All you need to know about the teams in this year's Offaly Senior Hurling Championship

Kevin Corrigan takes an in depth look at all the teams challenging in this year's Offaly Senior Hurling Championship....

Group 1

Kilcormac-Killoughey

Manager: Shane Hand;

Selectors: Mark Leonard, PJ Murray;

Captain: Conor Slevin;

New players: Several outstanding players will be available as they are now out of minor ranks. Included in these are Adam Screeney, Brecon Kavanagh, James Mahon, Ter Guinan, Leigh Kavanagh, Daniel Hand and others. They won't all start but Screeney and Brecon Kavanagh are certainly likely to feature. Dan Currams is home from England and may also feature.

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year: Conor Lowry has gone travelling; Alex Kavanagh severed a tendon in his hand last week and is out for six weeks.

Star player – Cillian Kiely;

Last year: Beaten finalists;

Prospects: Kilcormac-Killoughey know better than anyone that having outstanding minors is no guarantee of success. Senior Hurling Championship glory eluded a previous golden generation in the 1990s and 2000s and they won't be counting any chickens before they are hatched. Having said that, it is impossible to avoid the impression that they are going to become a dominant force. They have cleaned up at underage level and had several players on the outstanding Offaly minor and U-20 teams of the past two years. The challenge for K-K is when to blood them at senior level. All of last year's minors are now eligible for senior but they won't all play this year. Adam Screeney and Brecon Kavanagh are good enough at the moment, and perhaps James Mahon but the others may be given a year at senior B. K-K are serious contenders. It remains to be seen if this is a year too early for them but they were beaten in the final last year and could have won it. Some of their older players won't be getting better with age but can still contribute powerfully. They should be able to qualify out of their group and they are potential champions.

Birr

Manager: Gary Cahill;

Selector: Paul Cleary and Kevin O'Donovan;

Captain: Brendan Murphy;

New players: Joe Ryan, Ben Miller, Darragh Tierney, Ailbe Watkins, Cian Nolan;

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year: Brian Mullins and Paul Cleary have retired while Dylan Quegan and Craig Taylor are abroad;

Last year: Beaten by Kilcormac-Killoughey in the semi-final.

Star player: Eoghan Cahill;

Prospects: Desperate to end their long famine, Birr will have a chance against most teams with Eoghan Cahill on the field. A superb scoring machine, Cahill can shoot the lights out against anyone and Birr have plenty more going for them. They are a competitive senior hurling team and Shinrone showed last year what is possible for any team. Birr are certainly in the category of clubs who could come up from the rear and snatch one. They would, however, need a lot to go right for them. Their first priority is to get out of the group and they should be able to do that but will have to beat Kinnitty and Tullamore. They play Kinnitty first and could be vulnerable here with Eoghan Cahill possibly missing with a hamstring injury and Ben Miller also likely to be out. Birr can't take anything for granted against anyone and could slip but expect them to make a quarter-final. They could make progress but they are outsiders at the moment.

St Rynagh's

Manager: Liam Dunphy;

Selectors: James Mc Grath and Ronan Mc Guckin;

Captain: Not Selected yet;

New Players: Shane Rigney is now out of minor ranks and will be a very good addition;

Long Term Injuries/Absentees from last year: Niall Wynne and Dermot Shortt are injured while Ronan Hughes is working abroad.

Last year: Beaten by Shinrone in the quarter-final;

Star player – Ben Conneely;

Prospects – It is a huge year for St Rynagh's who were aiming for four in a row last year but were beaten in the quarter-final. With three teams qualifying out of the groups, they should be able to get to a quarter-final at least. Them, Kilcormac-Killoughey and Shinrone are probably the starters' favourites but the jury has to remain out on St Rynagh's at the moment. We just don't know and a lot depends on their hunger. They certainly have the players to win another title but underage success has dried up for them and this raises challenges. Shane Rigney will increase their attacking fire power. St Rynagh's are contenders and no one will be surprised if they come out on top again but time will tell about where they are.

