St Rynagh's predicament the big talking point in second round of Offaly SHC

A SECOND successive defeat for St Rynagh's was the big talking point of the second round of the Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship this weekend.

St Rynagh's were left stunned as a rejuvenated and highly motivated Belmont pulled away for a richly deserved 0-20 to 0-14 win in Banagher on Friday evening.

It was a thought provoking defeat for St Rynagh's, who lost to Shinrone in their first game and are now looking at an early exit from group 2. They face champions and title favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey in the next round and a defeat here will put them out.

On current form, it is hard to see them beating K-K, who need a win after drawing with Belmont in their first game. K-K were missing a handful of their star players that evening but the bye this week should help them get at least a couple of them back into action.

Friday's defeat provided further evidence that St Rynagh's are heading into a transitional spell as they rebuild after their dominance up until 2022, when Shinrone won their first title, followed by two in a row from Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Not making the knockout stages, however, would be virgin territory for St Rynagh's and that is now a very strong possibility.

Belmont were worthy winners on Friday evening and they have staged a great turnaround after their worse season in a few years in 2024. With county forward Oisin Kelly in America but due back later, Belmont have hit the ground running and are in pole position for a quarter-final place. A win over Kinnitty in their next game will secure that and they will be warm favourites in that game. Belmont's resurgence has been great to see as they have kept bouncing back from a series of heartbreaking defeats in big knockout games in recent years and are now gearing up for another bid at glory.

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Shinrone are also on course for a quarter-final place in group 2. They had a predictable easy win over Kinnitty on Saturday evening, 4-21 to 3-9 and are top of the group with four points. They have a bye in round 3 and meet Belmont in their next game – a clash that will be very informative.

Group 1 is developing on expected lines, though there could be a fly thrown into the ointment yet. After their season making first round win over fancied Ballinamere, Coolderry moved to top of the table with four points after a 2-20 to 2-14 win over Seir Kieran on Saturday evening.

Coolderry led by 0-14 to 1-5 at half time and second half goals from Eoghan Parlon and Shane Connolly put them on the verge of a quarter-final place. After being destroyed by Birr in the first round, it was a much better performance by Seir Kieran who will take a lot of positives out of it.

Ballinamere recovered from their first round loss with a 4-18 to 2-18 win over parish neighbours Tullamore in O'Brien Park on Thursday evening. Tullamore were a point up inside the closing quarter and Ballinamere were in danger of a calamitous defeat. With county players, Sam Bourke, Ross Ravenhill, Brian Duignan and Dan Bourke, along with Aaron Maher who had a super second half, among the players driving them on, Ballinamere managed to get the win that they had to get.

Group 1 is an interesting one. With the top team qualifying for semi-finals and second and third into quarter-finals, Coolderry, Ballinamere and Birr are obvious favourites to advance. Tullamore's performance on Thursday evening suggests that they can cause an upset against Coolderry or Birr but they will be conscious of the tight rope they are on.

They could also end up in the relegation play off and their next game against Seir Kieran in Kinnitty is their most important of the year. The early form suggests they have a great chance but they haven't beaten Seir Kieran in championship action in decades and history weighs against them. It is a massive match for them.

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Ballinamere have a bye in their next game before meeting Seir Kieran and a win here will more than likely be enough to put them through. The meeting of Birr and Coolderry is the pick of the next round and will be a huge test for both.