Club Football

[JohnnyBoy24]

Always be Rhode ??

Bar the semi final last year

[Faithful Future]

Ventured into O'Connor park today: has the standard of football ever been lower in Offaly?

Basic skills non existent across the board in both games. Very worrying for our county prospects.

[jimbob17]

Today just shows how farcical this years championship is. Tullamore showed very little for me and still won easily against a very poor Durrow outfit. Tullamore were able to unload the bench at their ease in second half and got 50 mins or so into Ml Brazil too who will be back fully for the semi final after injury. They will be firm favourites to retain title after winning well while not setting the world alight.

Just a few observations. The first half was shocking hard watch with it being about 1-3 to 3 at HT I think in a poor standard game. Thought referee was very poor today and I wouldnt normally comment on referees. He gave some horrendous calls early in second half against Durrow that played a large part in killing the game and affording Tullamore the chance to put daylight between the teams and Durrow can feel hard done by on these. You'd have to wonder what he was looking at and what the linesmen were doing. If they see he is wrong, they should be letting him know. They were shocking decisions! From there, Harry Plunkett grabbed the game and must have got 5 or 6pts in second half alone. In fact, Tulamore should worry about their over reliance on Plunkett for scores but it probably doesnt help when two defenders in John Furlong and C Burns filled positions in their half forward line. For them to progress from last year, other forwards need to step up a bit more.

That said, Durrows ball handling was really really poor and they kept coughing up posession badly to Tullamore in vulnerable positions that could have cost them goals. Tullamore really didnt get a test here from half time onwards and Durrow never really looked like breaking down Tullamore and looked totally out of ideas going forward. Countless times they got up to the Tullamore 45 and then just turned around and went backwards - even to their own goalie before their ball handling let them down. For them though, Ciaran Burke impressed and Offaly football management could really do with getting him on board with senior footballers if he would commit to it which is unlikely. For Tullamore, outside of Plunkett, thought all of their full back line and Cormac Egan were really good and in general, Tullamore's fitness and ability will help them beat most teams in Offaly comfortably. Their problems will arise when they meet a team that is just as fit and mobile as them and they might only find this out in a Leinster championship game after winning Offaly

Re the Edenderry game, Cian Farrell had huge influence and must've got guts of 10 points. I think whoever meets Edenderry (likely Tullamore) just needs to shut down Farrell and Jordan Hayes and they will be most of the way to a final.

Ballycommon will fancy their chances as underdogs while I think Ferbane will have to play better than they have done this year to get over Rhode tomorrow.

[Glendassaun]

It’s hard to disagree with the sentiment in the previous comments. There does seem to be a lack of genuine inter county standard footballers within the county at the moment, with the majority of Offaly’s key players reaching the twilight of their careers.

This is probably exemplified by the Rhode side taking to the field tomorrow. Looking at the team sheet just five, possibly four, of their starting team are south of the 30 mark, and their key players again are those older club and county stalwarts who’ve carried the mantle for close to 20 years in some cases.

Today’s games were really lacking in terms of quality asides from some moments of individual brilliance, but even at that, those were fleeting moments. You’re also judging such moments of quality against club standard players and not against seasoned inter county defenders.

I sincerely hope I’m proven wrong, but I do think Offaly will really struggle next season in Division 3 and that in general Offaly football is facing into the nadir.

[Fallguy]

Ventured into OCP today for my sins. First things first €18 is too much for club matches like this.

Secondly , a penny for Mickey Hartes thoughts on the drive back north in his new car. You’d wonder does he know what he’s got himself in for.

The first match wasn’t hectic quality but was entertaining until Edenderry put it to bed in the final few minutes. Pearson, Hayes, Farrell and Adam Hart stood out for the reds. Ciaran Donnelly will be a welcome addition to the Offaly panel next year if he’s around and Mikey Cunningham is surely worth a go in the forwards. He scored a great goal and was very lively.

There isn’t much to say about the second mstch. Tullamore get a fair bit of grief but there isn’t much they can do when they come up against a team as poor as Durrow. A lot of their players lacked the basics like soloing and handpassing and they didn’t have any game plan for breaking down the Tullamore blanket defence. They looked like a junior outfit today and were flattered wuth the 1-3 on the board. Best for them were Ravenhill and Ciaran Burke which isn’t much use to the Tyrone man at the top. Cillian Burke looked very good for Tullamore and the two Furlongs look like county men. Stiffer tests lie ahead for the town men while Durrow face into relegation.

[Anonymous1]

Was also in OCP yesterday and there’s clearly something gone seriously wrong.

No more than 200 supporters at a Senior QF double header including clubs with a population of near 30,000.

The price is laughable but the on field product is even worse.

Even for the most ardent supporters that was an incredibly tough watch yesterday, plenty had left with 15 mins remaining in the Tullamore game.

To be fair to the 4 teams playing yesterday, the problem isn’t them. It has been across the board at all levels in Offaly this year, I’ve never seen such a poor standard of football and coupled with that such a lack of entertaining games.

One thing they could do immediately to put a bit of life into these games is move them away from OCP. It’s one of the nicest pitches in the country but atmosphere wise it’s absolutely dead if there isn’t at least 2-3,000 in attendance.

