Offaly vs Limerick All-Ireland SHC Qualifier Phase 2 10/7/10

[uibhfhailiabu]

offalyans,
presuming we get over limerick, where does it leave us?? 1/4 final??
it has been a number of years since we last made the 1/4s, get a lucky draw and who knows, we could be in the semi!

if we do beat limerick and thats a big if we will then play either tipp or antrim for a place in the last 8..

we could get it hard to beat limerick and prob will.. but at the end of the 70 mins we should have a few pints to spare..

we wont win this by more than 5!!!

If we do beat Limerick, we will be playing Tipp In Phase 3 of the qualifiers for a place in the last 6 because we cannot meet Antrim again so if we win it's Offaly v Tipp and Antrim v Clare/Dublin

[Kevin]

offalyans,
presuming we get over limerick, where does it leave us?? 1/4 final??
it has been a number of years since we last made the 1/4s, get a lucky draw and who knows, we could be in the semi!

if we do beat limerick and thats a big if we will then play either tipp or antrim for a place in the last 8..

we could get it hard to beat limerick and prob will.. but at the end of the 70 mins we should have a few pints to spare..

we wont win this by more than 5!!!

If we do beat Limerick, we will be playing Tipp In Phase 3 of the qualifiers for a place in the last 6 because we cannot meet Antrim again so if we win it's Offaly v Tipp and Antrim v Clare/Dublin

Limerick is all that matters. No need to look ahead.

COME ON OFFALY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Offaly2010]

From what I have heard Derek Molloy and Derek Morkan are our biggest injury doubts for Saturday. Michael Verney is doubtful also but David Franks and David Kenny should be fit.

Molloy and Morkan would be huge losses,as we saw in Portlaoise in Molloy's case but good to hear Franks and Kenny should be fit.

[ballinamereman1]

offalyans,
presuming we get over limerick, where does it leave us?? 1/4 final??
it has been a number of years since we last made the 1/4s, get a lucky draw and who knows, we could be in the semi!

if we do beat limerick and thats a big if we will then play either tipp or antrim for a place in the last 8..

we could get it hard to beat limerick and prob will.. but at the end of the 70 mins we should have a few pints to spare..

we wont win this by more than 5!!!

If we do beat Limerick, we will be playing Tipp In Phase 3 of the qualifiers for a place in the last 6 because we cannot meet Antrim again so if we win it's Offaly v Tipp and Antrim v Clare/Dublin

no your wrong there now.. sure laois and carlow met in leinster and then they met again in the qualifers.. only finalists in a province cant met again till an all ireland final..

draw decides the phase 3 matches..

[leinsterman]

laois and carlow were aloud play each other twice because they are the weaker counties in this years championship its something like that
so offaly can't play antrim in the next round if they beat limerick it will be tipp.

[uibhfhailiabu]

if we do beat limerick and thats a big if we will then play either tipp or antrim for a place in the last 8..

we could get it hard to beat limerick and prob will.. but at the end of the 70 mins we should have a few pints to spare..

we wont win this by more than 5!!!

If we do beat Limerick, we will be playing Tipp In Phase 3 of the qualifiers for a place in the last 6 because we cannot meet Antrim again so if we win it's Offaly v Tipp and Antrim v Clare/Dublin

no your wrong there now.. sure laois and carlow met in leinster and then they met again in the qualifers.. only finalists in a province cant met again till an all ireland final..

draw decides the phase 3 matches..

No I'm afraid im not wrong, as on the championship wallchart on http://gaa.ie/wallcharts/hurling.php. It says for Phase 3: Subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings, where feasible, a draw shall be made to determine the pairings

Anyway, as lads have said already, Offaly have a job to do first this weekend, and that is to beat Limerick. We shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves.

I seen on the gaa website, Joe Dooley has said Stephen Egan and Michael Verney are definately out and Del Morkan and Derek Molloy are having fitness tests on Friday night.

I think it's very important that the lads do not take this game for granted, they must go out and hurl with the same intensity and desire that they did against Galway. This Limerick team will have no fear, I know I for one was very relieved to be coming out of the League encounter with the one-point win, if Limerick had a decent free-taker that day, we would have been beaten. People are saying Offaly should be hammering Limerick at the weekend but I would be surprised if the winning margin is anymore than 10 points. However in saying that if Offaly hurl like they did in the games with Galway, then they should have too much for this Limerick team and should be coming out with a victory on Saturday night and looking forward to the next round of the qualifiers.

