Offaly Senior Football 2026

[Barnet]

Our record this year.. 8 competive games, 8 defeats with a score difference of -72 is that our worse ever record? Surely our 15/20 best players in the county are better than this record?

[Fairplayalways]

While I appreciate I come accross on here as a glass half empty person most of the time in particularly relating to the footballers of late, I cant get my head around some on here saying or intimating that the Tailteann Cup is something the players dont even want now (paraphrasing I know but some give that impression)...surely to God after training (be it good or bad since early last winter, knocked out of the Leinster championship - surely to God there would be a bit of a "go" for the tailteann cup???Other counties will jump at it and embrace it (well going by the game in it anyway - Wexford last year etc. for example) how is Offaly so different that its "oh we are done - those going to travel might as well head off now" etc..surely the commitment they are giving is being nurtured to ensure that such an attitude is not encouraged and actively not encouraged - while I know I am on record as wondering how some posters at start of league thought we were going to beat Laois, win maybe another round and then go into the tailteann and give it a goo run...yeah fair enough in ways, nothing wrong with that, but now after losing to Laois, we simply shut up shop, deal with management and take a fresh run from next year 2027...surely managment and CB etc. are encouraging all to give Tailteann their best, clear a round or two if possible and see where we go..other counties will do it bet your bottom dollar..Sat evening was the tin hat for me on this managment team including Mickey Harte..something isnt right there thats obvious...and needs to be sorted preferably to keep lads interested and around for the Tailteann, but definitely by years end...every county Offalys size has injuries and players opting out..its life it happens...we cant be clinging on to those excuses...if who we have in are not good enough, so be it..

[Snotser123]

People on players checking out makes no sense....it's not like soccer players not playing for manager .it's not your job ....so why miss weddings , funerals , family holidays , overtime, study time etc etc to check out of games...if don't like set up just leave and come back for next one....not trying in gaa makes zero sense at any level as it's literally your own time you are wasting plus diet restrictions etc etc all so you can go and check out when matches come.....they certainly played like that but if that's the case you aren't the smartest tool in the box....Offaly had zero chance of winning leinster so if not interested in tailteann I'm literally not sure as well why you would sacrifice so much of your life otherwise.....yesterday is inexcusable...on management certainly and in fact players ...to keep rehashing old arguments about lack of games won this year against teams like Tyrone who almost beat Armagh yesterday is literally disgusting and self serving and so unfair on everyone involved..it's like slating the hurlers for not laying a glove in division 1...
Ok cavan and Kildare but outside those two there's no teams in that division that a fit 15 lads in Offaly club football could have laid a glove on .....to say different is wrong ....

[Lone Shark]

The current mood is not a reflection of the Tailteann Cup, it's a reflection of the fact that players are human, and when you're not getting paid for something, it can be hard to muster up the enthusiasm out of sheer discipline. They'll keep showing up for training, they'll keep doing the right things and all that, but in a nutshell, you can control your actions, you can't control your thoughts. After all, here is the lie of the land:

(1) The plethora of injuries and withdrawals means that they know they are nowhere near full strength. On current form, we'd beat Waterford and we'd beat New York. Every other Tailteann Cup team is favourite to beat us, and we're miles off a team like Wexford, Westmeath, Clare etc. It's very hard to catch a falling knife.

(2) On top of that, we have (I'm guessing, but with confidence) more players who have played every minute they've been fit to play than most counties, if not all. I don't know if Jordan Hayes, Cormac Egan, Jack McEvoy or David Dempsey have missed a minute yet, and aside from missing one game each, I think Lee Pearson and Keith O'Neill are the same. It's showing on them.

(3) The Offaly public has given up on this team. Shane Tierney was very clear that this has upset the group, but for a home Leinster championship game on a Saturday evening, albeit a match where getting to the game wasn't as easy as it could have been, there was probably two Laois supporters for every one Offaly supporter in the ground, and that in an already tiny crowd. It's not that long ago this game would have brought 10,000 people at a minimum, Saturday there was less than 3,000 there.

