www.uibhfhaili.com

the laois game is an even money game. the fact were 150/1 to win leinster and kidare are 14/1 thats all you all you need to know about how the bookies rate our chances against them if we do happen to beat laois.

Snotser123 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2026 8:57 pm Is paddy dunican and Flynn both write offs for the tailteann cup does anyone know ? Anyone any idea on furlong ?

Commentators said on Sunday during Cavan game that it looks like Paddy Dunican is gone for championship as well, no mention of Flynn in that vein.

biffinbanner wrote: ↑Wed Mar 18, 2026 1:44 pm the laois game is an even money game. the fact were 150/1 to win leinster and kidare are 14/1 thats all you all you need to know about how the bookies rate our chances against them if we do happen to beat laois.

upto a game or two ago, a good run/even winning the Tailteann was the expectations of a few on here, that seems to have receded now..I was wondering what they were basing their optimism on to be honest..

lads suggesting if we bothered about it there was no bother winning it even tho it was a bit beneath us!!

Why are Offaly MGT bothering naming a team when the dog on the street knows that’s not the team starting and there is a player not in the 26 that is starting tomorrow.
This is becoming a laugh at this stage.

The dog on the street does not know the team.

You know it because you know a player.

Other people know players too and know the team early but they don’t get their phone out and deliberately try to undermine the team and management by revealing the actual team.

If you call yourself an Offaly supporter then you should support them all the time, irregardless of whether the players you’re related to are playing or not.

Sadly, some “fans” would rather leak team news in the hope it helps them lose and ultimately causes the management to go so their relatives might get a better shake with a new broom.

It’s unbecoming of any Offaly supporter and leaks should be routed out of the dressing room asap.

Anonymous1 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 21, 2026 12:34 pm The dog on the street does not know the team.

You know it because you know a player.

Other people know players too and know the team early but they don’t get their phone out and deliberately try to undermine the team and management by revealing the actual team.

If you call yourself an Offaly supporter then you should support them all the time, irregardless of whether the players you’re related to are playing or not.

Sadly, some “fans” would rather leak team news in the hope it helps them lose and ultimately causes the management to go so their relatives might get a better shake with a new broom.

It’s unbecoming of any Offaly supporter and leaks should be routed out of the dressing room asap.

I'm not saying I disagree with this, but one thing that can be said with certainty is that in a properly functioning group dynamic, this doesn't get out. If you're playing for Donegal under Jim McGuinness, if you were playing for Dublin under Jim Gavin or Kilkenny under Brian Cody, this stuff NEVER got leaked. For the love of God, Stephen Cluxton - a man you could legitimately argue is the most influential player ever to play gaelic football - was back training with Dublin in advance of their league game against Louth this time three years ago, he was then named on the bench for that game in Croke Park, and if there is a journalist or a Dublin supporter who knew that was coming before it was announced over the tannoy, I haven't met them since.

Even back as far as the Ger Loughnane era, I had a work experience stint in a company alongside the partner of one of the main Clare players of that era. She freely admitted that when it came to what was going on inside the walls of the training ground, she didn't ask anything, because she wasn't going to be told - and no, it's not that I was asking for specifics!

The McGee brothers in Donegal used to say the same about when one or two of them was on the panel but the others weren't, nothing was asked and nothing was said between them, because they all understood that the sanctity of the dressing room could not be messed with.

Should posters be breaking team news on here or on social media channels, if they have access to it? No, and I do get that that's not actually what happened here by the way.

But for me, the bigger issue is that when it comes to Offaly football right now, the news always comes out, and that only happens if a person or people within the dressing room choose to talk about this stuff. I've had people tell me the actual team shortly after the fake one has been put out there before, and if I'm getting it, I promise you that opposition teams aren't struggling to get the inside track either.

Cian Johnson on the panel still ?

Read the article yesterday at the airport
On the way home about the low attendance at O'Connor park
Blaming that and others on relegation
I thought it had been written by Artificial intelligence it was that bad
Or someone who's head is up there bottom they can see there kidneys on a good day
We have been poor been to every game
To blame the Offaly public for that
Beggars belief
This year from day one the players have been very distant from the supporters
They probably knew what was coming
Hopefully the two Kelly's will be gone soon and they can share a taxi
Things could get a lot worse before they get better
Let's enjoy our last game in division 2
Because we will not be gracing this level for a good while again

Lone Shark wrote: ↑Sat Mar 21, 2026 5:29 pm

Anonymous1 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 21, 2026 12:34 pm The dog on the street does not know the team.

You know it because you know a player.

Other people know players too and know the team early but they don’t get their phone out and deliberately try to undermine the team and management by revealing the actual team.

If you call yourself an Offaly supporter then you should support them all the time, irregardless of whether the players you’re related to are playing or not.

Sadly, some “fans” would rather leak team news in the hope it helps them lose and ultimately causes the management to go so their relatives might get a better shake with a new broom.

It’s unbecoming of any Offaly supporter and leaks should be routed out of the dressing room asap.