[Offaly2010]

I seen on the gaa website, Joe Dooley has said Stephen Egan and Michael Verney are definately out and Del Morkan and Derek Molloy are having fitness tests on Friday night.

Dooley not fazed by injury worries


The Offaly dressing room at the moment may resemble something like a military hospital, given the number of injuries that the Faithful County are carrying.

Stephen Egan and Michael Verney will both be absent from Saturday’s GAA All-Ireland Hurling Senior Championship Phase 2 Qualifier with Limerick due to shoulder problems, while Derek Molloy and Derek Morkan will face fitness tests on Friday night for knocks they are carrying.

Offaly manager Joe Dooley is philosophical about such occurrences however, and suggests that switches necessitated by injury in their Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship semi-final replay against Galway may have actually helped his side.

“These things happen,” he said at the announcement of the Vodafone GAA Player of the Month Awards for June, which saw his son Shane honoured.

“You have to adjust, you plan for all eventualities. We probably have one or two plans in place in the case of players not playing well and injuries.

“We readjusted the team at half time and it probably made a difference in the second half.”

Ultimately, Offaly lost by two points after a rousing comeback. While some may have seen that as an honourable defeat, for Dooley, it meant they fell short of their target.

“We were disappointed to lose,” he says. “It was there for the winning but we didn’t push on with an extra man. That’s part of the learning process, they now know they are as good as anyone if they perform.

“We are still in the championship and so are Galway. We’re trying to regroup and get set for Limerick and things are going okay.

“Our aim was to win the Leinster championship, not just to compete well in it. We haven’t achieved that but failing that it’s to advance as far as we can in the championship.”

The loss, however, did mean that while Galway had to play again eight days later, Offaly had another week off, but Dooley saw that as little more than a consolation prize.

“I would much preferred to have had to play last Sunday!” he laughs.

“Maybe Galway looked a bit tired. Kilkenny have a knack of making teams looked tired. It was only when Kilkenny got on top Galway started to look tired.”

[Offaly2010]

Player of the Month Award for Shane Dooley


SHANE Dooley has been chosen as the GAA Hurling Player of the Month for June. The awards are sponsored by Vodafone.
The free scoring Offaly forward will pick up his award today (Wednesday) in The Westbury Hotel in Dublin.

It is deserved recognition for the Tullamore clubman who has produced a series of fine performances for his county.

Faithful fans will be hoping he and his team-mates can keep up their good form when they face Limerick in the qualifers on Saturday.

The game is part of a double-header in O'Connor Park as the Senior Footballers face Waterford.

(taken from offaly express site)

[Offaly2010]

Currams ban 'a disgrace', says Dooley

08 July 2010


Offaly manager Joe Dooley has branded the decision to ban Daniel Currams for four weeks as "a disgrace".

The Kilcormac/Killoughey attacker was sent off in Offaly's drawn Leinster SHC semi-final with Galway for a high tackle which was described as "dangerous to an opponent" and was issued a subsequent four-week ban by Croke Park's CCCC.

Currams missed the replay defeat to the Tribesmen and is now set to miss Saturday's All-Ireland SHC qualifier against Limerick at Tullamore and if the Faithful men advance he will also miss their next fixture.

"Dan Currams is still out which is a disgrace really to be honest," said Dooley.

"He is going to miss two-and-a-half and if we win on Saturday night he will miss three-and-a-half games for a fairly harmless enough offence. There is something inequitable about it."

(taken from HS)

[Offaly2010]

Offaly need to be wary of Limerick challenge

Published Date: 08 July 2010

IN the eyes of Paddy Power bookmakers, Offaly, based on their heroic but lest we forget non-winning displays against Galway, are priced at odds of 1/20 to get past Limerick in this Saturday's All-Ireland SHC qualifier at O'Connor Park, Tullamore (7pm).
Alan Walsh reports

Odds of 18/1 are being offered on the draw and 9/1 for a Limerick win. So considering Offaly only scraped past the same opposition by 2-17 to 3-13 in round five of the NHL, the hot favourites tag certainly won't rest comfortably on their shoulders.

Indeed, much of the media and bookmaker commentary is quite similar to that bleated out prior to Offaly's championship opener against Antrim and we all know what happened there – Joe Dooley's men required extra time to prevail after enduring an almighty scare.

