NHL Round 3 Offaly V Dublin 06/03/2011

[old yellar]

Ah so your just missing 2 lads in reality?! It's not really a case of apples and oranges. I think the likes of Alan mccrabe (all star 2009), Dotsy o Callaghan and David Treacy would definitely be starters for Dublin. Dwyer also going well. A panel should offer some cover for key positions. Waterford, and Galway have had a lot of injuries but aren't struggling as much. I know my own county struggles once the go past 22 players realistically also, but I feel there's cover there or a back up plan to compensate.. As for Kk people thinking who's the best centreback, well only 3 men have that say down there that matters. And last year hogan was that man.

[old yellar]

I think ye are down 7 from last years championship exit to Tipp and Dublin down 5/4 from there's to Antrim, so both weaker.. Players are: Joe Brady, David kenny,James rigney, Brendan Murphy, Derek molloy, Paul cleary, and David franks. I know some are injured, are they all currently? Are they all short term or longterm?

[townman]

yes have to agree other counties have cover in most places on the team, cork,Galway,tipp,waterford,kk,Dublin
are also missing 4 or 5 players most day's even wexford who were missing keith rossiter but i hear an 19 year old
who came in for him had a stromer of a game again kilkenny our panel is not as strong.

as for the centre back for kilkenny they have 6 or 7 that can do a job for them there Brian Hogan was the man last year
untill he got hurt again Cork in the semil-final. John Tennyson played centre back in the final and had a great game even
doe he was hurt.

[old yellar]

Plain, just on a side note on what I said about my own county and cover. We played ye in shield final a week or two before rhis years league got underway minus last years goalie, full back, corner back, centre back (only came in as a sub v our loss to Antrim), both midfielders and our top scoring forward from play from last years team that excited the championship. 4 of which are out/gone for the year. Now we ve 6 senior clubs as of this year and 3 intermediate clubs. All are dual clubs, 7 of which have senior football commitments also. Not a major pick, but players were found and shuffled around. So we all have injury lists we could blame. Now I know we are in div2, but we would still expect to compete for a final spot minus theses. So why don't ye have the strength in depth that's needed?- again a genuine question.

[townman]

Plain, just on a side note on what I said about my own county and cover. We played ye in shield final a week or two before rhis years league got underway minus last years goalie, full back, corner back, centre back (only came in as a sub v our loss to Antrim), both midfielders and our top scoring forward from play from last years team that excited the championship. 4 of which are out/gone for the year. Now we ve 6 senior clubs as of this year and 3 intermediate clubs. All are dual clubs, 7 of which have senior football commitments also. Not a major pick, but players were found and shuffled around. So we all have injury lists we could blame. Now I know we are in div2, but we would still expect to compete for a final spot minus theses. So why don't ye have the strength in depth that's needed?- again a genuine question.

well the answer to your question is and i have said it here on this site already and that is we don't have the hurler's in the county anymore
to be up at the top plain and simple they give their best and thats all they can do.

the player's that are missing now and if are not back we will be down in division 2. bye the way old yellar their's a big jump from division 2 and 1
hurling as we and wexford have found out if offaly were in division 2 at the moment i think we would cope alright without the players that are missing
but when you play the tipps and kilkennys and cork's of this world without a good few players thats where you will come up short.
best of luck to carlow for the rest of the year any word on when the shield final will be replayed old yellar.

[Plain of the Herbs]

It’s Thursday (or is it Wednesday?) and I’ve no wish to turn this into a “that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it” thread. At this stage I’m merely offering the courtesy of a reply. I also want to point out that since I myself am not on the team I feel the use of the second person singular in inappropriate in what was a question addressed specifically to me.

Any team sport involves a number of individuals coming together to form a team. Over time, players who have played together know intuitively what team-mates are going to do and they will react accordingly – i.e. when to go up for a ball, when to stay down; when to cover in front of a colleague, when to cover behind; when to move upfield, when to stay back etc. This apply particularly in defence – less so in attack.

In a team sport there are certain specialised positions. Full-back and centre half-back would be two of the main ones in hurling. They are not positions a player would learn to play just by looking at them from elsewhere and when an outside defender is thrown in as an emergency full-back there will be a certain amount of disruption. For instance, the Dublin goal from the free when the defence was hopelessly disorganised.

That bond isn’t there when a whole raft of players who haven’t played together before line out, and it takes time to get right. In some cases it might never come right. This becomes a major impediment particularly in defence. For instance, look at Galway who despite all their hurlers, 35 hurling clubs and a rake of Minor & U21 All-Irelands still can’t blend a team.

This is fairly elementary stuff that everybody knows and I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out.

Ah so your just missing 2 lads in reality?! It's not really a case of apples and oranges. I think the likes of Alan mccrabe (all star 2009), Dotsy o Callaghan and David Treacy would definitely be starters for Dublin. Dwyer also going well. A panel should offer some cover for key positions. Waterford, and Galway have had a lot of injuries but aren't struggling as much. I know my own county struggles once the go past 22 players realistically also, but I feel there's cover there or a back up plan to compensate.. As for Kk people thinking who's the best centreback, well only 3 men have that say down there that matters. And last year hogan was that man.

I can’t speak for Carlow but I would advise against using Offaly hurlers as a form-guide. At any time.

