Offaly Senior Footballers 2024

[Faithfully]

Hammered by London, Limerick, Cavan, Wexford and Westmeath in the past 2 years.

Go back to the 2000s and we were dumped out of the qualifiers by the likes of Carlow when we were a division 1 outfit. 17 points in arrears in the first half vs Down in 2008. Multiple trimmings from Wicklow.

It's pretty apparent that we've had a cultural problem in Offaly football with this for many years now that transcends all management teams and players. In fact I would say it's not even up for debate. I would be hoping that assuming DK stays on we can right that next year given that a sizeable chunk of the squad will be younger players and all they have known is the Tailteann Cup so we should be going all out to peak for it.

[jimbob17]

We also got hockeyed by Kildare and Dublin and any amount of other teams in league and championship. Just because we lost in second tier competitions doesnt mean players didnt care or were not trying. We won the games we deserved to win and lost games we deserved to lose. Of course it is debatable. I attended the Cork Tyrone game yesterday and physically, we are a good bit off Sam Maguire level and won 2 out of 7 games in Div 3. We are not near a top 4 in the Tailteann Cup currently but I think we should be. If we run out with young team next year as you suggest, and leave off senior players who are more physically developed, we could very easily fall asunder very quickly and be back in Div 4 before we know it.

[Faithfully]

Being hammered by Dublin and being hammered by division 4 outfits are not the same thing, so I'm not sure what the point is there.

Also, I didn't suggest anything regarding next year. The county board, players, management will determine who's in charge next year so leave them to it.

The physicality of Tyrone and Cork is not of relevance IMO when discussing how we had a respectable league campaign to then getting destroyed by multiple teams who are either at our level or below it - they are Sam Maguire teams- we are a million miles off of that level and I struggle to see us getting close to it again. That shouldn't bother people - it's doubtful as to whether we have the numbers and playing resources to ever attain that level in this day and age.

Laois playing Antrim for a place in the Tailteann final in Croke Park while our year is over.

[Superhans75]

Strength and conditioning will get you so far you have to have natural skill heaven forbid
A footballing brain.
A management which will nurture the players into the system which suits there natural talent.
Player harmony is paramount but that togetherness is a dying trait. Because lads are not let be lads anymore.
More county games are needed I know
People say there to many
Funny it's always the losing ones
Split league season scrap the preseason games maybe a division 3/4 combination
League split like it does in Scotland
Soccer ..
Or heaven forbid the winner of the talteaann cup in a quarter final.
Sport is about progression not keeping the status Quo when it's not fit for purpose
That's is difference between winners and losers.
Enjoy the sun hopefully

[The big hill]

Antrim(Have a fairly decent record against them)

Clare(Shouldve bet them this year)

Fermanagh(Very disappointing year relegated and lost to Antrim in Tailteann)

Kildare(Probably at an all time low despite underage success)

Laois(Having a powerful year but still didnt get past Offaly)

Leitrim(Lost All Ireland to Sligo and Wicklow. Offaly have a good record this year)

Sligo(Have always had a decent record against)

Im optimistic about next years league as there are all winnable games. I have faith that Declan can get the boys in check and produce results.

[Anonymous1]

Antrim(Have a fairly decent record against them)

Clare(Shouldve bet them this year)

Fermanagh(Very disappointing year relegated and lost to Antrim in Tailteann)

Kildare(Probably at an all time low despite underage success)

Laois(Having a powerful year but still didnt get past Offaly)

Leitrim(Lost All Ireland to Sligo and Wicklow. Offaly have a good record this year)

Sligo(Have always had a decent record against)

Im optimistic about next years league as there are all winnable games. I have faith that Declan can get the boys in check and produce results.

Offaly (Lost to London by 14 points)

[JohnnyBoy24]

Wouldnt be to aware of the in's and out's of the footballers but obviously want to see them doing well.

Suppose as bad as year as it's being results wise and with the problems that clearly exist between management and players ( how many I dont know ). If everyone available was to put the shoulder to the wheel,
Are we really that far behind the likes of Sligo, antrim, laois ( just picking the 3 tailteann semi finalists as it's a realistic goal we should be getting to )..

