Club Championship Rankings

[TheManFromFerbane]

Following on from THE Shark's article in the Indo and robbing an idea from http://www.hoganstand.com/offaly, (The shame!! but turns out some people do want to talk GAA in there) I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to post their rankings for the coming year's club championship. I won't be putting one up myself for obvious reasons, (i.e. I don't want to slag off a team and give theM ammunition if we have to play them next year) but I think it would be pretty cool to get it going here and maybe even re-post every month or so to reflect peoples changing minds as the league progresses. Like I said I won't be doing one but here is how John from Tullamore (curtosy of http://www.hoganstand.com/offaly) reckons it will play out this year.

1) Rhode - best team in the county when it comes to outright footballing skills but that’s not always enough to win a title as shown over the last 4 or 5 years. Will be trying to build on last years success and their confidence should be high. Hard to see anyone stopping them this year but Edenderry would love a crack at them.
2) Clara. Depends on how they come together under Vinny Claffey it remains an unknown how good Vinny will be over a team and really it often depends on which Clara team turns up can be awful at shooting and this could be the reason they come unstuck again this year.
3) Shamrocks: I expect a big year from shamrocks they’ve been very close on a number of occasions and have the players to cause any team problems. Midfield may be a problem and sometimes their possession isn’t turned into scores. Expect to see them in the shake up
4) Edenderry: Training hard already according to all reports from the camp. I’d be dubious as to how good they actually are but knowing Edenderry, remember 4 championships since 1990... They could pull out another one. Don’t think they have what it takes to compete with Rhode, Clara or Shamrocks
5) Gracefield: Been so close over the last couple of years but it may just have eluded them don’t think they have enough quality to win the championship but certainly capable of an upset or two along the way
6) Tullamore: A sleeping giant ... they’ve been wounded over the last couple of years and there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal. I’d love to see them win another championship but this year may be a resurgence year could make it to the last 4
7) Ferbane: I fancy them to start a comeback to the top of Offaly football in the next few years some good underage teams coming along this could be a year Ferbane shock one of the big three
St. Brigids: Battlers with lots of heart loads of passion and a want to win you won’t find anywhere else. Should have reached a county final this year. Good young players in young Egan and the two Caseys. ... Won’t go out of the championship without a fight.
9) Doon: beaten by Brigids, Annihilated by Rhode yet they had previously beaten Tullamore and Ballycumber. Hard to make them out but their problem is their back line.
10) Ballycumber: mediocre at best don't expect them to be in the shake-up this year
11) Shannonbridge: decent players but I can’t see them progressing any further than a quarter final. Never easy to play against though
12) Bracknagh: Making up the numbers
13) Erin Rovers: Making up the numbers

[Lone Shark]

Fair enough so.

In terms of how I expect teams to perform next year, with my odds, in my capacity as former bookie.

1 - Rhode

Still the main men, with the best panel and the best production line. Could be vulnerable to a hungrier side, but in my view far and away the best. 7/4

2 - Clara

Hate praising the shapers, but injuries did them up the *** with a cucumber and sandpaper this year. Will need to replace Daly in Midfield, but Vinny in charge will surely help them along, and he certainly knows a thing or two about working with good forwards and no midfield. 3/1

3 - Tullamore

Very disappointing year this year, but with a good flow in from the Intermediates, a bit of sense to take Froggie out of CB, and the continuing development of O'Grady and Keane, they shouldn't be far away. Might struggle at midfield, but who won't in this county? 7/1

4/5 - Gracefield

Tie with the Rahan Boys. Best player in the county, and a solid back line, but very light up front. Kiely needs to move back for his chances with the county's sake, but the Port lads need him up front. Until someone weighs in to help O'Neill they'll struggle. 8/1

4/5 - Shamrocks

Powerful, but light on scorers. Thomas Coughlan will be needed to step up, but could beat anyone as they could hold them to a very meagre total. A lot will depend on how motivated Shane Cunningham is. If he puts it in, these lads will be very hard beat. 8/1

6 - Ballycumber

Very dangerous out of Group C next year. They'll get a run of games going, and if Grennan and Guinan click up front they'll test anyone. Midfield again will probably cost them though. 14/1

7/8 - Doon

Would love to see the miracle happen, if only for the month long debauchery that would ensue in Club Martin. Ludicrously good forward line keeps compensating for a very mediocre side otherwise. The last minute goal never came against Brigid's though, and maybe the luck has ran out. 16/1

7/8 - Ferbane

Huge pressure on young forwards to step up. No shortage of supply from the best midfield in the county, but will need to get scores from somewhere other than Rocky Daly and Mel (who I couldn't even say for certain is coming back again....). Full back line always looks like it could get pillaged, but to be fair never does. 16/1

9 - Edenderry

Only reputation keeps them from being a rag price. They should be way better than they are, but even the stories about them back training since October are becoming a little bit like a cry of Wolf. Cillian Farrell is a great player who misses too many games, John Hurst is tidy but doesn't take a game by the scruff of the neck, and their school and underage teams have provided nothing for years. I expect nothing from them. 20/1

10 - Brigids

Were absolutely to the pin of their collar this year to get as far as they did. An admirable club, with a great team ethic and a very stylish way of playing ball, but no team with genuine county aspirations loses like they did in the replay against Gracefield. Long odds on to be in Group C in 2006. 33/1

11 - Shannonbridge

Yet again, 2004 was a good year for Shannonbridge - Ferbane or Doon didn't win anything. This club is gone to the dogs, and although they'll run teams close due to drawing them into a scrap, they lack the talent to challenge for the Dowling Cup or the sense of perspective to realise how bad they are and to try and address it. They'll continue to express amazement when Doon outperform them once again. 40/1

12/13/14 - Erin Rovers/Bracknagh/Daingean

No idea which of these shower is any better than the others (Pullough by a bit I suppose) but it hardly matters. They're all so far off the pace it's not funny, and are continuing proof of why our Group C system and persistence with a fourteen team championship is lunacy. No more than one of these should be senior clubs at any one time.
200/1 each, and woefully underpriced even at that.

