Offaly Senior Football Championship quarter-final line-up to be determined this weekend

THE quarter-final line-up in the Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship will be determined this weekend when the final round of group fixtures takes place.

With all eight team qualifying irrespective of results, the stakes are not as high as normal for this stage of the campaign but you can still expect some competitive, entertaining games.

While the decision to remove a knockout element from the group stages has been rightly maligned by many, the games have still been considerably better and more competitive than many feared they would be.

The big talking point to date has been Shamrocks who have surprised Ferbane and Edenderry and are assured of top spot in group 2.

There is a fair indication of what way the knockout stages will develop. Shamrocks will play the bottom team in group 1, which will be the losers of Bracknagh and Ballycommon.

Group 1 will be topped by the winners of Rhode and Tullamore and they will play the bottom team in group 2, Durrow in a quarter-final. The loser of Rhode and Tullamore will play the losers of Ferbane and Edenderry while the winner of that will play the winner of Ballycommon and Bracknagh in the quarter-finals.

The losers of the four quarter-finals will meet in two relegation semi-finals, though relegation may not happen in the likely event that the championship will be brought up to ten clubs next year.

The winners of the two quarter-finals involving the group winners, Tullamore or Rhode, and Shamrocks will be seeded into opposing semi-finals.

The last four group games all take place at neutral venues on Sunday at 3.30ppm and are:

Group 1

Rhode v Tullamore in Daingean

Champions Tullamore and Rhode have been the most convincing teams in the championship so far, though this will be their first real test.

With a quarter-final against Durrow for the victors, both sides will want to win this, though it will still lack the true intensity of real knockout football. There is a huge rivalry between these two clubs and it is a 50-50 game.

Verdict – Rhode.

Ballycommon v Bracknagh in Geashill

The results to date means that this is a strange sort of fixture, if we go on the form of recent years and opt not to take the performances to date at full face value.

The winners will play the winners of Ferbane and Edenderry while the loser plays Shamrocks in the quarter-finals. It is very possible that Shamrocks have turned a big corner and their performances have really brought the championship to life. However, if we go on the evidence of the last couple of years, both Ballycommon and Bracknagh would expect to have a greater chance of winning a quarter-final against Shamrocks than Ferbane or Edenderry.

If this is true, then there is a greater reward for losing this game. Obviously both clubs will be going hard to win this but that could be at the back of some minds all the same. Having said that, Ballycommon and Bracknagh could really do with a win. Scoring has been a problem for both to date and this is the place to rectify that. It is a 50-50 game.

Verdict – Ballycommon.

Group 2

Shamrocks v Durrow in Clara

With Shamrocks assured of top spot and Durrow unable to get off the bottom of the table, this fixture is a dead rubber.

Durrow were close to getting something off Ferbane in their last game but their dual commitments with Ballinamere could be a factor here. Ballinamere play Kinnitty in their final group game a week later, knowing that a win could put them into a semi-final. Shamrocks also have dual players and played Drumcullen this Monday evening but their desire to win this could be a small bit bigger as they will be very keen to keep their momentum going ahead of the quarter-final.

Shamrocks' need to keep their feet on the ground and this game will be a banana skin for them. The form book suggests they will take the points but a Durrow win would not be a real surprise.

Verdict – Shamrocks.

Ferbane v Edenderry in O'Connor Park

This is a big game for two sides with a point to prove. It has not been a good year to date for Ferbane and Belmont hurlers, who have bowed out of the championship, and they will be very anxious to win this one.

Their performances to date don't suggest it but Ferbane very much have the potential to win the Dowling Cup. Edenderry also have that potential while the repercussions for defeat are considerable with the losers meeting the losers of Rhode and Tullamore. That will ensure a real championship feel to this one.

Verdict – Edenderry.