Raheen coming into form as Offaly Intermediate Football Championship semi-finals down for decision

THE Tullamore Court Hotel Intermediate Football Championship has been wide open from the start and while St Brigid's and Tullamore have stuck their heads above the parapet, that remains very much the case.

We knew that one group was stronger than the other when the draws were made months ago and so it proved with the four teams from the same side all making the semi-finals.

St Brigid's play Ballinagar while Tullamore meet Raheen in the two semi-finals and the big conundrum to emerge is Raheen, who endured a horrific time in the group but turned a major corner when blowing Erin Rovers out of the water in the quarter-final.

Semi-finals

Raheen v Tullamore: Saturday in Clara 1.30pm

The meeting of Raheen and Tullamore is arguably the most intriguing of this weekend's many appetising fixtures. Tullamore have been the more impressive to date and were comfortable enough when beating Raheen by 1-11 to 1-7 in the group.

The wind has changed direction since then, however. While Tullamore have emerged as, and remain, very strong title contenders, Raheen have changed their season. They changed managers in mid-stream with Edenderry's Richie Dalton returning for a second stint and their win over Erin Rovers augurs very well for their prospects here.

Tullamore have been as steady as they come, not putting a foot wrong since an opening loss to St Brigid's and they are well capable of winning this championship. Tullamore want to win this grade and get their second team up to senior “B” but to their credit, they have not held players back for this. They have moved players up regularly to their senior team, even though they would make a much greater impact at this grade than in the top flight. Yet they have a deep pool of talent and are playing very well.

They showed their good health with a good quarter-final win over Ferbane but this game is fraught with danger for them. Raheen are not as good as their 3-17 to 1-7 win over Erin Rovers would suggest. The Geashill based club got a run on their opponents early on and everything they touched turned to gold in the first half. That will not happen here and it will be a very tight encounter.

Brian Crombie had the game of his life against Erin Rovers, scoring a sensational 2-6 from play. Crombie is a good player but it is most unlikely that he will have as productive a day here. The Tullamore defence are unlikely to allow him to score 2-6 but one of the best forwards in Offaly, Dylan Hyland could.

Hyland is the standout figure in this game and his influence on the outcome will be substantial. No other player on the field will have his ability but Raheen have learned in the past that Hyland can't win games on his own in the business end of the championship. Crombie's performance against Erin Rovers was very important in this regard and they have other players who can step up to the mark.

The form book suggests Tullamore and they are the favourites. They could win with a few points to spare and Raheen have definite weaknesses. Yet this game is wide open for an upset. Tullamore have taken players from this team at regular intervals and while they are still very strong, they could be considerably stronger. They could still win the championship but this is a huge obstacle for them.

Verdict – Raheen.

St Brigid's v Ballinagar: Saturday in Rhode 6.30pm

St Brigid's have been the most impressive side in the championship to date. They have established themselves as title favourites, though this is a very tentative classification. The championship remains much more open than recent years when Clonbullogue, Ballycommon and Daingean were clearly a step ahead of their opponents.

St Brigid's are good and have been performing at full potential but they are more vulnerable than the above named three were. The Croghan men will still fancy their chances of returning to the final for the second consecutive year. They have already beaten Ballinagar in the group stages and have a 100% record..

They had it comfortable against St Rynagh's in the quarter-final and are definite favourites here. Ballinagar started brightly with a great win over parish neighbours Raheen in the first round but lost their way after this. They were poor in defeats by St Brigid's and Tullamore before recovering to get the better of Kilcormac-Killoughey in the quarter-final. Ballinagar didn't set the world on fire that day. It was not a performance that made any big statements but there was still something quietly impressive about it. They controlled the game, played quite well and have the scope for further improvement.

Ballinagar have a lot of good players. Morgan Tynan is their most important while Diarmuid Finneran, Geordi O'Meara, Adam Strong and Robbie Gallagher have all been playing very well for them. These players give them a chance at this level, though they have to perform from here on and they need other players to step up to the plate.

St Brigid's have been very good so far but this will be a test for them. Dan Molloy has returned after missing the group stages and he is a huge asset to them. Cian Donohue and Bobby Troy are playing very well in attack and they are motoring very nicely as a unit.

This is a tricky one for them and any complacency will be punished. St Brigid's are there to be beaten but it remains to be seen if Ballinagar can do it. St Brigid's were so much better in the group game that it is difficult to envisage this gap being closed but knockout football is different and there is a definite opportunity for Ballinagar here.

Verdict – St Brigid's.

Relegation semi-finals

The two relegation semi-finals also take place this weekend with the losers clashing to decide who goes to junior in 2025. These will be two interesting games. Erin Rovers beat Ferbane in the group and should be favourites but the scale of their defeat by Raheen raises so many questions.

Kilcormac-Killoughey defeated St Rynagh's in the group but with a senior hurling semi-final and senior “B” hurling semi-final looming the following weekend, will they have any appetite at all for this. Will they even field?

These games will all depend on the desire of the teams and you can be sure that St Rynagh's and Erin Rovers will be particularly keen in preserving intermediate status. Ferbane will also want to stay up while relegation will not cause sleepless nights for many in Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Ferbane v Erin Rovers: Thursday in Doon at 7.30pm

Verdict – Ferbane.

St Rynagh's v Kilcormac-Killoughey: Friday in Doon at 7.30pm

Verdict – Kilcormac-Killoughey.