Belmont's clash with Ballinamere looks the pick of weekend action

by Kevin Egan

When it comes to this weekend’s senior hurling action in Offaly, there are games that could be informative, there are games that could be consequential and there are games that could be very competitive, but none tick the three boxes as comfortably as Sunday evening’s clash between Belmont and Ballinamere in Banagher.

Belmont’s success in the league and Ballinamere’s deep and impressive panel marked the two sides out as potential contenders to Kilcormac-Killoughey’s throne, and both are still very much in the mix despite disappointing showings in week one. But a defeat for either team here would pile on the pressure and effectively remove any margin for error, or in Belmont’s case, leave them needing favours from elsewhere as well as two victories.

Neither side will have taken a lot of positivity out of their football performances last week either and, in the Ballinamere/Durrow camp in particular, this game could have a big bearing on whether they remain fully focused on their two fronted-battle, or whether they start to subtly, almost unconsciously, turn their focus more towards the small ball.

Add in a bit more accuracy, and Ballinamere would have been very happy with their season opener against Birr. Their litany of wides, particularly four of them down the stretch, will have left a sour taste, but for Belmont to score just 0-12 against Kinnitty suggests a much deeper malaise. Wides were an issue there too and 16 errant shots when you only put 12 between the posts is never going to get the job done, but there was also an issue in terms of the battle for possession in the trenches, and stuff like that won’t have sat well with James Murphy this week. It's advantage Ballinamere, but a backlash from Belmont can’t be ruled out.

St Rynagh’s have put themselves in an excellent position in advance of tonight’s tilt at Kilcormac-Killoughey, in that their win over Coolderry, secured with a strong finish in a very enjoyable tie, gives them something of a shot-to-nothing against the county champions. Aaron Molloy seized his chance very well and if he fills the gap that was left by Aaron Kenny’s injury, then there’s a decent scoring unit there.

Realistically, it would take serious underperformance from K-K to be caught out here, they were utterly devastating against Tullamore and while obviously Rynagh’s will present much tougher opposition, a warm evening on a good pitch in Rath will allow the favourites to open the shoulders and run up a big total, even if Rynagh’s are likely to score plenty of their own.

In the first leg of Saturday evening’s double header in Birr, there’s a bit of pressure on both Seir Kieran and Coolderry, as here too, the path to knockout hurling will look very difficult for the team that loses this one. Coolderry were a lot closer to Rynagh’s than a nine-point margin would suggest and they’ll look back at one or two goal chances with real regret, but to be honest, this is the game where they need to make those chances count.

The local derby aspect and the fact that Seir Kieran will target this game should make for an enjoyable contest, and one where Coolderry are favourites, but not unbeatable all the same.

The fact that Shinrone didn’t get a game in round one gives Kinnitty a nice edge going into the second act on the double bill, and the Slieve Bloom men will be hopeful of building on their first round win, maybe adding a little bit more precision to different elements of their play, and causing real problems for a Shinrone side that can’t be sure as to how they’re fixed just yet.

This is the first real test for Paul Keane in charge of one of Offaly’s most enigmatic clubs. There was a time when this was the type of game that would have tripped Shinrone up, but since 2022, they seem to be a very different club, mentally. If they are, they win this by five or six points.