Offaly (SF v Clare): K Meehan; G Rafferty, J Quinn, J Keane; P McConway, S Sullivan, K Slattery; A McNamee, N Smith; J Coughlan, P Kelleghan, S Brady; PJ Ward, N Coughlan, N McNamee.
Another day, another hugely chopped and changed lineup. Now realistically one way or another if Monaghan are able to go to Ennis and beat these by 13 points, we should be able to account for them handy enough. Having said all that, I remain to be convinced - PJ Ward as a corner forward?
Looking at this team, we've two full forwards who prefer playing closer to midfield, at least one half forward who prefers to play closer to midfield, another half forward who has been playing around midfield for his club, two out of three half backs who like pushing on up to midfield and beyond, and at least two and probably three of the full back line who prefer playing much nearer to midfield.
All we need is McManus drafted in to play in goals and we're set.
Yes, I know it's the lowest form of wit - I just can't conceive of this selection coming close to pushing Dublin in a Leinster semi final, and unless I'm mistaken this is what we're driving for?
Football vs Clare this Sunday
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Lone Shark
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Rynaghs Biffo
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I nice to see not much change in the defense, but the forward 6 looks very unbalanced and indeed very experimental.
I can see James Coughlan being switched during the game to corner forward and PJ moved to half forward. I still feel we're going to be relying on Nialler to convert our scores. Still tho, In saying all that, we should be beat a poor Clare side.
I can see James Coughlan being switched during the game to corner forward and PJ moved to half forward. I still feel we're going to be relying on Nialler to convert our scores. Still tho, In saying all that, we should be beat a poor Clare side.
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black and red exile
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Bord na Mona man
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Good to see Niall Smith get a run. Long term, we'd need himself or Conor Mahon to step up to the challenge at midfield. Especially as McManus doesn't have many years left.
No harm to pick himself and Alan McNamee at midfield. they both could well be fighting over the one position, so it's a good way to compare them.
Again there is a lot of experimentation and juggling of players going on, with time is running out. What way Offaly will line out in the summer is anyone's guess. I'd be a little concerned that the starting 15 in championship will be a line up with too many players unfamiliar with their positions and and playing colleagues.
No harm to pick himself and Alan McNamee at midfield. they both could well be fighting over the one position, so it's a good way to compare them.
Again there is a lot of experimentation and juggling of players going on, with time is running out. What way Offaly will line out in the summer is anyone's guess. I'd be a little concerned that the starting 15 in championship will be a line up with too many players unfamiliar with their positions and and playing colleagues.
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the bare biffo
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Bord na Mona man
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Clare just denied by Offaly's late rally
Offaly 0-16
Clare 1-10
NIALL McNAMEE once again came to Offaly's rescue when he scored five unanswered points in the closing seven minutes to give them a dramatic 0-16 to 1-10 victory in O'Connor Park yesterday.
Offaly were staring disaster and fourth division football next season in the face when a clinically-taken penalty by Rory Donnelly with six minutes left put Clare ahead by 1-10 to 0-11 and on the threshold of a famous victory.
In the face of adversity, however, Offaly rose to the challenge and it was McNamee, fast developing into one of the deadliest forwards in the country, who provided a one-man rescue act, kicking five super late points, two from play.
The result now leaves Páidí Ó Sé's Clare team in a very difficult position and they will be bitterly disappointed at not getting something out of this game.
They used their physical strength to good advantage, consistently out-muscling the home side, and fully deserved their 0-8 to 0-6 interval lead, after recovering well from a sluggish start.
With the wind at their backs, Offaly began to mop up an increasing amount of possession in the second half. Clare, who suffered a big blow when midfielder Frank O'Dea was stretchered off just before the break, dug deep and continued to make life difficult for them.
Offaly edged ahead by 0-10 to 0-9 with 21 minutes left and looked set to coast home. Clare, however, were reading from a different script and gave it everything they had.
They looked set for at least a share of the spoils when Donnelly converted a harshly-awarded penalty but it was McNamee, who wreaked havoc when moved to centre forward, and Offaly who had the final say.
SCORERS - OFFALY: N McNamee 0-7 (4f), PJ Ward, N Coughlan and K Slattery 0-2 each, J Coughlan, P Kellaghan and T Deehan 0-1 each. Clare: R Donnelly 1-4 (1-0p, 2f), D Molohan, D Kelly, S Hickey, E Coughlan, M O'Shea and M O'Dwyer 0-1 each.
