Rhode v Moorefield
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The Border Fox
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Rhode v Moorefield
Match has been fixed for 2pm next Sunday in O'Moore Park,Portlaoise.
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Rynaghs Biffo
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Lone Shark
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Preview article I did for the paper here.......excuse the opening.....
Between now and Sunday it’s safe to say there’ll be no shortage of preview articles wittily titled about how it’s been a “Long Rhode” to this stage of the competition. It’s hard to blame the headline writers – who among us wouldn’t discharge our working duty so simply if we could?
(Note to editor – please avoid the obvious ironic joke of using it for this article….)
One hopes however that in previewing the game a little more effort is put in by writers, because if they don’t, there is a danger that every column will pay due deference to the stickability of the Kildare champions before going on to suggest Rhode should take the garlands with a couple of points to spare. This widespread assurance of Rhode winning on Sunday insidiously pervading the dressing room as players prepare for the match would make it very easy for the players to take the field underestimating the scale of the challenge facing them, which is obviously not the attitude one wants for the Offaly representatives going into a Leinster final.
The reason this problem arises of course is because when this game is dissected and stripped down to the bare bones, Rhode should win. That may be a very blunt way of putting it, and no doubt some eagle eyed reader with Moorefield connections will be only delighted to seize on this know-nothing-hack’s two cent opinion and look to present it to the Moorefield dressing room as evidence of how they are being given “no chance” by the Offaly media, but it is nonetheless very true. Rhode have evolved considerably since the millennium, beginning the decade as a team with great talent but lacking the nous to close out county championships. Their grip over the Offaly scene grew tighter, eventually reaching its current vice-like state, and now they are consistent performers on the Leinster stage as well. Moorefield on the other hand came into this year’s Leinster campaign on the back of three lean years, their Newbridge rivals Sarsfields having had the upper hand since Moorefield’s previous success in 2002. Both sides can boast of a solid backbone of intercounty performers, but Rhode would be better endowed with “stars”, the McNamees in particular enjoying a level of celebrity not shared by any of their Moorefield counterparts. In the guise of St. Michael’s, with the assistance of St. Brigid’s and Clonmore players, Rhode has benefited from a steady stream of players who have been very successful at under 21 level, while Moorefield’s underage record has been unspectacular once they get past under 16. Above all, Rhode, in running Kilmacud so close last year and beating UCD this year, have marked themselves out as a team that is able to compete with the very best clubs in the country.
Based on their form so far, Moorefield haven’t really done anything that would warrant their inclusion in that kind of exalted company. Of course this leads to the danger highlighted above, that the national media won’t look past these bare facts and will fail to properly assess the real threat that they pose. From the heart of Ireland’s racing heartland, they may yet turn out to be that loveable type of thoroughbred that digs deep to just about edge out their opponent by a neck irrespective of how good or bad they are. In their last five championship ties, they’ve had one two-point win, three one-point victories and one success after a replay. As one would imagine when that statistic is factored in, the strength of this team lies in their power and experience around the middle rather than any particularly free scoring forward line. Kevin O’Neill was one of the few bright spots for the Kildare county team this year, and he has been anchoring the Newbridge outfit very well from centre back in recent games. Defenders like Ian Lonergan and Kenny Duane mightn’t be county starters any more but they are players that thrive in winter football, and their battles with Niall McNamee and Roy Malone respectively will have a big say in how Rhode’s attack functions both on the 45 and further inside. The quicker legs of the Offaly pair will be an advantage in these match ups if they can be supplied with good ball, and this leads us to the real key area for this game – midfield. Despite Alan McNamee being one of the county’s mainstays, Rhode have struggled to find a suitable partner for him, with at least five different players having played alongside the club captain this year so far. In contrast Moorefield have a very solid pairing, Ross Glavin’s intercounty experience complementing Daryl Flynn, a skilled young player who was one of the stars of the Kildare county championship this Autumn. This combination has been performing very strongly so far this year and they give their team a balance and a solidity around the middle that Rhode lack.
Where Rhode should hold the advantage is that the solidity and power of the Moorefield backs and midfield is not matched by any great flair or incisiveness up front. Pa Murray and Ronan Sweeney between them contribute most heavily to the Moorefield score sheet, but neither is prone to running up four or five scores from play with regularity. They are consistent, and it will be very surprising if the team registers less than eight or more than ten flags, but if Rhode can make sure that at most one and if possible none of those flags are of the green variety, they will put themselves in a good position to stretch their excellent season on into 2007.
At the start of the year, the Leinster championship would have been targeted by Rhode as the logical next step in their development, however results at the weekend have changed the landscape somewhat. The defeats of Nemo Rangers and Corofin saw the two leading contenders for the All Ireland fall by the wayside and Crossmaglen’s scraped victory over Clontibret does not suggest that the Armagh champions are in rude health either. For now this will be in the back of Rhode’s mind as they prepare for next Sunday – but it certainly wouldn’t have gone un-noticed, as what started out as a campaign for a first ever Leinster title for the village could yet end up being so much more.
