Offaly Senior Footballers 2024

[Anonymous1]

We are 2 games into the championship. A lot of the above players have stood out for their club at some stage in the last few years.

At Senior level? Which?

I said with their clubs.. all playing senior A now.
Killian Burke outstanding minor last year for club and County. A huge prospect.
Harry Plunkett.. extremely underrated outside of Tullamore. Tullamore know his worth.
Ross Kellaghan - flashes for the county u20s this year. Has done extremely well in both rounds this year.
Christopher Kenny - scored over 20 points in senior B championship last year
Ryan Kenny - scored over 20 points in senior B championship last year. Motm in final
Dara Bates - has come out of the blue to play midfield for Shamrocks this year in both games against Ferbane and Edenderry
Brian Carroll - outstanding club minor last year and did very well with county minors
Sean Conway - long term injury but scored a goal in both finals last year of senior B

Just saying that these types of players need to be looked sooner rather than later. All tall, all athletic and all good footballers. And all 21 or under.

And I said a player either needs to standout for their county at underage or for their club at senior. By standout you're talking the best 2-3 players in the big four clubs or sticking out like a sore thumb at a lower club essentially, can you honestly say any of those have met the criteria so far?

The best player on that list won't play for Offaly because of a dispute with DK.

[Lone Shark]

Just one standalone point:

There are a lot of legitimate reasons to question whether or not Declan Kelly is the right man to lead Offaly in 2025. His knowledge of club players in this county or his willingness to get out and about to see who's in form and who isn't, certainly is not one of them. I'd struggle to think of any possible candidate who knows more about the 200-300 players that might be considered for selection over the next few months.

[Anonymous1]

Just one standalone point:

There are a lot of legitimate reasons to question whether or not Declan Kelly is the right man to lead Offaly in 2025. His knowledge of club players in this county or his willingness to get out and about to see who's in form and who isn't, certainly is not one of them. I'd struggle to think of any possible candidate who knows more about the 200-300 players that might be considered for selection over the next few months.

I don't think it's his knowledge of the pool of talent that's being questioned, it's his selections last year that raise eyebrows.

Five Ballinagar players were on the panel by the final game last year, I mean seriously?

[ruletheroost]

Just one standalone point:

There are a lot of legitimate reasons to question whether or not Declan Kelly is the right man to lead Offaly in 2025. His knowledge of club players in this county or his willingness to get out and about to see who's in form and who isn't, certainly is not one of them. I'd struggle to think of any possible candidate who knows more about the 200-300 players that might be considered for selection over the next few months.

I'd say there are a few. But as one poster just said, 5 Ballingar players involved in training. There were less in there from Tullamore Rhode and Ferbane.

[Lone Shark]

Not saying these are the answer either but profiling players at games is the only way. Do Offaly Gaa have guys attending games profiling players or is it just the manager going to games and picking out players he thinks are suitable? His idea of a good player has been extremely questionable based on this year.

I was just coming back on this point here, the idea that any management group with DK at the helm wouldn't have their finer on the pulse in terms of who's playing well or not.

I don't think it's his knowledge of the pool of talent that's being questioned, it's his selections last year that raise eyebrows.

Five Ballinagar players were on the panel by the final game last year, I mean seriously?

Having just seen Ballinagar play once in the last year, I'm not going to say he's right or wrong on that.

My concern is that because we don't have so many of the players that are quite plainly among the best 40-odd in Offaly training with the senior panel, and because this isn't a county with a hugely deep playing pool (particularly when you rule out the county hurlers, at least five or six of which would be a serious addition to the football panel), by the time you get down to fleshing out what's left, you're going to have some players there that have a lot of ground to make up before they would be fit and able to tog out for Offaly in the Leinster SFC.

I'm not singling out the Ballinagar lads here - but when you see the very top counties, you see really good players missing out on the match day 26. When you look at the type of counties that aren't big populations either, but who are punching above their weight in football terms (Monaghan, Roscommon, Cavan, Derry) and you look at players 16-26 on a given match day, you can see a scenario for each one of those 11 guys where they would be needed, and they could have a positive influence on a game. I've regularly looked at Offaly team lists and by the time you get past the first two or three subs, you know you're reaching.

[Lone Shark]

I'd say there are a few. But as one poster just said, 5 Ballingar players involved in training. There were less in there from Tullamore Rhode and Ferbane.

Again I seem to be cast in the role of defending DK here when I'm trying to stay as neutral and objective as I can, but to be fair here, out of the 15 lads that started the county final for Ferbane last year, four are on the senior hurling panel and another would have been, except he left the country. Take them out of it, and allow for the two Flynns on the panel, and you've a good chunk of the group accounted for already.

