DurrowBoy17 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 16, 2026 9:52 am
Thomas, Why are so many lads injured? It's common knowledge around the county at this stage that the team was flogged against previous S&C and Physio advice. So much so that the footballers had to get another physio becasue Chris Combs wouldn't work under Deck & Mickey flogging lads and they wouldn't give him GPS data. Why is no one calling out management on this?
That's not even going into the glaring fact of how many intercounty standard players are sitting at home or still training with their clubs because for one reason or another they have a problem with Declan Kelly or vice versa. This isn't made up, this is fact.
We have the talent in this county to be competing for Leinsters, winning Tailteann Cups and staying up in Division 2. None of which we are even remotely close to doing this year but all of which are and should be realistic goals for us. So that is why we are, and have a given right, to question management at this time.
You seem to have your finger on pulse with what is going on in fairness to you DurrowBoy - and have more info than I have. If what you say is true, it is extremely damning. If a professional and experienced physio walks away under circumstances of high injury rates where they are not being listened to, then it certainly is a red flag. I do know there was an S&C coach who worked in previous year who walked away but had not heard of physio walking. The most damning part for me is that lots of these injuries are non contact overuse injuries that were completely avoidable.
The likes of Hyland and Tierney and the other lads who are on the way back should not be considered for next two games in my opinion. They need to be given every chance of making full recovery for championship availability, getting a bit of time across the last two games if possible.
On the talent front and knowing what I know of where we have been in last 10 - 15 years, I'd say our pipeline would be in the top 4 in Leinster easily, behind Kildare, Meath and Dublin and in that order. We have been ahead of and beaten some of these counties across this time too at various stages. I'd say across this time, that we have been well ahead of Westmeath, Longford, Louth, Carlow, Wexford and Laois in general, albeit some would have beaten some of our teams at different stages at minor and U20 level. At schools levels, lots of our players have been very competitive in colleges A football through CBS Tullamore, St Marys Edenderry and Moate CC also, and small few would have been in Rochfortbridge. Likes of Gallen CS, Ard Scoil Clara and Rathangan (who'd be full of St Broughans lads) all reached All Ireland finals in lower grades. More importantly, we have had plenty of lads that went on to make strong Sigerson Cup teams at University levels with some having winners medals and playing at business end of that competition - more so than we had in the previous 10-15 years.
Hylands injury is likely from years of constant training and matches. Must remember that he has played senior hurling for Clodiagh gaels, always plays intermediate for Raheen on top of all the county commitments, hes done that all the eay back to underage. Players playing dual club is surely also a consideration for why they're getting injured sepearate to what they're doing with the county. It adds a lot to the toll.
At schools level I would argue that Offaly have massively underperformed. Tullamore CBS has had a bit more success in recent years but has not at all fulfilled their capabilities. Closest comparison would be Mullingar CBS or even Naas CBS for example who have been winning leinsters and always compete well at A level with similar numbers. SME and Moate are unique in that they both take from several different counties. Think Kevin Egan wrote a column in the last year year about how few offaly players have actually made waves at college level.
And just the last thing I’ll say as I’m sure it’ll be brought up. I know we are a small county, I know other counties have a bigger pool of players and can pick the most athletic lads in their system and build them up skill-wise. What I mean by athletic is lads who can move well, turn/lose their man and can go either way, not giants of men who tower above others. I know we won’t have a huge amount of those type of players like other counties would and we will always generally have small players to some extent. But there was a noticeable difference in the ability of Cork players to create a yard of space for themselves and get a shot off, you’d probably say that O’Neill and Egan are the only real players who can do that for us.
Look at the Leinster final recently. 2 Westmeath schools - Colaiste Mhuire vs Marist. From a Demographics standpoint, Colaiste Choilm probably the only one with the all boys numbers that can compete at that level. With due respect, C/D football is long way off.
As stated, Edenderry draw from Kildare and their success was not uniquely Offaly's. I'd disagree with the post on Moate drawing from several counties. They have a Westmeath hinterland of Moate, Rosemount, Castledaly, Caulry, Maryland. This is usually supplemented by a few lads from Tubber and occasionally Ballycumber/Clara.
I'd also agree that we generally have very few lads playing Sigerson. I'd say Cormac Egan was the only one in the past couple of years to feature in a semi final/final. We did have a fella make the Sigerson team of the year in 2023. At midfield no less. Bill Carroll. He's not on the panel unfortunately, if you were to believe a couple of posters on this thread, we're not missing out on anything apparently.
Just googled out of interest and with AI, this was drawn up.
Cormac Egan (Tullamore): A standout for University College Dublin (UCD), he reached back-to-back finals in 2024 and 2025, earning a "Rising Star" award for his performances.
Rory Egan (Edenderry): Represented University of Galway (formerly NUIG), playing a key role in their 2024 campaign.
Ciaran Donnelly (Bracknagh): Featured in the full-back line for the University of Limerick (UL), notably during their 2022 run to the final.
Bill Carroll (Cappincur): Competed for Dublin City University (DCU) in recent seasons.