Offaly, no doubt, will be telling them-selves that they mustn't under estimate Limerick, mustn't be complacent, mustn't take Limerick for granted and mustn't buy into the controversy that has engulfed Limerick hurling and deprived them of the services of many of their top names. But all the talking will be absolutely futile, unless Offaly are tuned in mentally.

Based on the performances against Galway, the evidence is that Offaly can get past Justin McCarthy's inexperienced side and secure a clash against Tipperary in the next series of qualifiers. However, if their minds aren't on the task then this potential banana skin becomes far more treacherous.

Tipp defeated Wexford 3-24 to 0-19 last weekend and Antrim overcame Carlow by 2-18 to 3-12. Since Offaly can't play Antrim in the next series, should they win on Saturday, they'll go on to play Tipp.

The winners of Clare versus Dublin, which has the interesting sub plot of club and county team mates Ger O'Loughlin and Anthony Daly going toe-to-toe on the sideline, will progress to meet Dinny Cahill managed Antrim.
Limerick have nothing to lose and after their 0-12 to 2-19 loss against Cork in the Munster SHC semi-final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh they'll be keen to bounce back and try to win over the hearts and minds of the Limerick hurling public.

JP McManus has given his backing to under fire McCarthy who after the Cork game indicated he intends to guide Limerick for a third successive season in 2011.

Both counties played challenge games last week. Offaly lost out to Dublin last Thursday, while Limerick (0-24) drew with Clare (3-15).

These outings are notorious for fuelling false perception but nonetheless they can't be ignored entirely.

The only morsel of positivity for Offaly is that David Kenny and David Franks have recovered from the knocks they sustained during the 2-18 to 3-17 replay loss against Galway last Saturday week in Portlaoise.

On the negative side is that Daniel Currams remains suspended and Stephen Egan is definitely ruled out with his shoulder injury. Derek Molloy (ankle), Michael Verney (shoulder) and Derek 'Del' Morkan (leg) are also on the casualty list and they are fighting a race to be fit and in contention for selection.

While injury woes like this are unwanted, they just might be of benefit to Offaly on this occasion as they will focus minds to not look beyond Limerick.

The Limerick starting line-up for the Munster semi-final included nine championship debutants, while David Breen, Paul Browne, Paudie McNamara, new captain Bryan O'Sullivan and James O'Brien were the only survivors from last August's All-Ireland semi-final loss to Tipperary.

Sean Herlihy's first half red card was a serious setback to the 'Treaty' men and unsurprisingly, after they trailed at the break by 0-6 to 1-10, it was Cork that went on to qualify for a first Munster Final appearance since 2006.

Many of the Limerick players that were on duty against Offaly in the NHL featured against Cork and they have gained valuable experience.

Graeme Mulcahy and Richard McKeogh are exciting and skilful corner forwards, while Brian O'Sullivan and Paul Browne who lined out at mid-field in the NHL against Offaly occupied half back roles against the Rebels.

Tadhg Flynn is a useful 'keeper, with Thomas O'Brien, Andrew Brennan, Shane O'Neill and Nicky Quaid being other players to watch out for.

Offaly's defending, to put it mildly, was sloppy when they met Limerick in the NHL and if they concede three goals again this Saturday, then they'll be under severe pressure.

In ten seasons (2001 to 2010 inclusive) and apart from beating Limerick in 2003 & 2008, and with due respect to Laois, Dublin and Antrim, Offaly hasn't got the better of one of the so called stronger hurling counties in a Leinster championship or All-Ireland qualifier outing.

Yes, there have been very close calls, but against Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Clare, Cork, Tipperary and Galway there have been no victories recorded.

For 2010 to be recalled as a year of progress, Offaly must get past embattled Limerick and push Tipp all the way in the next round. That expectancy brings with it pressure and let's hope the Offaly players can respond to it just as they did against Galway (twice) and Antrim.

If Offaly are mentally focused and if they perform consistently for the seventy minutes, then they will get past Limerick but it certainly won't be the easy ride that some pundits are predicting it will be.

However, if you are in to bad omens, the only occasion Offaly lost to Limerick in championship hurling was in 2006 at O'Connor Park and no doubt Brian Carroll & Co will be fired up to prevent history from repeating itself!

