www.uibhfhaili.com

So i'm going to Carrick, probably alone as seemingly the oval ball in Cardiff is taking precedence this week. After all "it's only Leitrim" is what i keep hearing. So just wondering will the shark be present and where it might be situated so i can join ye, as i don't want to be attacked by the 'Ra for callin the leitrim full back a dirty fucker, with ne'er an offaly man in sight.

on in cloone, we must be winning this one surely

This is a nice handy hop for me as I'm only a few miles from Carrick.
Don't underestimate Leitrim, especially on home ground and Cloone will be even more unfamiliar to Offaly than Carrick.

Leitrim have been able to stick with the best of them at home and they are very happy with the work Des Dolan snr. has been doing over the last couple of years.

Yes we need to win if we're serious about being a top team, but don't think Leitrim are a soft touch.

Sadly I neither get to go to this, nor to watch the rugby as would be my second choice. Stuck doing in running betting on frickin Kerry vs Mayo.

(If anyone has a job opening for a numbers geek/odds compiler working monday to Friday, I'm open to offers .... )

Regarding the game itself, there actually has been a lot of talk along the lines of how Offaly should be strong favourites for this, talk I really can't get my head around. Leitrim at home is a very tough fixture, a fixture that has given Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon serious headaches in recent years. There's feck all between them and Roscommon and Longford, both sides that people are a lot quicker to regard as threats.

The key will be not to foul them too much. Dessie has done a good job, but they still don't have a lot of scoring talent, they are highly dependant on Ciarán Duignan knocking over the frees to keep the scoreboard ticking over. There's no way we'll register fifteen scores against a seriously tough and powerful backline, so the key will be to get at least one goal, and to defend with discipline. I'm hoping for a win, but to be honest a draw would not be the worst result imaginable - better teams than us have gone to Leitrim and come away with very little.

As stated you wouldn't want to underestimate Leitrim anyways the team goes something like this- excuse shorthand
KM,GR,JQ,NG,EB,SS,KS,KH,CMC,SB,PJW,AMC,TD,NC,NMC

Hyper wrote:As stated you wouldn't want to underestimate Leitrim anyways the team goes something like this- excuse shorthand
KM,GR,JQ,NG,EB,SS,KS,KH,CMC,SB,PJW,AMC,TD,NC,NMC

You got a few players wrong the last day Hyper, so you'll have to win over our trust again!

Agree that this is a sticky fixture, and no gimme, but if Offaly want to be promoted, which is a must this year, then you have to win games like Leitrim away. Not so much because I think Leitrim are cack, but basically to eliminate them as a threat to us in terms of finishing in the top 2. If we draw or lose up there, we are in a serious hole already.

I really don't think a draw up there is so bad. The way I see it, the must win fixtures are the four home games, where realistically only Roscommon should be a threat. Eight points there mean we need three points from trips to Longford, Monaghan and Leitrim, so a draw would be on course - not gaining ground, but not losing it either.


I have to say though, I'm not loving the team picked (assuming Hyper is on the ball... )

We essentially have four midfielders, and no real pace in the forward line at all, except possibly Neville, who will be mostly using his pace running out from goals. The back line is probably the form six, but I'd be very worried that that's a team picked to be extremely defensive, and that by sitting back and allowing Leitrim on to us we're inviting a low scoring game, and that's a game that suits them more than us.

I think if we get 4 points from the 3 away games you mention, plus 8 points from the 4 home games, then we could win the group.

However, if we were to, for example, draw with Leitrim, and lose to Roscommon in Tullamore, then I'd be worried, and we'd be putting a lot of pressure on for the Longford and Monaghan games (not easy either).

That's why I reckon this is 'must' win. A win here would possibly allow us to lose to Roscommon and one of Longford or Monaghan, and still probably be in good shape for promotion. A loss here though, and I think the pressure comes on immediately.

Lone Shark wrote: We essentially have four midfielders, and no real pace in the forward line at all, except possibly Neville, who will be mostly using his pace running out from goals. The back line is probably the form six, but I'd be very worried that that's a team picked to be extremely defensive, and that by sitting back and allowing Leitrim on to us we're inviting a low scoring game, and that's a game that suits them more than us.

It could be that Pat Roe has a preference for keeping the half forward formation narrow and then using a playmaking centre forward. With a midfield that isn't strong, two bigger wing forwards can operate as extra midfielders and then the centre forward can play in a more mobile role, possibly trying to drag the opposition centre back out of position. It is noticeable that a more totalling style of centre forward has been picked in all games this year.
However at this time of year, it's hard to judge.

Tom wrote:So i'm going to Carrick, probably alone as seemingly the oval ball in Cardiff is taking precedence this week. After all "it's only Leitrim" is what i keep hearing. So just wondering will the shark be present and where it might be situated so i can join ye, as i don't want to be attacked by the 'Ra for callin the leitrim full back a dirty fucker, with ne'er an offaly man in sight.

I hope to be there Sunday, along with a couple of uibhfhaili.com stalwarts.
The shark might get an early season run out, if conditions are suitable!

Bord na Mona man wrote: It could be that Pat Roe has a preference for keeping the half forward formation narrow and then using a playmaking centre forward. With a midfield that isn't strong, two bigger wing forwards can operate as extra midfielders and then the centre forward can play in a more mobile role, possibly trying to drag the opposition centre back out of position. It is noticeable that a more totalling style of centre forward has been picked in all games this year.
However at this time of year, it's hard to judge.

On the one hand, I can see the appeal in this, particularly as our midfield will need as much ball winning support as possible, but I'm not sure of the value of a playmaking centre forward when there is feck all in front of him to pass to. Also, how good are these guys going to be at tracking little 5"7 dynamo wing backs who like to push up all over the shop?

I'm just wary of 12 v 12 in the Offaly half, with very low scoring, allowing Leitrim to sneak a 1-7 to 0-8 classic.

Hyper wrote:
As stated you wouldn't want to underestimate Leitrim anyways the team goes something like this- excuse shorthand
KM,GR,JQ,NG,EB,SS,KS,KH,CMC,SB,PJW,AMC,TD,NC,NMC
You got a few players wrong the last day Hyper, so you'll have to win over our trust again!

Good call there BnaMona man !

According to the Irish Times KS is RHB and EB LHB


Must try harder, Hyper.

the bare biffo wrote:

Hyper wrote:
As stated you wouldn't want to underestimate Leitrim anyways the team goes something like this- excuse shorthand
KM,GR,JQ,NG,EB,SS,KS,KH,CMC,SB,PJW,AMC,TD,NC,NMC
You got a few players wrong the last day Hyper, so you'll have to win over our trust again!

Good call there BnaMona man !

According to the Irish Times KS is RHB and EB LHB

Must try harder, Hyper.

Actually I think Hyper did it deliberately the last time.
There was a lot of speculation about which Offaly player he was.
So in order to throw us off the scent, he gave us a slightly inaccurate team.

so who is he?