Offaly Senior Football Championship team of the year

THE Tullamore Court Hotel Offaly Senior Football Championship developed along very predictable lines as Tullamore and Ferbane returned to the final for a fourth successive year – and the result was a familiar one as Tullamore completed four in a row for the first time since 1900.

You would have to feel for Ferbane who have been so close in the past few years. Apart from their four final defeats, they have lost two semi-finals on penalties and in another era, this fine team would have another two or three titles.

They have, however, emerged at the same time of an exceptional Tullamore team. As an exceptional array of young talent, backboned by Cormac Egan, John Furlong and Harry Plunkett have come of age, Tullamore have proven to be an unstoppable force and a whole new range of possibilities has opened up for them.

Walsh Island hold the record with six in a row won between 1978 and 1983. Ferbane won five in a row from 1986 to 1990. Rhode were a terrific force of nature from 1998, and 2003 in particular, as they dominated Offaly football but they could only manage three in a row.

Tullamore now have four, there is every chance that they will surpass Walsh Island and it does not take a huge leap of imagination to envisage them winning ten in a row. They may well be caught at some stage but with excellent young talent continuing to develop in underage ranks and loads of football ahead of most of their team, they will remain the team to beat for some time.

The 2026 championship was a decent affair without being brilliant. The format was good but it did allow the top teams to progress with comfort. Rhode, Ferbane, Tullamore, Shamrocks and Edenderry were in the strong group with four qualifying. With Edenderry rebuilding and taking the hit for 2026, this group was done and dusted at an early stage with Rhode and Ferbane qualifying for the semi-finals, Tullamore and Shamrocks in the quarter-finals.

The weak group worked well. With the top two teams qualifying for the quarter-finals and the teams fairly evenly matched, it was competitive and it was much more interesting to watch this unfold. Clara and Ballycommon eventually qualified with Clonbullogue in third place and Bracknagh and Durrow competing in the relegation play off – where Durrow had a great come from behind win but Bracknagh got a reprieve when Tullamore won the Senior “B” Football Championship, as they could not have two teams in the one championship.

Rhode had added great excitement to the strong group as they won three and drew one of their games to qualify in top spot. It looked like they were staging an unexpectedly early renaissance and they moved very well but the group form proved delusionary – Rhode put a huge emphasis on it but that was clearly not matched by everyone, particularly Tullamore, and, to a lesser extent, Ferbane.

Tullamore coasted through the group, losing to Rhode and Ferbane but not losing one iota of sleep over it. They were behind to Ballycommon at half time in the quarter-final, came out with all guns blazing in the second half to blow them out of the water. They were magnificent from then on. They beat Rhode with considerable ease in the semi-final and never looked like losing the final to Ferbane.

Shamrocks improved this year, played well in their quarter-final win over Clara but Ferbane were way too strong in the semi-final.

The following is a personal selection for a senior football team of the year. Once again, it is based purely on club action and county performances are not considered. There are some automatic selections and some tough calls with players unlucky to lose out. You could very easily pick ten Tullamore players on the team and stand over it but that would be wrong – it is easier for players to look good on a truly outstanding team and a player carrying or driving a much lesser team forward has to be given real consideration when selecting a side of this nature.

On the other side of this coin, performing well in the strong group is a bigger achievement than in the weak group, where teams are not as good and defenders a bit more generous with the space they allow. It is all about balance and some weak group players have earned the right to be strongly considered – supporters would expect players such as Keith O'Neill and Peter Cunningham to be in the hunt but there is an unexpected face who makes the cut.

There will be some players who aren't selected and would be on many people's picks – we aren't doing this for approval or praise, it is something fun and a talking point, and for better or worse, here it is:

1: Goalkeeper – Sean O'Toole (Shamrocks)

There were some very steady goalkeeping displays this year. Aaron Hensey had an outstanding final for Tullamore and was in the equation as was Ferbane's Adam Nugent and Rhode's Jack Murphy. Sean O'Toole is the choice. The Shamrocks goalkeeper didn't put a foot wrong and worked hard on his kickouts.