OFFALY - K Meehan; G Rafferty, J Quinn, J Keane; P McConway, S Sullivan, K Slattery; A McNamee, N Smith; J Coughlan, P Kellaghan, S Brady; PJ Ward, N Coughlan, N McNamee. Subs: T Deehan for P Kellaghan 41, K Hogan for N Smith 41, T Coughlan for J Coughlan 43, C McManus for S Brady 49, J Reynolds for N Coughlan 61.
CLARE - Joe Hayes; L Healy, C Whelan, G Kelly; John Hayes, D Kelly, N Considine; K O'Dea, G Brennan; M O'Shea, S Hickey, E Coughlan; M O'Dwyer, G Quinlan, R Donnelly. Subs: D Molohan for G Quinlan 12, G Quinlan for F O'Dea (inj.) 37, G Lyons for D Kelly, M Ogie Murphy for E Coughlan 59.
REF - M Daly (Mayo).
Offaly 0-16
Clare 1-10
NIALL McNAMEE once again came to Offaly's rescue when he scored five unanswered points in the closing seven minutes to give them a dramatic 0-16 to 1-10 victory in O'Connor Park yesterday.
Offaly were staring disaster and fourth division football next season in the face when a clinically-taken penalty by Rory Donnelly with six minutes left put Clare ahead by 1-10 to 0-11 and on the threshold of a famous victory.
In the face of adversity, however, Offaly rose to the challenge and it was McNamee, fast developing into one of the deadliest forwards in the country, who provided a one-man rescue act, kicking five super late points, two from play.
The result now leaves Páidí Ó Sé's Clare team in a very difficult position and they will be bitterly disappointed at not getting something out of this game.
They used their physical strength to good advantage, consistently out-muscling the home side, and fully deserved their 0-8 to 0-6 interval lead, after recovering well from a sluggish start.
With the wind at their backs, Offaly began to mop up an increasing amount of possession in the second half. Clare, who suffered a big blow when midfielder Frank O'Dea was stretchered off just before the break, dug deep and continued to make life difficult for them.
Offaly edged ahead by 0-10 to 0-9 with 21 minutes left and looked set to coast home. Clare, however, were reading from a different script and gave it everything they had.
They looked set for at least a share of the spoils when Donnelly converted a harshly-awarded penalty but it was McNamee, who wreaked havoc when moved to centre forward, and Offaly who had the final say.
SCORERS - OFFALY: N McNamee 0-7 (4f), PJ Ward, N Coughlan and K Slattery 0-2 each, J Coughlan, P Kellaghan and T Deehan 0-1 each. Clare: R Donnelly 1-4 (1-0p, 2f), D Molohan, D Kelly, S Hickey, E Coughlan, M O'Shea and M O'Dwyer 0-1 each.
OFFALY - K Meehan; G Rafferty, J Quinn, J Keane; P McConway, S Sullivan, K Slattery; A McNamee, N Smith; J Coughlan, P Kellaghan, S Brady; PJ Ward, N Coughlan, N McNamee. Subs: T Deehan for P Kellaghan 41, K Hogan for N Smith 41, T Coughlan for J Coughlan 43, C McManus for S Brady 49, J Reynolds for N Coughlan 61.
CLARE - Joe Hayes; L Healy, C Whelan, G Kelly; John Hayes, D Kelly, N Considine; K O'Dea, G Brennan; M O'Shea, S Hickey, E Coughlan; M O'Dwyer, G Quinlan, R Donnelly. Subs: D Molohan for G Quinlan 12, G Quinlan for F O'Dea (inj.) 37, G Lyons for D Kelly, M Ogie Murphy for E Coughlan 59.
REF - M Daly (Mayo).
Not agreat performance, id be worried for next sunday, Niall mc did well, but the half forwards were all over the place, full back line was solid enough and so was the half backs. why on earth Mac is on the bench I dont know. could have been a different story if the Clare midfielder hadnt obeen stretcherd off. Hopefully this win will bring them on for next sunday!
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Lone Shark
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I wasn't doing this one for the Indo, so I'm afraid ye'll have to make do with more of a brief rundown on this game.
Much like the hurling that followed it, it was a mixed bag, both good and bad. After all my dogging on Kilmurray I hate to seem as if management was the problem again, though there were a few key aspects to the game that I'd have a problem with which I feel a little bit more guidance, either from senior players or management was needed.
Here's my thoughts on it anyway.....