(taken from offaly express site)

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Offaly manager Joe Dooley is philosophical about such occurrences however, and suggests that switches necessitated by injury in their Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship semi-final replay against Galway may have actually helped his side.

Given how the team finished that night, the above sentence worries me greatly.
I await the team announcement with both interest and trepidation in equal measure but I've a bad feeling that either Hanniffy or Hayden will be played in defence.

With memories of this year's league game still fresh, I worry about this game on Saturday. Somebody else said that if Offaly play as they did against Galway then they'll win. However if they perform as they did against Antrim or Limerick (league) then they'll loose. It really is as simple as that.
I wouldn't be as supremely confident as some supporters are. Two good performances against Galway do not suddenly erase the last number of years. We've had big performances against big teams in the recent past (Tipp, Limerick, Waterford) only for a fall to come after. Consistency is the key, the hallmark of all good teams and I'm not yet sure that that's something this team or management are capable of achieving.
Lest I sound too negative, let me clarify that the Galway performances and more are definitely what this team are capable of (as opposed to the Antrim game) but can they repeat it week in week out? I wonder.

Don't forget also that this is Limerick's (and Justin McCarthy's for that matter) All-Ireland final. Fired up and confident they'll be.
They won't fear us and the memories of our recent league meeting, a game they could have won, will be fresh in their minds. It should be in ours too.

[the bare biffo]

The darkness is upon me...............I cant shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that the games against Galway have been mightily overblown.
Fearing the worst on Saturday night.

[Kevin]

The darkness is upon me...............I cant shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that the games against Galway have been mightily overblown.
Fearing the worst on Saturday night.

Hey TBB - The Galway games did happen and I hope you are wrong about them being overblown (although I completely understand where you are coming from). We proved that we could hang with a good team, but just couldn't finish it out (putting untimely injuries and some 'bad luck' aside).

Limerick is certainly looking at this game as a chance to rescue their pride. They must be delighted to have drawn us and I'd expect them to play completely out of their skins. Offaly at 1/20 to win seems completely outrageous, Justin has to post that on the locker room door.

Given our recent performances, however we can't expect to carry the underdog tag into every match. Our motivation needs to be our desire to advance and have a chance to face a new, bigger challenge. Are we happy enough with what we've accomplished or are we starving for more? Are we back or were we just providing some entertainment and assisting Galway in preparing for the latter parts of the championship?

To the team: we all know now how well we can play, there is no turning back now. Best wishes on the day! Continue to do yourselves proud!!!!!

WE"RE ALL BEHIND YOU!!!!!!

UP THE FAITHFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Offaly2010]

Offaly v Limerick

Friday, 9 July 2010

Limerick travel to Tullamore knowing that anything less than a win in this All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers Phase 2 tie will bring the curtain down on what has been an utterly forgettable year for hurling in the Treaty County.

Manager Justin McCarthy made a vigorous defence of his tenure on Morning Ireland, and it was obvious that he truly believes that what he is doing is in the best interests of Limerick hurling.


And there's no doubting either that the vast majority of the 2009 panel who are in self-imposed argument feel they are in the right.


The stand-off really shows up the Limerick County Board, who, unlike their Cork neighbours, have been unable to negotiate a viable solution.


And Limerick's hopes of salvaging something from the season have been further hit by the emigration of forward Paudie McNamara, while Sean Herily is suspended.


The Shannonsiders are also without the injured David Breen, Shaun O'Riordan, Des Kenny, Andrew Brennan and Sean Kenny.


Offaly also have worries over Stephen Egan and Michael Verney, while manager Joe Dooley is fuming over the month-long suspension handed down to Daniel Currams for an indiscretion in their drawn game with Galway.


Dooley reckons it was 'a fairly harmless enough offence'.


Even though they eventually lost their replay against Galway, the fact they were able to live with the Tribesmen for the best part of two games will instil great belief in the Faithful County that they can regain their spot among the game's elite.


It would be a major shock were that good work to be undone at O'Connor Park.


Verdict: Offaly

(taken from rte sport site)

[Bord na Mona man]

And Limerick's hopes of salvaging something from the season have been further hit by the emigration of forward Paudie McNamara, while Sean Herily is suspended.

The Shannonsiders are also without the injured David Breen, Shaun O'Riordan, Des Kenny, Andrew Brennan and Sean Kenny.

This should help Offaly out.
I think we will win, but not very stylishly.