Plain, just on a side note on what I said about my own county and cover. We played ye in shield final a week or two before rhis years league got underway minus last years goalie, full back, corner back, centre back (only came in as a sub v our loss to Antrim), both midfielders and our top scoring forward from play from last years team that excited the championship. 4 of which are out/gone for the year. Now we ve 6 senior clubs as of this year and 3 intermediate clubs. All are dual clubs, 7 of which have senior football commitments also. Not a major pick, but players were found and shuffled around. So we all have injury lists we could blame. Now I know we are in div2, but we would still expect to compete for a final spot minus theses. So why don't ye have the strength in depth that's needed?- again a genuine question.

[old yellar]

I d say it ll be after we both exit the championship myself. Hard to see either team wanting it before that.. I don't blame the players, I know the are the best in most cases, and the most committed in giving up their time to train and represent the county. I think like I ve said umpteen times, that the system produces the players, so this nerds to be looked at. This means going back to Lads of 12/13 not necessarily seniors and putting in structures there. Things like the St David's amalgamation may have to be further explored, the north oddly schools venture and it's possible expansion.on that St David's thing, I rem huge outcry at the prospect of that at the start even though it was trying to pool some of the weaker clubs together to compete at a higher level. It happens in football and it's grand!
Plain, I think it's upto management to blend lads in to the set up and team. If most counties are doing it why should it be anymore difficult in this set up? They are big shoes to fill in those positions, fair enough, but surely 3 games into a league you would have allowed for this? As for positions and reading of the game etc, I d always have thought we placed more emphasis on forwards movement and runs. Your basic backs v forwards they tipical example of how we want the forward to move etc.. But that's for another day..

[old yellar]

Ps. Not arguing with you plain, I just think that the maximum
Isn't being got from what's there. I think the county board has been guilty of some poor judgement over the last few years in their appointments and what is needed. I do think that there is very good people in the background of the set up and i hope their influence comes through. Just 2 questions I asked and I m not sure were answered: where do Offaly train regularly and is there match lights there? And are all those lads long or short term
Injuries or on the panel? Cheers.

[bracknaghboy]

On the match iteslf......Peter Kellys assault on Shane Dooley on 64 minutes is shocking. Its on the TG4 Live player. I could hear the crack ring throughout the stand on Sunday but had no idea how vicious a swipe it was till I watched it earlier. You could kill a man striking him across the side of the head like that. One thing it highlights is how soft this team is. Currams and Cordial were in the vicinity when Kelly pulled. Neither of them did anything (OK Cordial checked on Dooley). As a starting point Kelly should have put straight on the floor himself after he struck Dooley. I'm not saying take his head off but a good dig was required by one of the Offaly lads. It reminds of the Wexford game in '09 when Oakley was hit early in first half and nobody did a thing. I'm well aware theres a fine line between standing up for your team mates and being stupid and getting sent off yourself but I assure you if a Clare player was hit like that the fella that hit him would know all about it. Are teams beginning to see this Offaly team as a soft touch that can be pushed about? At some stage in May I hope if he is playing that this Kelly thug gets some close 'attention' himself during the game.
Finally we are not getting good value for all these red cards ourselves. In far too many games we are getting reduced to 14 for little or nothing then you see Kellys swipe on Dooley get a yellow! A team that gets as many reds as Offaly you expect them to be a bunch of hatchet men but its not the case.

[townman]

On the match iteslf......Peter Kellys assault on Shane Dooley on 64 minutes is shocking. Its on the TG4 Live player. I could hear the crack ring throughout the stand on Sunday but had no idea how vicious a swipe it was till I watched it earlier. You could kill a man striking him across the side of the head like that. One thing it highlights is how soft this team is. Currams and Cordial were in the vicinity when Kelly pulled. Neither of them did anything (OK Cordial checked on Dooley). As a starting point Kelly should have put straight on the floor himself after he struck Dooley. I'm not saying take his head off but a good dig was required by one of the Offaly lads. It reminds of the Wexford game in '09 when Oakley was hit early in first half and nobody did a thing. I'm well aware theres a fine line between standing up for your team mates and being stupid and getting sent off yourself but I assure you if a Clare player was hit like that the fella that hit him would know all about it. Are teams beginning to see this Offaly team as a soft touch that can be pushed about? At some stage in May I hope if he is playing that this Kelly thug gets some close 'attention' himself during the game.
Finally we are not getting good value for all these red cards ourselves. In far too many games we are getting reduced to 14 for little or nothing then you see Kellys swipe on Dooley get a yellow! A team that gets as many reds as Offaly you expect them to be a bunch of hatchet men but its not the case.

quite right if that happen in the 90's you could be sure that Rigney or kevin Martin would have left kelly on the floor the next high ball that drop into the square
or Delaney or Fleury from the 80's side we don't have them men anymore in offaly.

[Bord na Mona man]

Even if players didn't step in to exact retribution, they should have made a serious enough fuss to influence the ref into giving a red card.

[Plain of the Herbs]

A run-down of the injury situation in last week's Tribune here http://www.midlandtribune.ie/articles/s ... -the-dubs/
David Franks was mentioned by you in an earlier comment - he has returned to the panel in the last week or so and is obviously short on match practice etc. I'd say he'll take Brian Mulrooney's place for the trip to Naynagh though.
I don't know anything about the training arrangements.

Just 2 questions I asked and I m not sure were answered: where do Offaly train regularly and is there match lights there? And are all those lads long or short term Injuries or on the panel? Cheers.