Opportunity for clubs to take big step forward in Offaly SHC

THERE is a gilt edged opportunity for some clubs to take a significant leap towards the knockout stages when round 4 of the Senior Hurling Championship takes place this weekend.

Birr have a golden opportunity to book their place when they meet Tullamore in group 1 on Friday evening.

They are top of the table with four points from two games and with the top three qualifying – the top team in each group goes into the semi-finals with two and three in two quarter-finals -, another win will book Birr's place.

Coolderry have four points from three games in this group and have a bye this weekend. Ballinamere and Tullamore both have two for two but Ballinamere will be more or less through if they beat Seir Kieran on Saturday. Seir Kieran have no points from their three games.

Group 2 could be more or less done this weekend apart from the identity of the group winners and semi-finalists. Belmont are top on five points from three games. Shinrone have four from two, Kilcormac-Killoughey have three from two, Kinnitty have none from two and St Rynagh's have none from three.

The big news in this group is that St Rynagh's are definitely gone while Kinnitty will also be eliminated if they lose to Kilcormac-Killoughey on Sunday, leaving K-K, Belmont and Shinrone in contention for top sport.

Group 1

Birr v Tullamore: Friday, August 22 in Birr 6.45pm

Birr have been impressive this year and are turning a corner. Tullamore have also made definite progress from last year and it will be interesting to see how both clubs fare here.

Tullamore have an outside chance and will give a good account of themselves. After beating Seir Kieran, Tullamore are almost certain to stay up and that was their first goal this year. They will now target Birr and Coolderry in the hopes of claiming a quarter-final place and they could take a big scalp.

At the same time, Birr are warm favourites here. They performed well in their wins over Seir Kieran and Coolderry and they will be keen to book their quarter-final spot on Friday. The last thing they will want is to be facing Ballinamere having to win to progress and a defeat here would be a disaster for them. Tullamore will give them a run but Birr's form suggests they will be able to win, though it is a definite test for them.

Verdict – Birr.

Ballinamere v Seir Kieran: Saturday, August 23 in Banagher 4.30pm

Ballinamere have not clicked into form yet, losing to Coolderry and beating Tullamore. Second favourites behind Kilcormac-Killoughey and with the potential to win a first title, Ballinamere's early form has raised questions but there is absolutely no need for them to press any panic buttons.

They haven't been playing that well but the time for them to do that is in knockout hurling and getting there is their only current requirement.

They meet Seir Kieran on Saturday and will be expected to collect the points with a degree of ease. A win won't guarantee qualification but if Birr beat Tullamore on Friday evening and Ballinamere don't slip up, they will be almost through. Their first round loss to Coolderry has put pressure on though and even if Ballinamere win, it is possible that them, Coolderry and Tullamore will tie on four points with scoring difference between them determining which two qualify – that would happen if Tullamore lose to Birr but beat Coolderry, in their final game and Ballinamere beat Seir Kieran and lose to Birr.

If that happened, Ballinamere could very easily bite the dust but they won't be looking that far ahead and their first task is to beat Seir Kieran. They have injury worries. Dan Ravenhill hasn't played yet and Dan Bourke is a doubt with a knee injury. He has got a scan on that and they are awaiting results, hoping that it isn't too bad. He may not play this weekend and Ballinamere can afford to be without him now but not for the big battles ahead.

Tullamore are the big grey area in this group but if they lose to Birr and Coolderry, it will all go as expected. Ballinamere will be treating Seir Kieran with full respect. The Clareen men have improved after a first round mauling by Birr but Ballinamere still should be able to get the win.

Verdict – Ballinamere.

Group 2

Shinrone v Belmont: Saturday, August 22 in Birr 6.30pm

Even if it lacks a real knockout punch, the meeting of Shinrone and Belmont is the game of the weekend. It pits two form sides against each other. Shinrone have looked very sharp and are moving well while Belmont have also hit the ground running, even if they were very fortunate to beat Kinnitty in their last game, getting an injury time goal.

That win, however, has eased the pressure on Belmont and they are sure of qualification. That means they won't be approaching this game the same way they would have been if they needed to win, even though they will still be trying very hard. Shinrone need a point to be absolutely sure of a quarter-final but they probably won't need it – Kinnitty will have to win their last two games to get into the mix and this clash is a dead rubber in some ways, though the winners will have a chance of top spot.

Belmont have a lot of dual players and they will have to go easy on any players carrying knocks or showing real fatigue. Shinrone don't have that problem and they should be a bit fresher which is a big help.

Verdict – Shinrone.

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Kilcormac-Killoughey v Kinnitty: Sunday, August 23 in Kilcormac 3.30pm

You should never completely write anyone off in a game but there is no realistic case to be made for Kinnitty pulling off the shock of the year here.

Adam Screeney and Charlie Mitchell are now back for K-K, Cillian Kiely is getting close and they have players such as Leigh Kavanagh and Ter Guinan to come back into the mix. K-K were excellent in their win over St Rynagh's in their last game and they need to win here to secure a knockout place.

Kinnitty were very unlucky against Belmont and they will always give their best. They will hit K-K with everything they have but at the moment, they occupy two different places in the universe and it is as close to inconceivable that you can possibly get that K-K will lose this.

Verdict – Kilcormac-Killoughey.