Kinnitty

Manager: Damien Fox;

S&C - Glen Bagnall

Selectors: Michael Bergin, Shane Corrigan, Liam Bergin 

Captain: Paddy Delaney;

New players: Patrick Dooley and Cathal Robinson have graduated from minor;

Absentees from last year: Paddy Rigney and Tommy Leahy are in Australia;

Last year: Bowed out in the group;

Prospects: Another team whose main focus is to retain senior hurling status, Kinnitty will be setting their sights higher than that. With a vastly experienced manager in Tullamore's Damien Fox at the helm, they will be hoping to challenge for a quarter-final place. To achieve that, they will need to beat one of St Rynagh's, Kilcormac-Killoughey and Birr as well as Tullamore – they will be earmarking Birr as a game where they can produce an upset and they meet first. Kinnitty are always capable of a shock and have earned the right to respect. No one will be taking them for granted but their big focus this year is on the game against Tullamore. That could determine who goes into the relegation play off and Kinnitty will be desperate to avoid that. Their prospects of relegation are greater than their championship chances but Kinnitty may be able to stay up.

Tullamore

Manager: Edwin Finnerty;

Selectors: Adrian Mordan, Davin Finnerty, PJ Martin;

Captain: Ger Crowe;

New players: Cillian Martin, Diarmuid Egan, Cormac Egan, Niall Furlong, Jack Daly;

Absentees: Shane Kelly, Gareth Mann, Ciaran Egan, Mike Feeney;

Last year: Senior B champions;

Star player: Cormac Egan;

Prospects: While experienced players such as Shane Kelly and Gareth Mann are not playing this year, Tullamore will be stronger than last year when they won the senior B. Brothers Cormac and Diarmuid Egan have returned to hurling after not playing last year while Cillian Martin and Niall Furlong are up out of minor ranks. They will be dreaming of a quarter-final place and they will certainly be hoping to give Birr a real rattle in the group, whatever about Kilcormac-Killoughey and St Rynagh's. Shane Dooley will still contribute for them but once again, Tullamore will find their dual commitments challenging. Their big priority is to retain senior status and at this moment in time, their game against Kinnitty could determine who goes into the relegation play off.

GROUP 2

Shinrone 

Manager: Trevor Fletcher;

Selectors: Eamonn Hoctor,  Eoin Maher;

S&C : JJ O Brien;

Captain: Declan Cleary;

Absentees : Ciaran Cleary, Cillian Ryan 

New Players: James Liffey,  Eoin Bailey while JP Cleary and Coley Cleary are back from injury.

Last year: Champions;

Star player: Jason Samspon;

Prospects: Shinrone captured the imagination of Offaly hurling lovers when winning their first ever title last year. They now find themselves at a crossroads and nothing would surprise you. There could be more titles there for Shinrone now that they have the monkey off their backs or they could be one season wonders. Either fate could emerge for them and this season could determine a lot. Their confidence will certainly be up and Shinrone are genuine contenders. The first challenge for them is to get out of the group. They should be able to but it is a tough group with little between the top four teams in it, Shinrone, Ballinamere, Belmont and Coolderry. One defeat against any of them could be fatal and Shinrone could certainly lose a big game. Their hunger levels will determine a lot. Expect them to come out of the group and they could go close again. At the moment, however, the expectation is that they will fall short of putting titles back to back.

Belmont

Manager: Arien Delaney (Camross);

Selectors: Nicky Claffey, David Kenny, Neal Buckley (S and c), Paul Egan;

Captain: Cathal Flynn and Jack Clancy;

New players: David Cox, Conor Dunican, David Kelly, Ronan Flynn, Conor Grennan;

Absentees: Oisin Kelly is facing another season out after doing his cruciate again; David Nally got pins removed from his injured hand on Tuesday and is likely to be out for another 3-4 weeks. Colin Egan has retired and Conor Butler and Jack Egan are also absent.