(1) I thought the complete absence of pace in the half forward line was a real problem. In the first half, both Niall and PJ Ward had to fight like dogs for any ball that they won, since it was invariably high, slow and held up in the wind. All too often they did the hard bit, often while being fouled, only for our extremely pedestrian half forward line to take ages to get up in support. I can understand picking the likes of Scott Brady when it comes to a "first line of defence" kind of role, or if he's dropping back to support the midfield, but to me he struggled to offer anything, while his opposite marker offered so much in terms of winning breaks and making himself available for offloads. I'm not saying these options were all available yesterday, but Aidan Keenaghan, Sean Ryan and Ken Casey are all worthy of consideration for this role, and Thomas Coughlan did offer something when he came on in this regard (though he wouldn't exactly be comfortable in front of the posts)
(2) The midfield conundrum goes on. I'd give Niall Smith more time to settle in, but the fact remains that Frank O'Dea was lording matters until he went off injured. I'd say the result could have been very different if he stayed on the field.
(3) I honestly came away from this game feeling that we did not take the threat of Clare seriously at all. We played at a pedestrian pace the whole way through the second half when we should have been illing them off, only to finally wake from our slumber when with five minutes to go we fell behind. We can thank our lucky stars that (a) we have Niall to convert under pressure and (b) they didn't get their goal - albeit undeserved - five minutes later. The lack of a killer instinct from our players was a real issue.
(4) I do genuinely think the Michael Daly was awful. He gave some atrocious decisions, none more so than the penalty. He was very red card averse as well - I didn't see whether or not Conor Whelan kicked Niall in the head or not, but either it was an accident, or didn't happen - in which case he should have got not punishment - or he did kick him deliberately, in which case it should have been a red card. A yellow card was nonsensical. Ditto Paschal - he should have been red carded for the first clothesline tackle, and even though the second one was a dive from the Clare player, the referee was unsighted - to give a black card was once again a case of "I don't know, so i'll sanction, but just not enough" I'd be wary of what would happen if this guy was in charge of a genuinely acrimonious game.
(5) I know Nigel Grennan has not had a great year, but the lack of pace in the full back line is an issue. Clare had very little to offer by way of threat, and they still could have got in on a few occasions.
Finally, player by player .....
Kevin Meehan - Couldn't do anything about the goal, reasonable kickouts, one good save. Did nothing wrong, but then will probably be rotated anyway.
Ger Rafferty - Ran himself into trouble a few times, and made a few bad fouls that resulted in scorable frees. His physicality is a plus, but he could only be put on certain types of players.
Joe Quinn - he looks like a footballer plugging a gap at full back. Doesn't have the mean streak, doesn't have the aggression, and doesn't have the "mind-the-house" instinct needed. I'd possibly move Rafferty in here.
James Keane - Did his job. His opponent was very moderate, and that's being kind, but that wasn't his fault. Trying to mark Tommy Freeman next week will tell us a lot more about him.
Paul McConway - Most improved Offaly player by a mile. The lad is coming on in leaps and bounds, he has toughened up, built himself up and is a great foil for Slattery on the far side.
Shane Sullivan - Still not playing as well as he can, but I can appreciate the perseverance with him at centre back - it has potential so it's worth a little patience.
Karol Slattery - Very impressive, as per usual. Spiky, got forward, scored two points, couldn't ask for more.
Alan McNamee - made a few good catches towards the end, but only when O'Dea was gone off. Put a glorious goal chance wide when he had all the time and space in the world, and some of his delivery into the forward line wasn't as good as it can be. Still probably as good as we have, even if I am damning him with faint praise.
Niall Smith - I felt sorry for him when he gave away his first ball cheaply, you could see the nerves on him, but even show he showed signs. Still not really as aggressive as you'd like him to be, but a little bit of potential. It's worth giving him a bit of leeway since we need to provide our prospective midfielders with as much help as we can, but having said that it's hard to see him being ready for Dublin this summer and marking Darren Magee or Ciaran Whelan.
James Coughlan - He's really not a half forward. Scored one good point, could have had another only the umpires decided it was wide, but all in al still did his bets work close to goal. I'm inclined to say the same as I would about Shaper - either pick him in the full forward line or don't pick him. His pack of pace means that even if he gets the ball in a good position, by the time he gets within shooting range a back has caught him.
