Birr

[Offalys Future]

I wasnt surprised by the result on the weekend. No club team or any team for that matter can be run as a dictatership. This is the way Birr has been run under PadJoe Whelahan. It was okay a few years ago when they had very talented hurlers but they dont have that now. They have young hurlers that receive no coaching or guidance from a manager that isnt able to do either.
Over the last number of years for different reasons he has fallin out with Finbar Spain, Mucko Daly, Niall Rogers, Oisin O' Neill to name just a few. No person should be allowed to dictate the way a club is ran and to turn people away from their club. The Birr club is bigger than Pad Joe Whelahan but over the last few years he has acted in a ridiculous manner.
He added to this the weekend making an eegit of himself in Croke Park. When push came to shove he hadnt a clue on the sideline.

As for the Brian incident. He hit a player off the ball with his hurley he deserved to get sent off.
He was a legend of the game and Offalys greatest ever hurler but he embarrassed himself on the field on Monday like he did in my opinion on two other occasions in the Offaly Club championship this year

[azoffaly]

As for the Brian incident. He hit a player off the ball with his hurley he deserved to get sent off.
He was a legend of the game and Offalys greatest ever hurler but he embarrassed himself on the field on Monday like he did in my opinion on two other occasions in the Offaly Club championship this year

He did embarrass himself, and he recognised this and apologised immediately. He didn't complain about the red card at all, so at least he realises he shouldn't have done it. It was to see the Portumna lads shaking hands with him.

An awful way for a man of his career to go out. Our BIFFO Zidane.

[Over The Black Spot]

I wasnt surprised by the result on the weekend. No club team or any team for that matter can be run as a dictatership. This is the way Birr has been run under PadJoe Whelahan. It was okay a few years ago when they had very talented hurlers but they dont have that now. They have young hurlers that receive no coaching or guidance from a manager that isnt able to do either.
Over the last number of years for different reasons he has fallin out with Finbar Spain, Mucko Daly, Niall Rogers, Oisin O' Neill to name just a few. No person should be allowed to dictate the way a club is ran and to turn people away from their club. The Birr club is bigger than Pad Joe Whelahan but over the last few years he has acted in a ridiculous manner.
He added to this the weekend making an eegit of himself in Croke Park. When push came to shove he hadnt a clue on the sideline.

As for the Brian incident. He hit a player off the ball with his hurley he deserved to get sent off.
He was a legend of the game and Offalys greatest ever hurler but he embarrassed himself on the field on Monday like he did in my opinion on two other occasions in the Offaly Club championship this year

Sounds like you have a bit of a personal gripe with Padjo OF!!!!!!!!!!

Would say though that the Birr club has gone down in my estimation & the estimation of most hurling people I know over the past couple of years. I'm sure if it's the whole Crinkle thing are what it is but they are not that well liked. Saying that, I travelled Monday & shouted for them & was very disappointed to see them fold so tamely, albeit against a class outfit. The one disappointing aspect of the weekend for me for me was Brian Coolahan on Radio 3 over the weekend thanking the great support from North Offaly and emphasising the North Offaly part when the reporter tried to correct him, thinking he meant South. While there was great support for them from all over the county, it was a bit petty not to be thanking all the clubs who have representation at their games if he was going to thank anyone at all.

[black and red exile]

This was the last result Offaly hurling needed. I don't think anybody expected a 10 point hammering no matter how good Portumna are, it rounded off a rotten weekend for Offaly hurling and despite the rights and wrongs it was a tragic way for our greatest ever hurler to sign off his last game at headquarters, to be honest the referee had very little choice. The Birr guys will now come back to the County panel very downbeat and I would imagine with very little appetite for the year ahead, at least if they had won they would be back with a spring in their step.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Just to conclude on the club All-Ireland . . .

Portumna are a super super side. They have few weaklinks- the full back line didn’t cover themselves in glory during the first quarter but they settled down when Ollie Canning was able to ‘cover off’ for Gill and McEntee. The goalkeeper doesn’t look the bees knees either!

I didn’t envisage the Smith brothers would be match winners but that’s how it turned out. Andrew was pacy on the left flank of the attack, scoring 2-2. Then again, even veteran David Canning looked similarly nippy in the first half when Portumna seemed to do alot their attacking up their flank. Leo Smith controlled midfield and Peter didn’t allow Gary Hanniffy, Birr’s only ball winner up front, to exert an influence at all. Either Andrew or Leo would have been deserving MOTM award winners.

Portumna can thank their attack for the half time lead but it was the defence who performed stoutly in the second half, not allowing Birr a foothold to mount a recovery.

Joe Canning was restricted to two points from play, but his unselfish work – the flick into Smith’s path for the first goal, and his run into space allowing Smith and Hayes to score goals two and three was superb.

Too many of Birr’s stars, from whom leadership was required, didn’t perform. Barry Whelahan was their most influential hurler and that influence waned after the interval. That’s hurling and while it was disappointing, there’s no shame in losing to Portumna by ten. There was a good standard of hurling played and the surface was top-notch after the recent rugby.

There’s no doubt Portumna will be back for more. They’re far and away the best club in Galway and should dominate their county championship for the foreseeable future. A future final between Portumna and a full strength Ballyhale is not to be missed.

This was the last result Offaly hurling needed. I don't think anybody expected a 10 point hammering no matter how good Portumna are, it rounded off a rotten weekend for Offaly hurling and despite the rights and wrongs it was a tragic way for our greatest ever hurler to sign off his last game at headquarters, to be honest the referee had very little choice. The Birr guys will now come back to the County panel very downbeat and I would imagine with very little appetite for the year ahead, at least if they had won they would be back with a spring in their step.