Likewise with Rhode, when you strip away the members of that team who have served Offaly very well but have retired from county duty, you're down to a much smaller subset.

And by my count, there were at least five Tullamore lads in with the county panel this year too.

[ruletheroost]

I'd say there are a few. But as one poster just said, 5 Ballingar players involved in training. There were less in there from Tullamore Rhode and Ferbane.

Again I seem to be cast in the role of defending DK here when I'm trying to stay as neutral and objective as I can, but to be fair here, out of the 15 lads that started the county final for Ferbane last year, four are on the senior hurling panel and another would have been, except he left the country. Take them out of it, and allow for the two Flynns on the panel, and you've a good chunk of the group accounted for already.

Likewise with Rhode, when you strip away the members of that team who have served Offaly very well but have retired from county duty, you're down to a much smaller subset.

And by my count, there were at least five Tullamore lads in with the county panel this year too.

Kevin keeping things real. Yes apologies there were at least five from Tullamore.

[Tmacmahon]

Everything will be fine and all players will be back.
I'd be very surprised if there is anyone leaving the panel .
DK will get year 2 and the wheel will keep moving

[ruletheroost]

I’m done..
The phone calls to players has started. I’ve heard a few names this morning of players receiving the call to join training once it starts. The man hasn’t a clue. No one can convince me otherwise!!

[pigeon house biffo]

I’m done..
The phone calls to players has started. I’ve heard a few names this morning of players receiving the call to join training once it starts. The man hasn’t a clue. No one can convince me otherwise!!

Here. We. Go.

[Burgerball]

Any word on if he's staying on?

[Anonymous1]

Christ almighty , if any other self respecting football county got hammered at home by London the manager would have been told where to go. We nearly got to a Leinster final 12 months before, it's not as if he took over a bad DIv 4 team. He made the squad much much worse.

I don't say this lightly but his reappointment could signal the death of Offaly inter county football.

A sense of disillusionment with the county football teams combined with the succesful hurlers at the moment and Offaly could very easily turn into a Waterford or Wexford in the near future.

It also feels a bit like the county board have neglected the football in favour of hurling.

Our chairman made a big bravado statement about keyboard warriors in the wake of the Clare collapse but hasn't said a word since. Surely supporters deserve some sort of announcement about the management?

It does seem a bit odd too that the people making the decision on whether he stays or goes won't be in their own positions by the time the first ball is kicked in January.

[pigeon house biffo]

Christ almighty , if any other self respecting football county got hammered at home by London the manager would have been told where to go. We nearly got to a Leinster final 12 months before, it's not as if he took over a bad DIv 4 team. He made the squad much much worse.

I don't say this lightly but his reappointment could signal the death of Offaly inter county football.

A sense of disillusionment with the county football teams combined with the succesful hurlers at the moment and Offaly could very easily turn into a Waterford or Wexford in the near future.

Harsh on wexford, didn’t they beat us in championship not that long ago…

[ruletheroost]

At Senior level? Which?

I said with their clubs.. all playing senior A now.
Killian Burke outstanding minor last year for club and County. A huge prospect.
Harry Plunkett.. extremely underrated outside of Tullamore. Tullamore know his worth.
Ross Kellaghan - flashes for the county u20s this year. Has done extremely well in both rounds this year.
Christopher Kenny - scored over 20 points in senior B championship last year
Ryan Kenny - scored over 20 points in senior B championship last year. Motm in final
Dara Bates - has come out of the blue to play midfield for Shamrocks this year in both games against Ferbane and Edenderry
Brian Carroll - outstanding club minor last year and did very well with county minors
Sean Conway - long term injury but scored a goal in both finals last year of senior B

Just saying that these types of players need to be looked sooner rather than later. All tall, all athletic and all good footballers. And all 21 or under.

And I said a player either needs to standout for their county at underage or for their club at senior. By standout you're talking the best 2-3 players in the big four clubs or sticking out like a sore thumb at a lower club essentially, can you honestly say any of those have met the criteria so far?

The best player on that list won't play for Offaly because of a dispute with DK.

No but they fit the profile and are all the right age. That is what McGeeney and Armagh did. They scoured the county for lads that were young, athletic, tall and could actually play football. Some names I've heard this morning that have received a call are actually laughable. Some players that were brought in last year fitted a few of the critera, but were missing the most important one.. THEY HAVE TO BE GOOD FOOTBALLERS. DKs biggest problem it seems is that he likes strong, athletic and pacey guys but ignores the fact that their football ability is limited. They won't get away with that at intercounty level.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

I give up with certain lads on here, throwing out names from their own clubs.

Not many names listed there that would have the "durability" for intercounty football.