2: Right corner back - Daire McDaid (Tullamore)

Daire McDaid didn't play every game for Tullamore as he was abroad early on but when he was on the field, he performed at a high level. He was outstanding in the semi-final and final and his attacks up the field were a big feature of Tullamore's play. He played mainly on the half back line but positions are so inter-changeable in the modern game that he is selected on the full back line – mainly because Clara's Marcas Dalton did enough to make the cut and McDaid would be better on the full back line. Tullamore's Jack Maher and Ferbane's Patrick Taaffe were also very close to making it.

3: Full back – Declan Hogan (Tullamore)

A tough call between two of the giants of the Offaly club football scene. Apart from his short-lived sabbatical in Louth last year, Leon Fox has been a huge performer for Ferbane for well over a decade, an inspiration to all around him. He had another good year for Ferbane but is edged out by another man of vast experience, Declan Hogan. The Tullamore man gave one of his greatest ever displays in the semi-final win over Rhode and his stunning goal in the final against Ferbane was one of the highlights of the year. Apart from that, he did his defensive job with great efficiency, marking his man, doing the simple thing well and showing real leadership.

4: Left corner back – David O'Rourke (Shamrocks)

David O'Rourke gave a couple of the best individual displays of the championship. He was excellent in Shamrocks' run away group win against Edenderry and gave a man of the match display in their defeat by Tullamore, scoring a great two pointer and storming up the field from corner back, where he lined out that day – he was on the half back line in other games but regularly drifted back to the corner. He was Shamrocks' best player and a man of the match contender in their disappointing semi-final defeat by Ferbane: going on his displays, you would hope he will be in a position to commit to Offaly senior footballers next year.

5: Right corner back – Marcas Dalton (Clara)

While they went down to Shamrocks tamely enough in the quarter-final, Clara deserve to have one representative on this team and they were delighted to safeguard their senior football future for the next two years at least – they will be in the strong group next year and can't be relegated out of that. Dalton gave man of the match displays in Clara's draws with Bracknagh and Ballycommon and was instrumental in them taking a point both days. He played well in other games and got forward for scores.

His Clara colleague, Conor Doyle and Shamrocks' Shane O'Toole-Greene were also considered and it is very difficult to leave Ferbane's David Nally off as he once again showed how good of a footballer he is and he is likely to get invitations from both Offaly senior football and senior hurling managers this year: his value to Ferbane is shown by the fact that when he was not as influential as normal in the final, they were more or less doomed – For Ferbane to win, they needed Nally to be all over the place and a man of the match contender.

6: Centre half back – Cormac Egan (Tullamore)

Cormac Egan had a very good year for Tullamore. His influence grew as the year progressed, the games got bigger and that is what the really good players do. He tied up Ruari McNamee in the semi-final and once that happened, Rhode's victory chances were effectively gone. He was outstanding in the final and has to be on the team.

7: Left half back – Jake Maher (Ferbane)

Jake Maher emerged as a likely Offaly senior footballer this year, even though he is still U20. He was sensational in Ferbane's group win over Tullamore when he got upfield to score four points and stood out in almost every game. He trumped the Tullamore display with 1-3 and another man of the match display in the sem-final win over Shamrocks. It didn't happen for him in the final but that is not unusual for young players and he had a great year, defending tenaciously and oozing quality on the ball.

8: Midfield – Aaron Leavy (Tullamore)

Aaron Leavy had a great year for Tullamore, a vital cog in their machine. He got sent off late on in the group loss to Rhode and missed the quarter-final but he was immense when on the field. He is one of the most improved players in Offaly in the past couple of years and was another who really came to his milk for Tullamore at the business end of affairs.

