Offaly Senior Football 2026

[biffinbanner]

i seen both offaly and laois in this years league. id have laois as slight favs. the talk of offaly winning by 6 or 7 is mad unrealistic talk. laois have a good midfield a few tasty wing forwards and a big lad full forward who can win high ball and score .and a keeper who can score 2 pointers from distance.

[oneshot]

Best of luck to the lads next Saturday, hopefully we get a good crowd. I'd think we should win, I don't think we been as bad as results show, iv been as big a critic as anyone but I would respect the work DK has done in the county and if its he's last year I'd love to see him go out with a bit of success. I agree laois will be well up for it but I would expect us to win by 6 or 7. Great to see hyland and Tierney back, anyone know what's the timeline for flynn to return
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by 6 or 7 don't know what offaly team you were watching this year. i'd say we would take a 1 point win but can also see laois winning by 3 or 4 either.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Best of luck to the team.
Up to supporters to get out and support the team for this one at least.

Either way, given that lads have been picked throughout the league, I’ve highlighted them before , who haven’t played anywhere near their own level, I don’t see many changes.

Noting that Laois beat us last year in Newbridge, I think we are in for a battle.
Ability to get kickouts away and stifle Laois’s kickouts will ultimately decide it.
Think we can win but mentally we need a very focussed performance and turnovers have killed us against teams at the higher level in Div 2. If we cut those out we have a big chance to get a result.
Looking forward to a couple pints and big championship atmosphere on a Saturday evening.

[Superhans75]

We can win on Saturday if we get our act together from kickouts
Injuries aside in the league our kickouts were awful
But if they go wrong
I don't want to think about it
Let's get a good crowd the forecast isn't great .
But at 15 euro ticket someone had sense
For once .

[pigeon house biffo]

i seen both offaly and laois in this years league. id have laois as slight favs. the talk of offaly winning by 6 or 7 is mad unrealistic talk. laois have a good midfield a few tasty wing forwards and a big lad full forward who can win high ball and score .and a keeper who can score 2 pointers from distance.

No Ciaran Murphy on the panel at all?

Thought he was the better of the two Dublin lads involved

[DurrowBoy17]

Best team we've started all year I would say.
Laois also look strong.

Going to be a 50/50 game, but we should edge it.
Our bench of Bryant, Bracken, Higgins, Plunkett is strong and should hopefully edge it for us.

Anyone else not make the 26 panel that we're aware of? No Johnson on the 26, Ciaran Murphy, Ed Cullen.
Probably no one too surprising.

[DurrowBoy17]

Having said that, I still think it is quite mad not starting Harry Plunkett.

With the 2 pointers being so crucial now, he's nearly a cert from most 2 point frees off the right foot, as well as 1 pointers too. For that alone he should be starting in my eyes and could prove costly.

We don't have anyone else on the team currently that can kick frees with the right foot as good as him. Certainly not for 2 pointers, with Paddy D gone as well.

[Lone Shark]

I'm not saying I wouldn't start Plunkett myself, but if you've Dylan Hyland on the field and fit, I'm not as concerned as I would have been about long range frees before he came back.

The bench is as strong as we've had for a long time, if the likes of Jack Bryant, Aidan Bracken and Kyle Higgins are actually in a place where they are somewhere close to match fit. We won't know that they are or aren't until we see them out there.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Best team we've started all year I would say.
Laois also look strong.

Going to be a 50/50 game, but we should edge it.
Our bench of Bryant, Bracken, Higgins, Plunkett is strong and should hopefully edge it for us.

Anyone else not make the 26 panel that we're aware of? No Johnson on the 26, Ciaran Murphy, Ed Cullen.
Probably no one too surprising.

Not too surprised that any of the latter 3 havnt made it, Johnson has had 3 different injuries, Ed Cullen is well off and Ciaran Murphy needs a season working away to get up to the level of intercounty. I would think that Robbie Gallagher and Harry Goulding are a little hard done by. Eoin Dunne lucky to get in given he didnt make the start for the 20s.
Add in Furlong, Flynn and Dunican and building a bit of depth,

Most likely there will be changes to the starting team anyway as thats the way its been all year.

[bracknaghboy]

Judging by the photos above Hylo, Tierney and SO'T Green look like men set to lay down the law Saturday evening in OCP!!

[jimbob17]

Best of luck to all involved. Best bench we have had for a while and good to see Higgins back in there. Leavy is a loss but team selected is along lines of what you'd expect. Few marginal calls I'd imagine with GK and Rory Egan in forwards. Wouldn't expect any changes from team named.

You'd expect Hyland will be on frees from distance and close in one's to right and centre. O'Neill and maybe Tierney on the ones on the left possibly....

One observation is that there are 4 forwards listed ahead of Plunkett in subs. Have noticed up to now, that subs were listed for league in alphatical order by surname up to now but are not on this occasion. Poland, Higgins Bryant and Sawyer all listed on lower numbers ahead of Plunkett. May be nothing in it, but if our best forward in league is pushed that far down pecking order, you'd really have to wonder.......

I think it's a 50 50 game and Laois will have no fear of Offaly. Could do with bit of lift in football so hopefully we get over the line...

[Old-school]

Not been funny lads. But that full back line is there for the taken. Two small and not good under a high ball and then the keeper is also not able to deal with high ball in either. If loais lump in balls we could be in trouble

[Anon444]

I’d probably echo some fears about high ball going in. The one thing I’d say is that after the Cavan game, I’m sure it was worked on in training. If they can stop the ball being caught clean and there’s men in front to sweep up on the breaks it should be okay. Maybe if it’s given in quick before there’s time to set up, it might cause an issue.

It’s as strong a team as we have had. I hope there’s no more excuses now. All league we have heard we are missing too many and playing down ourselves. Would love to see the lads give it 100% and see where we go.

[DurrowBoy17]

I believe Pearson is not starting and Aidan Bracken is in.

[Wingbackassassin]

I believe Pearson is not starting and Aidan Bracken is in.

Bracken only back training a few weeks so thats a big call, great player though good to have him back.
Wouldnt be surprised if one of the forwards named on the subs start either.