Offaly Senior Football 2026

[Snotser123]

I do think management haven't helped themselves with the vagueness around injuries and possible return dates etc

[Anonymous1]

7/7 Losses. Can’t remember that happening us or to too many before.

You’ll still have Corrigan and the likes saying “injuries”. What injuries now? We’ve nearly everyone back bar Flynn, Furlong and Bryant. What county doesn’t have a few injuries.
Consolation scores and teams easing off when the game was well over have absolutely blessed us too. Anyone that watched the games know we were embarrassed in nearly all games bar the Cavan game.

I don’t blame the lads in there. They’re giving their best, and some lads have even punched above their weights respectively, so hat tip to them.

There were murmurs in the crowd Johnson was to start today but pulled out before throw in for whatever reason. Still Plunkett didn’t get the nod. Actually laughable and embarrassing how Declan Kelly is treating him in there.

No Rhode men in there is a disgrace too and needs to be questioned. They’re one of the best teams in the county.
Compared to Meath were like a team of midgets.
And again, not a shot at the lads there but on management who have for one reason or another ran lads away from the team.

Johnson picked up a groin injury before throw in so was replaced by Furlong.

How many groins is that for this squad now? 5?6?…

[Superhans75]

Injuries aside we were beaten by a
Not a great Meath team
Players out of position and borderline silly mistakes
That's Offaly.

[Anon444]

I think the injuries excuse is irrelevant at this stage, as I don’t feel that the team are playing for the management. Every team has been able to walk through during the league and we have not really grafted a dogged performance at all, bar one half against Cavan. Today, our full back gave away the ball under the stand when Meath got on top in the second half and walked back while they got a score. And it wasn’t just him so I’m not trying to blame him at all for the team performance. But there isn’t really anyone dogging it out, getting into the opposition’s face, how many scores are got against us with zero pressure on? Maybe it’s all speculation and I am completely wrong and if I am, I apologise in advance to all. But that’s the overriding feeling for me and it’s hard for a management team to turn that tide when it goes against you.

On the supporters issue, there’s a disconnect there. Teams travel with decent support when playing us, especially when they sense a bit of a trimming. And I wouldn’t blame supporters, I think if the product was better from our flagship team the support would follow. It was the same with the hurlers in the Christy Ring and it has been this way for a while with our footballers. The only way to draw supporters back in is to show serious fight.

Laois will travel up sensing a win. I hope that there will be decent support, but when another heavy beating is expected if we were to win and play a top 4 team, I’m not sure supporters rush to OCP.

[oneshot]

be a short summer that offaly team won't beat leix and they are shite .

[Bord na Mona man]

It's hard judge today.
Had Offaly held on for one more minute against Cavan, then amazingly Offaly could have beaten the drop with victory today.
Could Offaly have won if survival was a possibility? I don't think so, but the game would have been tighter.

For more than a decade now, Offaly have been mainly surviving Division 3 courtesy of Houdini escapes.
Surviving Division 2 would have needed every tail wind possible in our favour. Nothing close to that happened.

All is not lost. There's a long way to go this year. Leinster and then Tailteann/Sam Maguire. For too many years, the momentum has tailed off too early. Other counties have developed with extended runs later into the summer while Offaly players were heading for the sun loungers. Management need to dig in now and make sure everyone is fired up to make an impact in championship.

Some of Offaly's problems are mendable. Players potentially coming back from injury should help. Some fixing up could be done on set pieces like the kick out. Melia is fresh in the door and today on many occasions he was a different wavelength than his outfielders. Possible targets were moving into space, at the just the moment he was changing his mind, or backing off the ball.

In 7 games Offaly have conceded 13 goals - almost 2 per game. Meath could have added more goals today, barring some frantic, goalmouth firefighting. The intensity of the work rate needs to be cranked up, to stop teams slicing through easily. Mickey Harte's Tyrone teams lit upon ball carriers like piranhas on meat. He needs to serve more of that secret sauce in Offaly.

[Tmacmahon]

The small crowds attending our senior football matches is mind blowing. Was there a 100 offaly supporters in o connor Park yesterday? Meath as expected brought a big crowd,
There is a disconnect somewhere and I have stated previously maybe an all offaly fresh management would rejuvenated that side of things, although I do wonder if even that would make a difference.
Offaly did well at times but I don't know if its a coaching issue or an ability issue but some of the play seems naive , is the management team declan kelly, mickey harte and Luke bree? Its just them 3 I think which is light at this level of football.
All down to the laois game now

[jonsey]

was at the match, meath out numbered the Offaly crowd 10 to 1, Offaly are a poor outfit, badly managed and poorly picked. Injuries alone they don't pick the best available, its laughable, Kelly should be shown the door before the championship, if not we will not win a match this year.