I'm not saying I disagree with this, but one thing that can be said with certainty is that in a properly functioning group dynamic, this doesn't get out. If you're playing for Donegal under Jim McGuinness, if you were playing for Dublin under Jim Gavin or Kilkenny under Brian Cody, this stuff NEVER got leaked. For the love of God, Stephen Cluxton - a man you could legitimately argue is the most influential player ever to play gaelic football - was back training with Dublin in advance of their league game against Louth this time three years ago, he was then named on the bench for that game in Croke Park, and if there is a journalist or a Dublin supporter who knew that was coming before it was announced over the tannoy, I haven't met them since.

Even back as far as the Ger Loughnane era, I had a work experience stint in a company alongside the partner of one of the main Clare players of that era. She freely admitted that when it came to what was going on inside the walls of the training ground, she didn't ask anything, because she wasn't going to be told - and no, it's not that I was asking for specifics!

The McGee brothers in Donegal used to say the same about when one or two of them was on the panel but the others weren't, nothing was asked and nothing was said between them, because they all understood that the sanctity of the dressing room could not be messed with.

Should posters be breaking team news on here or on social media channels, if they have access to it? No, and I do get that that's not actually what happened here by the way.

But for me, the bigger issue is that when it comes to Offaly football right now, the news always comes out, and that only happens if a person or people within the dressing room choose to talk about this stuff. I've had people tell me the actual team shortly after the fake one has been put out there before, and if I'm getting it, I promise you that opposition teams aren't struggling to get the inside track either.

It’s not the most recent post I’m referring to but more so last weekend’s which revealed the exact changes 24 hours before the game.

It’s an extremely tasteless thing to do.

I’m no great fan of this management but it must be incredibly frustrating to finally get a few of your best players back and a chance to spring a surprise lineup only to have it leaked publicly by one of your own “fans”.

Do opposition teams find out team news anyway? Sometimes but not always. You’ll often see managements huddled in a group reacting in real time to late changes over the PA system.

And anyway, it’s one thing for the opposition to do a bit of digging and figure things out for themselves. It’s another thing entirely for a “fan” to post team news publicly in a bid to damage their own team.

The ring of culprits can’t be too big. It’s obviously not a member of management, it’s none of the current starters and it’s unlikely to be any of the long term injured.

There’s a small clique of disgruntled players who should do their talking on the field rather than leaking team news and in the process hurting the lads they share blood, sweat and tears with most nights of the week.

Del is using every opportunity to have a pop.
And clearly has a link to someone.
Personally, I don’t think it makes a massive difference but there have been leaks on this site in both football and hurling ongoing.
It’s just that some posters are seeking opportunities out in attempts to introduce negativity.

On the other hand , not really fair to fire the broadside at non starting players.
From my experience in dressing rooms, particularly when things are not going well, some of the main disrupters can be on the field a lot of the time.

And yes LS , we all know in the perfect world what happens but we ain’t in the perfect world unfortunately.

So best of luck to all involved today v Meath, to all panel members and full back room and mgt.
Not an easy place to be but hopefully light at end of tunnel and learnings will be taken from Div 2 opposition.
Some starters need to up the levels or needs to be changes for Laois match.

Whatever about leaks, who knows whos leaking team changes and who really cares...are Cavan or Meath or Louth etc going to be really worried about a team promoted last year dropping this player and bringing in another???the players coming in and out aren't really known outside the county so they wont really be bothered who we bring in or drop out..they are steps ahead of us to be fair..also, narrowing down here by some as to who the "leak" might be as in a sub not getting on the team is most unfair, are all sub's and extended panel members so the one source of possible leaks??..someone abve said it can also be an on field player disgruntled at maybe making a,suggestion to management and being ignored, it could be a selector in same boat..who can say unless they really know..as I say Meath will play whats before them today, they wont be wondering will xyz start for Offaly..

7/7 Losses. Can’t remember that happening us or to too many before.

You’ll still have Corrigan and the likes saying “injuries”. What injuries now? We’ve nearly everyone back bar Flynn, Furlong and Bryant. What county doesn’t have a few injuries.
Consolation scores and teams easing off when the game was well over have absolutely blessed us too. Anyone that watched the games know we were embarrassed in nearly all games bar the Cavan game.

I don’t blame the lads in there. They’re giving their best, and some lads have even punched above their weights respectively, so hat tip to them.

There were murmurs in the crowd Johnson was to start today but pulled out before throw in for whatever reason. Still Plunkett didn’t get the nod. Actually laughable and embarrassing how Declan Kelly is treating him in there.

No Rhode men in there is a disgrace too and needs to be questioned. They’re one of the best teams in the county.
Compared to Meath were like a team of midgets.
And again, not a shot at the lads there but on management who have for one reason or another ran lads away from the team.

Still the same toxicity floating around I see ‍ Bryant Flynn and furlong were mentioned as only players missing ....is Kyle higgins not still missing ....is paddy in the goals not still missing ....I listened to one respected pundit on a pod this week blame all Tyrones woes on Niall Morgan being out of the team...you could argue paddy is as important to us.....is bracken not still missing ???? So that's an extra 3 to the 3 you named ....6 starters missing from a div 3 team going up to div 2 is a lot whatever way u want to look at it .... And again I certainly dont agree with all selections but pull 6 starters from any promoted team and it's massive ....

