Offaly Senior Football Championship teams profiled

IN the midst of a great golden era, Tullamore are very much the team to beat in the Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship.

They got two big monkeys off their back last year, retaining the championship for the first time since 1926 and winning their first Leinster club game since 1977.

The appointment of former Mayo manager Stephen Rochford as their coach this week is a further indication of their ambition, though it will also motivate their opponents in Offaly.

Tullamore will be aiming to win three in a row for the first time since 1926 in 2025 and it will be very difficult to knock them off their pedestal.

Below are profiles of each club:

GROUP 1

FERBANE

Manager - Ger Rafferty;

Selectors - Brian Keenaghan, William Farrell & Declan Nugent;

Coach - Colin Kenny;

Captain - Cian Johnson/Kevin Nugent

Absentees, long term injuries, retirements from last year – Leon Fox has transferred to Louth, Conor Butler and Jack Egan are travelling and Kieran McManus is taking a year out. Joe Maher, Ronan McGuire and David Dunican have opted for intermediate for 2025;

New players – With so many established players unavailable, Ferbane will be drafting up new players.
Last year – Beaten finalists;
Star player – Cathal Flynn;

Key players – Kyle Higgins, Cian Johnson, Kevin Nugent;

Prospects – Ferbane have been agonisingly close in recent years, suffering a raft of devastating defeats in finals and semi-finals. They have been Tullamore's closest contenders in the past two years but it looks like all those defeats have taken a toll. Leon Fox's physical presence will be sorely missed and Joe Maher has been one of their top attackers for the past decade. All of this upheaval could have a positive spin off for them but it can go the other way very easily as well. They remain second favourites but there is more uncertainty about them this year than other years. They should be able to get out of their group and if they get momentum behind them, they will be a very potent force, well capable of winning the title – there is also the possibility of them running out of road and slipping back, and we just don't know what way they will go at the moment.

EDENDERRY

Manager – Richie Dalton;

Managemet team -  Colin McNamara, Brian Quinlan, Alan Pender, James Rafferty, Colin O'Laoire  and Peter Guing;

Captain – Cian Farrell and Lee Pearson;

Absentees, long term injuries, retirements from last year – None;

New players – Cillian Foran,  Harry Goulding Kaelem Bryan while Mark Abbott is back form injury;

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

Star player – Jordan Hayes;

Key players – Cian Farrell, Rory Egan, Lee Pearson;

Prospects – It has been a frustrating few years for Edenderry as they have failed to make it across the line in the really big games. Former stalwart Richie Dalton has taken over as manager and they set down an early marker of intent by winning the Division 1 Football League. Edenderry have a handful of top class players, as good as anyone has in the county, but it is the back-up that separates the winners from everyone else, and improving their next cohort of players is the litmus test for them. They have good young players in Kaelem Bryan and Cillian Foran coming onto the scene and are very much on the short list of contenders. They should make the knockout stages and have a chance of going the whole way but the jury is still out on them.

DURROW

Manager - Shane Kelly;

Coach – Mark Sheeran;

Selectors – Damien Spollen, Ronan Lally;

Captain – Jack O'Brien;

Absentees – Billy Fogarty is travelling abroad and Micheal Mooney is working in the USA for the summer. Brothers Niall and Brian Geraghty have retired. Dan Wyer is out for a few months with a shoulder injury;

New players – None;

Star player – Ciaran Burke;

Key players – Kevin McDermott, Ross Ravenhill, Jack Fogarty, Jack O'Brien;

Last year – Beat Bracknagh in the relegation semi-final;

Prospects – Ballinamere's strength in hurling is a big problem for Durrow at the moment and the small ball game is the priority for a few of their best footballers. If they got everybody going well, fully committed, they would be capable of surprises and squeezing into the knockout stages. They will be decent but are very much outsiders and are one of the teams who are glad they don't have to worry about relegation as a 10 team championship will be played next year.

BALLYCOMMON

Manager – Padraig Egan;

Selectors – Patrick Conway and John Kenny;

Captain – Aidan Bracken;

Absentees – Dylan Martin is out with a knee injury while defensive powerhouse Barry Bracken is facing a second year on the sidelines as he recovers from a cruciate injury;

New players – None;

Last year – Beat Bracknagh in the relegation final;
Star player – David Dempsey;

Key players – Aidan Bracken, Conor Dunne, Ryan Kenny, Karl Dunne;

Prospects – Ballycommon always give value for the money and have such a hunger to make the most of their time in the top flight. They will relish taking on big guns, Ferbane, Edenderry and Rhode in the group and could pull off a surprise but a quarter-final place is a big ask for them. They don't have enough strength to win a championship but it is great that they are assured of another year there.

