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OCP is a better venue. Its the county ground.

Anon444 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 22, 2026 5:28 pm I know they will be in OCP, but is there actually anything stopping us from playing our home games in Birr? I think it would suit our lads better, O’Connor Park can be lifeless enough at times. Maybe there’a an agreement or due to the lease on OCP, I’m not sure.

Plenty of life in OCP for the championship game vs Galway last year, prior to us getting well beat, like we did today.

Realistically, SBP is not an option for days like that and it would be frankly ridiculous to ignore the bigger, newer grounds...which is why I'd say splitting the league games is best - there is no universe in which we pass up OCP for championship, so no point playing all our league games in Birr.

Fair enough, but contrast the proportion of Offaly to opposition crowds for the Tipp game and the game today, there is a clear difference. OCP is also much handier for me, but still not a major issue.

On the field, I feel the delivery inside is a bit slow in terms of how quick the ball is actually struck in. The Galway half back line and midfield were able to deliver it in quickly, so our defenders had little time to get in close to the forward. The pitch gave defenders a bit more time to get to the ball, but if we could just hit space a bit quicker, I’d feel we’d make it stick inside more. At times we done it in the first half and the forwards should have done a bit better. Overall, we steadied in the second half and brought it back to 5/6, could have been easy to go down by 15-20 points.

another game and no goals..0-18, decent enough score, but wont beat most teams..2-23 a fair concession but thats in and around what winning teams are racking up...these games aren't getting easier after this weekend..

Good crowd today, I actually thought we done ok, galway are a top team

Galway a top team? Sorry what? I thought they were extremely average outside of Cathal mannion I don’t think Linerick Cork Or Tipp would take any of their players? Like watching a different sport compared to the big teams! Galway won’t be contesting an all Ireland for a long time , they are behind Kilkenny who are behind the Munster teams ! Can easily see a Dublin Kk Leinster final this year.

Disappointed overall, not sure where people are seeing optimism. A very average Galway side and their hurling was a level above us.

Full back line did pretty well given they were under a nice bit of pressure. Ben is really solid at full back. Hoare did his bit between the sticks.

Thought Sampson was good on the half back line. Shirley got forward for a nice score but he's a bit too passive on defensive duties, often flapping at the ball it one arm and not touching it down to anyone in particular.

Midfield was good in the first half, King is rock solid and hopefully his hamstring injury isn't too serious. Ter Guinan had a good first half before being moved. Watkins tried hard when he came in.

Not sure what to say really about the forward line. It seems the management team after half a decade in charge have formulated a puckout strategy of "route 1" 75% of the time; it would be nice if the forward line won a few of them.

Half forward line was anonymous again. Bourke barely touched the ball apart from hitting a wide and Doyle didn't really seem to know where he was supposed to be going.

Not Screeney's best game but at least he had a bit of niggle in him that showed he cared. Duignan persevered and got some nice points in the 2nd half, he also passed the ball around a bit more which is good. He really needs to work on his first touch, much like a lot of our players. The slick passing of Galway across the field overshadowed our sometimes loopy passes and bad touches.

I'm genuinely frustrated about the lack of game plan overall and I think some new options need to be tried more in the forward line. Even more frustrating is how slow the management are to make any changes. Luke Nolan being given 6 minutes and Ciaran Cleary being given 3 minutes when the majority of the forwards weren't able to win a single ball for the 60+ minutes beforehand doesn't make much sense to me.
Surely Nolan, Cleary, Hand and Rigney, if back soon, should be given an opportunity at a start.

Final note, I think the last goal was a poor reflection - lads essentially gave up and let the man spare inside before he could pass a pinpoint ball to Whelan who sent an unstoppable shot to the corner.

Not sure about the 'bring hurling back to Birr' but that's an argument for another day and thread. If supporters can't travel half an hour up the road to support their team in the county ground I don't know. Much like the performance, the atmosphere was a bit of a damp squib.

Limerick up next with Cork still to come.

