An in depth look at all the teams in the Offaly Senior Football Championship

We take an in depth look at all the teams battling it out to be crowned Offaly Senior Football Champions this year including players in and out of each squad

Group 1

Tullamore

Manager - Niall Stack;

Selectors - James Buckley, Gary Heffernan, Cathal Daly and Colm Quinn;

Captains - Michael Brazil, Declan Hogan;

Absentees: Johnny Moloney and Kevin O'Brien both left the club on transfers;

New players – Tullamore will be hoping Cormac Egan and John Furlong can play much more this year and other players will be joining the panel from minor ranks, including Niall Furlong and possibly, Cillian Martin;

Last year – Beaten finalists;

Star player – John Furlong;

Prospects -It would be wrong to describe this as a make or break year for Tullamore but it could be a turning point for them. Even if they don't win a championship this year, that won't stop them from winning ones in the next few years so it is not make or break in that sense.

Yet it is a big year for them and it is possibly the last throw of the dice for their manager, Niall Stack. Tullamore have a huge array of young talent and have dominated some underage ranks. Johnny Moloney has transferred to Galway and he is a savage loss but if Tullamore can get John Furlong and Cormac Egan onto the field consistently and injury free, that will compensate a lot.

Those two have had brutal injuries and their fitness is so uncertain but with them Tullamore would be a different team. Egan is in hamstring bother again and missed games last week but encouragingly, Furlong played a full U-20 football game against Clara.

Without them, they are still contenders but this duo could make all the difference. Beaten by Rhode in the final last year, Tullamore will wonder what would have happened if John Furlong was playing and able to mark Ruari McNamee. Tullamore and Rhode are the two starter's favourites and Tullamore should certainly make the quarter-finals out of this group. They are capable of losing group games but should be able to get enough points on the board. They play so well to their strengths and can be lethal in knockout football. They are potential chammpions.

Ferbane

Manager - Ger Rafterty (St Rynagh's);

Selectors - Kevin Flynn, Willie Farrell, Brian Keenaghan;

Captain -   Kevin Nugent;

New players - None ;

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year - Oisin Kelly (Long Term Injury), Michael Wren & Adam Reams (Travelling). David Nally could miss the first couple of rounds.

Last year – Beaten by Rhode in the semi-final;

Star player – Joe Maher;

Prospects – Tullamore and Rhode may be the two front runners but Ferbane and Edenderry complete the quartet of teams who have realistic prospects of winning the Dowling Cup. Ferbane are there or there abouts. They haven't managed to win a title since ending a 25 year famine in 2019 but have been knocking on the door ever since. They were only denied a final place on a penalty shootout by Rhode last year and that shows how strong they are. In Joe Maher, Cathal Flynn and Cian Johnson, they have three of the best forwards in Offaly and their attack will give them a chance against most teams. They should get out of their group and if Rhode and Tullamore slip, Ferbane could be the team to take advantage.

Clara

Management - Kevin Meehan, Mark Deehan, Tony Egan, Noel Daly 

Captain - John Ledwith;

New players – None;

Absentees – Seamus O'Brien;

Last year – Lost to Ferbane in quarter-final;

Star player – Cormac Delaney;

Prospects – Clara ran Ferbane very close in the quarter-final last year and that was their best performance of the year. It will have whetted their appetite for this year but Clara are still at a crossroads. Having suffered relegation three years ago, they know what can happen and they will be keeping an anxious eye on that.

They have some very good young players. Ed Cullen, Cormac Delaney and Adam Kelly won All-Ireland U-20 football medals in 2021. Marcas Dalton and Alex Egan have impressed on other underage teams and Clara have the makings of a good side. They have a few players well in their thirties and that is a problem while Colm Doyle has been away and they could do with getting him back. Their first round clash against Durrow is a huge one and the loser could end up in the relegation play off. Clara are favourites to win this one and they could rattle big teams in a knockout game.

They are behind Rhode, Tullamore, Ferbane and Edenderry in the list of favourites but ahead of Durrow, Shamrocks and Bracknagh. Long shots for the title and relegation is not fully off the table as a possibility, though they should survive.

Durrow

Manager - Noel O'Brien (Roscommon);

Trainer - Shane Kelly;

Selectors - Ian McDermott, Damien Spollen;

New players - Luke Condron, Eoin Gaffey, D'Arcy Thomas, Eric Grimes, Oisin Cleary, Stephen Doran, T. J. Minnock are all up from minor ranks;

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year - Brian Geraghty & Gerry Spollen not playing football this year; Michael Mooney is abroad for the year;

Last year – Beat Cappincur in the relegation play off;

Star player – Jack O'Brien;

Prospects – Durrow's focus this year is very straightforward: To stay up and the race to senior B level looks to be between them, Shamrocks and Bracknagh with Clara not out of the equation. They could survive but it has all the hallmarks of being a season of struggle for Durrow. Micheal Mooney is a big loss and Brian Geraghty and Gerry Spollen are two of their most experienced players. They also have several dual players playing hurling. Ciaran Burke, Brian Duignan and Ross Ravenhill are all important players for Durrow but their priority will be hurling this year. Ballinamere will be very keen to make progress in senior hurling and Durrow could lose out. They have produced big shocks before so you never know with Durrow but it looks like being a relegation dogfight for them.

