offaly v cork NHL 21/02/2010

[leinsterman]

1. Brian Mullins
2.Paul Cleary
3. David Kenny
4.Stephen Egan
5. Dylan Hayden
6.Joe Bergin
7. Del Morkan
8. Ger Oakley
9. Kevin Brady
10.Rory Hanniffy
11.Connor Mahon
12.Diarmuid Horan
13.Shane Dooley
14.Ger Healion
15. Dan Curram's
That's if stephen Egan is fit if not rigney to come in, hanniffy will have to move into the fowards at least he might run at the cat's, parlon carroll to the bench.
its a pity kealey of kinnitty got hurt against d.i.t. there's a place their for him he is a nice tidy hurler and know's where the goal's are, mullin's back in the goal's eoin kelly and dempsey time will come to be the county keeper, i just think the next 3
game's we have to put out our best team we have to stay up in this division if we
go back down to div 2 it will finish hurling in the county.(thats my team but i know brian carroll wont be left off the team)

[black and red exile]

I know we all have our own opinion but I would take Dempsey over Mullins everytime, Mullins has a tendency to mix spectacular saves with the odd howler, and surely Leinsterman you would have to find a place for Rigney in the half back line, but then again it's all about personal opinion.

[leinsterman]

I know we all have our own opinion but I would take Dempsey over Mullins everytime, Mullins has a tendency to mix spectacular saves with the odd howler, and surely Leinsterman you would have to find a place for Rigney in the half back line, but then again it's all about personal opinion.

All the year's watching Brian you can count on one hand howler's he had, against
shamrock's in portlaoise a few years ago would be one but after that he never has
let offaly or birr down on the big day,as for jame's dempsey fine young keeper
has plenty of years hurling ahead of him , rigney will more or likely be corner back
on sunday, mullins has an old head on him and you want that on sunday again the black&amber.

[Bord na Mona man]

I know we all have our own opinion but I would take Dempsey over Mullins everytime, Mullins has a tendency to mix spectacular saves with the odd howler, and surely Leinsterman you would have to find a place for Rigney in the half back line, but then again it's all about personal opinion.

All the year's watching Brian you can count on one hand howler's he had, against
shamrock's in portlaoise a few years ago would be one but after that he never has
let offaly or birr down on the big day,as for jame's dempsey fine young keeper
has plenty of years hurling ahead of him , rigney will more or likely be corner back
on sunday, mullins has an old head on him and you want that on sunday again the black&amber.

Against Clare in '04 and Limerick '06 (I think it was) he conceded goals by being caught in possession.
He can save bullets, but when the ball is at his ankles and he has to pick and clear it, he can be flaky.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Reverse the truck a minute there.

Offaly went down to Cork, had two corner backs who were out of position, a goalkeeper making his debut, and kept cork score-for-score for forty minutes. With ten or so minutes to go, an Offaly goal narrowed the gap to 2 and they missed another which might have given them the lead! OK, Cork scored a goal and they then reeled off the scores for a big win.

This is Cork we’re talking about here, who are still in the top three hurling sides in the country. They’ll be hurling in August whether by front door or back, mark my words. OK, we’d all like to see Offaly being competitive, but there’s a starting point of matching the likes of Clare, Galway, Limerick, Wexford, Dublin etc. rather than throwing tantrums after a defeat away to Cork.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that those who went to Cork - BaR Exile, Lman (there’s another) – were generally pleased with the performance and it was those who were not present who were quick off the mark with their criticisms. It’s only February, FFS!

Finally, there’s no logic to suggesting that Joseph Bergin, having not gone well in attack, should be moved to defence. I didn’t think he impressed in the position against Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup and they could have done with a defender in the position rather than an out-of-position attacker. Anyway there are enough defenders in the panel and not enough quality attackers without moving one of those attackers to defence.

Dublin and Limerick are still the wins to be targetted. Onwards and upwards.

[leinsterman]

Reverse the truck a minute there.

