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Very very poor today and an ominous sign for the year ahead as we limply exited the O'Byrne Cup to a good DCU side in Tullamore. After a good start and 3 pts to the good, we began to lose our way and DCU came slowly into it and by half time they had a firm grip on the game with their defence easily dealing with an over elaborate Offaly attack and Mortimer and Johnston to the fore at the other end.
McManus was introduced at the break but it was the students that continued to control the game as their scores came far easier than ours. Dublin man O'Hara kept Offaly in the game with a couple of points but the inability of our defence to deal with Johnston and Mortimer (now at centre forward) was killing us.
Offaly despite creating and missing a couple of goal chances, totally lost their shape and it never looked like we do enough to get back into the match and DCU pulled 7 points ahead before we scored a fortunate goal after Ken Casey's attempt at a point dropped short and Mulhall (I think) fisted to the net. Inevitably it was DCU that responded better to the goal and Mortimer and Johnston added to their respective tallies to ease the students to victory.
Apart from the fact thet they were better than us and in every facet of the game skill wise, it was lack of fitness and fight that was more alarming. Perhaps the hard training had Offaly tired but DCU had played against Louth midweek yet the students looked stronger and faster than our players all throughout. The sideline had plenty to answer for too as changes that should have been made either were not made or were made too late.. Rafferty was left on Johnston for the entire game and Paschal clearly wasn't up to the task of tracking Mortimer yet both were left on their men all match. The only real positive I could take from the game is that O'Hara looks the real deal and he was the one forward who looked to take on the responsibility of shooting.
Although we have some players to come in, on this showing promotion from Division 4 looks like it will be a struggle and no apparent hope of doing anything in the Leinster Championship..

Another in a long line of black days for Offaly football. First of all its not Pat Roe's fault that we can't kick points from 21 to 25yards out, between stupid wides and balls being kicked into the keeper's hands, the few of us that were there were surely candidates for counselling when the full time whistle blew at the end of this agony. Ken Casey in particular after a great run blasted wide right in front of the goalposts where surely it would have been easier to direct the ball between the 2 sticks, that was probably the worst in a match of dreadful misses, not to mention the 3 goal chances we had and even though phillip Brogan made a couple of very good saves, surely we should have converted at least one of them.
I won't go into all the problems we have all over the field with certain positions because I just don't have the patience, but I have to harp on again about our midfield, or non midfield would be a more appropriate description. On a couple of occasions Alan McNamee went up one handed for a few kick outs in the second half which was absolutly pathetic and what surprised most people in the stand was how he was left on the field when Niall Smith who at least won whatever ball we did win in that sector was substituted. Guys without a midfield we are starting with a handicap and it is going to kill us again this year in the vast majority of games. I don't know what the answer is, I would love to see suggestions from other members on this site on how we can overcome this problem since Jim Grennan retired. Finally I'm more convinced than ever that our 4 away games in the league are going to be real battles and we will be doing fantastically well not to fall in at least two of them.

Totally agree with RED, midfield is going to be our major stumbling block again this year. Lets not fool ourselves, Offaly dont have a viable midfield pairing for the coming year. We are in big trouble in this area. When is the last time anyone on this board has left a club match in Offaly after witnessing a dominate display from a midfielder? Even in last years county final (or the two proceeding semi finals), not one player stood out as a genuine inter-county midfielder! Perhaps crowding the midfield area is the way to go, thus lessening the oppositions chances of winning clean possession? You look at every other team in Leinster and you cant say for def that we'd have a better midfield pairing. Even Wiclow are stronger in that area now with Thomas Walsh on board. Until we sort out our midfield, we're going nowhere!

Square Cab wrote:Even Wiclow are stronger in that area now with Thomas Walsh on board. Until we sort out our midfield, we're going nowhere!

Maybe Thomas Walsh would transfer to Offaly!

Not having been at the game, I'm loathe to comment extensively, but the fact that we struggled in midfield is hadly earth shattering. The thing most worrying - from my point of view anyway - is the apparent lack of imagination in solving the problem. Alan McNamee has been our de facto fielding midfielder for several years now, but it's clear that at neither club nor county level is he playing close to his best. He doesn't field the ball well, he doesn't get forward for scores nearly as much as he used to (Could be a tactical thing in fairness) and he is too easily physically dominated by the 6"4 guys that one is likely to come up against wearing 9 for the county.

It appears to be a case of plan A doesn't wok, let's try plan A again.

I don't think Niall Smith is the finished article by any stretch of the imagination, however he does appear to lead the chasing pack and on a 50% preparing for the future and 50% best there is right now basis, he should get one of the midfield slots imho. On the other hand I'd like us to think outside the box a little more when it comes to helping him out. I would prefer McManus at 11 for a variety of reasons, with plenty of scope to come back and help out, but beyond that there must be another option out there. Shane Cunningham, James Keane, James Rafferty, I don't know who is playing best in training, but now is the time to be trying stuff. If we come to the summer and Alan McNamee either gets his form back or else remains the best of a bad set of options, then that's fine - but don't end up going with him because he's the divil you know, not having experimented with any others.

DCU had 18 or 19 players who are on senior intercounty panels at the moment from what i heard today so it is not as bad a result as we are all saying and these lads are getting ready for their sigerson championship soon where as offaly are doing pre-season training, any comments on this??

Obviously there is no shame in losing to DCU. Plenty of colleges get good results at this time of year, and DCU are looking like being the first college since I started in the bookmaking business to kick off a Sigerson or Fitzgibbon cup campaign at odds on - they are quite simply that good. UUJ beat Tyrone and Donegal, so no shame whatsoever.

However that is why discussing the performance of individuals is all the more relevant. And most people would assert that Offaly's biggest problem area is midfield - all the more reason to be concerned at (a) the lack of any good performances in that sector, and (b) the lack of imagination in terms of solving the problem from management.

I would have to totally agree with your post lone shark. I believe DCU have been favourites to win the competition for the last three years and they have already won the colleges league this year so far with an unbeaten run. Also six of their full panel have played with their provincial teams in the railway cup and 1 player made the international rules team last year even though 2 of these 6 players were not playing last weekend, 3 provincial players in a forward line is unbelievable for a college team (Seanie johnston was on ulster team last year or the year before, Conor Mortimer and Cathal Cregg on the connacht team). On another note it is good to see young mulhall involved in the DCU set up too.

I also agree with your analysis that our midfield is not doing its job, i think that niall smith will do fine given time to settle into the role as he was only under 21 last year i think, but alan mcnamee is not performing the way he should be and i think we need to look at a replacement although i dont know if we have anyone else suitable for that position.

OY13 wrote:.... although i dont know if we have anyone else suitable for that position.

No-one does - hence the issue. If we keep playing a misfiring Alan Mac we're not going to know come the summer and Duffy is going to eat us alive. And I live too close to Westmeath to be comfortable with that idea.

Longford 1-16 DCU 0-10

Seems to put Offaly's performance last week into some perspective.

Offaly played Laois in a challenge yesterday. Was anyone at this game? Laois beat them by a point - must have been an improvement on the previous week?