(4) Everyone knows that the management is not going to be there next year, so it's not like you'll be noticed for being the player who goes the extra mile over the next month and more.

(5) Every single player is a club man first and foremost. That's where they'll want to be right now, just for a change of scenery.


These guys aren't being paid for this, if they were, it would be a different conversation.

[Fairplayalways]

People on players checking out makes no sense....it's not like soccer players not playing for manager .it's not your job ....so why miss weddings , funerals , family holidays , overtime, study time etc etc to check out of games...if don't like set up just leave and come back for next one....not trying in gaa makes zero sense at any level as it's literally your own time you are wasting plus diet restrictions etc etc all so you can go and check out when matches come.....they certainly played like that but if that's the case you aren't the smartest tool in the box....Offaly had zero chance of winning leinster so if not interested in tailteann I'm literally not sure as well why you would sacrifice so much of your life otherwise.....yesterday is inexcusable...on management certainly and in fact players ...to keep rehashing old arguments about lack of games won this year against teams like Tyrone who almost beat Armagh yesterday is literally disgusting and self serving and so unfair on everyone involved..it's like slating the hurlers for not laying a glove in division 1...
Ok cavan and Kildare but outside those two there's no teams in that division that a fit 15 lads in Offaly club football could have laid a glove on .....to say different is wrong ....

Ah here now come on, the other teams, Cork Meath etc.? these teams arent going to come and get down on both knees to honour Offalys best 15 if available...I dont get where this confidence almost arrogance that if we had a fit first 15 we would be almost unbeatable in Div 2 etc..these counties are training and preparing too..we have no devine right to be beating anyone, especially when we cant beat mediocre opposition at best....Sligo would have scored more to beat Offaly yesterday...dont mind this lark it would be a different game...would it have been that different really..I doubt it...

[Snotser123]

You have taken me up wrong I am agreeing with you.....even with a fit flying 15 and mcgeeney or Jim Gavin in charge we would at best aim to stay up in division 2 and that's it....our players aren't in the same stratosphere as the other top counties in div 2

[Snotser123]

To a previous poster laois Offaly 10,000 for a first round leinster game , no way sonny boy...
10,000 for laois Offaly first round game on wed freezing night , not a chance

[oneshot]

look as i said back in previous posts lads on here saying we beat laois by 6 or 7 points pure rubbish the facts didn't add up laois are no means good the only different is they have a man over them that knows what his doing. add in they were fitter than offaly.

Declan kelly put up the white flag during the week when him and mickey harte seem to be more interested in the Tailteann cup than the leinster championship right we weren't going to win it but the way they were talking i thought offaly were playing kerry or Donegal this weekend. be just interesting to see how leix get on again the flourbags this weekend that will tell you where you stand or where offaly football in going under Declan Kelly.

[The Magpie]

Firstly, to the game. Offaly really did appear to have a limited and confusing set of tactics on Saturday evening:

1. (Plan A) Over-reliance on Cormac Egan: Our major hope was that Cormac Egan could either break a line, tackle or cause enough panic in the Laois backline for gaps to emerge. It worked a few times and Cormac Egan ran himself into the ground, but it's not a difficult gameplan to contain over 70 minutes - I mean, how much energy does one man have? That's not to say that others didn't also empty the tank, but Cormac seems to be the go-to man, with Diarmuid Egan and Jordan Hayes being used in the same way very occasionally.

2. (Plan B) Slow, calculated build-up: The half-forward line seemed (at least in the first-half) to spend a lot of time passing the ball sideways between the 45 and the middle of the pitch, with a slow game being played out (by Offaly), rather than making penetrating runs. The inside forward line were not trusted in 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 situations with a quick ball into space. This was in stark contrast to Laois, who very much backed their inside forwards to beat their man.

3. Positional selection: Perhaps it can be attributed to injuries, but seeing Rory Egan in the half-forward line and Daire McDaid there too at times is a bit baffling. Both are fine footballers and both tried hard, but I don't think either play there at club-level. I'm pretty sure they're both much more comfortable as backs.