Wasn't at the game listened to the first half and the obituaries were being called out despite being couple points down , regardless of how average or not so average Galway are there's a couple factors

Galway have being hurling at a higher level for long periods of time where Offaly haven't it gives Galway an edge it has to stand for something if your playing the teams playing in all Ireland semi finals or thereabouts every year

Even in Leinster that strong competitiveness has it's advantages where all games except for one are tougher ... Antrim Westmeath laois being exceptions

Offaly have been building back since being on Christy ring , there's a pool of under 20 players that are being totally relied on to carry it forward

Change doesn't happen over night

Just hopefully there is a better plan come first round of championship

As for Kildare if they didn't have 3 goals on the board it wouldn't look as good ,conceding 27pts not unless they played really well I don't know but It wouldn't say they are doing anyway better or worse than Offaly

G91 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 8:37 am Wasn't at the game listened to the first half and the obituaries were being called out despite being couple points down , regardless of how average or not so average Galway are there's a couple factors

Galway have being hurling at a higher level for long periods of time where Offaly haven't it gives Galway an edge it has to stand for something if your playing the teams playing in all Ireland semi finals or thereabouts every year

Even in Leinster that strong competitiveness has it's advantages where all games except for one are tougher ... Antrim Westmeath laois being exceptions

Offaly have been building back since being on Christy ring , there's a pool of under 20 players that are being totally relied on to carry it forward

Change doesn't happen over night

Just hopefully there is a better plan come first round of championship

As for Kildare if they didn't have 3 goals on the board it wouldn't look as good ,conceding 27pts not unless they played really well I don't know but It wouldn't say they are doing anyway better or worse than Offaly

Well of course it’s not going to look as good if you take away the 3 goals a team scores then their result won’t look as well. Nobody expected them to run Clare to 4 points and they are obviously operating at closer to our level than we thought.

We missed 2-3 big goal chances in the first half which came back to cost us, as it did against Waterford.
Liam Hoare pucked a handful of puckouts over the sideline.
It was great to have Sampson back and himself and King were our best performers.
Pat Taaffe got a roasting in the corner off Molloy and Brecon did some silly things.
Jack Clancy was solid.
With an extra man in our defence, Donal Shirley was free almost every time we broke away underneath the stand in the first half and he was very rarely found.
Conor Doyle is not near the level yet - gave away 3-4 frees, got blocked down and taken off at half time.
Dan Bourke was anonymous.
Oisin Kelly as poor as he has been in a long time, I think he needs to be kept in near goal.
David Nally was brought in after 20 mins for an injured Eoghan Cahill. It wasn’t until just before half time that management realised he was on the pitch, as he got dispossessed twice.
He was then put inside for the second half as he couldn’t compete out the field and Screeney was brought out the field - crazy.

That would have been a 20+ point defeat on a good day. We scored 6 points in the first half hurling with a gale force wind down into the corner. At times with this wind Adam Screeney was the only man in Galway’s half.

Any truth in Charlie Mitchell having some form of Heart Trouble and may not be available this year or potentially ever?
Hopefully not true, but have heard murmers a few times now in passing conversations.

DurrowBoy17 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 9:10 am Any truth in Charlie Mitchell having some form of Heart Trouble and may not be available this year or potentially ever?
Hopefully not true, but have heard murmers a few times now in passing conversations.

As far as I know, he is under surveillance for now, don’t think it would be appropriate to get into any more details on here

Killian Sampsons distribution of the ball is on a different level. We worked a score from a low ball he gave to Screeney in the first half and near the end a switch of play over his shoulder to Screeney....If Cian Lynch done it we would all be praising him! Great to have him back! Pity we dont have 2 of him cause we need a ball winner in the forwards. Brian Duignan should some of his form returning in the 2nd half.

Killiam sampson got 1-3 scored off him yesterday while his distribrution might be good thats not an ideal afternoon from any back whos number 1 job is to defend.

what is seamus callinan adding to the party? were not scoring many goals? he was a great goalscorer himself but..

biffinbanner wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 9:56 am what is seamus callinan adding to the party? were not scoring many goals? he was a great goalscorer himself but..

We are creating the chances, lads simply aren’t executing, that has to be on the players.
Ter Guinan got through 1 on 1 and got hooked at the 14 when he could have kept going and batted the ball or made sure of it. Dan Bourke had a chance and blazed over the bar.
Same with Screeney and Duignan’s missed versus Waterford.