9: Midfield – David Dempsey (Ballycommon)

One of Offaly's most experienced players, David Dempsey had his best year ever for Ballycommon. Playing at centre back and midfield, he drove the team on to the quarter-final, displaying tremendous hunger for the ball, really taking things on. He got scores and was the single biggest reason Ballycommon made the quarter-finals and were ahead of Tullamore at half time there. Rhode's Sean Hurley was very close to making it.

10: Right half forward – Paddy Clancy (Ferbane)

Paddy Clancy makes my team every day of the week. He was immense for Ferbane, a huge factor in them returning to the final. He got important scores, was well able to get two pointers and showed real leadership. Impressively fit, he is another man that may get phone calls from both Offaly senior hurling manager Johnny Kelly and senior football boss, Mike Solan.

11: Centre half forward – Ruari McNamee (Rhode)

Niall Furlong can blow hot and cold but when he is good, he is very good and he is very close to making the team. He got important scores, was so tidy on the ball and he is another of the Tullamore players that really came good in the knockout stages – you could very easily have Tullamore's Aaron Hensey, Jack Maher, Niall Furlong and Harry Plunkett on the team, bringing their tally up to ten but other criteria has to come into the equation and balance is important.

Rhode may have had a bad day at the semi-final but their achievement in topping the strong group was very significant and it would be wrong for them not to have a man on the team. Even though Cormac Egan gave him no headway whatsoever in the semi-final, Ruari McNamee is their standout candidate and makes the cut. One of the most skilful footballers in Offaly, McNamee was excellent in the group – he was pivotal to them rescuing a point in their opener against Shamrocks, a clear man of the match in the great group win over Ferbane when his ten point haul included seven from play, he played well in the win over Edenderry and had a sensational second half in their group success over Tullamore. Their failure in the semi-final was a collective one and that group form from McNamee warrants selection.

12: Left half forward - Diarmuid Egan (Tullamore)

Diarmuid Egan was one of the first names marked down on this team and it was just a matter of where he was selected. Brilliant in the first round against Edenderry, he was very consistent, producing a sequence of quality performances. A man of the match contender on most days, the older brother of Cormac, Diarmuid is a late developer but is now one of the top footballers in Offaly.

13: Right corner forward – Cian Johnson (Ferbane)

One of the best finishers in Offaly, Cian Johnson had an excellent campaign for Ferbane. He scored freely from play and frees and was a pleasure to watch playing. He was one of the few Ferbane players that went really well in the final and he was another marked down quickly on this team.

14: Full forward – Brian Duignan (Durrow)

We are going into the left field for the full forward choice but Brian Duignan had an extraordinary year for Durrow and is an example of how a man can really drive his side on. He has made his name as one of the top hurlers in Offaly but he was instrumental in Durrow staying up this year – on merit! He didn't play football a couple of seasons ago and looked like a “fish out of water” in his first game back last year. He was one of the Ballinamere hurlers who opted out of Durrow's final group game against Rhode last year as they conceded a messy walkover but he committed spectacularly this year. Strong and forceful on the ball, he ran down defender's throats at every opportunity and scored freely: 0-1 against Bracknagh when he was one of the best players on the field, 1-5 against Ballycommon, 1-1 versus Clonbullogue, 1-3 in the final group game against Clara and a sensational 1-8 in the relegation play off win over Bracknagh.

Those statistics speak for themselves and while Peter Cunningham and Keith O'Neill oozed quality for Bracknagh and Clonbullogue, I have no hesitation in including Duignan.

15: Left corner forward – Mike Fox (Tullamore)

A tough call between two Tullamore men, Mike Fox and Harry Plunkett while Ferbane's Darragh Flynn and Rhode's Aaron and Ross Kellaghan were in the equation. Harry Plunkett has really turned a corner in the past two years and is one of the most prolific scorers in Offaly. It's a toss of the coin really between him and Mike Fox. Plunkett who was rock solid but we can't pick everyone we would like and are going with Fox who was an unsung hero for Tullamore. He was exceptional in a few games, scoring regularly and he was so efficient on the ball.