Last year: Beaten by Shinrone in the semi-final;

Star player: David Nally;

Prospects: Belmont were in touching distance of reaching the final last year and were pipped at the post by champions Shinrone in the semi-final. They could have done it last year and they have been knocking on the door for a few years now. The loss of Oisin Kelly is a grevious blow to them and it is possible that the ship has sailed for Belmont. They are entitled to dream big though and they have the same chance now that Shinrone had this time last year. You never know. The first challenge for Belmont is to get out of the group and that is not a guarantee. They could emerge as serious contenders but they could also exit in the group stages. It is hard to keep coming back after hard knocks and at some stage, Belmont could run out of road. We will know more after the first couple of game but there is one guarantee: No team will like facing Belmont in a big knockout game.

Ballinamere

Manager: Niall Rigney

Selectors: Pat Cleary and Steven Ravenhill;

Captain: Not picked yet;

New players: 13 players are now available from underage level, including Dan Ravenhill;

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year: None;

Last year – Beaten by Birr in the quarter-final;

Star player: Ross Ravenhill;

Prospects: Ballinamere have the bones of a team fit to challenge for the Sean Robbins Cup but they have flattered to deceive so far. In Ciaran Burke, Ross Ravenhill, Brian Duignan, John Murphy and Sam Bourke, they had players on the Offaly senior hurling team this year while Dan and Sam Bourke and Dan Ravenhill were on the U-20 team that reached the All-Ireland final. Not many clubs can match that and they should be able to challenge. Indeed, they could well win a title in the next couple of years but they need to start making steps forward now. Dan Ravenhill will be a huge bonus to them this year, though he has picked up another injury which may rule him out for some games. Time is on their side but the clock is always ticking. The minimum requirement this year is a quarter-final place and they really need to be reaching a semi-final. That is a lot of pressure on a group of players who haven't done it yet and it is unfair in some ways but that has to be their target. Getting out of their group is no formality. Seir Kieran are rank outsiders and one out of Ballinamere, Shinrone, Belmont and Coolderry will definitely bow out. It will be a dogfight, compelling viewing and it can go either way for any of these. Ballinamere should be able to get out and you never know after that. They probably won't win a championship this year and their issue is that their weaker 3-4 players have not been as good so far as the teams who have won. People will be watching their progress with great interest.

Coolderry

Manager: Denis Byrne (Kilkenny);

Selectors: Mick Murray, John Kirwan, Paul Ryan, Shane Hoctor, James Masterson (S&C);

Captain: Stephen Connolly;

New players: Cian O'Connor, Paddy Maher, Eoin Burke;

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year: None;

Last year: Bowed out in the group;

Star player: Brian Carroll;

Prospects: Nothing would surprise you with Coolderry. They could bow out in the group or they could end up as champions. They are serious competitors and their ability to win big games, to confound the odds is beyond question. The impression remains that Coolderry are swimming against the tide. They have a few players very much in the veteran category and they will be very difficult to replace. Brian Carroll is still performing at a very high level for them and he will give them a chance against anyone. The first target for Coolderry is to get out of the group and that won't be easy. They will fancy their chances against every team in the group and they could get out of it. It is a big ask for them to win a championship but they have confounded the odds before. If they do get into a semi-final or final, they would be very difficult to beat but they are in the second tier of contenders at the moment.

Seir Kieran

Manager:  Barry Whelehan;

Selectors : Barry Bergin, Alan Corboy;

Captain : Kevin Dunne;

New players: None;

Long term injuries/Absentees: None;

Last year: Beat Clodiagh Gaels in the relegation play off;

Star player: Joe Bergin;

Prospects: Seir Kieran's target for the year is very simple really – to stay up. That will be no easy task. They have been drawn in a real tough group and it will take a huge performance to win a game here. Seir Kieran have a great, proud tradition and will fight for everything but it is hard to see them avoiding the relegation play off. All the other teams in this group will be marking them down as an absolutely must win game and a defeat will be disastrous to their prospects. Seir Kieran could pull off an upset but they almost certainly can't win a championship at the moment. They are likely to be in a relegation play off, possibly against Kinnitty or Tullamore, and they could survive this but it is all on a knife edge for them.