Clara's time could come in fiercely competitive Senior “B” Football Championship

SENIOR “B” football has been one of the best championships in Offaly in recent years and this year should be no different.

It consists of seven clubs, all in the one group with the top four qualifying for two semi-finals. Ballinagar, Ballycumber, Cappincur, Clara, Daingean, Gracefield and Tubber are the seven clubs and the joy of the championship is that all these teams can dream of glory.

At the same time, you can separate them into two groups of contenders with Clara, Daingean, Cappincur and Ballinagar in the top tier and Ballycumber, Gracefield and Tubber having more doubts surrounding their prospects.

Ballycumber, Gracefield and Tubber, however, are capable of beating any of the first four named on any given day and it should make compelling viewing. Tubber could get on a roll and are well capable of getting into the title mix. In fact, it would be a surprise if the first four named do make the semi-finals and at least one out of Tubber, Ballycumber and Gracefield doesn't make it.

It is just a very evenly matched competition and there will be a lot of twists and turns along the way in a very testing campaign.

There are no clearcut favourites, though there is a case for giving Clara that label. Carl Stewart has returned from Australia and will be a huge asset to them when he gets going while Marcas Dalton is one of the best footballers in this grade, a real powerhouse who plays football with heart and passion. Cormac Delaney is a good scorer and Adam Kelly has improved significantly this year.

As usual there are doubts about Clara. They can be vulnerable when pressure comes to bear in big knockout games and they do flatter to deceive sometimes. They did impress when winning the Division 2 Football League but championship will define their season and they are there to be beaten.

Daingean won't be afraid to win the championship. Shane Tierney was excellent for Offaly this year and they have a very solid spine to the team. They have a lot of players who perform at a consistently steady level and they will be there or there abouts.

Cappincur are a model of consistency and did very well to reach the final last year. They command huge respect, a club who gets the best out of their resources. They do look to be heading into one of their valley periods and it is hard to see them winning without Bill and Eoin Carroll being fully fit but if they are playing all the big games, they will have a chance against every team. They are one of the clubs who could win it.

Ballinagar look to be heading to senior football but it remains to be seen if that can happen this year. They have an excellent young team and Morgan Tynan, Robbie Gallagher, Geordi O'Meara and Diarmuid Finneran were all on the Offaly senior football panel this year. Adam Strong would have been considered for a place and while none of the Ballinagar players have established themselves at that level, and they may not all be back next year, it is still a very healthy representation for a small club and area.

They have embarked on a great journey and have a lot of very good players behind their top ones. They won the Leinster junior club title last year and almost made the All-Ireland final, with their conquerors An Ceathra Rua winning the title in Croke Park. You don't do those things without having an exceptional team and there is a huge opportunity for Ballinagar to make the top flight.

The higher grade will test them though and nothing would surprise with Ballinagar. They are the big grey area in this championship. If they make the semi-finals and have that momentum behind them, they could go the whole way but equally, they could find it hard to adapt to the higher level and go out early. After winning the junior in 2022, Ballinagar had to do two years in intermediate before going up again. That could be their fate here but they are very strong contenders, potential champions.

The real attraction with this grade is the amount of teams that can beat each other and no club will have a straightforward route. It is hard to predict the winners but there was something impressive about Clara in the league and they could be the team.

Verdict – Clara.

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First round games

Ballinagar v Cappincur in Ballinagar: Friday, July 18 7.15pm

Verdict – Cappincur.

Tubber v Gracefield in Tubber: Friday, July 18 7.30pm

Verdict – Tubber.

Ballycumber v Clara in Ballycumber: Saturday, July 19 5pm

Verdict – Clara.