Club football championship 2023

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Very quiet here after a good game at the weekend. Was away and couldn't make it but by all accounts, Ballycommon will be kicking themselves but at the same time will have plenty of confidence going in to the replay.

[Geansai Gorm]

Always thought this was going to be tight and the result proved so. Lots of if's and but's from both sides in analysing the match but I hope it was entertaining from a neutral's perspective. A lot was made of the poor Senior A final and a lot of that was down to the weather. Sunday was a glorious day and allowed both teams play football. Heart in mouth stuff at times, Ballycommon made the better start, Clonbullogue owned the 2nd quarter, Ballycommon then were in complete control for most of 2nd half until Clonbullogue found the scores to equalise. Lots to analyse from both sides.
Clonbullogue looked to have a few players who were more walking wounded at the end so recovery for both teams for a 6-day turnaround will be crucial.
Great crowd turned up and the atmostphere was excellent. Hopefully weaher doesn't dampen the replay as another epic battle looks on the cards.

[Geansai Gorm]

https://twitter.com/Offaly_GAA/status/1 ... 7995235801
Just looking for opinions here. In the build-up to the first goal, the Clonbullogue physio is seen running over to a player on the ground, as the play develops O'Neill get up as the ball nears him, the physio runs back near the covering Ballycommon defender, ball is slippped over the defender and O'Neill continues to score a great goal. Nearest ballycommon defender ignored O'Neill as presumably he was being treated.
So, is the physio interfeering with play? Should the referee have halted play before the ball got played into O'Neill?
It just happened a couple of times in the match and players were confused.
Thoughts? No excuses required, just it seems to be more prevalent in games and can affect play at times.

[llkj]

Looking only at the clip, It definitely caused some interference for the defender - probably more about decision making than anything else. Interesting the commentator referenced poor marking, when in reality the defender is not moving out to close down the player that slipped the pass if the goal scorer is on his feet. With him down and getting attention the defender moves out ad the rest is history. Interesting support run and angle from the physio. Straight back across the field rather than heading for the nearest sideline.

[Geansai Gorm]

Look, Ballycommon marking was poor, didn't pick up the loose player quick enough, but my question was in general about physios on the field, and possible (inadvertent) interference with play. I believe there is no rule specifically, it' up to refs to manage it on the field of play. You can excuse the physio for not exiting the nearest side, but another Clonbullogue player was down so it looks like she was moving in that direction.
Just something I picked up on the day that the ref allowed the physio so much time on-field during the match.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Decent game Saturday.

Ballycommon the better side. They were composed around the field most of the time and their decision making was very good. Once again though Clonbullogues defence was marked absent, last 2 goals were a case of lads waltzing through and no one coming to meet them.
Couple of substitutions duting the second half were strange also, could figure them out bar lads were carrying injuries.
Clonbullogue missed a couple of chances at a critical time that would have reigned Ballycommon in but were guilty of not moving the ball to a closer option.
Lee Dempsey worked selflessly for them and was their man of the match, but Brian Todd was brilliant in midfield for Ballycommon and Conor Dunne ......worth the entrance fee alone. Awful pity he has chosen rugby but thats life.

An amazing fact is that Ballycommon were Junior B as recently as 2017, hard to believe that, Cappincur won Junior A in 2011, and Daingean 2014 & 2020, .....
2024 Ballycommon Senior A, Cappincur Senior B, and Daingean Senior B. Fair turnaround in fortunes in that Parish.

[jimbob17]

Ballycommon won Junior A in 2017 and were intermediate then until last year. Their second team may have been Junior B in 2017.

[italia90]

Tullamore vs Summerhill this Sunday in OCP. Bookies have this almost a 50/50 game. Even money and 11/10.
What are the realistic expectations with our county champions across the grades this year?

[TownieInOz]

I think it's as 50/50 a game as it could be. I think home advantage will tip it for Tullamore and with this weather it could suit Tullamore's defensive set up. As much as id prefer we played attacking football with some of the players we have, its become a results game.

[DerekCarroll]

Westmeath final finished 9-7. Laois final finished 7-6. People talking about attacking kicking football may as well be talking about Offaly going back to ground hurling. Teams are doing what they have to do to win within the current rules of the game.

[SearingDrive]

I think it's as 50/50 a game as it could be. I think home advantage will tip it for Tullamore and with this weather it could suit Tullamore's defensive set up. As much as id prefer we played attacking football with some of the players we have, its become a results game.

I hate to disagree Townie, but it’s Summerhill for me.

[Lone Shark]

I have to say I'm genuinely curious as to why Tullamore aren't slight favourites for this. Not overwhelming favourites obviously, but if you take the standard of the Offaly and Meath county teams to be broadly along similar lines, as I would do, then a team like Tullamore - with a pretty heavy concentration of county senior and former underage players, not to mention plenty of depth to fill in the gaps - should be at least equal to a Meath championship winning team, from a county where the quality is spread more evenly across a wide number of clubs.

Add in home advantage, the fact that a lot of Summerhill's leading lights are promising young forwards that might not be suited to the conditions, and the fact that Summerhill won their first championship in ten years a fortnight ago, whereas Tullamore wouldn't have gone bananas to the same extent. Even if they had, they had lots more time to celebrate, and then reset and address the fact that for all their success in Offaly, they've never been competitive in Leinster and it's long past time to address that.

Player for player, the teams are fairly evenly matched and obviously if the result on Sunday was Summerhill winning by a point or two, it wouldn't be a momentous upset or anything - but at 50/50 odds, there's only one team I'd back here.

It's not like last year's form would point to Summerhill being a significantly better team on a neutral venue either. Ratoath edged out Rhode, in Meath, on a day when a few key calls went Rhode's way. And while Rhode and Tullamore would be fairly even, Ratoath were perceived as a bit stronger than Summerhill in advance of the Meath final, albeit Summerhill just about deserved their win,

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Summerhill to win 4-3, Ballycommon to win the rugby but lose the football, Daingean to scrape over the line

[del]

Hard luck to Daingean yesterday seems like they were unlucky enough. It was always gonna be big a ask for Ballycommon so soon after winning the senior B and missing the 3 lads. But they can reflect on hugely positive year for their club and well done to them.
Tullamore yesterday qualified for the minor football final which means they have qualified for every A football final already winning Shane Lowry A final and u 13 and are strong favs for u 15 the conveyor belt of talent isn’t slowing down . They also qualified for 2 A hurling finals at u 13/15 and won the shane Lowry u 12 A hurling .people will point to population base etc but unless structures and coaching is right population means nothing it’s not too long ago Ferbane bet Tullsmore by 20 odd points in an u 20 quarter final 2018 I think .
Todays game is a 50/50 game haven watched the Meath final Summerholl looked impressive and will take beating the 4 week break will have served Tullamore well hopefully they can get the monkey off their back and get the win

[Dodge83]

Has an Offaly club ever won a club All Ireland or Leinster championship??