Pascal Kelleghan - I'm aware that he has a lot of supporters on this board, but if we keep picking him it's going to cost us. He's too long playing football now to still be running the risk of these stupid red cards. His yellow card offence yesterday could have been a red since it was basically a clothesline, while even though the Clare lad dived for his "black card" foul, it was still a high tackle on the blind side of the ref - what was he expecting? I know he has talent, but he's going to get a red card in the summer - I've been saying this for so long now - and until he gets sense we shouldn't pick him, which I'm guessing is never.
Scott Brady - Couldn't keep up with John Hayes who had a great game from Clare from wing back, wasn't quick enough to get up in support of the forwards when they won the hard ball, and didn't really win any breaks around the middle either. Hard to imagine this experiment going on too much longer.
PJ Ward - offered something in the first half when the ball in was going to be poor due to the wind. His physicality combined with the ability to take a score was worthwhile. In the second half though he disappeared and never looked like a threat. We have better forwards than him in my mind.
Neville Coughlan - Top class performance. He won loads of ball that he was second favourite for, fought like a dog, ran hard but intelligently, and showed well when he needed to. Vintage Neville.
Niall McNamee - Depends by what standards you judge him by. From an Offaly point of view, he just keeps getting better and better. He dropped a few balls into the keeper's hands, which when you allow for how much easier that makes breakaway play with the wind, and how Clare were struggling with kickouts, was unforgiveable. However to nitpick at that is judging him by the same standard you would Stephen O'Neill or Colm Cooper - players he is fast becoming on a par with.
Of the subs, none of them really got that much time, but the most impressive was Thomas Coughlan. Offered plenty of pace, not a scoring threat but it really opened up the defence. Deehan and Keenaghan showed flashes of potential, while McManus proved that he will be a guaranteed starter come the summer. Kieran Hogan probably will remind behind Niall Smith in the pecking order for now I'm guessing.
Much like the hurling that followed it, it was a mixed bag, both good and bad. After all my dogging on Kilmurray I hate to seem as if management was the problem again, though there were a few key aspects to the game that I'd have a problem with which I feel a little bit more guidance, either from senior players or management was needed.
Here's my thoughts on it anyway.....
(1) I thought the complete absence of pace in the half forward line was a real problem. In the first half, both Niall and PJ Ward had to fight like dogs for any ball that they won, since it was invariably high, slow and held up in the wind. All too often they did the hard bit, often while being fouled, only for our extremely pedestrian half forward line to take ages to get up in support. I can understand picking the likes of Scott Brady when it comes to a "first line of defence" kind of role, or if he's dropping back to support the midfield, but to me he struggled to offer anything, while his opposite marker offered so much in terms of winning breaks and making himself available for offloads. I'm not saying these options were all available yesterday, but Aidan Keenaghan, Sean Ryan and Ken Casey are all worthy of consideration for this role, and Thomas Coughlan did offer something when he came on in this regard (though he wouldn't exactly be comfortable in front of the posts)
(2) The midfield conundrum goes on. I'd give Niall Smith more time to settle in, but the fact remains that Frank O'Dea was lording matters until he went off injured. I'd say the result could have been very different if he stayed on the field.
(3) I honestly came away from this game feeling that we did not take the threat of Clare seriously at all. We played at a pedestrian pace the whole way through the second half when we should have been illing them off, only to finally wake from our slumber when with five minutes to go we fell behind. We can thank our lucky stars that (a) we have Niall to convert under pressure and (b) they didn't get their goal - albeit undeserved - five minutes later. The lack of a killer instinct from our players was a real issue.
(4) I do genuinely think the Michael Daly was awful. He gave some atrocious decisions, none more so than the penalty. He was very red card averse as well - I didn't see whether or not Conor Whelan kicked Niall in the head or not, but either it was an accident, or didn't happen - in which case he should have got not punishment - or he did kick him deliberately, in which case it should have been a red card. A yellow card was nonsensical. Ditto Paschal - he should have been red carded for the first clothesline tackle, and even though the second one was a dive from the Clare player, the referee was unsighted - to give a black card was once again a case of "I don't know, so i'll sanction, but just not enough" I'd be wary of what would happen if this guy was in charge of a genuinely acrimonious game.
(5) I know Nigel Grennan has not had a great year, but the lack of pace in the full back line is an issue. Clare had very little to offer by way of threat, and they still could have got in on a few occasions.
Finally, player by player .....
Kevin Meehan - Couldn't do anything about the goal, reasonable kickouts, one good save. Did nothing wrong, but then will probably be rotated anyway.
