Birr set for Coolderry clash as Rynagh's enter last chance saloon

By Kevin Egan

Nobody will be eliminated from contention for the Seán Robbins Cup when Birr meet Coolderry in Shinrone tonight (Friday) - but this will still be a fascinating contest that will give a strong indication as to whether or not either of these sides have pushed on enough to be genuine championship contenders in 2025.

Last time out, Coolderry stood up very well to the physical threat of the Ballinamere attack. This time around, they’ll be tested by mobility and movement. If they can handle that by any means other than just handing Eoghan Cahill a dozen placed ball opportunities, they possibly have a slight edge.

Tullamore also showed up well against Ballinamere, only to be undone by errors that led to goals for their neighbours. However playing well in a game where nobody expected anything is one thing – playing well in a contest that is a must-win while carrying the favourites’ tag is another matter.

On all known form, Tullamore should have enough to prevail, but Seir Kieran have been known to defy expectations in contests like this before.

The same could be said of the Belmont vs Kinnitty game on Saturday in many ways. Belmont have taken two huge steps towards knockout hurling, but they’ll undo a huge amount of that good work if they don’t take care of business against a Kinnitty team that was some distance short of where they needed to be against Shinrone.

Then St Rynagh’s enter last chance saloon against Kilcormac-Killoughey in what will be seen as a truly heavyweight battle.

Again, if form is the only measure, then the champions should win with something to spare, but arguably this is the best game for Rynagh’s at this time. Either they will go down swinging, or else they will know that a county championship is still on the table. One way or another, it should be well worth watching.