haven't heard much about them but they have enough of good players like Paudie Mulhare & Ger Rafferty to put it up to these teams. Again their start is going to be vital, a big defeat early in the championship could put an end to their season before it even begun!!!

So after that review, I reckon the group will finish up,

1) Ferbane
2) Pullagh
3) Shannonbridge
4) St. Rynaghs
5) Doon

[Hocker]

Jaysus in fairness to ya untouchable yer probably not too far of the mark with that review, i agree Pullough were better than the bridge this year, they should have beaten us by 4 or 5 points at the very least, and yer prediction is not too far off my one.
Why doesnt the untouchable go back and shore up that leaky Doon defence????
Ferbane are definitely the strongest in the bunch, but its hardly much to write home about cos the other 4 teams would probably struggle to win an intermediate next year if they were in it.

[MF35]

I think Doon will be alright next year. I hear that there will be a new Management team in place. If they get the right man, they'll be ok. I'd expect to see better performances from the likes of Hunt and Coughlan. Their form was very poor this year. If those 2 lads click, the rest of the group better watch out!!

Funny thing this, i was chatting one of the Doon lads earlier this year over a few jars and i put the question to him as to why the performances of the team was that bit below par. His reply was 'The lads are all out on the piss celebrating since John Joe Oleary left the club'. He went on to add that the 'scientists reckon that there is something in the water up there in Clonfanlough!' Im not going to mention the other 2 former players that he was on about.

[Lone Shark]

I honestly can't wait for this, but while all logic does suggest that Ferbane have enough about them to top the group, I'm not conviced. The truth of it is that realistically while they are all local derbies, in a historic sense Ferbane doesn't reciprocate the same animosity that it receives from the likes of Cloghan or the Bridge. It hasn't been the case in recent years, but up until about ten years ago they would have had bigger fish to fry, as it were, and as such a win over the likes of Shannonbridge would be seen as a good result with a view to progression rather than being the be all and end all.

It's for that reason that I'm worried about them coming a cropper at some stage - it'll be the equivalent of the county final for all the other teams playing against them, while for Ferbane it'll mostly be another senior championship game.

I think Rynagh's are good enough to more than hold their own, and there's no way Doon will be as bad again. County semi finallists in 2003 might have been over achieving, but last year was under achieving, and a lot of it due to Jimmy Paw understandably being under a cloud. Get Holly back fit, Larkin playing with improved confidence from his run with the minors, Hunt back in the forwards instead of lost at midfield (seriously, how could anyone think that was a good idea??? ) and they'll be quite likely to top the group I reckon after Ferbane lose one game and maybe two.

The losers of Pullough v Shannonbridge go down for me.

My guess is

1 Doon
2 Ferbane
3 Rynaghs
4 Shannonbridge
5 Pullough

[Hocker]

Seriously LS, do u really believe doon will win the group next year??? I have to question your wisdom on this one mate, Quality is seriously lacking all-over, do u mean to say that Rynaghs, The Bridge or Pullough are worse than Doon??? Your very Pro-Doon bias is not down to bein part of a very special golfing society down that direction by any chance??
Roll on Ennis tommorrow morning... Woohoo!!!

[Lone Shark]

Quality is seriously lacking all-over, do u mean to say that Rynaghs, The Bridge or Pullough are worse than Doon???

Yup, easily. Doon's forward line have two players on last year's county panel, and two more that were selected for the county juniors - the next tier if you like.

They have this year's county minor full back, another defender who I think should be on the county panel, and in Holly they have a guy who looks like he could solve a to of their midfield issues.

In contrast Ger Rafferty is the only likely county panellist from the other three teams combined. All of those teams have weak spots, but Doon's strengths are a lot stronger. I'm not really sure how you can possibly argue otherwise?

[stupid like a fox]

I'm with lone shark on this one, Doon are a lot better side than they have shown this year, a change of management should freshen things up I think some new ideas are necessary. Rynaghs will be up for it this year after coming up they’ll be determined not to be the whipping boys. Pullagh and Doon will slog it out for the second spot with Fearbane topping the group. I think there is no doubt Shannonbridge will go down, they were very lucky to stay up this year and are still dependant on old heads from what I’ve seen their emerging talent is very promising but is a couple of years short of fruition yet, a year in Intermediate might do them no harm anyway.

1. Fearbane
2. Doon
3. Pullagh
4. Rynaghs
5. Shannonbridge(r)