Ger Rafferty - Ran himself into trouble a few times, and made a few bad fouls that resulted in scorable frees. His physicality is a plus, but he could only be put on certain types of players.
Joe Quinn - he looks like a footballer plugging a gap at full back. Doesn't have the mean streak, doesn't have the aggression, and doesn't have the "mind-the-house" instinct needed. I'd possibly move Rafferty in here.
James Keane - Did his job. His opponent was very moderate, and that's being kind, but that wasn't his fault. Trying to mark Tommy Freeman next week will tell us a lot more about him.
Paul McConway - Most improved Offaly player by a mile. The lad is coming on in leaps and bounds, he has toughened up, built himself up and is a great foil for Slattery on the far side.
Shane Sullivan - Still not playing as well as he can, but I can appreciate the perseverance with him at centre back - it has potential so it's worth a little patience.
Karol Slattery - Very impressive, as per usual. Spiky, got forward, scored two points, couldn't ask for more.
Alan McNamee - made a few good catches towards the end, but only when O'Dea was gone off. Put a glorious goal chance wide when he had all the time and space in the world, and some of his delivery into the forward line wasn't as good as it can be. Still probably as good as we have, even if I am damning him with faint praise.
Niall Smith - I felt sorry for him when he gave away his first ball cheaply, you could see the nerves on him, but even show he showed signs. Still not really as aggressive as you'd like him to be, but a little bit of potential. It's worth giving him a bit of leeway since we need to provide our prospective midfielders with as much help as we can, but having said that it's hard to see him being ready for Dublin this summer and marking Darren Magee or Ciaran Whelan.
James Coughlan - He's really not a half forward. Scored one good point, could have had another only the umpires decided it was wide, but all in al still did his bets work close to goal. I'm inclined to say the same as I would about Shaper - either pick him in the full forward line or don't pick him. His pack of pace means that even if he gets the ball in a good position, by the time he gets within shooting range a back has caught him.
Pascal Kelleghan - I'm aware that he has a lot of supporters on this board, but if we keep picking him it's going to cost us. He's too long playing football now to still be running the risk of these stupid red cards. His yellow card offence yesterday could have been a red since it was basically a clothesline, while even though the Clare lad dived for his "black card" foul, it was still a high tackle on the blind side of the ref - what was he expecting? I know he has talent, but he's going to get a red card in the summer - I've been saying this for so long now - and until he gets sense we shouldn't pick him, which I'm guessing is never.
Scott Brady - Couldn't keep up with John Hayes who had a great game from Clare from wing back, wasn't quick enough to get up in support of the forwards when they won the hard ball, and didn't really win any breaks around the middle either. Hard to imagine this experiment going on too much longer.
PJ Ward - offered something in the first half when the ball in was going to be poor due to the wind. His physicality combined with the ability to take a score was worthwhile. In the second half though he disappeared and never looked like a threat. We have better forwards than him in my mind.
Neville Coughlan - Top class performance. He won loads of ball that he was second favourite for, fought like a dog, ran hard but intelligently, and showed well when he needed to. Vintage Neville.
Niall McNamee - Depends by what standards you judge him by. From an Offaly point of view, he just keeps getting better and better. He dropped a few balls into the keeper's hands, which when you allow for how much easier that makes breakaway play with the wind, and how Clare were struggling with kickouts, was unforgiveable. However to nitpick at that is judging him by the same standard you would Stephen O'Neill or Colm Cooper - players he is fast becoming on a par with.
Of the subs, none of them really got that much time, but the most impressive was Thomas Coughlan. Offered plenty of pace, not a scoring threat but it really opened up the defence. Deehan and Keenaghan showed flashes of potential, while McManus proved that he will be a guaranteed starter come the summer. Kieran Hogan probably will remind behind Niall Smith in the pecking order for now I'm guessing.
Why?? He always takes to much out of the ball, followed by a handpass to Alan Mc. He runs into trouble and rarely kicks a long ball into the forwards...A tactic that got us to a Leinster Final for the first time in 11 years. Brady is not having a good year in the half forward line, but then again He's never played in the half forward line in his life. He was dropped last year for not having a turn of pace... Sullivan is definitely not quicker. The lad had a great year last year and should be given his chance at centre back.Lone Shark wrote: Shane Sullivan - Still not playing as well as he can, but I can appreciate the perseverance with him at centre back - it has potential so it's worth a little patience.
If Sullivan was playing well, i couldn't argue, but the simple fact is, He's not, and Hasn't all year. Brady played club football at mid-field this year and everyone knows this is far up the field as he should play. He definitely deserves his chance at No. 6. Soon!
