Offaly Intermediate Club Hurling Championship 2023

[faithfulfanatic]

The further down the grades you go, the less information available to make a preview.

Please let me know of any inaccuracies or anything to add.

It can be hard also to know who may line out with second teams and who will play 2 grades up.

Group 1

St Rynaghs
First Round: Coolderry
Star Players: Eoin Woods, Ger Scales, Jerome Flannery
One to Watch: Kelan Rigney
As always, Rynaghs should be one of the strongest Intermediate teams. Couple of goalkeeping errors cost them last year.
Verdict: 3rd in group

Coolderry
First Round: Rynaghs
Star Players: Brian Carroll, Martin Corcoran, Trevor Corcoran, Kevin Brady
One to Watch: Ciaran Teehan
Very strong at intermediate this year with some of the above names returning to this grade.
Verdict: 1st in group, finalists

Belmont
First Round: Drumcullen
Star Players: David Cox, David Kenny, Adam Nugent
One to Watch: Adam Egan
Narrowly avoided relegation last year. Strength of second team can depend on how football in the Ferbane end of the parish is going.
Verdict: 4th, win relegation final

Drumcullen
First Round: Belmont
Star Players: Colm Gath, Conor Gath, Dermot Gath
One to Watch: Eoin Gath
Double relegation in past 2 years for one of Offaly's most storied clubs. Loss of Podge Guinan to Australia will worsen their chances.
Verdict: 2nd, beat in semi

Group 2

Carrig & Riverstown
First Round: Shinrone
Star Players: Conor Freeman, Joe Hoctor, Mark O'Brien
One to Watch: Cathal King
Few lads lost to emigration, unsure if Conor Freeman is still available? County experience of Hoctor and King could be crucial.
Verdict: 1st in group, promoted

Shinrone
First Round: Carrig and Riverstown
Star Players: Shane Sampson, Coley Cleary
One to Watch: James Liffey
Always in with a shout in this Championship.
Verdict: 2nd in group, beaten in semi

Seir Kieran
First Round: Edenderry
Star Players: Dermot Mooney, Barry Bergin, James Scully
One to Watch: Tomas Connors
Mighty going for such a small club to have such a competitive second team.
Verdict: 3rd in group

Edenderry
First round: Seir Kieran
Star Players: Oisin O'Grady, Martin Keogh, David Hanlon
One to Watch: Shane Cummins
The North Offaly club return to Offaly's intermediate championship. Would be great to see Sean Og and Killian Farrell still playing. WIll fancy themselves in this group. Hopefully Mark Abbott, Cian Farrell and a few more footballers continue playing.
Verdict: 4th and relegated

[Plain of the Herbs]

Good stuff over the last few days with these. Lots of interesting stuff. Well done.

[faithfulfanatic]

First round fixtures out

All games at 4 on Saturday 8th July

Kinnitty, Birr, Crinkle and Durrow the venues

[kingscounty]

The further down the grades you go, the less information available to make a preview.

Please let me know of any inaccuracies or anything to add.

It can be hard also to know who may line out with second teams and who will play 2 grades up.

Group 1

St Rynaghs
First Round: Coolderry
Star Players: Eoin Woods, Ger Scales, Jerome Flannery
One to Watch: Kelan Rigney
As always, Rynaghs should be one of the strongest Intermediate teams. Couple of goalkeeping errors cost them last year.
Verdict: 3rd in group

Coolderry
First Round: Rynaghs
Star Players: Brian Carroll, Martin Corcoran, Trevor Corcoran, Kevin Brady
One to Watch: Ciaran Teehan
Very strong at intermediate this year with some of the above names returning to this grade.
Verdict: 1st in group, finalists

Belmont
First Round: Drumcullen
Star Players: David Cox, David Kenny, Adam Nugent
One to Watch: Adam Egan
Narrowly avoided relegation last year. Strength of second team can depend on how football in the Ferbane end of the parish is going.
Verdict: 4th, win relegation final

Drumcullen
First Round: Belmont
Star Players: Colm Gath, Conor Gath, Dermot Gath
One to Watch: Eoin Gath
Double relegation in past 2 years for one of Offaly's most storied clubs. Loss of Podge Guinan to Australia will worsen their chances.
Verdict: 2nd, beat in semi

Group 2

Carrig & Riverstown
First Round: Shinrone
Star Players: Conor Freeman, Joe Hoctor, Mark O'Brien
One to Watch: Cathal King
Few lads lost to emigration, unsure if Conor Freeman is still available? County experience of Hoctor and King could be crucial.
Verdict: 1st in group, promoted

