Offaly Senior Hurlers 2025

[classof81]

Agree on Jack clancy

[Thomas mc]

Jack might have taken a knock or be sick or something like that. Anyway when is the last time we went into a match against Galway where we had a decent chance? Was it 2010 we got the draw? Was at it but can't remember the year. We'll need a bit of a run on Galway today and get the crowd behind the team and get Galway doubting themselves. From reading the Galway forum , they are really slating the team and management etc and really going at it.. and not expecting a win.. that feeling will be palpable among the players and while there may be a back lash from them, if we stay in the game we'll be in with a shot.. as a team coming from lower level, the finish of a game is difficult to see out but I don't think Galway are all that although I don't think there as bad as people are making out.. Dublin were strong in the finish with great fitness levels which got us in the end, not sure Galway are the same. It would be nice to nick a result or 2 before Antrim come to Tullamore and maybe be able to have that game to progress rather than to just stay up.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Turnstiles will be open at the Park Avenue end as well as the Arden Road end, which is positive. Indicates there could be >8k expected.

Looking forward to tomorrow, any indication on ticket sales ?

[oneshot]

jasus hard to see 8k at it if there is its the first time people came out to see offaly as for Galway its only down the road but a poor turn out last week again kilkenny and they aren't going well.

as or the game i think we will see a different galway side tonight we have lost the midfield battle in our last 3 games and if the Mannions and Conor Whelan hurl well tonight we could be in trouble don't mind the kilkenny result as they are streets ahead of the rest of leinster. still think the Antrim result will see us remain up for the year. be some display to get a win tonight . a last minute Screeney winner maybe.

[Thomas mc]

Anyone out for a pint before the match? Or after?

[Doon Exile]

Screeney and Brecon was named in subs on the twitter teamsheet. Not in the subs in the programme.

[Doon Exile]

Some horror show of a first half.

[greenairfield]

I did explain last week Mark Troy was a concern it started there but we were in trouble all over the field.
Mitchell was decent

[frankthetank]

Turnstiles will be open at the Park Avenue end as well as the Arden Road end, which is positive. Indicates there could be >8k expected.

Looking forward to tomorrow, any indication on ticket sales ?

Turnstiles at the Park Avenue end weren’t open.

Attendance of over 10,000 which is the biggest attendance at an Offaly game in GOCP since it’s redevelopment.

[private joker]

jasus hard to see 8k at it if there is its the first time people came out to see offaly as for Galway its only down the road but a poor turn out last week again kilkenny and they aren't going well.

as or the game i think we will see a different galway side tonight we have lost the midfield battle in our last 3 games and if the Mannions and Conor Whelan hurl well tonight we could be in trouble don't mind the kilkenny result as they are streets ahead of the rest of leinster. still think the Antrim result will see us remain up for the year. be some display to get a win tonight . a last minute Screeney winner maybe.

Over 10k attending

[Lone Shark]

Troy had two dreadful puckouts, back-to-back, at a terrible time, leading to the concession of 1-1. He also made several good saves, including an out-of-this-world diving block to keep out a penalty. Of all the issues Offaly had out there tonight in what was a bitterly disappointing showing, Troy's performance in goal was a long way down the list.

Scoring 1-14, just 0-5 in the second half, is dire shooting. Some of the misses were really poor, both from frees and in front of goal, with Kiely's top of the list. The full-back line was torn apart, albeit with Galway getting great ball in, but still.

We never looked like we had an extra man, and we allowed Cathal Mannion to completely run riot. Now he's an elite hurler who I would say is well on course for a second All-Star, but there were times in the second half when we completely stood off him, as if there was fear of being made look foolish if anyone even tried to tackle him.

Donal Shirley did a lot right but he went back into his shell a bit after the second goal, which is human nature. Charlie Mitchell worked hard and did a lot right, likewise Cathal King, and James Mahon made a couple of big plays, notably the block on Brian Concannon. After that, the grades would range from "could do better" to "must do A LOT better".

We got every bit of help we could have dreamed of from James Owens out there (it can't be right that Galway were the only ones who did anything warranting cards in that skirmish at half-time, for one obvious example) and we never looked like using it. It's been a good year and one bad day doesn't undo that, but that was spectacularly bad all the same, much more so than the league final.

[pigeon house biffo]

Miles off it in every regard, Galway stopped hurling with about 20 minutes to go

[private joker]

Galway are a team with ambition of winning an all ireland. Offaly are trying to stay in the liam mcarthy. Its a huge step up.

[Superhans75]

The performance wasn't unexpected
We got lucky in the league with the awful
Weather it slowed bigger teams down
And suited our style of play.
The defence is not our strong point to say the least but some strange decisions I'm not going to blame any player because it's a team sport and the management should have there work done beforehand.
Lack of scoring second half was perplexing.
We will lick our wounds but the cats might play with us if we repeat this performance

[Géill Slí]

We got a harsh lesson this evening about what it means to be hurling at this level, and it’s not all about tactical master plans, but the simple skills of the game executed under pressure, first time, every time. Galway’s striking and passing to hand was noticeably better, and they had an edge in physicality nearly all over the field. Galway missed a lot in the second half as well, but the game was over at that stage, they were only coasting.
Cillian Kiely’s miss wasn’t the turning point in the game, but it was the turning point in the game being competitive. A goal at that stage, and with 20 mins to go, would have made a real fight of it. We also persisted with trying to work goals too early, should have taken our points to keep us some way in touch. All in all, a bit of a horror show, but adjusting to life at this level was never going to be a straight line. This team has performed beyond expectations up to tonight, let’s dust ourselves down and go again, with the primary focus now being the Antrim game.