Roe combs Offaly in search for new talent
By DAMIAN LAWLOR
Sunday November 25 2007
OFFALY football manager Pat Roe and his selectors have left no stone unturned in their bid to find the strongest possible panel for the 2008 campaign by calling up 109 players for initial trials.
After a disappointing debut season with the green, white and gold, which saw the county consigned to Division 4 and the Tommy Murphy Cup, the former Wexford manager has already kick-started preparations for next year by summoning vast numbers to try out for his team.
With three weeks training already under their belts there are currently about 50 players realistically in contention for places on the panel, which will be short of eight players from last year's squad.
It's understood that former All Star defender Cathal Daly, who announced his retirement last year, will not make his return to the panel despite much speculation to the contrary. In fact, there are very few experienced hands still on deck, with only Pádraig Kelly and Ciaran McManus left from the 1997 Leinster championship winning side.
Roe is determined to spread the net wide and give young players with serious potential the opportunity to shine.
The Faithful boss, who made huge strides during his period in charge of Wexford, has considered players involved in every grade in adult football, right through from senior to junior B, but the process of reducing the panel is already underway and sources have revealed that the squad will be cut significantly in three weeks.
Along with selectors Laz Molloy and Kieran Rigney, Roe decided to look at all playing ranks and levels in a bid to get Offaly out of Division 4 and the Tommy Murphy Cup.
Initially, the majority of the players called for trials were from senior clubs, 68 in total. However, there were 36 summoned from intermediate teams, four from junior teams while Matthew Brazil from the Ballycommon club was the lone junior B representative.
Notable absentees from the burgeoning list of trialists include Declan Kelly of Erin Rovers, Karl Mollin of Shamrocks and Adrian Murphy, who impressed for Edenderry in their run to winning the intermediate championship.
Meanwhile, new Offaly senior hurling boss Joe Dooley will begin training with his new panel this Wednesday in preparation for the National Hurling League.
Two weeks ago Dooley put his players through a series of fitness tests and all involved were handed individual programmes. The Seir Kieran clubman had 30 players available to him for that meeting, but expects to have a panel of 40 when Birr's interests in the Leinster Club Championship ends -- which might not be for some time yet judging by their impressive display against Ballyhale Shamrocks.
New players on the senior panel include Tullamore's Francis Kerrigan, Brian Bermingham from Lusmagh, Kilcormac/Killoughey's James Gorman, Daniel Currams and Kevin Grogan, Brian Watkins from Birr, Conor Gath (Drumcullen), Diarmuid Horan (St Rynagh's) and David Moran.
Both Roe and Dooley will have to liaise with a new chairman next season after outgoing Offaly board chief Ollie Daly announced that he would not be seeking another term at their convention next month. Daly's decision to step down leaves vice chairman Pat Teehan and Fergal McKeon to battle it out for the position.
Roe combs Offaly in search for new talent
Roe combs Offaly in search for new talent
If you don’t stand for something you fall for anything
Re: Roe combs Offaly in search for new talent
Roe and his backroom team seem to have gone out of their way to show that everybody in the county is being gibvin a fair shot and all grades are been looked at.
The selection of the 109 players clearly shows signs of a management team trying to show that they are more than willing to give Intermediate and junior players a chance.
Thats fair enough and proper order by all accounts. My argument is that a number of good senior players have been overlooked. Im not saying that they are outstanding players but what im trying to say is that they certainly would be better than 50 or 60 of the players selected.
For example: dont tell me players like Damien Hunt and Barry Mooney are not better than at least 60 of the boys called in.
To me that 109 players called in was a farce and was purely done to enhance reputations of the management in the weaker clubs.
Doon for instance were relegated in 2006 and yet of that team they have 6 or 7 players called into the county. A Raheen team that was hammered by them in this years championship had 4 players called in.
Also alot of players from senior clubs called in are far from deserving of call ups.
The selection of the 109 players clearly shows signs of a management team trying to show that they are more than willing to give Intermediate and junior players a chance.
Thats fair enough and proper order by all accounts. My argument is that a number of good senior players have been overlooked. Im not saying that they are outstanding players but what im trying to say is that they certainly would be better than 50 or 60 of the players selected.
For example: dont tell me players like Damien Hunt and Barry Mooney are not better than at least 60 of the boys called in.
To me that 109 players called in was a farce and was purely done to enhance reputations of the management in the weaker clubs.
Doon for instance were relegated in 2006 and yet of that team they have 6 or 7 players called into the county. A Raheen team that was hammered by them in this years championship had 4 players called in.
Also alot of players from senior clubs called in are far from deserving of call ups.
Re: Roe combs Offaly in search for new talent
Barry Mooney dropped himself from the panel earlier this year whilst Hunt I believe is playing rugby. One person that surely deserves a call up is Adrian Murphy from Edenderry. He has played some superb football for them this year.