Shinrone
First Round: Carrig and Riverstown
Star Players: Shane Sampson, Coley Cleary
One to Watch: James Liffey
Always in with a shout in this Championship.
Verdict: 2nd in group, beaten in semi

Seir Kieran
First Round: Edenderry
Star Players: Dermot Mooney, Barry Bergin, James Scully
One to Watch: Tomas Connors
Mighty going for such a small club to have such a competitive second team.
Verdict: 3rd in group

Edenderry
First round: Seir Kieran
Star Players: Oisin O'Grady, Martin Keogh, David Hanlon
One to Watch: Shane Cummins
The North Offaly club return to Offaly's intermediate championship. Would be great to see Sean Og and Killian Farrell still playing. WIll fancy themselves in this group. Hopefully Mark Abbott, Cian Farrell and a few more footballers continue playing.
Verdict: 4th and relegated

Great to see a bit of coverage this championship on here, on Edenderry tho I would tend to disagree with you. I would much rather see them find 5-6 young players that might contribute to Offaly underage or even senior set ups in the years ahead, the team has won two championships in 3/4 years with a good bunch of lads in their early to mid twenties so I would be very hopeful that they could compete at this level this year,

[frankthetank]

If Edenderry can get all their hurlers playing and doing a little bit of training they have a chance of staying up. Alan Harte, Cian Farrell, David Hanlon, Martin Keogh, Briain Nolan and even Lee Pearson if they can entice him along are good hurlers.

[Document]

Group one looks very tough.
Coolderry might win this one out with Drumcullen surely hoping to prove a point, very interesting championship this one.
C&R have lost a good few to travel.. they were stronger in previous years.
Looking forward to it getting started.

[frankthetank]

Group one looks very tough.
Coolderry might win this one out with Drumcullen surely hoping to prove a point, very interesting championship this one.
C&R have lost a good few to travel.. they were stronger in previous years.
Looking forward to it getting started.

What point could Drumcullen possibly prove by winning the 3rd tier of Offaly hurling?

I fancy Coolderry to win this out aswell by the way.

[bracknaghboy]

Edenderry V Carrig/Riverstown is on in Kinnitty on the 22nd of July.
Now how in the name of God almighty is that a fair venue distance wise? Why not fix the game for Rhode for Clonbullogue so.
That's now an essentially away game for Edenderry. I assume they'll contest this?
I thought every effort was made to try meet teams in the middle?

[faithfulfanatic]

Edenderry V Carrig/Riverstown is on in Kinnitty on the 22nd of July.
Now how in the name of God almighty is that a fair venue distance wise? Why not fix the game for Rhode for Clonbullogue so.
That's now an essentially away game for Edenderry. I assume they'll contest this?
I thought every effort was made to try meet teams in the middle?

Edenderry is 50 minutes from Kinnitty
Carrig is 20 minutes from Kinnitty

Not halfway by any means, but then again not many games are.

Opening round of the Senior A last night saw Tullamore play Rynaghs in Tullamore

[private joker]

Killeigh would have been a better venue.

[kingscounty]

Edenderry 2-15 Seir Kieran’s 1-12, wonderful win for Edenderry, some great scores taken and were by far the better team on the day and could have won by more.

[kingscounty]

I see the fixture list for Saturday 22th July seems to have disappeared off Offaly gaa website! Are there no games on Saturday now?

[kingscounty]

Edenderry V Carrig/Riverstown is on in Kinnitty on the 22nd of July.
Now how in the name of God almighty is that a fair venue distance wise? Why not fix the game for Rhode for Clonbullogue so.
That's now an essentially away game for Edenderry. I assume they'll contest this?
I thought every effort was made to try meet teams in the middle?

Re fixed again now I see, it’s now in Birr even closer to Carrig and further away from Edenderry.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

I'm sure the Edenderry lads will be thrilled at the opportunity to hurl in Birr.

[bracknaghboy]

Re fixed again now I see, it’s now in Birr even closer to Carrig and further away from Edenderry.

Arrah they may as well go the whole hog and play it in Thurles!
Playing it at a main venue like Birr might lessen the blow for Edenderry but still it's a shocking mileage imbalance whatever way you look at it.
If you reverse things the other way it would be like playing it in Ballyfore!
Jet lag could be a factor in the result.