Another thrilling weekend of hurling action lies in store

By Kevin Egan

It’s a matter of opinion as to whether the Offaly SHC is a fantastic competition in 2026 because of the generally high standard and competitiveness across the board, or if it’s a reflection of how the loss of Charlie Mitchell and Adam Screeney has pulled Kilcormac-Killoughey back to the pack.

Time will tell, but for the moment we’re not going to split hairs because so fair it has provided fantastic viewing and once again, this weekend’s action looks unmissable from start to finish.

It starts with Lusmagh against Tullamore, a fixture that was widely expected to be a de facto relegation semi-final before a ball was pucked. Tullamore’s win over Shinrone threatened to throw that story out the window but subsequent losses to Ballinamere and Belmont mean that the Blues are not yet safe, while still in contention for knockout hurling.

A win in Banagher will put them on four points, and it would take a lot of stars to align for Shane Hand’s side to miss out on a quarter-final in that instance, but a loss opens the door to a relegation battle.

On the Lusmagh side, they’ve struggled to compensate for a couple of key absentees, and it is something of a concern that their top scorer is Paul Kinsella but second is Fionn O’Meara with 0-3 from two games, but every game that Brian Mullins’ men get at this level will stand to them, and it’s logical to suggest that they will come on a couple of points again this weekend, which should put them right in the mix.

In terms of learning where teams stand, Sunday's fixture in Shinrone (12.30) will tell us a lot. Shinrone have now conceded 5-52 in two hours of hurling so it’s not hard to identify which side of the ball is a problem – diagnosing the root cause of that leakiness is another matter, and against Ballinamere, their inability to get pressure on an opponent in possession in the top third of the field was as much of an issue as the way Brian Duignan and Joe Maher were allowed to fill their boots with scores.

For Belmont, who lost Mark Egan to injury last time out, this will be a different type of test for players like Conor Grennan, Brian Carroll, Adam Nugent and Ronan Flynn, who are evolving into very important contributors to this team. Expect another high scoring shootout here, and by the time the final whistle sounds, either Belmont’s credentials will be rubber stamped or else Shinrone will have put their poor start behind them.

Kinnitty were not as far off St Rynagh’s as the scoreline suggested last time, and while there’s no doubt that they are a little bit undersized and certainly lacking in depth, Birr might not test those pressure points as much as some other teams. Birr themselves have a strong first 15 but not necessarily the deep bench they’d like.

The word regarding Eoghan Cahill’s injury is positive and if he togs out, Birr will be strong favourites. Nonetheless Kinnitty are a goal or two away from really testing a stronger team, and they’ll hope that this Sunday is the time when they get those few green flags, given Birr’s issues defensively already this season.

It’s not that long ago that matches between Kilcormac-Killoughey and St Rynagh’s were the ultimate heavyweight clash in Offaly and while the Banagher men had fallen away a little in recent years, they will be delighted with the start they’ve made to this year’s campaign.

There was so much to like about their hurling against Kinnitty, ranging from the simple and direct deliveries into the forward line, the relentless and incisive lines of running from Darragh Scully and Aaron Molloy in the corners, and the line-breaking threat that they have from players like Shane Rigney and Evan Houlihan.

It feels like the period of transition is coming to an end for the blue and gold men and that their younger generation are coming to the time that they can really test the top teams in the county, but until someone knocks them off their perch, the top team in the county is Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Even without their aforementioned attacking stars, K-K could well have overcome Coolderry if they had just shown a little bit more accuracy in front of the posts, and had they done that, nobody would suggest that they are under pressure. Instead, they’re in a situation where they need two positive results from their last two games to be sure of reaching a quarter-final, and neither of the two matches is a foregone conclusion.

The ‘Bear in the Square’ approach has been deployed by a lot of clubs so far this summer and it’s probably only in Ballinamere where it has been an unqualified success – and there’s a lot more to Brian Duignan than just his size. If Rynagh’s decide to continue with Jerome Flannery in that role, then Oisín Mahon will feel very comfortable in taking on that challenge. If Rynagh’s shake it up a little and switch Eoin Woods into the full-forward line, possible starting in a corner and drifting in while Scully or Molloy runs out to try and take Mahon out of the full-back position, it would be an interesting study in how to take on this K-K defence.

Of course, even if St. Rynagh’s did have an innovative tactic designed with K-K in mind, there’s no guarantee that they would use it in a group game like this, given that the sides could well meet again in the autumn.