Group 2

Rhode

Manager - Declan Gorman

Selectors - Conor Tiernan, Stephen Darby, Malachy McNulty

Captain - Niall McNamee;

New players - New Players eligible from last years Minor team

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year - Dylan Kavanagh (inj);

Last year – Champions;

Star player – Niall McNamee;

Prospects – Rhode continue to confound the odds and it will not be a surprise if they win another title. The impression remains that they have to run out of road at some stage but there is no sign of that happening. With Niall Darby on the way back from a cruciate injury, they will be very strong once again. There is nothing for them to fear in the group and they will almost certainly qualify out of that. Them and Tullamore are the favourites once again and there is very little separating them. Rhode are masters at winning big knockout games and it will be very difficult to knock them off their pedestal.

Edenderry

Manager - Declan Cummins;

Selectors - Derek Kelly, Adrian Forde;

Captain - Colm Byrne;

Absentees - No long term but Rory Egan, Alan Harte and Dan Lowry will all miss the group stages as they are in the USA for the summer;

Last year – beaten by Tullamore in the semi-final;

Star player – Cian Farrell;

Prospects – Edenderry are in the ranks of championship contenders but things will have to click for them to get over the line while the departure of Dubliner, Ken Robinson as manager throws an element of doubt into the equation – he has been replaced by Declan Cummins. They have a lot going for them, some excellent players and in Cian Farrell, Jordan Hayes, Lee Pearson and Rory Egan, they have four of the best footballers in Offaly. Their semi-final defeat by Tullamore last year raises questions and Edenderry have definite improving to do. We will have to wait and see with them. They are well capable of beating anyone in a big knockout game and could get very good. At the moment, you would hedge your bets on them winning a championship but they do have potential.

Shamrocks

Manager - Vinny Henry (Clara);

Selectors - Ollie Minnock, John Monaghan, Brian Kinnarney;

Captain - Shane O'Toole Greene;

New Players - Jack Watkins;

Long term injuries - Padraig Cantwell, Sean O'Toole, Kieran Dolan;

Absent from last year - Scott Delaney, Alan Heffernan, David O'Toole Greene, Jack Bryant, Paddy Dunican, Eoin Rosney;

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

Star player – Jack Bryant;

Prospects – It looks like this will be a year of struggle for Shamrocks. They are missing too many players for it to be anything else. Scott Delaney, Alan Heffernan, David O'Toole Greene, Jack Bryant and Paddy Dunican would all be certain starters if they were around as would their three long term injuries, Padraig Cantwell, Sean O'Toole and Kieran Dolan. With all them available, Shamrocks would have a very decent team, capable of putting it up to most.

No team could cope with that volume of absentees but Shamrocks definitely don't have the pool for that. Jack Bryant may be home before the summer is out and they will be hoping to get others back. As things stand, avoiding relegation is the summit of Shamrocks' ambitions and their first game against Bracknagh could well dictate who ends up in the play off from this group and who goes into the quarter-final. Either way, Shamrocks' chances of relegation are much greater than winning the Dowling Cup.

Bracknagh

Manager - David Connolly;

Selectors - Robert Barron and Fran Wyer;

Captain - Jason Dempsey;

New players - Conor Melia, Alex Broderick;

Long term injuries/Absentees from last year -  Fionn Dempsey, Jim Hendy, Darren Kelly Edward Mather;

Last year – Won the Senior “B” Football Championship;

Star player – Peter Cunningham;

Prospects – Bracknagh and Shamocks are in very similar positions and their opening round clash on Friday evening will dictate an awful lot. Bracknagh did very well to win senior “B” last year and in Peter Cunningham, they have one of the best players in Offaly. They have also been hit with absentees and the loss of Fionn Dempsey, an All-Ireland U-20 winner in 2021 and Jim Hendy will be felt in their defence.

Bracknagh have a lot going for them and can play exciting, attacking football. They don't have the volume of players to mount a championship challenge and like Shamrocks, staying up is their main aim. Their game will be a 50-50 one with the winner likely to go into the quarter-final. It will determine so much for both teams and with Rhode and Edenderry in this group, the wheels could come off very quickly for the losers. Bracknagh are relegation contenders.