PREVIEW: St Rynagh's and Coolderry fancied in mouth-watering Offaly SHC semi-finals

TWO absolutely fascinating games will take place in the Offaly Senior Hurling Championship this weekend with the two semi-finals down for decision. First up is Coolderry v Shinrone on Saturday while champions St Rynagh's will be on high alert for their showdown with Kilcormac-Killoughey on Sunday.

Coolderry v Shinrone: Saturday, November 6 in Birr at 2.00pm

Tradtion points very definitely towards Coolderry, the form book a bit more tentatively in their favour but they will be very aware of the potential pitfalls that lie ahead of them for their semi-final against Shinrone on Saturday.

Tradition wise, there is no comparison between these two clubs. Coolderry are one of the great names of Offaly hurling. They are way out on top of the roll of honour with 31 titles, have supplied some of Offaly's greatest hurlers and are a phenomenal force of nature.

Shinrone are the polar opposite. They have never won a Senior Hurling Championship and are one of only two parishes in Offaly without a senior title – Rahan is the other. They have reached only one final, beaten by Drumcullen in 1960 and have been among the also rans for a long number of years.

Yet Shinrone have a very decent outside chance here. You couldn't label this a 50/50 game, it is probably more like 55-45 for Coolderry, but Shinrone have enough quality to make this very interesting.

Shinrone have improved significantly in recent years and their presence on the semi-final stage is well deserved. They have some outstanding young hurlers and are trying so hard to make the big breakthrough. With full respect to Coolderry, a Shinrone appearance would add a great sense of romance to the county final.

Life has often been difficult for Shinrone hurling teams. On their day, they have been a matgch for most teams in Offaly but they can be inconsistent and it is impossible to escape the belief that they have not reached their full potential in the past few years.

Things could be about to change for them and they have done very well to reach the semi-final. They booked their spot in a closing round of great drama, hammering Kinnitty and just edging out Birr under the head to head rule – they would have qualified on scoring difference anyway. While Kinnitty were poor, there was something very impressive about the way Shinrone went about their business, the intensity they hurled at and the way they retained their composure as it became clear that qualification could come down to scoring difference.

They have qualified with three wins and two defeats. They have already lost to their semi-final opponents, Coolderry but only two points separated the sides that day, 1-18 to 0-19. They also lost to Kilcormac-Killoughey but had two huge wins over Ballinamere and Birr. It is those wins that will have Coolderry on war footing for this battle. They were must win games for Shinrone and they produced the goods when the pressure was on.

Coolderry will be happy with their form. They qualified very comfortably and St Rynagh's defeat by Birr in their last game meant that they actually topped the table. Coolderry only scraped over Seir Kieran in the last game but they knew they would qualify irrespective of the result and it is safe to presume that they didn't fire on all cylinders. They also beat Belmont and Drumcullen while their only defeat was by St Rynagh's.

Shinrone should be able to give this a real rattle. Coolderry have a more ageing team than them with Brian Carroll and Kevin Brady very much in their veteran stages. Yet Carroll is playing some of the best hurling of his great career while Brady is a proven performer who will revel in the physicality that the winter conditions inevitably brings.

Shinrone need a lot of things to go right for them to win and they will be trying to run Coolderry. There is some doubts about their tempermanent and ability to perform when the pressure is at its most acute but Shinrone have some very exciting young talent and their stars could be about to change. They are backboned by Cleary's, Sampsons' and Doughan's while DJ McLoughlin is an excellent young forward and Dara Maher is emerging into a fine prospect in their defence.

Shinrone have an opportunity here but at the moment, you couldn't go against Coolderry's tradition, their proven pedigree and the form book.

Verdict – Shinrone

St Rynagh's v Kilcormac-Killoughey: Sunday, November 7 in O'Connor Park at 2.00pm

This game is so intriguing for a couple of main reasons. First of all it pits the long time two front runners for the Sean Robbins Cup against each other – the champions and favourites, St Rynagh's against a very strong Kilcormac-Killoughey outfit.

The clubs clashed in the 2020 final, played earlier this year, when St Rynagh's were way too strong. It was a bitterly disappointing performance by Kilcormac-Killoughey, who were off the pace and looked well behind St Rynagh's in the fitness stakes. Those goalposts have changed since then – St Rynagh's are still very fit but K-K's levels have risen considerably. Some of their players have trimmed up and collectively, they are moving much faster and more powerfully than earlier in the year.

The other big reason that makes this contest to intriguing is new doubts about St Rynagh's. For much of the campaign, they looked almost unbeatable as they qualified for the semi-finals with a round to go after winning their first four games – they looked very good as they beat Kinnitty, Ballinamere, Coolderry and Kilcormac-Killoughey.

However, the wheels came off in their last group game as Birr walloped them by 1-23 to 0-13. There were extenuating circumstances for Rynagh's. They were in the semi-final while Birr had to win and win big – as it was their win didn't save them from an early exit. Despite that, the defeat and performance raises questions for St Rynagh's. It was not an ideal way to be going into the semi-final and a defeat of this nature is never good.

At the same time, people won't be reading too much into it. It is safe to presume that it would have been a different story in a knockout game but time will adjudicate on that one. At the moment, it makes this game very interesting and it gives Kilcormac-Killoughey real hope.

Kilcormac-Killoughey have been good this year, without being brilliant. They comfortably qualified for the semi-finals with four wins and their only defeat was against Rynagh's. They are improving the whole time and they are moving well. They have a couple of light players who could find the going tough at this time of year but they are getting their strongest players out on to the field, their injury situation has improved and they will be relishing this challenge.

St Rynagh's have had the measure of Kilcormac-Killoughey in the past couple of years and they remain the team to beat. K-K have a very good chance here and a win for them would not be a big surprise but St Rynagh's are now at the peak of their powers and apart from that Birr game – which we are taking as a once off at the moment -, they are ferociously difficult to beat.

Verdict – St Rynagh's

Relegation play off: Drumcullen v Seir Kieran in Kinnitty on Saturday at 2.00pm

Both Drumcullen and Seir Kieran will be desperate to avoid a return to senior “B” hurling. Seir Kieran won the senior “B” in 2019 while Drumcullen got promoted last year when they got to the final – two went up last year with Kinnitty winning the championship.

Both sides have found the going very tough at senior level. They lost all five of their games and shipped some heavy beatings. Both are similar with numbers an issue though Drumcullen seem to be in particular difficulty in this regard. Seir Kieran did run Coolderry close in their last game while Drumcullen were ran off the park against Kilcormac-Killoughey. Drumcullen won't be far away here and will fancy their chances. It is close to a 50/50 game but Seir Kieran get the nod on the basis of their performance against Coolderry.

Verdict – Seir Kieran