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Lone Shark
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I can understand, but I disagree. Shane is not the fastest half back in the county by any stretch of the imagination, but you're pushing it when you say he's no quicker than Scott Brady. I've great time for Scott's defensive strengths, but he is seriously slow. Again, we're preparing for a showdown with the Dubs in a Leinster semi here - the centre forward will be one of Sherlock or Brogan most likely - both mobile players that like to drift around and pick up the ball in different locations. Brogan also liks to take lads on and burst for goals - he would absolutely eat Scott Brady alive. I'm not saying that Shane will be able for him, but I'd give him a chance at least.
Shane Sullivan is too good a footballer for us to cast adrift when he's on a bad run of form - I personally would prefer to give him the chance to play his way back into form.
Shane Sullivan is too good a footballer for us to cast adrift when he's on a bad run of form - I personally would prefer to give him the chance to play his way back into form.
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The Magpie
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I find myself agreeing with both of you to some extent. I have no doubt that Alan Brogan or Jason Sherlock would be a handful for Scott Brady - but then again, they're a handful for most decent backs.
I don't think Shane Sullivan would handle them any better than Brady would - he himself looked woefully short of pace and (worse again) slow to turn at full back last year.
At the same point in time, I'm not quite sure what Scott's best position is? The 3rd midfielder / half-forward experiment is not working out. So where next? Possibly at centre-half back.
There is no doubt in my mind that we should find a place for him on this team - he's too good not to play a part. Attend any Clara club game and I'll be surprised if Brady is not the outstanding player on the pitch. His display in last years County final (up against SS) was not a one-off, for those of you that don't see him all that often at club level.
I don't think Shane Sullivan would handle them any better than Brady would - he himself looked woefully short of pace and (worse again) slow to turn at full back last year.
At the same point in time, I'm not quite sure what Scott's best position is? The 3rd midfielder / half-forward experiment is not working out. So where next? Possibly at centre-half back.
There is no doubt in my mind that we should find a place for him on this team - he's too good not to play a part. Attend any Clara club game and I'll be surprised if Brady is not the outstanding player on the pitch. His display in last years County final (up against SS) was not a one-off, for those of you that don't see him all that often at club level.
The Dog chases the Car....the Car stops....the Dog can't Drive!
i reckon paul mcconway would be a better bet at centre half back than o sullivan or scott brady who both lack pace. mcconway has pace and this year has bulked up big time i reckon he would be well equipped to deal with sherlock or brogan i reckon now is the time to try him. i also agree that o sullivans deliveries are terrible and he always tends to look for a rhode man first
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Lone Shark
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I agree wholeheartedly that Scott tends to dominate Clara games, usually playing from midfield. However the key is right there - a lot of moderate players can look good playing midfield in Offaly club football because the general standard of midfield play is so poor. I'm not saying Scott is a moderate player - far from it - i'm just saying that it's a lot easier to impress at midfield in Offaly football than it is playing wing forward or full back for example, down to the quality of the opponents.
All that said, Scott is a good player and I'd like to see him accomodated. The fact that he is first and foremost a defender, and he is very good when surrounded by forwards at retaining possession and disposing to a team-mate, I actually wouldn't mind seeing him in a Francie Bellew style full back role. I would temper this by saying that this would only work if he was the middle full back of three, not if he ended up being isolated as one of two back there with a whole flank to chase towards. I would however trust him to mind the shop at the edge of the square though.
I'm not sure about Sullivan "always delivering to a Rhode man first" - it stands to reason that Alan Mc, as our main midfield playmaker, and Niall as our main scoring outlet would receive a proportionately high amount of deliveries, as opposed to our half forwards for argument's sake.
All that said, Scott is a good player and I'd like to see him accomodated. The fact that he is first and foremost a defender, and he is very good when surrounded by forwards at retaining possession and disposing to a team-mate, I actually wouldn't mind seeing him in a Francie Bellew style full back role. I would temper this by saying that this would only work if he was the middle full back of three, not if he ended up being isolated as one of two back there with a whole flank to chase towards. I would however trust him to mind the shop at the edge of the square though.
I'm not sure about Sullivan "always delivering to a Rhode man first" - it stands to reason that Alan Mc, as our main midfield playmaker, and Niall as our main scoring outlet would receive a proportionately high amount of deliveries, as opposed to our half forwards for argument's sake.