Offaly went down to Cork, had two corner backs who were out of position, a goalkeeper making his debut, and kept cork score-for-score for forty minutes. With ten or so minutes to go, an Offaly goal narrowed the gap to 2 and they missed another which might have given them the lead! OK, Cork scored a goal and they then reeled off the scores for a big win.

This is Cork we’re talking about here, who are still in the top three hurling sides in the country. They’ll be hurling in August whether by front door or back, mark my words. OK, we’d all like to see Offaly being competitive, but there’s a starting point of matching the likes of Clare, Galway, Limerick, Wexford, Dublin etc. rather than throwing tantrums after a defeat away to Cork.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that those who went to Cork - BaR Exile, Lman (there’s another) – were generally pleased with the performance and it was those who were not present who were quick off the mark with their criticisms. It’s only February, FFS!

Finally, there’s no logic to suggesting that Joseph Bergin, having not gone well in attack, should be moved to defence. I didn’t think he impressed in the position against Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup and they could have done with a defender in the position rather than an out-of-position attacker. Anyway there are enough defenders in the panel and not enough quality attackers without moving one of those attackers to defence.

Dublin and Limerick are still the wins to be targetted. Onwards and upwards.

well said POTH I have seen better offaly team's going to cork years ago the 80s and
90s team's and getting well bet worse than sunday's game. as for joe bergin last year
we had him centre back in the walsh cup as well had good games against wexford and galway in tullamore they took him out of it then. the thing is bergin doesn't look arse when he is in the forward's, but he seems mad to hurl when he is centre back the second half again kk caught some great ball and scored point's from frees
and play, the thing is joe needs space and he gets it out the field he is easy bottle
up in the corner in the foward's, dylan hayden is the same play's great in the back's or centre field but not as good in corner foward, that's one reason birr lost the county title last year pa joe taking hayden out of the back's into the forward's well
that's for another day.

[leinsterman]

I know we all have our own opinion but I would take Dempsey over Mullins everytime, Mullins has a tendency to mix spectacular saves with the odd howler, and surely Leinsterman you would have to find a place for Rigney in the half back line, but then again it's all about personal opinion.

All the year's watching Brian you can count on one hand howler's he had, against
shamrock's in portlaoise a few years ago would be one but after that he never has
let offaly or birr down on the big day,as for jame's dempsey fine young keeper
has plenty of years hurling ahead of him , rigney will more or likely be corner back
on sunday, mullins has an old head on him and you want that on sunday again the black&amber.

Against Clare in '04 and Limerick '06 (I think it was) he conceded goals by being caught in possession.
He can save bullets, but when the ball is at his ankles and he has to pick and clear it, he can be flaky.

Every Keeper makes a balls of it some days, look at the great Damien martin kilkenny 1982 or cork thurles 84 come to mind, plus let in two soft goals in leinster
final 1980 but still was a great goalman one off the best

[Bord na Mona man]

Reverse the truck a minute there.

Offaly went down to Cork, had two corner backs who were out of position, a goalkeeper making his debut, and kept cork score-for-score for forty minutes. With ten or so minutes to go, an Offaly goal narrowed the gap to 2 and they missed another which might have given them the lead! OK, Cork scored a goal and they then reeled off the scores for a big win.

This is Cork we’re talking about here, who are still in the top three hurling sides in the country. They’ll be hurling in August whether by front door or back, mark my words. OK, we’d all like to see Offaly being competitive, but there’s a starting point of matching the likes of Clare, Galway, Limerick, Wexford, Dublin etc. rather than throwing tantrums after a defeat away to Cork.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that those who went to Cork - BaR Exile, Lman (there’s another) – were generally pleased with the performance and it was those who were not present who were quick off the mark with their criticisms. It’s only February, FFS!

Finally, there’s no logic to suggesting that Joseph Bergin, having not gone well in attack, should be moved to defence. I didn’t think he impressed in the position against Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup and they could have done with a defender in the position rather than an out-of-position attacker. Anyway there are enough defenders in the panel and not enough quality attackers without moving one of those attackers to defence.

Dublin and Limerick are still the wins to be targetted. Onwards and upwards.

