NHL Round 3 Offaly V Dublin 06/03/2011

[signinlate]

all teams have a core who can’t be done without.

Couldn't agree more.
Unavailable for Offaly yesterday (either through injury or otherwise)
Franks
Cleary
Kenny
Rigney
Murphy
Molloy
Joe Brady
Kevin Brady
Diarmuid Horan

That list contains a lot of talent and experiencce not to mention three allstar nominations.

About the game itself.
-It got away from Offaly when they hit a truckload of wides, a lot of them frees, in the second quarter.
-Dylan Hayden played very well. His second half point showed why he should be played within scoring distance.
-Playing Morkan at full back robbed Offaly of one of their best assets, the quality deliveries he sends to his forwards.
-Joe Bergin had a fine game, caught a lot of ball and took on his marker.
-Colin Egan made some great catches in the first half.
-Shane Dooley needs someone beside him on the ff line to share the scoring burden.
-How long is it since Offaly scored a goal from a penalty or close in free?

Hopefully the injury situation improves and they can do enough to stay up.

[Certainly Gerry]

Lads I know we've a lot injured and it's early in the year and all that but this situation is still pretty dire for Offaly in my opinion.

Firstly, I'm really beginning to worry about Joe Dooley and the selection committee in general. Even with the amount we've out injured starting Rory Hanniffy wing back and putting Hayden in centre-back just doesn't make sense to me. Would Birr do this? I don't think they would, so why are Offaly? Starting Morkam full-back when he's never played there in his life, another insane move. Playing Mulrooney centre-forward when he's never played there either and Bergin and Egan, two natural centre's on the wing. It just doesn't add up. Bringing in Currams as a sub in the backs when he has Stephen Wynne amongst others on the bench? Am I the only one who is flabbergasted by these decisions? The positioning of the players says to me that management are nearly thinking "ah sure we're missing so and so, so we'l be bet anyway what difference does it make playing a lad here or there". Well it does make a difference. Offaly supporters are entitled at the very very least to see players hurling in their proper positions and giving it an honest go no matter who is injured.

Secondly, I am hugely worried about the strength of our panel. A few years ago John McIntyre announced that he was going to go with young lads and give them a few years to develop. Everyone agreed at the time that it was probably the right idea and there was a decent amount of talent to develop too, in fairness. Five years on and to me it seems that this policy is still in operation. Four or five new 19 year olds are brought in by Joe every year. They add nothing to the panel. I don't want to criticise any of the new lads this year personally but they are simply too young and not ready for senior inter-county mentally, physically or technically. Then, when six or seven lads get injured and we're down to the bare minimum there is literally no one to call upon to fill the voids. Look at the backs last Sunday, no options on the line. Would they not be better off calling in the two Corcorans from Coolderry, Watkins from Birr, Dagg and Conlon from Tullamore rather than these young lads. We are in dire srtraits and in danger of losing our Division 1 status. Maybe its time for management to pick up the phone and start ringing these men and maybe Kevin Brady too. He would have been OK full back last Sunday. You can't be letting important panelists like him go that easily. Management have failed miserably with their panel selection and it's as simple as that. Those trials last November were a complete waste of time as all trials are. The trials were on last September and Ocotber in O'Connor Park in the knock-out series of the Championship.

Thirdly, even though it's only March one would have to be worried by the physical shape of numerous Offaly players. They look more like a rugby pack than a hurling team sometimes and you can say some of them are big lads naturally but so are Conal Keaney and Liam Rushe and look at the way they presented themselves last Sunday. Frankly, it's getting a bit embarrassing watching Offaly lads waddling after a loose sliotar.

Fianlly, I've been worried about discipline issues within Offaly teams for a few years now. Having been to many county games at underage and adult level over the years the difference between inter-county referees and club referees is becoming clearer and clearer to me. Whereas DInger will let the club lad away with an oul' sckelp on an opponent because he's such and such a fella's son and there's always been a bit of cutting in them lads, the inter county ref doesn't give a sh*t who the offenders father is and he will give him a straight red if he deserves it and because his assessor in the stand is marking a card which will determine which match the referee gets the next day. It'l be hard to change the mentality of every referee in the county but it won't be too hard for management to tell the players to hold back in the right manner and to be cuter in county matches.

Having read over that it seems very doom and gloom but I am genuinely concerned about the slippery slope this team is on and we need to get back on track sooner rather than later. The yella' bellies are coming to town in three weeks!

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Firstly, I'm really beginning to worry about Joe Dooley and the selection committee in general. Even with the amount we've out injured starting Rory Hanniffy wing back and putting Hayden in centre-back just doesn't make sense to me. Would Birr do this? I don't think they would, so why are Offaly? Starting Morkam full-back when he's never played there in his life, another insane move. Playing Mulrooney centre-forward when he's never played there either and Bergin and Egan, two natural centre's on the wing. It just doesn't add up. Bringing in Currams as a sub in the backs when he has Stephen Wynne amongst others on the bench? Am I the only one who is flabbergasted by these decisions? The positioning of the players says to me that management are nearly thinking "ah sure we're missing so and so, so we'l be bet anyway what difference does it make playing a lad here or there". Well it does make a difference. Offaly supporters are entitled at the very very least to see players hurling in their proper positions and giving it an honest go no matter who is injured

+1.
And no, you're not the only one who's flabbergasted. Utterly incomprehensible decisions week in week out. For pig iron, I'd love to hear the management team's reasoning behind them. For a laugh (or a cry) if nothing else.

[Lone Shark]

Certainly Gerry has touched on one other excellent point here too.