Didn't go in to game but watched on Youtube. Have to say, we looked ok in first half for short spells. We threw a punch at times but all in all, it faltered badly thereafter particularly in 2nd half and Meath could easily have scored 4 or 5 goals if they wanted to. Few additions made a difference and Tierney looked a threat and could have scored more. Hayes was immense throughout. Thought McDaid did well and Flynn also did well. Melia kickouts were dodgy at times and we were lucky to get away with it at times.

On the crowd front, Meath I'd say outnumbered us about 6:1 by sounds of it. They were essentially the home crowd when there was any spicy moments, where you could barely hear any cheers for Offaly. Maybe those there could say more on that front.

This Plunkett thing is farcical. Came on today for less than 20 mins and had maybe 5 shots at goal, scoring 3, and two from play. I would say that if you were to do the maths on it, he is probably the highest scorer in the national football league across all divisions if you went on a scores per minute ratio. Putting Sawyer on ahead of him today was both pointed and very obviously another dig at him. Fair play to Plunkett though for coming in, sticking to his guns and backing himself to play as well as he did. He will need to keep doing that as long as this management persists. Says a lot really.

Also interesting to hear reporting on the game. Local journalists are being very generous to Offaly I think. One journalist mentioned that Offaly got last 4 points to keep it respectable - losing by 10pts. My God. In my day a 10 point defeat was a hammering. It still is! They also had the operations manager on a call throwing out the old injury line, making more excuses. Lets be honest here. Every team is missing players from time to time. Louth were missing 3 or 4 of their starters too for most of the league but finished with 5 wins!

We were short 3 today in Furlong, Flynn and Dunican! Bryant is not a guaranteed starter in my book - far from it in fact! If you suggest he is, then Tierney is not. Tierney replaced Bryant in last years T Cup semi final and last year was his first year being a regular. They are rarely on together as they are competing for same spot generally, or at least have been over last while. You can't bemoan the absence of lads like Bracken and Higgins who have only been in and out, have played maybe one or two years and are not guaranteed starters while ignoring lads that are excluded for other reasons. Flynn and Furlong are the two outfield players that are guaranteed starters so perspective should be kept on injury excuses stuff for this game. If you want to go that route, you could also go down the route of mentioning the lads left off the squad, which is well exhausted at this stage.

We were able to beat Meath under Kearns / Murphy not so long ago, and if you went through that team, there were injuries to regular starters then also. For record, the following is the team that beat Meath in championship in April 2023. Offaly: Ian Duffy; Lee Pearson; Declan Hogan; David Dempsey; Rory Egan; Peter Cunningham; Ciaran Donnelly; Jack McEvoy; Conor McNamee; Cian Farrell; Ruairí McNamee; Anton Sullivan; Dylan Hyland; Nigel Dunne; Jamie Evans. Subs: Cian Donohue for Egan (HT), Bernard Allen for Farrell (50), Joe Maher for Evans (57), Bill Carroll for C McNamee (60), Shane Tierney for Allen (60).

Plenty of lads on Meath team played today. Others are coming off strong minor and U20 teams. From Nos 8 to 20, McEvoy, Hyland and Tierney are the only ones common to todays starting forwards / midfielders and 5 subs. That is retention of 3 from 13 players. This I think is probably the main reason for the 14 point swing from winning by 4 in 2023 to losing by 10 today - and it could've been a lot more. You'll always have natural fall off due to retirements etc but to best of my knowledge, only Nigel Dunne and Joe Maher actually retired. You could easily argue Allen and Donohue are too old but remember that Aidan Forker is still playing for Armagh at 34, captained them as 33 year old to win All-Ireland and Donal Keogan kicked 2 points today for Meath at 35 years of age.

Meath and Armagh are not building! They pick their best teams now for now and have progressed as a result. That is all we had to do. The current management chose otherwise.

No doubt, the local papers in any other circumstance would be calling things out for what they are. A 10 point home defeat to Meath is not respectability in my book, particularly when you get a few consolation scores to bring it back to that and when you have lost 7 from 7 in the league. For context, Tottenham Hotspur have drawn one from last 7 games, losing 6. There is a revolt going on there with journalists calling for manager Igor Tudor to be sacked as they head towards relegation zone. While I am not calling for management to be culled, it should be taken into account how poor it has been so far this year, and the difference between the narratives formed by interested sports journalists around these two differing teams who are getting broadly similar results is both obvious and staggering.

Next year with Westmeath Carlow, Longford Offaly Laois and Kildare all in Div3, it'll be like a midlands or Leinster league. For now, Laois are only 2 weeks away and they have been picking up their form somewhat to finish in middle of Div 3. Hopefully the players (and management) stick together now as it cannot have been easy to lose all those games. Hopefully the supporters also come out and support the team the next day.