Birr plot big upset as Offaly SHC semi-finals down for decision

THE Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship will reach final stage when the two semi-finals take place next weekend.

Title favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey have Birr in Tullamore on Saturday while St Brendan's Park in Birr will host Belmont and Shinrone on Sunday.

Kilcormac-Killoughey v Birr - O'Connor Park, Saturday, October 4 4.30pm

THERE is no such thing as a free shot in a Senior Hurling Championship semi-final but Birr will certainly travel to Tullamore on Saturday with zero outside pressure on them and no huge expectations about their prospects.

It is not a bad position for Barry Whelahan's charges to be in and they will be confident of giving three in a row seeking Kilcormac-Killoughey a real run for their money.

It is a sign of the way the fortunes of both clubs have transformed in recent years that Kilcormac-Killoughey are fairly hot favourites.

Back in the 1990s and 2000s as Kilcormac-Killoughey strove for the breakthrough, Birr were one of their big bugbears, beating them in a sequence of big games. K-K won their first title in 2012 with Birr four years into a long famine that has not yet lifted.

With a new golden generation of hurler having arrived, Kilcormac-Killoughey are seeking their second three in a row and have the talent to dominate Offaly club hurling for the next few years.

Birr have turned a definite corner this year. They have been much more solid and hard working and did well to top their group and qualify straight for the semi-finals. They have performed very well, beating Coolderry, Ballinamere and Seir Kieran – their draw with Tullamore raised questions but Tullamore have also improved this year while Birr recovered to beat Ballinamere in their final group game.

Their group may have been the easier of the two – the fact that three teams from the other group, Kilcormac-Killoughey, Belmont and Shinrone are in the semi-finals backs this up but all of that does not matter one little bit at this stage.

Kilcormac-Killoughey have blown hot and cold this year. They drew with Belmont and Shinrone and these results ensured they had to go the quarter-final route. They have looked vulnerable but they have also looked unstoppable at times, scoring 1-31 against St Rynagh's, 2-29 in their quarter-final win over Ballinamere.

Birr will take hope from Ballinamere's haul of 3-17 but wouldn't want to read too much into that. Ballinamere's three goals came late on when K-K could not be caught and two of them were from Dan Ravenhill frees. In reality, it was much closer to a 20 point game than a 10 point one and that was serious going against a side who ran them close in the final last year.

K-K also have players coming back. Their team was more solid against Ballinamere with Cillian Kiely at centre half back, Jordan Quinn at full back and Jack Screeney pushed forward into attack. Their regular full back from the last couple of years, Oisin Mahon came on as a sub in the quarter-final, Leigh Kavanagh and Ter Guinan didn't feature but should be ready to go now.

K-K have riches that are the envy of everyone else, though this can cause problems when very good players are left on the line and everyone wants to start. That will become a bigger issue if the season wears on and players are left off, others slip down the pecking order, seeing less and less action.

It is first world problems but it all takes careful managing, and really good communication, to keep a happy camp and ensure that no rot sets in.

Birr certainly don't have anything like that depth in strength and there is no comparison in the sideline options available to both managements. Birr, however, have been very impressive so far and are well equipped to give K-K a real fright. They are going well and their confidence is up. They have one of the deadliest forwards in Offaly in Eoghan Cahill and others such as Morgan Watkins and Lochlann Quinn are at or near top form.

Their team also looked more solid when they ended the experiment of playing Ben Miller in attack and brought him back to his natural habitat in defence against Ballinamere. Historically, they won't fear Kilcormac-Killoughey in the slightest and will relish taking them on.

They won't be saying this but there is no doubt Birr would have preferred Shinrone in the semi-final - they would have a better chance against Shinrone but there is also merit in playing K-K now rather than in a final.

There have been times when K-K have not got themselves up high enough for games in Offaly. They did it against Ballinamere and St Rynagh's but haven't done it for every game. There is a bit of a chance that they could be caught off guard against Birr but that shouldn't happen. They will be treating Birr with full respect and knockout hurling is knockout hurling.

Birr have an outside chance but it is closer to the long shot category than 50-50. They are well capable of winning but if it is an open, free flowing game and both sides play as well as they can, K-K will win. Birr have to get into a real battle and they have to be in contention with fifteen minutes to go, not chasing a big deficit. If Birr win, it is likely to be a real tight game whereas K-K have the potential to win by a few.

It is impossible to escape the impression that a Birr win requires them to be at their very best, K-K to have an off day. The joy of hurling is that these things can happen and that potential is here for this but as things stand, most of the money will be going on K-K for this.

Verdict – Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Belmont v Shinrone – Birr, Sunday, October 5 4.30pm

Going on form and results, Belmont should be favourites for this but the reality is different – it may be close to a 50-50 game but the favourites accolade belongs to Shinrone, not that they want or care about that.

Belmont topped the group to qualify direct for the semi-finals, they have already beaten Shinrone and they have improved significantly after a poor 2024 when they failed to progress out of the group.

Oisin Kelly is back home from America, even though he is not fully fit, and Belmont have performed seriously well this year. They are unbeaten and are extremely difficult to beat.

If ever a team deserves to reach a final, it is Belmont. They have been knocking on the door for several years and have suffered some agonising defeats in semi-finals. One of those was against Shinrone in 2022, a day when they looked to have done enough but lost it in the dying moments.
Shinrone went on to win their first ever title and they have their own huge incentive here. They don't want to be one title wonders and they really need a second one to prove themselves. Having said that, Kilcormac-Killoughey's excellence makes that very difficult to achieve and even if it is only one that this group wins, their legacy is assured and they have been a really good, consistent team for a few years.

They were disappointed to lose to Belmont in that group game but Shinrone have been going very well this year. They are playing a passing game and are very effective at it, moving at pace and trusting every player to play his role.

Belmont are a more direct team and this shootout will provide a contrast of styles. Belmont are also very effective at using the ball and finding their men but they do let it in long more often and if any side is well suited to disrupting Shinrone's flow, it is them. They have done it before and they can do it again.

Coolderry got under Shinrone's skin in the quarter-final and looked destined to win when ten points up at half time. They staged a breathtakingly brilliant come back in the second half to qualify for the semi-final but a similar malfunction here may not be retrievable. Belmont will not run out of steam the way Coolderry did and if they get into that sort of position, they will probably close it out.

David Nally has been in sensational form for Belmont hurlers and Ferbane footballers this year, and limiting his influence is one of the big things the Shinrone management will be focusing on this year. Oisin Kelly could have a big bearing. He is due a big game and if he clicks, Belmont will have a great chance – the Shinrone defence will not like him running down their necks at pace and will find it hard to stop that if he does get ball with open ground in front of him.

It will be a fascinating game, one to look forward to. Shinrone have a lot of scoring threat, different players who can emerge as a match winner. That is their strength but they also have blown hot and cold this year. They are well capable of having a bad day and Belmont have an excellent chance of a historic final appearance.

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They are playing very well and you can be fairly sure of Belmont performing close to optimum, not as certain with Shinrone. No result will surprise here. Absolutely no one will begrudge Belmont if their day comes and they deserve to play in a final but that sentiment doesn't come into it. Shinrone do look to have something special going for them and they can edge a titanic, thrilling battle.

Verdict – Shinrone.