Tullamore book semi-final slot as six qualifiers emerge in Offaly SFC

WITH a round to go, the six qualifiers in the Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship have emerged with Tullamore, Edenderry, Rhode, Ferbane, Bracknagh and Shamrocks guaranteed qualification.

Tullamore's very impressive 2-16 to 0-8 win over Shamrocks in group 2 has guaranteed them top spot and a semi-final place. Even if Clonbullogue did manage to beat them in the final round, Tullamore have both Bracknagh and Shamrocks on the head to head and they can't be taken off top spot.

Bracknagh's win over Clonbullogue in a controversial local derby last week means that they are in the quarter-finals, as are Shamrocks. The fallout from that fractious derby has continued this week - Clonbullogue's Ryan Dempsey and Bracknagh's Eoin Hyland were red carded in a post match melee and a Bracknagh supporter has accepted a 16 week suspension after being reported for comments made in that melee.

Bracknagh and Shamrocks meet in the final round but both have beaten Clonbullogue – this means that if Clonbullogue beat Tullamore, and you will get very long odds on that, the loser will still qualify ahead of Clonbullogue on the head to head rule.

In group 1, Edenderry have one foot in the semi-final. They were fortunate to draw 0-13 each with Ferbane in the first part of an O'Connor Park double bill on Saturday but that means that a point in their final game against Ballycommon will put them into the semi-finals.

Them and Ferbane are tied at five points but Ferbane have concluded their group campaign and will almost certainly have to settle for a quarter-final – the only way they can top the group is if Durrow beat Rhode and Ballycommon beat Edenderry in the final round. You would win a lot of money on both those results happening and Edenderry are warm favourites to claim a semi-final berth – avoiding Tullamore until a final is a big carrot for them, not that they will be taking a semi-final for granted against anyone.

Rhode can top the group if they beat Durrow and Edenderry lose to Ballycommon but again, the ball is very much in Edenderry's court.

Ballycommon rallied very well in the second half to record a first senior win in two years when beating Durrow by 1-16 to 1-12 on Friday evening. This left them hanging on by a thread in the qualification stakes but the draw between Ferbane and Edenderry ruthlessly cut that. Their only realistic hope of survival was a Ferbane win and this would have turned their closing round against Edenderry into a winner take all shootout.

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Instead, they don't have a mathematical chance of qualification now. Even if they beat Edenderry and Durrow surprise Rhode, Ballycommon and Rhode would then tie on four points but Rhode will qualify on the head to head rule.

There is no relegation this year and it means that the only issue at stake in the final round is the second semi-finalists and group placings.