Is there some reason why, with the injury crisis the way it is, we don't seem to have the option of picking up the phone to proven club defenders and saying look, we need a bit of cover at the moment, can ye come in for a few weeks? I know you want to be loyal to the lads on your panel, but playing two thirds of the team out of position rather than calling up somebody actually suited to playing full back or centre back makes no sense. Benny Dagg was the perfect example - I don't know the man and he could be in Australia, twenty pounds overweight and training for July, but if he's doing any training at all he'd make more sense than playing Dylan Hayden there and robbing yourself of a scorer as well as a specialist centre back.

I'd say if Ger Oakley hadn't been so open about his feelings when he left, he might have got a call .....

[old yellar]

Which are the otherwise lads in the list signinlate? Plain you also neglected to say that the same Kk were without there first choice centreback v Tipp for final, and had possible one of the greatest hurlers we all ever see- no argument there surely?!, for about 15 mins or so, yet ran a Tipp team who hurled an absolute storm to only a few points going into injury time.. That's a sign of a strong panel! But anyhow! To quote the indo:
"He wasn't fishing for excuses, mind. Dublin, too, could call out names like 'Dotsy' O'Callaghan, Declan O'Dwyer, Mossy O'Brien, Dave Curtin, Alan McCrabbe and David Treacy." bit of quality missing from Dublin there too yesterday..that's my point on the need for a strong panel.

Agree with the last poster about some strange moves yesterday and other days. On the ground hurling thing, I just thought it was a throw back to an older Offaly style. Was it by instruction or panicking a bit? I just think there's no harm in moving the ball quick and all, but at times it was just giving away the ball cheaply.
This is an honest question: do ye think it will be all ok come championship time? Do you mind getting relegated- if it happens, to div2?

[old yellar]

Just to clarify the delegation question. I mean if there's a decent championship performance, would that be seen as a success for the year desire a poor league - if it ends in relegation? Curious...

[Lone Shark]

Just to clarify the delegation question. I mean if there's a decent championship performance, would that be seen as a success for the year desire a poor league - if it ends in relegation? Curious...

Decent championship performance, no. Win over Dublin and then win over Galway - yes.

But then that's probably way out of our reach, so I'll take the avoiding relegation and be happy if it's on offer.

[townman]

some great points made there bye Certainly Gerry

as for Joe picking up the phone a ringing players to come in we are stuck, i think and this is the problem
they would say no thank's there's one or two that have walked away so far.

on the panel does anyone know where Gary Connelly and Thomas Carroll have gone from the panel both were
doing well in the first few games in the walsh cup but since the league they are gone off it which is a pity
because i think they have something to give to this offaly team.

[Sharp Eye]

Joe Dooley should pick up the phone and ring players like Brendan Murphy, David Franks, Diarmuid Horan, Cathal Horan, Brendan O'Meara and Trevour Corcoran if he wants to give Offaly a chance of staying in Division 1.

[Bazil Brush]

As far as i know Thomas Carroll pulled his hamstring after the Walsh cup match against Carlow and he's not long back training. I don't know about Gary Connely though.

[old yellar]

Franks and the horans are quality players. Is there any reason as to why they aren't involved? I know franks had a busy year club wise in Kk. Still would have a lot to offer.

[Long John]

Some great points being made here. I thought I was losing the plot and being too negative of the management but I really dont think they have a clue. Last Sunday the positioning of players was ridiculous. Now I was wondering is this the management genuinely not having a clue what their at or were they trying to be "cute hures". Im not convinced its the latter but if it was they went a little too far with it.

The Horans, Benny Dagg and James Conway should all be on the panel and pushing for places. Regarding Dylan Hayden, totally agree Offaly need him in the scoring zone. He is an extremely good striker of the ball and if he could get enough possession he can dop alot of damage. He has be thrown around the field non stop by this management.

[corner back]

Mention of ground hurling, did ya see the boo-boo Carton the Wexford goalkeeper made pulling on that ball that led to Kilkenny’s second goal? ]

No. Was looking to see highlights of this. Where did you see it?

[Plain of the Herbs]

T'was on TG4 at 8.30pm last (Monday) night. The best highlights programme of the week - no analysis, no waffle, just action all the way. With a few ad breaks to pay the bills.
That goal will appear on a Jeremy Beadle type programme some day.

Mention of ground hurling, did ya see the boo-boo Carton the Wexford goalkeeper made pulling on that ball that led to Kilkenny’s second goal? ]

No. Was looking to see highlights of this. Where did you see it?

[Plain of the Herbs]

You can only deal from the hand you're dealt. Even in the good times the panel was threadbare. Item: defending champions in 1995 they had to put back on a hurler who had been taken off (was it Declan Pilkington?) earlier in the match.

There's a considerable school of thought in Kilkenny that would have John Tennyson centre-back anyways.

Do any of the sextet you named hurl full-back or centre-back for Dublin? You're comparing apples and oranges.

Plain you also neglected to say that the same Kk were without there first choice centreback v Tipp for final, and had possible one of the greatest hurlers we all ever see- no argument there surely?!, for about 15 mins or so, yet ran a Tipp team who hurled an absolute storm to only a few points going into injury time.. That's a sign of a strong panel! But anyhow! To quote the indo:
"He wasn't fishing for excuses, mind. Dublin, too, could call out names like 'Dotsy' O'Callaghan, Declan O'Dwyer, Mossy O'Brien, Dave Curtin, Alan McCrabbe and David Treacy." bit of quality missing from Dublin there too yesterday..that's my point on the need for a strong panel.