Offaly Senior “B” Football Championship team of the year

TULLAMORE certainly went the scenic route when winning the Offaly Senior “B” Football Championship this year.

Their success shows the depth of talent in the club and was a huge achievement. They had spent years trying to get into Offaly football's second tier and finally succeeded when winning the Intermediate Football Championship last year.

With a regular stream of quality young talent emerging out of underage ranks every year, they were the starter's favourites – despite the presence of a golden generation in Ballinagar, whose emergence out of junior ranks to the verge of top flight football has been one of the great stories in the modern Offaly GAA world.

Beaten by Clara in last year's final, there was a case for making Ballinagar favourites but the presence of Tullamore threw an ointment into the works and they were many people's tip before the campaign started.

Yet, it looked like it wouldn't happen for them as the season progressed. They stuttered and stumbled in the group, losing three out of five games – to Daingean, Ballinagar and, most dispiritingly for them, Tubber in their final game.

Three defeats would normally put you out but Cappincur were also struggled badly and it was ironic that it was Ballinagar who threw Tullamore a lifeline. As Tullamore lost their final group game to Tubber, Ballinagar defeated Cappincur and that result allowed Tullamore to fall into the semi-finals – a draw for Cappincur would have put Tullamore out.

Ballinagar did the right thing that night, putting their best foot forward and playing the Cappincur game on its merits but their honesty came back to haunt them.

Tullamore's group form was not that of champions but quality is quality and it came through in the knockout stages. Again, they were not convincing in the semi-final against Daingean. Daingean had performed well to top the group and were the better team for a lot of the way against Tullamore but the killer instinct was missing. They turned down goal chances for easy points and Tullamore punished them with Dan Fox scoring a sensational two point winner from hail Mary territory right at the end of injury time – Fox's return from a debilitating illness was great to witness and he showed his quality with that score.

Ballinagar had cruised into the final with an easy win over Tubber, who had done really well to make that far but were swimming against the tide the whole year and injuries meant that they just could not travel any further.

Many people were anticipating a derby final between Ballinagar and Daingean. There is no love lost between some people in both of these clubs and the final would have galvanised both communities. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the edge that has developed between some players and members in Ballinamere and Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Rivalry between clubs is a very healthy thing, can raise standards and provide outstanding games, with no quarter asked or given. It is part of what has made the GAA such a fantastic organisation and intense rivalry between clubs within parishes and neighbours has been there since the start. It is okay for a team to want to beat someone for the very simple reason that they don't like them but it must be healthy and there are lines that must not be crossed. We are not pointing fingers at anyone in the above named clubs – and as in every situation, there are two sides to a story, two of them in it, and it may be heightened by a very small number of individuals - but we will question if the rivalry has gone beyond the healthy in these cases: There has been videos in circulation and only the people in the clubs can answer that question and if it is yes, then it must be reined in and sorted out as an unhealthy rivalry with all that entails is not good for anyone.

In fairness, it hasn't manifested with any bad row on the field of play but we were denied the excitement of seeing what would have happened between Ballinagar and Daingean in the final by Tullamore.

Ballinagar were sitting ducks in the final. In the semi-final, they annihilated a Tubber side that had beaten Tullamore. We knew that player for player, Tullamore were at least as good as Ballinagar. And then there was the great unknown: Tullamore's ability to perform in and win finals and doubts about whether Ballinagar would perform on the big day.

Both emerged. Tullamore were excellent, controlling the game almost the whole way. Ballinagar rallied late and almost got back into it but the final scoreline of 1-13 to 2-8 flattered them and Tullamore were very comprehensive winners.

Ballinagar still have the potential to go senior and deserve a chance in the top flight but the window of opportunity won't stay open forever and next year could very well be a make or break year for them – and a major problem for Ballinagar will be that Tullamore will still be in this grade next year as they can't have two teams in the Senior Football Championship.

Senior “B” provided a high level of football and there were some great individual displays, quality footballers on display throughout the campaign. The following is a personal selection of a senior “B” team of the year, based purely on the club season.

1 – Goalkeeper: Ryan Kinahan (Ballinagar)

A hard call between Tullamore's Donnacha Keoghan and Ballinagar's Ryan Kinahan.

Donnacha Keoghan had a solid year for Tullamore. He made some good saves and worked hard on his kickouts. Ballinagar's Ryan Kinahan just edges it. He missed early action with injury but his return was pivotal to Ballinagar's progress to the final. He was returned to the starting line-up after Ballinagar shipped seven goals in a horrific defeat to Daingean in the group. He made a series of high quality saves in their crucial win over Tullamore in the following game and proved a very reliable last line of defence, with a consistent kickout.