Even look to what Louth achieved in the last few years (we beat them in 2021 in the Leinster prelims).

Now maybe I'm delusional but I just don't believe that somehow over the space of a few weeks we became a bottom of the rung division 4 level team. But I also don't believe Offaly have the divine right to be at a higher level without putting in the work and getting results

Just my thoughts on it.

[private joker]

Antrim(Have a fairly decent record against them)

Clare(Shouldve bet them this year)

Fermanagh(Very disappointing year relegated and lost to Antrim in Tailteann)

Kildare(Probably at an all time low despite underage success)

Laois(Having a powerful year but still didnt get past Offaly)

Leitrim(Lost All Ireland to Sligo and Wicklow. Offaly have a good record this year)

Sligo(Have always had a decent record against)

Im optimistic about next years league as there are all winnable games. I have faith that Declan can get the boys in check and produce results.

Offaly (Lost to London by 14 points)

A very optimistic post to put it mildly.

[bracknaghboy]

I have faith that Declan can get the boys in check and produce results.

Just as well you have a bit of faith to cling to because to date we haven't seen a shred of evidence that the current management team will get anyone in check or produce results.

[pigeon house biffo]

Oisin mcconville talking about introducing a third tier to the football championship, below the tailteann.

Where would offaly find themselves, in the 2nd or 3rd tier?

[ruletheroost]

So far hearing that Nigel Dunne, Declan Hogan and Peter Cunningham have finished with Offaly. Remains to be seen how true that is. Think Nigel was retitiring from intercounty anyway. Declan and Peter a little bit of a surprise.

[pigeon house biffo]

That’s absolute lunacy. If thats true and largely to do with management then there is no choice but to have them removed. Dunne, fair enough, but the other two are arguably two of the best players on the team, let alone the panel.

[jimbob17]

Dunne to be fair is probably 34 this year and has served his time if he wants to retire. I'd still say he was one of our better forwards this year and probably got more scores for his game time than most so would be worth keeping.

Hope not true re Hogan and Cunningham as still have lot to offer and it is concern if they are stepping away.

This is what we would have feared if status quo remain. Fine if lads retire for natural reasons, but if they want out for reasons mentioned in earlier posts, then there is an issue - and especially as much of the supporting cast is light enough player depth wise. We probably didn't have the best 30 footballers in there this year.

Anton Sullivan is probably next up age wise and we need him to stay. Will be interesting to see if any fall out occurs with D Hyland after missing last game if current management kept in place.

My sense of it is that (rightly or wronhly) manager will remain in charge with changes in backroom team to help step things up from this year. While this may help short term, Not sure this will work longer term if player management relations were as fractured as were reported.

[pigeon house biffo]

There really isn’t the depth of playing talent in the county to sustain those kind of loses.

It doesn’t matter if they bring in Paul Kinnerk and Jim Gavin to the backroom team if this calibre of player isn’t making themselves available.

[Tmacmahon]

DK won an all ireland championship in 2021,
DK is an offaly man
Dk has only done 9 months
Dk will 1 million percent be offaly manager in 2025.

I'm nor saying I agree or disagree.

Nigel Dunne is 35 or 36 and told management at the start of this year that 2024 was always going to be his last is what I've been told

Cunningham apparently work commitments or a promotion of sorts, bad year so probably frustrated

Declan Hogan I know has had his injuries and maybe the body needs a break . Maybe a leadership role in the team as his transitions to retirement over the next few years

Hyland is an intriguing one, offaly best forward and didn't show up for a game because of work commitments , how that goes I'm not sure

Anton Sullivan will probably not retire but at 33 his game time will invariably lesson as was the case this year. He will be a good lad to have in dressing room for experience even if he's not playing much

Out of the 5, hyland is the one offaly need most, all 5 would be nice but realistically

Dunne 35/36 ....First played in around 2009 or 10
Sullivan 33 same as dunne
Hogan 32... probably a decade of service
Cunningham 30/31.. played as a minor and gave great service

These are all great lads and maybe they all just want to retire and we have it wrong?

Anyway when do we know about next year's management