It must be hard to get up for a game as a player when you see a 99% empty stadium with no applause for good scores or crunching tackles.

As for the poor standard of quality I’m not sure what can be done, our bed is made in that regard and the Offaly footballers will suffer greatly for it in the coming years.

[frankthetank]

Totally agree on the OCP point. In both codes it shouldn’t be utilised until semi-finals at the earliest.

And to be honest a semi-final double header in hurling would be an excellent occasion for atmosphere in Birr.

But it seems semi-final double headers are currently a thing of the past which really is just a cash grab from the county board.

[The big hill]

When was the last time rhode failed to reach the semis

[Glendassaun]

I would say it’s at least 1996… but I could be corrected on that.

However, when if ever were Rhode in a relegation battle?

[Plain of the Herbs]

That was the year 2000. The year the championship ran late and it was controversially decided Rhode and Edenderry would play off for the right to represent Offaly in the Leinster club championship.

When was the last time rhode failed to reach the semis

[Anonymous1]

I think we can finally talk about Rhode being over the hill.

Last year they ran out of legs against Ferbane in extra time, today it was in the last ten minutes of normal time.

Yes they were missing Niall Mac but some of their stalwarts are clearly on the way out and they don’t have a whole pile coming through.

Most will now expect a repeat of last years Tullamore vs Ferbane final unless there’s an upset in the semis.

[G91]

I think ballycommon were done out of semi final there was hardly any time stopages in that last half of et. I don't know where 2 mins came from

2 lads running side by side 50/50 amd shamrocks got the free both players fell ?

Ferbane deserving of the win
Johnston showed why he should be on the offaly pannel kevin nugent also

Anton is fine player got a lovely point in the first half from out on the 21

Finally some nicer football maybe without intensity but at least there was some ball played some good direct kicking and not as much passing back and sideways

[Anonymous1]

I think ballycommon were done out of semi final there was hardly any time stopages in that last half of et. I don't know where 2 mins came from

2 lads running side by side 50/50 amd shamrocks got the free both players fell ?

Ferbane deserving of the win
Johnston showed why he should be on the offaly pannel kevin nugent also

Anton is fine player got a lovely point in the first half from out on the 21

Finally some nicer football maybe without intensity but at least there was some ball played some good direct kicking and not as much passing back and sideways

I agree the ref was very harsh on Ballycommon, they have a right to feel aggrieved tonight.

In the Ferbane-Rhode game I thought the ref had a decent game yet there were very unsavoury scenes at the end involving a couple of Rhode supporters.

Ferbane played more direct today than they have in a long time and it worked relatively well, will be interesting to see a more direct team play vs Tullamore if they meet. They’re surely better than having only 1 player on the Offaly panel as you say.

[Doon Exile]

Ferbane deserved winners without shooting the lights out. I thought Leon Fix was immense for them.
Strange decision by Darby to go for point with 2 points down and time up. He seemed to be asking Joey what was left but yet whistle went on kick out.
Left straight after final whistle so didn’t see the scenes after.

I thought it was a decent game overall.

Only saw the extra time and penalties in the first game

[jimbob17]

You'd be sickened if from Ballycommon after that today. Only watched on TV and while the referee was harsh enough on them with a couple of very soft frees given against them, they really have to look at themselves too. They were streets ahead of Shamrocks in every respect in first half and chunk of second half too but didnt put it on scoreboard. They went into their shell then inviting Shamrocks on and played with fear in second half of second half and allowed Shamrocks back in to draw before pushing on again in ET. And then, when they should have wrapped it up, they needlessly turned ball over by risking a needless pass after they had killed the clock effectively for over a minute keeping good possession at the end of ET. They had it won, just needed a few more seconds of patience and then had a brain fart by needlessly kicking ball away - leaving Shamrocks with a final chance that to be honest, should have been buried in net when offered up the way it was with terrible defending. Maybe they got over excited and their inexperience at this level didnt help them as they failed to manage the game effectively when in winning positions. It was a game that Ballycommon left behind them and will now likely be in a tough relegation final after drawing Rhode in play off - a huge price to pay.

Nigel Dunne was immense today and Shamrocks have a lot to thank him for. They'd be a very average senior B team without him in the team. J Bryant showed flashes of good things but hasnt reached the levels he promised some years ago yet and has a bit to go to be inter county senior football regular. Scott Delaney and Shane O Toole were massive for them and O Tooles showing after introduction will surely see him start the semi final. They wont fear Ferbane having beaten them already but id feel the writing is on wall for them after today, when they should have been beaten. Their forwards dont threaten much outside of Dunne and Bryant and their half forward line didnt function and were very poor today until the last 15 mins on the introduction of a few subs and they'll need to address that to be competitive against Ferbane. The penalties were very entertaining and both goalies did very well. The organisation for Rhode Ferbane game however was grossly unfair on those players and they should have been given a later throw in in event of ET.

Clubs really need to look at who they are putting forward to represent them as the delegates for co board meetings. The competition is farcical in its structure and the delegates are responsible for this. Rhode are now in relegation semi final after coming second in group. Shamrocks could have been too after topping their group, had they lost today. It is pure farcical. There was no point in playing any of those group games to be honest.