Where does your club stand in Offaly football pecking order?

Now that the season is all said and done from an Offaly football perspective, where does your club fall in the overall pecking order? From first to last, here's KEVIN EGAN's view on how they stand. 1 - Rhode: No contest here. Their meek exit to St Patrick's in the Leinster championship was a disappointment, but how do you argue with a league and championship double, beating all opponents by comfortable margins? 2 - Clara: The best of the rest, but they need to do more with the resources at their disposal. To get so little production out of so many county players in the final was very disappointing. 3 - Edenderry: There's little to call between themselves and Tullamore right now, but they get the narrow verdict on the basis of what they did in 2011. This is a young group that needs to make a real push next summer because it would be easy to slip back into the pack. 4 - Tullamore: Came on in leaps and bounds after a desperately disappointing season in 2011. They saw how much of a gap still remains against Rhode but they will start next season with genuine championship aspirations and several great young minor footballers to augment their squad. 5 - Gracefield: The gap between 3rd and 4th is wafer-thin but the drop down to 5th is a lot more severe, despite the close quarter-final that Gracefield played against Tullamore. Lots of talented footballers in the club, but too many of them come with an asterisk, be it too young, too old, indiscipline or commitment issues. 6 - Erin Rovers: Incredibly husbandry with scant resources, but it's very hard to see them improve on where they are now. One or two key losses due to emigration or retirement could have a big effect. 7 - Ferbane: Losses in the minor and U21 finals this year have asked questions of the younger players that are expected to push the club onwards. How they respond to those setbacks will be critical. Upwardly mobile, but they need very careful management. 8 - Walsh Island: Would be ranked lower if we were basing everything on championship performances in 2012, but the absence of some key players hurt them. They'll always struggle to field a strong fifteen, but some of their better players also need to ask themselves if they're really delivering on their potential and doing their utmost for the club. 9 - Tubber: We suspect that they may have qualified out of the other group if the draw had been kinder, and certainly there was little to call between them and Ferbane. If they get their best team out, they can test anyone, but that's a big ask for any club in the current recession. 10 - St Brigid's: They nearly lost a second consecutive intermediate final but pulled it out of the bag when it mattered. A lot rests on the shoulders of some key young players who need to make the step up from being decent club players to being really good club players. 11 - Ballycumber: This rating is perhaps a little harsh, but the standard of their play this year was very ordinary at times. They really struggled against better opposition and right now it's hard to see significant improvement coming about any time soon. 12 - St Rynagh's: They remain solid defensively, but they've developed a tendency to lose tight games and they'll need to step it up a notch once relegation is put back on the table in 2013. 13 - Shamrocks: They'll start 2013 as the odds-on favourites to win the intermediate title and they absolutely have to win it. This club needs something to feel good about. 14 - Ballyfore: They exceeded expectations this summer and it's critical that they see that glass as half full. If they dwell on the missed opportunity, they could slip back into the intermediate pack, but positivity and a willingness to build on what they achieved will see them go a long way. 15 - Raheen: Some very poor play in the group stages. They just about edged past Shannonbridge in these ratings on the basis of their quarter final win, but that was a mini-upset at the time. There are too many good players in this club to justify such ordinary form. 16 - Shannonbridge: Another club with a very small pool of players to choose from but they looked sharp at times this year. Their players played a big part in Ferbane/Belmont's U16 success this year and the medium term offers some hope. 17 - Cappincur: An excellent first season at intermediate, with a lot of young footballers showing their worth. They'll go close again in 2013 if they retain that focus. 18 - Kilcormac-Killoughey: They were so dominant at junior level that they deserve this lofty ranking. If they chose to become a dual club, they'd reach senior level within a couple of years, such is the talent at their disposal. Whether they make that effort or not is anyone's guess. 19 - Doon: Very unlucky to miss out on the knockout stages, but their lack of standout underage players is a worry for the long term. 20 - Bracknagh: Not for the first time, this small club is hugely dependent on one key player. Their fortunes and those of Peter Cunningham and inextricably linked. 21 - Durrow: Both in football and hurling, the fortunes of this parish took a backwards step in 2012. Their inability to field at a lot of age grades is worrying. 22 - Clonbullogue: Another club moving in the wrong direction. An intermediate title is probably beyond them but they shouldn't be missing out on the knockout stages. 23 - Kilclonfert: Birr's ghostly presence at intermediate level saved them from slipping back to junior, but they may need K-K to make an equally half-hearted effort to be saved in 2013. 24 - Daingean: We could dedicate a whole column to the mystery that is Daingean's ongoing inability to extricate themselves from the Junior grade. Another very disappointing season. 25 - Birr: Immense potential, but they need to get their best players out on the field. They've more players worthy of a place in a county senior football squad than any other club ranked outside of the top ten, yet here they are. 26 - Killeigh: They got a nice JFC draw and exploited it, only to be shown up against Tullamore in the quarter-finals. Hard to see where the improvement will come from. 27 - Clonmore Harps: Junior is their natural home and though they'll always give other teams a tough run but another junior title could be a long way away. 28 - Ballinagar: Way off the pace, with little or no silver lining to the cloud. 29 - Ballycommon: Huge improvement needed just to compete with the better junior teams. 30 - Kinnitty: If they were to put in just a little bit more effort, they would be well capable of winning Junior B and maybe even making a Junior A quarter final. Whether everyone in the club would see that as good news is another matter. 31 - Lusmagh: They took a great first step in fielding a team this year and hopefully will do so again in 2013. *What do you think? You can leave a comment here or email sport@offalyindependent.ie to give your views on Kevin's ratings of Offaly's clubs.