Offaly draw short straw on road to quarter-finals

All-Ireland SHC Qualifier Draw: Offaly were always going to get one consolation prize for that narrow defeat in yesterday's Leinster hurling semi-final, although it's not quite as consoling as it could have been.

The draw for the qualifier series has sent them into the more difficult of two groups, with Limerick, Clare and Dublin, to contest for the two All-Ireland quarter-final places.

Like last year, the teams beaten in the early rounds of the Munster and Leinster championships were joined by Galway.

It was inevitable that one group would be slightly more competitive than the other, and - on paper at least - that looks like being Offaly's group.

Group A consists of Westmeath, Laois, Waterford and Galway - with Waterford and Galway fancied to progress to the quarter-final draw, where they'll be joined by Cork, Tipperary, Kilkenny and Wexford.

In Group B, only Dublin are less fancied to progress than the other three. At least one team will have their summer ambitions cut short this year.

Each group will play a round-robin series. Round one is set for next weekend, although times, venues and dates will be confirmed later today by the GAA's fixtures committee.

But the first-round pairings decide themselves on the basis of teams drawn, which means in Group A Westmeath will play Waterford and Laois will play Galway. In Group B, Dublin will play Offaly and Clare meet Limerick.

The top two teams in each group at the end of the round-robin series qualify for the quarter-finals, with scoring difference coming into effect.

Last summer's qualifiers proved particularly beneficial to Galway, which saw them record wins over Laois, Antrim and Limerick, before beating Tipperary and then Kilkenny to set up their All-Ireland final date with Cork. Once again, they look a safe bet to make the quarter-finals.

Offaly won't have it easy in Group B. Manager John McIntyre has maintained all year that progress means making the quarter-finals, and Clare and Limerick share that ambition.

Last summer, Offaly fell heavily to Waterford in round one, lost to Clare by a point in round two, then beat Dublin by a similar margin in round three - which left them short of a quarter-final place. At least the fixtures fall nicely for Offaly, with Dublin being their first opponents. Assuming they win there, that sets up appetising clashes with Clare and Limerick, the results of which will decide who gets to play in Croke Park at the end of July.