Between now and Sunday it’s safe to say there’ll be no shortage of preview articles wittily titled about how it’s been a “Long Rhode” to this stage of the competition. It’s hard to blame the headline writers – who among us wouldn’t discharge our working duty so simply if we could?
(Note to editor – please avoid the obvious ironic joke of using it for this article….)
One hopes however that in previewing the game a little more effort is put in by writers, because if they don’t, there is a danger that every column will pay due deference to the stickability of the Kildare champions before going on to suggest Rhode should take the garlands with a couple of points to spare. This widespread assurance of Rhode winning on Sunday insidiously pervading the dressing room as players prepare for the match would make it very easy for the players to take the field underestimating the scale of the challenge facing them, which is obviously not the attitude one wants for the Offaly representatives going into a Leinster final.
The reason this problem arises of course is because when this game is dissected and stripped down to the bare bones, Rhode should win. That may be a very blunt way of putting it, and no doubt some eagle eyed reader with Moorefield connections will be only delighted to seize on this know-nothing-hack’s two cent opinion and look to present it to the Moorefield dressing room as evidence of how they are being given “no chance” by the Offaly media, but it is nonetheless very true. Rhode have evolved considerably since the millennium, beginning the decade as a team with great talent but lacking the nous to close out county championships. Their grip over the Offaly scene grew tighter, eventually reaching its current vice-like state, and now they are consistent performers on the Leinster stage as well. Moorefield on the other hand came into this year’s Leinster campaign on the back of three lean years, their Newbridge rivals Sarsfields having had the upper hand since Moorefield’s previous success in 2002. Both sides can boast of a solid backbone of intercounty performers, but Rhode would be better endowed with “stars”, the McNamees in particular enjoying a level of celebrity not shared by any of their Moorefield counterparts. In the guise of St. Michael’s, with the assistance of St. Brigid’s and Clonmore players, Rhode has benefited from a steady stream of players who have been very successful at under 21 level, while Moorefield’s underage record has been unspectacular once they get past under 16. Above all, Rhode, in running Kilmacud so close last year and beating UCD this year, have marked themselves out as a team that is able to compete with the very best clubs in the country.
Based on their form so far, Moorefield haven’t really done anything that would warrant their inclusion in that kind of exalted company. Of course this leads to the danger highlighted above, that the national media won’t look past these bare facts and will fail to properly assess the real threat that they pose. From the heart of Ireland’s racing heartland, they may yet turn out to be that loveable type of thoroughbred that digs deep to just about edge out their opponent by a neck irrespective of how good or bad they are. In their last five championship ties, they’ve had one two-point win, three one-point victories and one success after a replay. As one would imagine when that statistic is factored in, the strength of this team lies in their power and experience around the middle rather than any particularly free scoring forward line. Kevin O’Neill was one of the few bright spots for the Kildare county team this year, and he has been anchoring the Newbridge outfit very well from centre back in recent games. Defenders like Ian Lonergan and Kenny Duane mightn’t be county starters any more but they are players that thrive in winter football, and their battles with Niall McNamee and Roy Malone respectively will have a big say in how Rhode’s attack functions both on the 45 and further inside. The quicker legs of the Offaly pair will be an advantage in these match ups if they can be supplied with good ball, and this leads us to the real key area for this game – midfield. Despite Alan McNamee being one of the county’s mainstays, Rhode have struggled to find a suitable partner for him, with at least five different players having played alongside the club captain this year so far. In contrast Moorefield have a very solid pairing, Ross Glavin’s intercounty experience complementing Daryl Flynn, a skilled young player who was one of the stars of the Kildare county championship this Autumn. This combination has been performing very strongly so far this year and they give their team a balance and a solidity around the middle that Rhode lack.
Where Rhode should hold the advantage is that the solidity and power of the Moorefield backs and midfield is not matched by any great flair or incisiveness up front. Pa Murray and Ronan Sweeney between them contribute most heavily to the Moorefield score sheet, but neither is prone to running up four or five scores from play with regularity. They are consistent, and it will be very surprising if the team registers less than eight or more than ten flags, but if Rhode can make sure that at most one and if possible none of those flags are of the green variety, they will put themselves in a good position to stretch their excellent season on into 2007.
At the start of the year, the Leinster championship would have been targeted by Rhode as the logical next step in their development, however results at the weekend have changed the landscape somewhat. The defeats of Nemo Rangers and Corofin saw the two leading contenders for the All Ireland fall by the wayside and Crossmaglen’s scraped victory over Clontibret does not suggest that the Armagh champions are in rude health either. For now this will be in the back of Rhode’s mind as they prepare for next Sunday – but it certainly wouldn’t have gone un-noticed, as what started out as a campaign for a first ever Leinster title for the village could yet end up being so much more.
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naasmanxrhode
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Lone Shark
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