RHODE

Manager – Paschal Kellaghan;

Selectors/Coaches – Declan Gorman and Pat Daly;

Captain – Ruari McNamee and Aaron Kellaghan;

Absentees – None;

New players – None;

Last year – Beat Ballycommon in the relegation semi-final;
Star player – Anton Sullivan;

Key players – Ruari McNamee, Niall McNamee, Aaron Kellaghan;

Prospects – Rhode look to be heading into a period of transition as several of their elder statesmen enter their end-game. There could, however, be another powerful kick in them and no one will be writing them out of the championship equation. They have too much quality at their disposal and they are contenders. Anton Sullivan has a big point to prove after Mickey Harte and Declan Kelly called time on his county career in 2025 and Niall McNamee can still shoot the lights out. Nothing would surprise you with Rhode and Paschal Kellaghan will have them very well prepared. They are one of the teams who could take Tullamore out and they should make it into the knockout stages. Their forward line will give them a chance against everyone but they are swimming against the tide to an extent and the doubts about them are also valid. Time will tell.

GROUP 2

TULLAMORE

Manager – Paul McConway;

Coach – Stephen Rochford;

Selectors – Niall Smith;

Strength and conditioning - Kevin O'Brien;

Captain – To be picked;

Absentees – Diarmuid Egan will miss most of the campaign with an injury, Declan Hogan is recovering from a long term ankle injury and Aaron Hensey and Michael Brazil are also on the way back from injury. Harry Plunkett and Daire McDaid are currently in America on playing sanctions but will be back; Paul McConway has retired.

New players – Some young players are now challenging for places on the team;

Star player – Cillian Bourke;

Key players – Cormac Egan, John Furlong, Diarmuid Egan, Daire McDaid;

Last year – County champions;

Prospects – The holders, favourites and very much the team to beat. It will be interesting to see how Tullamore go this year. They have a new management and the new rules will provide different challenges for them. Tullamore have been masters at keeping control of the ball in recent years, strangling the life out of opponents, but will have to attack more under the new rules. They have the players to do this, to open teams up and they should adapt well to the rules. Tullamore are beatable – while they have a very consistent scorer and free taker in Harry Plunkett and a lot of players who can score, they don't have a real prolific forward and that gives opponents a chance in big games. There are also times when they don't put opponents away when they are on the ropes but they will be very hard to knock off their perch and are well capable of winning three in a row for the first time since the 1920s.

SHAMROCKS

Manager - John Monaghan and Brian Kinnarney

Selectors - Jamie Boland and Phil O'Reilly

Captain - Alan Heffernan

Vice Captain - Jack Bryant

Absentees - Luke Molloy is away and Stephen Malone is a long term injury;

New players – none;

Last year- Beaten by Ferbane in the semi-final;

Star player – Jack Bryant;

Key players – Nigel Dunne, Paddy Dunican, David O'Rourke;

Prospects – There is growing hope in Shamrocks about their prospects and it remains to be seen if these are accurate or wishful thinking. They are certainly turning a corner and it is great to see a competitive team back in a parish that is hugely important for Offaly football. They were out of senior for a nice few years but are gradually climbing up the ladder. The format with every team qualifying allowed them to prosper in the group last year and they should be able to qualify this year. Shamrocks have a lot of very solid, good footballers, a strong back bone and good forwards. They are moving in the right direction but the people suggesting they will win a championship are certainly optimists. They could beat a big gun and they have a chance but they are dark horses rather than front runners and it may take them another year to become true contenders.

BRACKNAGH

Manager - Ronan Murphy;

Selectors - John Broderick and Glenn Brereton; 

Captain -  Jason Dempsey;

Absentees, long term injuries, retirements from last year - Anthony Cunningham is a long term injury

New players -  None;

Last year – Got a reprieve from relegation as the number of teams in senior football increased to nine;

Star player – Peter Cunningham;

Key players – Fionn Dempsey, Jason Dempsey, Mikey Cunningham;

Prospects – They are in the weaker of the two groups and with three qualifying,a quarter-final berth is very attainable. Their mouth watering local derby against Clonbullogue could determine this. They have a few really good players and are capable of surprising but they aren't strong enough to win the Dowling Cup.

CLONBULLOGUE

Manager - Jarlath Gilroy

Selectors - Kevin Keenan, David Gleeson

Captain - Jack McEvoy

Absentees, long term injuries, retirements from last year -  None

New players - Seán Foran is back from injury last year;

Last year - Senior “B” champions;

Star player – Keith O'Neill;

Key players – Jack McEvoy, Jamie Guing, Ruari O'Neill;

Prospects – It is great to see Clonbullogue get their opportunity at senior level and it is also good that they are assured of two years there. That is important while the group gives them a chance of qualifying. They will be big underdogs against Tullamore and outsiders against Shamrocks but will relish taking on parish rivals Bracknagh. They have one of the best forwards in Offaly in Keith O'Neill and a county midfielder in Jack McEvoy. Winning a championship is not a realistic aspiration and this first year is a learning process for them.