2 – Right corner back: Jake Moore (Tullamore)

Jake Moore hardly put a foot wrong in the Tullamore defence this year. He focused on his primary man marking duties and was very good on the ball.

3 – Full back: Dylan Hensey (Tullamore)

Dylan Hensey was a tower of strength in the Tullamore defence. He was physical, fielded well and cleared a lot of ball. A real old fashioned full back.

4 – Left corner back: Jack Gorry (Ballinagar)

Jack Gorry is a terrific example of a young player who has worked very hard to fulfill his potential. Ball retention was an issue for him but he improved dramatically in this department in 2026. A livewire of energy, he had a series of very hard working displays, was a man of the match contender in a few games and is a comfortable pick for this team.

5 – Right half back: Cormac Whittle (Daingean)

Cormac Whittle was one of the star players in the championship and a key part in Daingean going so close to making the final. He defended competently, attacked well and was man of the match in a couple of games. Tullamore's Jack Daly was a contender.

6 – Centre half back: Adam Bolger (Daingean)

A very solid player, Adam Bolger does his job without fuss and he was a very efficient member of the Daingean defence. Outstanding in their disappointing group defeat to Cappincur, Bolger worked hard and was solid in most of their games. Ballinagar's Brian Malone was a serious contender for this position.

7 – Left half back: Adam Joyce (Ballinagar)

Adam Joyce had another very good year for Ballinagar. He is another player who has improved as the years have gone on, working on his game and was very important for the beaten finalists.

8 – Midfield Eoin Carroll (Cappincur)

Eoin Carroll was managing injuries and this meant he wasn't on the field for all of Cappincur's games but he was immense when he was. The former county star showed that class is permanent, using his physicality and footballing intelligence to great effect as Cappincur stayed up. He was brilliant in their win over Daingean when they a defeat would have put them out early and in the relegation play off against Ballycumber.

9 – Midfield: Shane Horkan (Tullamore)

Shane Horkan had an excellent campaign for Tullamore. With Davin Keegan going to the senior side before the end of the group and Cillian Martin suspended for the semi-final and final, Horkan produced the goods at midfield for them when it counted. He oozed quality on the ball, did the simple thing well and got important scores.

10 – Right half forward: Tom Furlong (Tullamore)

One of the automatic picks on the team, Tom Furlong was in fantastic form for Tullamore. He performed at a very high level and was sensational in the semi-final and final.

11 – Centre half forward: Jay Sheerin (Tullamore)

Intermediate footballer of the year in 2025, Jay Sheerin had another great year for Tullamore. A lovely, composed footballer, he plays football so efficiently. He ran the game to an extent in the final win over Ballinagar and got important scores. A very important part of the Tullamore machine and an easy pick for this side.

Ballycumber's Colm Egan was very close to making it. Ballycumber may have been relegated and that may be no harm for them as they are in a transitional phase but Egan was immense for them. A direct runner who can score, there was a case for selecting him but there was a lot of outstanding forwards, most of whom couldn't be left off and he just misses out. Ballinagar’s Morgan Tynan was also in the equation.

12 – Left half forward: Robbie Gallagher (Ballinagar)

Robbie Gallagher was easily one of the best footballers in this grade in 2026 and would be on everyone's team of the year. Selected mainly at full forward but roving out to the half forward line and running hard at defences, he got a huge volume of scores. He was Ballinagar's best player in the final and they would have received a very bad beating only for his tour-de-force. He had a great season for Ballinagar.

13 – Right half forward: Bernard Allen (Tubber)

Former county player Bernard Allen was a major factor in Tubber recovering from a horrific start and making the semi-finals. He was the one bright spot in their 4-17 to 0-11 second round mauling by Daingean and provided a ready stream of scores from play and frees.

14 – Full forward: Shane Dooley (Tullamore)

Shane Dooley turned 40 on the day of Tullamore's final win over Ballinagar and an outstanding first half from him laid the foundations for their win. He had a brilliant second half in their semi-final win over Daingean and was one of the players who performed when they weren't going well in the group. His value to Tullamore was immense and he has to make the cut with this team.

15 – Left half forward: Shane Tierney (Daingean)

Shane Tierney was very much the main man in the Daingean attack and a huge factor in them going very close to making the final. He scored 1-4 of his 1-6 from play in their semi-final loss to Tullamore and in some ways, he was the most influential player on the field. A bundle of energy, he got a lot of quality scores.