Surprises possible in Offaly Senior Football Championship quarter-finals
IT will be a surprise if there is not at least one surprise when the Offaly Senior Football Championship quarter-finals take place next weekend.
The quarter-finals will take place over Saturday and Sunday in O'Connor Park. Edenderry meet Bracknagh and Tullamore take on Durrow on Saturday while Sunday sees Shamrocks meet Ballycommon and Ferbane try and take Rhode out.
Ferbane and Rhode is more or less a 50-50 game while Tullamore and Edenderry are clear favourites in two of the other games. Shamrocks' form should have them clear favourites against Ballycommon but in their case, it comes with a large warning note attached.
No result between Ferbane and Rhode will be a shock while it will be a surprise if Bracknagh, Durrow or Ballycommon win but there is every chance that at least one of them could take out their fancied opponents.
The fixtures are:
Edenderry v Bracknagh: O'Connor Park on Saturday at 3pm
Edenderry have blown hot and cold this year, looking very good at times, mediocre at others. They still have the players to win the Dowling Cup, star quality in Lee Pearson, Jordan Hayes and Cian Farrell while Rory Egan has shown signs of rediscovering his best form.
Bracknagh have a lot going for them. They competed well against Rhode and beat Ballycommon while Tullamore beat them well. They have one of the best footballers in Offaly in Peter Cunningham, plenty of other good players and they should give this a run. Edenderry, however, are probably a better balanced team and should be able to get the job done.
Verdict – Edenderry.
Tullamore v Durrow: O'Connor Park on Saturday at 4.30pm
Tullamore have been motoring along nicely as they bid to retain the title for the first time since 1926. They have done everything asked of them so far but the real business begins now and this is a potential banana skin.
Durrow's confidence will have been boosted with a fine win over Shamrocks in their last game and they are in the perfect position in this parish derby. They are underdogs and the only pressure on them is all internal. Hurling is the priority for some of Durrow's best footballers but the likes of Ciaran Burke, Ross Ravenhill and Dan Bourke are excellent with the big ball in hand. Then they have Offaly senior football panellists in Kevin McDermott and Jack O'Brien, along with others who have played county football at underage level. They have the players to be a very good senior football side and an upset is possible here.
Tullamore are lacking the magical, match winning forward that some of the other sides have but they are masters at controlling a game. They play a defensive brand but have it down to an art form and know how to keep teams at bay as well as getting enough scores on board. The parish rivalry here will have them on high alert for this very interesting tussle. It is possible that Tullamore could win well but they could also be vulnerable. Tullamore, however, generally perform in these type of games and there is no evidence to suggest they won't here.
Verdict – Tullamore.
Shamrocks v Ballycommon: O'Connor Park on Sunday at 3pm
The meeting of Shamrocks and Ballycommon is one of the most intriguing this weekend. Shamrocks turned a big corner this year by topping their group, recording excellent wins over Ferbane and Edenderry. They lost to Durrow in their last game and while that raises questions, they were assured of top spot and it shouldn't be over analysed.
Ballycommon have found life tough in the top flight. They would have expected to lose to Tullamore and Rhode but their display against Bracknagh was disappointing – that, however, was a strange fixture with the losers meeting Shamrocks in the quarter-final while the winners had Edenderry or Ferbane and a feeling among many that the victory prospects would be better for the losers.
Shamrocks' could be sitting ducks here. They have performed really well, injecting a measure of excitement into the championship but knockout football determines everything this year, not the groups. They have had mixed luck since then in terms of players. Alan Heffernan has returned from abroad and will be a big help to their attack while Andrew Delaney, a midfielder, has also come back. They had hoped to have Paddy Dunican back from abroad but he is not eligible as he played in Chicago this year and that is a shame for them – while he was the Offaly senior football goalkeeper before he went, he would be a big asset to the Shamrocks' attack.
Of even bigger concern to them is the fitness of David O'Toole-Greene. He missed Shamrocks' intermediate hurling defeat by St Rynagh's on Sunday and the sight of him limping on the Birr pitch before hand did not look encouraging. He has been possibly Shamrocks' best player to date, turning in some powerful displays at the centre of attack. While he has played senior hurling for Offaly, that ship has probably sailed for him now, he is more likely to get a phone call from the Offaly senior football management this year and Shamrocks need him on board.
Ballycommon haven't adjusted to senior football yet. They were very impressive when winning senior “B” last year but have found it very hard to break down defences in the higher grade. This is reflected by their points tally of 5, 7 and 7 in their three games. That is nowhere near good enough and Ballycommon need to find a way to score. They have a very good chance here, however, and a win for them will be only a small surprise. Shamrocks have excellent forwards in Jack Bryant and Nigel Dunne and their form suggests that they will win but it is not that far off a 50-50 game.
Verdict – Shamrocks.
Ferbane v Rhode: O'Connor Park on Sunday at 4.30pm
On paper, the meeting of Ferbane and Rhode is the most attractive of the weekend. Rhode's form has been better but the availability of Niall McNamee is a big problem for them. He was on crutches with a hamstring injury at their defeat by Tullamore and he remains a hugely influential player for them. It looks like he will be out while Aaron Kellaghan has not got back yet from a cruciate injury though Rhode still have real quality up front and Ruari McNamee and Anton Sullivan are capable of winning games for them.
Ferbane haven't ignited yet. They were beaten by Shamrocks in the first round, beat Durrow and drew with Edenderry in a very dour match. However, they remain live championship contenders and are well capable of turning the corner. This is just a very hard one to call and Ferbane will relish taking on Rhode. However, their form has been suspect enough to make Rhode very marginal favourites, even in the absence of Niall McNamee.
Verdict – Rhode.