Durrow produce first upset in high stakes Offaly SFC first round

WHILE first round results and performances are quickly forgotten, the stakes were higher than normal when the Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship started last Friday evening.

The clubs were grouped and the first round paired in such a way as to make the opening games absolutely crucial, particularly for the teams whose main goal is to retain their senior status.

It ended with Durrow recording the first upset of the campaign with an excellent 1-12 to 0-8 win over Clara in Tullamore. A great result for Durrow, a very disappointing one for Clara, it is an early season defining one for both.

It means that Durrow are now favourites to claim a quarter-final berth from group 1 while Clara are in an early rearguard action against relegation. The meeting of Durrow and Clara was a tempestuous one with Jack Fogarty and Ciaran Burke red carded for the winners and Conor Doyle and Barry Egan walking for Clara.

There is still a further two rounds to be played and further shocks are always possible but the first round results have given an early indication of what way the knockout stages could develop – the top team in both groups qualify for the semi-finals with the next two criss crossing in two quarter-finals and the bottom team into the relegation play off.

With Tullamore and Ferbane also in group 1, the meeting of Clara and Durrow was absolutely crucial. The stakes were almost identical in group 2 where Shamrocks and Bracknagh met in Walsh Island and served up an engrossing draw, 2-9 to 1-12 – title holders Rhode and Edenderry are also in this group.

The first round pairings also meant that the meetings of Tullamore and Ferbane in group 1 and Rhode and Edenderry in group 2 were potential shootouts to decide who will top the group and go into the semi-finals. There could of course be stings in the tail and it will be a surprise if there is not another upset somewhere along the line but if results go as expected, then Tullamore and Rhode will top the groups after their crucial first round wins.

Two first half goals from Dan Fox and one from Jay Sheeran were crucial as Tullamore held on to beat Ferbane by 3-11 to 1-13. Tullamore led by 3-4 to 0-8 at half time and withstood a late rally from Ferbane, who really missed Joe Maher and Cathal Flynn from their attack.

Champions Rhode once again exuded professionalism and efficiency as they set themselves up very nicely with a fully deserved 1-10 to 0-9 win over old rivals, Edenderry in Gracefield. Rhode certainly didn't shoot the lights out and had fourteen wides but they never really looked like losing this one. They are now short odds to top the group and claim a semi-final place.

The draw between Bracknagh and Shamrocks keeps both alive and was a great result from that perspective. If results go as you would expect, then scoring difference will determine which one goes into the quarter-finals and relegation play off. As well as trying to beat both Rhode and Edenderry, it means that both teams have to fight for every ball right to the end, even if the result has slipped beyond their grasp as very tight margins could now decide things – it will certainly keep them honest if things are going wrong for them in any of those games.

Round 2 will take place on the weekend of July 28-30 and the pairings are:

Group 1

Tullamore v Clara and Ferbane v Durrow.

Group 2

Rhode v Shamrocks and Bracknagh v Edenderry.