Shane Tierney (Daingean): Also represented DCU, often making a significant impact as a substitute in high-stakes matches.
Jack Bryant (Shamrocks): The former U-20 star has also featured for DCU in recent years.
Fionn Dempsey (Bracknagh): Listed in the UCD squad for the 2025 season.
Geordi O'Meara (Ballinagar): Part of the UCD or Maynooth squad for recent Sigerson campaigns.
I know Jack O Brien from Durrow was on UL team that challenged recently, as was David Dempsey a few years ago in NUIG.
Cathal Donoghue and Morgan Tynan i think also were involved.
If you go back further than this age over last 15 years, there were others also.... including Jack Walsh from Gracefield who captained IT Carlow to a Sigerson final 5 or 6 years ago.
jimbob17 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 16, 2026 3:40 pm
Just googled out of interest and with AI, this was drawn up.
Cormac Egan (Tullamore): A standout for University College Dublin (UCD), he reached back-to-back finals in 2024 and 2025, earning a "Rising Star" award for his performances.
Rory Egan (Edenderry): Represented University of Galway (formerly NUIG), playing a key role in their 2024 campaign.
Ciaran Donnelly (Bracknagh): Featured in the full-back line for the University of Limerick (UL), notably during their 2022 run to the final.
Bill Carroll (Cappincur): Competed for Dublin City University (DCU) in recent seasons.
Shane Tierney (Daingean): Also represented DCU, often making a significant impact as a substitute in high-stakes matches.
Jack Bryant (Shamrocks): The former U-20 star has also featured for DCU in recent years.
Fionn Dempsey (Bracknagh): Listed in the UCD squad for the 2025 season.
Geordi O'Meara (Ballinagar): Part of the UCD or Maynooth squad for recent Sigerson campaigns.
I know Jack O Brien from Durrow was on UL team that challenged recently, as was David Dempsey a few years ago in NUIG.
Cathal Donoghue and Morgan Tynan i think also were involved.
If you go back further than this age over last 15 years, there were others also.... including Jack Walsh from Gracefield who captained IT Carlow to a Sigerson final 5 or 6 years ago.
This goes back several years - Those numbers are not particularly high or unusual which is my point. Westmeath, Sligo etc. would have similar to this. We hold our own, but there's nothing out of the ordinary about our representation.
Mayo had 29 this year. They're an out and out football county with over 1.5x our population, so they are not our peers in this comparison. But that's the level some counties have and a reminder that we don't and likely won't have massive representation at this level, with Demographics, geography etc playing their own roles in that.
Yea but it is a lot more than we used to have to be fair and most of those are in last 3 or 4 years. I am sure Lee Pearson played Sigerson with one of the Dublin colleges also if not mistaken, among others i'd imagine that the AI machine didnt pick up. If Athlone IT were in Sigerson and not in Trench Cup, we'd have had more. A chunk of Offaly lads would have gone into army also or done apprenticeships too so Sigerson is not everything but it does help bridge gap from club and U20 to inter county senior.
Of course a Kerry or Mayo will have more, thats not a measure of us. We can only measure ourselves off where we have been and we have had more play Sigerson in last 10 years than we had in the 10 years before that which is my point. People are saying we are not producing talent. I think different. I think we are producing talent to a level but maybe not harnessing it to the level we need to for variety of reasons including reasons that is within our control.
Significant challenges are emerging under the current management. As said on Radio 3 during the Cork game, there is a lot of player unrest.
The increasing number of injuries is also a primary concern. We beat Kildare in the Division 3 final last year. Kildare have 3 points after 3 games and are competing well despite having a huge injury list at the start of the league. They started 5 players against us that were u20 last year. So the injury cry can only go so far.
The players deserve so much more. The time that they give up and will never get back is immeasurable.
No accountability from management either. Harry Plunkett is just one of so many who should have been in there a long time ago, and we have seen the impact he has made. It's all coming back to haunt Declan Kelly now, all the fallout with players, all the personal agendas. 2 wins out of 6 in 2026 against Carlow and Meath's second 15. Progression?
Would you have started plunkett over Hyland Flynn or tierney last year as a matter of interest ?? Plunkett couldn't get a kick for his college team so to act like he's a saviour is another embarrassment of a take ....his lack of scores from play at club level speaks volumes......if you think Offaly can beat any of those teams we have played without the injured players then it says everything about your knowledge of what's available in the county ....your obsession with Kelly is hilarious , you would think we were constantly in division 1 and 2 the last 15 years before he came along ??? You do realise we weren't don't you ???? You do realise how absolute bang average the actual pick there is to work with ???
Snotser123 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 17, 2026 6:42 pm
Would you have started plunkett over Hyland Flynn or tierney last year as a matter of interest ?? Plunkett couldn't get a kick for his college team so to act like he's a saviour is another embarrassment of a take ....his lack of scores from play at club level speaks volumes......if you think Offaly can beat any of those teams we have played without the injured players then it says everything about your knowledge of what's available in the county ....your obsession with Kelly is hilarious , you would think we were constantly in division 1 and 2 the last 15 years before he came along ??? You do realise we weren't don't you ???? You do realise how absolute bang average the actual pick there is to work with ???