But...Offaly still conceded 1-22 to a a Cork forward line that looks more mongrel than pedigree.
Cork closed out the game with 1-7 to 0-1 and Offaly got 3 scores in the final 35 minutes.
Before the Offaly goal, Cork had reeled off 5 points in a row, so the writing was already on the wall.

I've no doubt that the performance deserves great credit, but it still ended up being a double digit defeat.
It is hard not to draw parallels with other similar encounters where the margin of defeat seemingly flattered the victors.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I wasn't there so I don't know what the Cork forward line looked like. Being Cork I'd say they were more pedigree than mongrel. Time will tell.

I would also reitreate that Offaly fielded two corner backs who are certainly more accustomed to the half back line.

I know I've constantly highlighted second half fadeouts, but I wouldn't categorise last Sunday's as a cause for panic. A bit like Ireland's defeat in Paris . . . one defeat to a better team away from home and the calls to reinvent the wheel echo 'round the halls.

As I said, 'tis only February.

But...Offaly still conceded 1-22 to a a Cork forward line that looks more mongrel than pedigree.
Cork closed out the game with 1-7 to 0-1 and Offaly got 3 scores in the final 35 minutes.
Before the Offaly goal, Cork had reeled off 5 points in a row, so the writing was already on the wall.

I've no doubt that the performance deserves great credit, but it still ended up being a double digit defeat.
It is hard not to draw parallels with other similar encounters where the margin of defeat seemingly flattered the victors.

[leinsterman]

Offaly did conceded 1-22 on sunday and big score in the champonship in tullamore.
i think the whole problem for the last five or more years is the fowards can't whole
up the ball when it is up there, other teams clear there lines easy enough against offaly. if you look at the game's this year so far and the last few years the best players offaly have after games is the back's, morkan and hayden last sunday, rigney
against kk in walsh cup, oakley in last year's league 2 final david franks waterford 08
horan had great game again kk in portlaoise two years ago cody took two players
off him that day, david kenny against limerick in limerick big win that evening
they are all back's that were our best player's. don't know when a forward last that
you could say was the best man on the field bergin got 3 goal's again limerick in 08
thats about it, in the 90s the dooleys one day troy the next pilkingtons the next day
digger played some great games as well 80s corrigan's horan, the late great pat carroll johnny f, thats where i think the problem is that's just my opinion on it.

[Bord na Mona man]

As I said, 'tis only February.

True, true.
Its Division 1 hurling now lads!

[leinsterman]

Cork's Mongrel fowards, kieran faggy murphy,niall mccarthy,pat horgan,aiske o hailpin, michael cussen(big mongrel) cian mccarthy teddy mc lad, plenty of county's in ireland would love them mongrel's, a few of them like horgan and cian mccarthy
will be pedigree before 2010 is over .

[Bord na Mona man]

Cork's Mongrel fowards, kieran faggy murphy,niall mccarthy,pat horgan,aiske o hailpin, michael cussen(big mongrel) cian mccarthy teddy mc lad, plenty of county's in ireland would love them mongrel's

Not exactly Joe Deanes, or Ben O'Connors in fairness.
I couldn't see Brian Cody or Liam Sheedy being too pushed on many of them.

[leinsterman]

Cork's Mongrel fowards, kieran faggy murphy,niall mccarthy,pat horgan,aiske o hailpin, michael cussen(big mongrel) cian mccarthy teddy mc lad, plenty of county's in ireland would love them mongrel's

Not exactly Joe Deanes, or Ben O'Connors in fairness.
I couldn't see Brian Cody or Liam Sheedy being too pushed on many of them.

ITS funny you say that, their the one county tipp or the cats hate see coming,
cork could always beat tipp 7 days days of the week and they love to get them in
thurles as well, cody has lost two finals and that was to cork, they don't have 30 hurling titles for nothing, young patrick horgan is one to watch out for, as ring said
one time cork are like mushroom's they can come over night and their record prove's it. if they got the same chance's that sheedy's tipp got last year the cat's
won't have seen 4-in-a-row.

[Bord na Mona man]

young patrick horgan is one to watch out for

He looks a real prospect. I think Cork will struggle in the half forward line this year though.