[Bord na Mona man]

My list:
1) Clara
2) Rhode
3) Gracefield
4) Shamrocks
5) Tullamore
6) St. Brigids
7) Ferbane
Doon
9) Edenderry
10) Ballycumber
11) Shannonbridge
12) Erin Rovers
13) Bracknagh
14) Daingean

[The Biff]

If I wasn't hanging around here, would yez be as quick to stick the dagger in Daingean so often?

Ye would? Fair enough so. Honestly though, being away from the Faithful sod now, I have no idea of the relative merits or potential of the various clubs. However, I am aware that the Maroons are well off the pace. Would new jerseys of the NorthOffaly ilk help? Thought not! Hope not!

Time to resurrect the parish team at Senior level, I think. If Daingean, Ballycommon, Kilclonfert and Cappincur were able to "bury the hatchet" and field a combined Senior team, what hypothetical chance do you think they might have?

[Bord na Mona man]

Now that the Philipstown club no longer share jersey design with Wastemeath, I believe this will herald a new era of success for Daingean.

[Lone Shark]

If Daingean, Ballycommon, Kilclonfert and Cappincur were able to "bury the hatchet" and field a combined Senior team, what hypothetical chance do you think they might have?

Hard to tell, but it I'd definitely be in favour of it. I wouldn't have an iota what kind of relative strength there'd be in Ballycommon and Cappincur, but you'd have to assume that Kilclonfert based on this year would be able to contribute at least a half dozen decent players. You'd certainly look on the side as a threat, whereas now they are an intermediate team doing their level best to get relegated to their true level and fates keep conspiring against them.

Any idea what the mood in the parish would be like? Most relevantly, what does the Parish Priest say? He usually carries a lot of influence in these situations.

[The Biff]

Dont quote me on this but I think the PP is more into Golf than GAA.

I think that the underage mentors manage to pool all the good resources so that "St. Vincents" is fielded as a Parish team, and I think they've been fairly competitive (even successful) on various occasions and at various levels. If this is still true, then I would expect that the actual players themselves might not have any hang-ups about playing with their former team-mates. But it's among some of the "committee-men" that the barriers exist. Some of them would probably look for a minimum quota of players to be from their own club, regardless of the relative standards.

I suppose you've touched on the secret formula though; a hurley-wielding "Timmy-Ryan-of-the-d'Unbelievables-style" PP to crack the whip and lay down the law for the good of the parish.

Tell the Bishop I'm on the way to sign up.

[turk]

I remember listening on the wireless to the offaly meath match in 1995, where offaly were 1-5 to 0-1 up after 25 minutes, meath wheeled on colm o'rourke who destroyed offaly. it ended up 1-15 to 1-5 i think. sure ye were probably all at it.

anyways, jody gunning was crying afterwards on the radio. he said something had to be done and that the clubs should go back to the parishes system. things did look fairly desperate back then.

[The Biff]

Some of you probably read on GaaBoard.com about the Divisional teams in the Kerry championship. I have to say I really liked that idea, and if it is possible to pool resources in the Football hotbed of the Kingdom, then surely a similar scheme could work in the likes of Offaly.

There can be little doubt that it would help to raise the playing standards. In fact, this would probably he even more helpful for the small Hurling clubs, and the Hurlers of the East end of the county.

Could any of you ever see it happening? A combined Edenderry/Rhode/Daingean Hurling team in the Senior Championship?

[TheManFromFerbane]

I wouldn't be mad on that myself to be honest, parish teams are one thing, and I think there are good arguments for and against, but to be honest I don’t really like the idea of the Kerry set-up as I understand it. It would definitely have benefits for the likes of the hurling teams you just mentioned but can you imagine those teams amalgamated in Football!!? Also doesn't Kerry have a secondary competition much like our club championship?

[Bord na Mona man]

I'd be in favour of more divisional and combined teams where appropriate.
In recent times we've had combined north Offaly teams clubs making strides in underage hurling. It is important that this improvement is carried through to adult level.

Dispersing these players to their individual (weak) adult hurling clubs undermines any progress made at underage.

[Lone Shark]

I'd be all for amalgamations to be honest - within reason obviously. I've gone into on my "Shark's eye view" article in the columns.

Biff, from what you say, it strikes me as one of the easier amalgamations to put in place. If there's no great tension at underage, and the players would be in favour, then there should be no great difficulty getting it past the ould lads - if the players show up at AGMs etc and make it clear what they want.

Surely Rhode being next to ye will push lads on a bit to want to be competitive themselves.

As for Kerry, they do have a club championship running alongside their county championship (That's how Milltown/Castlemaine got to be in the Munster Championship this year, because South Kerry won the County Championship so it reverted to the club winners), but it should be remembered too that they have a woeful amount of footballers playing ball in the county. Certainly a lot more than we do.