4. Positional play: Maybe this one is an aspect of modern football, but watching Lee Pearson occupying the right corner forward position (and I mean right out in the corner of the pitch) at times in the first half was very confusing.

5. Kickouts: I'm not so sure it was me that was confused on Saturday evening - more so that the Offaly goalkeeper and players didn't really know where the next kickout was going. A lot of last minute decision making seemed to happen and it rarely worked.

6. When to shoot: To be fair, I’m not sure how tactical this was, but may well have been the players themselves. We went from not shooting (in the first half) to shooting from anywhere in the second half when panic seemed to take hold from just after the 40th minute.

Secondly, to the players. I really did feel for the Offaly players on Saturday evening. It's obvious that their confidence has taken a big hammering this year and that has affected (a) concentration, (b) their ability to take a few blows & come back and (c) their energy. Facing a team that has spent most of this season getting used to winning was always going to be difficult. I can see why others are suggesting that many of the Offaly players just want the year to end. It’s not that they didn’t expect to play in the TC – it’s the seriously low-ebb they find themselves at before facing into the first game.

Finally to the management and supporting team. So much has been written on this forum. Yes, it seems to be true that there are some other footballers in the county that would strengthen the panel, but I think that's true for almost every county in Ireland. There will always be personality clashes, long-term decisions and commitment issues that mean it doesn't work-out for everyone. I always felt that this whole group (management and players) over-achieved a little bit last year. But we celebrated last year and the whole group must be recognised for what they achieved. This year we faced the confluence of a much higher standard of football and a bad run of injuries – maybe too much for any management team to deal with.

Anyway, the management team will know that this year has shown no real sign of progress. Score lines and performances have been damaging and unfortunately, the management team and panel (for now) have lost the supporters. I’m not sure if anything can turn that around.

I’d probably like the year to end for the sake of the players, but they’re still training and putting themselves on the pitch. We really have to do better in terms of supporting them.

[jimbob17]

Question: Is there any conceivable way where the current management is re-appointed for next year? I am not sure if the current chairman would be (a) interested in football so much or (b) have any insight into the goings on in the senior football team with view to fixing things. I certainly have never seen him at any club matches in the county ever.

Certainly it is well known that DK has significant influence over Offaly football currently, from top to bottom. Given that it is the chairman and board that have given him this power, could it be the case that they may be reluctant to oust one of their own?

[Snotser123]

It will be new management next year , hopefully they can bring a midfield and full back with them at very least

[Barnet]

Question: Is there any conceivable way where the current management is re-appointed for next year? I am not sure if the current chairman would be (a) interested in football so much or (b) have any insight into the goings on in the senior football team with view to fixing things. I certainly have never seen him at any club matches in the county ever.

Certainly it is well known that DK has significant influence over Offaly football currently, from top to bottom. Given that it is the chairman and board that have given him this power, could it be the case that they may be reluctant to oust one of their own?

You are right that he has alot of say in the county but there would be uproar if he were to be kept and the county board would know this. He will be removed as director of football also, the county board will learn from this and realise that 1 man shouldn't be giving so much power

[Barnet]

Westmeath winning today puts to bed the crack of small population winning nothing, offaly hurlers put to bed yesterday the crack of not been able to win with injuries, while we at it there was a HUGE crowd in tullamore yesterday for our hurlers mostly offaly supporters. Puts to bed this crack that our supporters don't go to matches. Big money made today in oconnor park almost a sell out between a mid table division 3 team and division 2 winners. Just goes to show supporters will travel and "support" when right people are involved.

[DurrowBoy17]

I heard at the weekend reports of management/coaches slating our full forward line players and calling them out in front of the rest of the team that they're not scoring enough etc.
Anyone hear any info on this or bad man management of certain players?

I personally feel players should just go back to clubs now until the Tailteann comes back around. Confidence an morale must be at an all time low.