Double bills fixed for Offaly football finals

THE big football championships in Offaly are now down to final stage and two very attractive double bills have been fixed for O'Connor Park in Tullamore. There will be a bumper weekend of action on October 30-31 with Senior, Senior “B”, Intermediate and Junior Football Championship finals all down for decision.

The fixtures were made by the Offaly GAA Competitions Control Committee on Monday evening. The Junior Football Championship final between Edenderry and Tullamore (1.00pm) will be a curtain raiser to the Intermediate Football Championship decider between Clonbullogue and Raheen on Saturday, October 29. The Senior Football Championship final between Rhode and Tullamore is on Sunday at 3.00pm and will be preceded by the Senior “B” Football Championship showdown between Clara and Tubber.

The Saturday finals are provisionally fixed for O'Connor Park but will go ahead on that day and times – if the weather is very bad that week, they will be moved to standby venues as they won't risk the pitch being destroyed for the premier football game in the county, the senior final on Sunday. These fixtures will be confirmed on Wednesday, October 27.

The Junior “C” Football Championship final between parish rivals Ballycommon and Daingean is under lights in Croghan on Friday, October 29 at 8.00pm.

The Senior Football Championship final is a repeat of last year's decider when Rhode withstood a frantic late Tullamore rally for a fully deserved win.

Rhode qualified on Sunday with a 3-9 to 0-10 win over championship surprise packets Durrow. Durrow had shocked the champions in the first round of the group but as expected, Rhode proved too strong on this occasion with a controversial first half penalty goal from Anton Sullivan setting them on the road to victory.

Tullamore showed good form on Saturday as they got the better of Ferbane by 4-10 to 0-14 in an engrossing game. Ultimately Ferbane couldn't survive without three of their best forwards, the injured Oisin Kelly and Cian Johnson and the suspended Joe Maher. Tullamore were also without flying forward Cormac Egan – the county U-20 star has a hamstring injury that may end his season – while John Furlong only came on as a sub but they always had the edge here and deserved to win.

The Senior “B” Football Championship final will see favourites Clara take on Tubber. Both had two big wins in very one sided semi-finals at the weekend. Clara's win over Walsh Island was expected. Dismayed to be relegated from senior last year, Clara have been title favouriutes from the start of the year and they won pulling up by 2-22 to 1-4. Walsh Island were without the suspended Colm Gavin and John Doyle and only the heroics of goalkeeper Ian Duffy saved them from a much worse beating.

Tubber showed excellent form on Sunday afternoon as they had a much easier than expected win over Ballycumber, 1-17 to 2-5. Like Clara, Tubber also could have won by more and they will be delighted with the way they played against a surprisingly off the boil Ballycumber.

It has been a somewhat strange Offaly Intermediate Football Championship where Clonbullogue and Raheen meet in the final.

They qualified for the final on Saturday afternoon with Clonbullogue defeating Daingean by 1-14 to 1-5 and Raheen over powering their parish rivals, Clodiagh Gaels, 5-17 to 1-9.

The results were tinged with irony. Daingean had defeated Clonbullogue on the way to topping their group while a fine first round win over Raheen had set Clodiagh Gaels up to claim top spot in the other one.

Daingean and Clodiagh Gaels had qualified straight for the semi-finals as group winners while Clonbullogue and Raheen had to win quarter-finals, beating Shannonbridge and St Brigid's, respectively. Normally the group winners are favourites for the semi-finals but that wasn't the case here as Daingean and Clodiagh Gaels wore the underdogs hat. And these predictions were proven correct in two fairly routine wins for Clonbullgue and Raheen.

Tullamore and Edenderry have qualified to meet in the Offaly Junior Football Championship final.

Championship favourites Tullamore had a deserved 0-16 to 0-12 win over Rhode in Ballinagar on Saturday while Edenderry beat Doon by 1-9 to 0-7 in the other semi-final in Durrow.

See Tullamore/Midland Tribune for reports on all the semi-final action plus previews of a big weekend for the Offaly Hurling Championships.