bazza wrote:Who's this Mark Dunne that Rhode have recruited? Did he play in the group stages at all cos' I can't recall ever seeing him play?
He is from The Rock in laois... played a few O'byrne Cup/League games with laois couple of years ago .... not a brilliant footballer but will run all day and all night...
He mustn't be to bad if they brought him on again Shamrock's in the semil-final if that was his first game with them in championship,
there must be a lot of not Brilliant footballers on the panel so.
Of the two teams, Rhode tend to attack that bit more directly and quickly and Clara need to be watchful of this.
The really good foot passers like Paschal or Alan McNamee can't be given time to look up and lock their crosshairs on Niall Mac. After that the Clara full back line, can't to be caught off their men at any stage.
If Rhode end up running the ball a lot, this should be good news for Clara. The Brady brothers - Ronnie and Reggie, who are good holding midfielders, would be happy to sit back and help the defence soak it up. Clara's half forwards are well used to tilling a fairly a large stripe of the field, and would still able to link with the scorers.
I think Clara will win the statistics - kickouts won, % possession, tackles made, turnovers etc.
However if efficiency were measurable, Rhode may fare the better.
Clara should do it, if no major leaks break out at the back.
Odd how the bookmakers are all leaning towards Rhode, and yet all the local opinion seems to be leaning towards Clara. Even Kevin Corrigan, who would normally tip Rhode if they were playing the Kerry intercounty team is going for Clara to win this one.
The bookies make a living from it though, so who knows?
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
Just to add to the debate i think the referee could be crucial in this game and I think the fact that Damian Brazil got the gig is great news. He is one of the better referees and the occasion wont get to him ,unlike Cusack who had a poor day at the office in the same fixture last year.
I used to think it was great being a wee nippy corner forward, but it's better now being a big, fat one.
bazza wrote:Who's this Mark Dunne that Rhode have recruited? Did he play in the group stages at all cos' I can't recall ever seeing him play?
He is from The Rock in laois... played a few O'byrne Cup/League games with laois couple of years ago .... not a brilliant footballer but will run all day and all night...
He mustn't be to bad if they brought him on again Shamrock's in the semil-final if that was his first game with them in championship,
there must be a lot of not Brilliant footballers on the panel so.
Townman I think you hit the nail on the head there... Rhode don't have a strong panel, to me its what cost them the final last year, all the subs Clara brought on last year made a contribution Rhode had nobody to bring on. Even in the semi-final this year against Shamrocks it is clear that Rhode have a few passengers..
Rhode could well be the bet at 4/5, however ive a feeling in my waters for whatever reason that this may all be played out again, il be having a snakey €10 on the draw myself.
Frank Mcguigan wrote:Just to add to the debate i think the referee could be crucial in this game and I think the fact that Damian Brazil got the gig is great news. He is one of the better referees and the occasion wont get to him ,unlike Cusack who had a poor day at the office in the same fixture last year.
Damian Brazil was useless.He gave frees for absoulutely nothing and refused to let the game flow.Seems like he though if there is any contact a free must be awarded.Thankfully in spoite of his poor performance we got a very exciting second half
In the end, it was Rhode's ability to drop a lot of men back and drive the ball into McNamee on his own that was the difference. Having a forward like him is such a bonus to a team. Clara's forwards just seemed to be blanketed out by Rhode. Deehan, especially was handled well. Shane Sullivan was terrific in defence.
Clara must havethought at half time they were in with a great chance, they were level and would had wind advantage in the second period. Their forwards seemed to be outnumbered by Rhode, who gradually took control,and took their chances. Niall McNamee was excellent, and picked off some great scores.
By my reckoning of the 20 points scored, ony 8 came from play, the rest from placed balls. A poor reflection on both sets of forwards.
Niall Mac's acceptance speech was remarkable for it's length, practically everyone in Rhode got a mention. Shades of Robert Emmet and Martin Luther King!.
paulwatts wrote:niall macs class was the reason rhode regained the dowling cup...although his free taking is continually flawed...he is top drawer.
Indeed what a performance from Niall McNamee. He got 2-4 today but it wasn't just today..all year he has been absolutely fantastic for Rhode. And what a speech aswell. He paid tribute to nearly the whole village of Rhode and I thought it was very good of him to mention Christy Kellaghan, father of Pascal, who passed away recently. It was also very good of him to mention Joe Quinn aswell.
Now I know as it has been mentioned there wasn't that much scores from play but I have 6 words to describe this years Offaly SFC Final...
Niall Mac was the difference today. He scored two goals, laid on the other and ran the show for Rhode.
However Clara played a big part in their downfall, crucially with the loss of composure and discipline when the game was in the balance. They committed too many rash fouls which were punished, especially in the 2nd half .
Long before the end it was clear that Rhode had no significant scoring threat from play apart from McNamee. Had Clara doubled up on him, would Rhode still have racked up their match winning tally? Instead of just switching different markers onto him and seeing how they coped one-on-one.
It wasn't to be and hats off to Rhode. If the game wasn't always epic, the victory speech certainly was!
Maybe a career in politics is a step closer for Niall. Wasn't it rumoured he was going to run for the Council last year?
Bord na Mona man wrote:It wasn't to be and hats off to Rhode. If the game wasn't always epic, the victory speech certainly was!
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
"Offaly's hurling is exact and abrasive: full of assurance on the ball, devoid of fumbling and slicing and sod-busting". Kevin Cashman RIP (September 1994).