Snotser, it doesn't matter what is said... you will defend Declan Kelly to then ends of the earth. So much so that I think you either are him or you're a relation.
If you can't see what's going on in there with Kelly and his agendas cornering him into the situation we've found ourselves in, then your choosing not to see it.
As the saying goes. The eyes are useless when the mind is blind.
I think personally we are coming to the end of a stable period of Offaly football
Injuries aside I don't think we would have won any of the games we have played so far
The style of play isn't suiting any player from what I have seen
The management have to take responsibility for that
I fear an Emmet McDonnell season
Approaching
( The worst performance ever by an Offaly team. In my lifetime in Roscommon still having nightmares)
The county will have to make a decision before the end of the league
They have got lucky with the two games up north bought time
But for the sake of football in the county
It's has to change.
I jokingly said at Xmas that neither the footballers or the hurlers would win a league game in 2026 .
I hope I'm wrong.
Take care
Superhans75 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 10:06 am
I think personally we are coming to the end of a stable period of Offaly football
Injuries aside I don't think we would have won any of the games we have played so far
The style of play isn't suiting any player from what I have seen
The management have to take responsibility for that
I fear an Emmet McDonnell season
Approaching
( The worst performance ever by an Offaly team. In my lifetime in Roscommon still having nightmares)
The county will have to make a decision before the end of the league
They have got lucky with the two games up north bought time
But for the sake of football in the county
It's has to change.
I jokingly said at Xmas that neither the footballers or the hurlers would win a league game in 2026 .
I hope I'm wrong.
Take care
Why did you "jokingly" say? I mean realistically despite last years success, weve stepped up in class significantly, it was hardly a stretch to say we wouldnt win any league game this year, the hurlers were well odds on to lose every game and the footballers cant have been too far off it either. I think maybe cavan and louth were our only chances and regardless of injuries we would have been underdogs against those.. its a numbers game im afraid, 24th on the population list and split in 2 with hurling. Last years success was an real exception which no other county could realistically emulate even counties much further up the numbers list.
Superhans75 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 10:06 am
I think personally we are coming to the end of a stable period of Offaly football
Injuries aside I don't think we would have won any of the games we have played so far
The style of play isn't suiting any player from what I have seen
The management have to take responsibility for that
I fear an Emmet McDonnell season
Approaching
( The worst performance ever by an Offaly team. In my lifetime in Roscommon still having nightmares)
The county will have to make a decision before the end of the league
They have got lucky with the two games up north bought time
But for the sake of football in the county
It's has to change.
I jokingly said at Xmas that neither the footballers or the hurlers would win a league game in 2026 .
I hope I'm wrong.
Take care
Why did you "jokingly" say? I mean realistically despite last years success, weve stepped up in class significantly, it was hardly a stretch to say we wouldnt win any league game this year, the hurlers were well odds on to lose every game and the footballers cant have been too far off it either. I think maybe cavan and louth were our only chances and regardless of injuries we would have been underdogs against those.. its a numbers game im afraid, 24th on the population list and split in 2 with hurling. Last years success was an real exception which no other county could realistically emulate even counties much further up the numbers list.
Thats absolute bo**ox Tmc with respect. Population is a factor but it is far from everything. By your estimation, Dublin should be hammering Kilkenny in hurling and Antrim should be beating most teams in hurling and football.
Offaly has a rich tradition in both sports and a high proportion of kids in Offaly play hurling and football. It is part of our sporting culture and DNA. Offaly GAA has monopoly on hearts and minds of young sports people in the county. That is a fact. Yea population is smaller than a good few but explain to me how Monaghan can compete in football the way they do, how Carlow can do same in hurling with smaller pools and populations of players. It is what you do with what you have that makes the difference. How come we were able to compete and win at minor and U20 level in recent years? By your estimation this does not happen.
We have talent that some have chosen to make an absolute bo**ox of. That's not saying we'd win a Leinster or All Ireland but the footballers should be way better than we currently are, whatever about the hurlers. That is a fact. They couldnt get 26 lads for a senior football panel the last day because of injuries, but also because plenty will not play for current management having experienced it over last two years. Who is that a reflection on? I hate lads making excuses for everything. If there was a somewhat positive dynamic around the senior footballers, then we would be lot further on than we are. The management are responsible for that in how they manage and troubleshoot problems and issues within their control. You cant have so many fall outs and injuries and put it all on the players and population. Plunkett going in and doing what he did the last day when it was last resort for management says a hell of a lot in my opinion. I was delighted for him to be honest. It should never have taken that long to get a chance but it did. That is just one example and it is not sustainable and Offaly GAA can ill-afford these fall outs, particularly with small pool of players as you say. I wish it was different but all you hear are negative stories coming out of that camp and some of it is just shocking at this stage.