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Don't be fooled by the final scoreline, Offaly gave as good as they got today in Nowlan Park. With eight mins to go the score was 0.14 to 1.8 when Offaly goalkeeper Dan Kelleher under no pressure whatsoever couldn't hold on to a high dropping ball which resulted in a Kilkenny forward first in to scoop to the net. Amazingly to crown off a miserable day for the Brosna Gaels netminder, he attempted to catch another awkward dropping ball on his chest a couple of mins later only for the same scenario to repeat itself. Everything just fell asunder after this and the players minds were back on the bus allowing a physical but very beatable Kilkenny team to put a very false look on the scoreboard. Offaly had the benefit of a strong breeze in the first half but went in 4 points down at half time. 0.11 to 0.7. Offaly were always playing catch up from early in the game but were given great hope early in the second half with the score at 0.13 to 0.8 the ball ended up in the net after a scramble from a high ball caused confusion in the KK full back line, who got the final touch I don't know, talking to other Offaly supporters around me nobody was sure who got the final touch. Alas that was Offaly's final score and to be honest never looked like overtaking KK bar they were to rattle the net again and KK'S dominance would probably be summed up by hitting 13 wides[5 first half and 8 second half] to Offaly 6 wides[4 first half, 2 second half].
Until the very late collapse Offaly's workrate and effort could not be faulted, they stood toe to toe with a more bigger physical team and never shirked a challenge but unfortunately when it came to the basics of the game as in striking and fielding of the sliotar our lads were very much second best. I can't recall any of our lads making a clean catch all day and this seems to be a constant problem with Offaly teams in all grades over the Years in both hurling and football which can be a massive difference in getting a score at one end and conceding at the other end.
Kk were probably about 7 or 8 points the better team and Offaly certainly didn't deserve the final scoreline inflicted on them and if they can get over the last 8 mins collapse they can still have a decent year ahead.

THE TEAM THAT STARTED.
1.DAN KELLEHER [BROSNA GAELS]
2.KEVIN WATERS[TULLAMORE]
3. BRIAN MULROONEY[SEIR KIERAN]
4.MICHAEL CLEARY[SHINRONE]
5.PAT CAMON[ST.RYNAGH'S]
6.KEVIN COYNE[KK]
7.SEAN COUGHLAN[SEIR KIERAN]
8.DAVID KING[COOLDERRY]
9.TOM SPAIN[BROSNA GAELS]
10.THOMAS CARROLL[SEIR KIERAN]
11.DONAL MORLAN[SHINRONE]
12.SEAN CLEARY[SHINRONE]
13.EOIN RYAN[COOLDERRY]
14.BRENDAN MURPHY[BIRR]
15.KEVIN CONNOLLY[COOLDERRY]
After 10 mins centre back Kevin Coyne went off injured and was replaced by James Sullivan from Rynagh's who went half back and allowed original half back Pat Camon to slot in to centre back, Aodhan Kealey from Kinnity replaced Eoin Ryan early in second half and later in half Adrian Hynes from Seir Kieran replaced David King from Cooolderry.

When is this madness going to stop?

I travelled up from Cork yesterday to get to the game and while i have been critical of the
management at times i went with a open mind and hoped that things had improved.
Now before i start i am going to individually mention members of the management team.
I believe if you put your name forward to be involved in a county minor team then you
have to be held accontable when things go wrong as they did yesterday.

It is sad to say but at this stage in 2009 that a management team cant even get a warmup right.
Offaly players went out and went through the motions. there was no intensity, no speed.
My idea of a warmup is to get the heart rate up and get your second wind. None of these players
got that and you would no that by the way they started the match. Kilkenny on the other hand came out on pitch
15 mins before start and did a proper warmup and a fast pace.
In the warmup when i heard Ronnie Byrne tell the players to "let fly on the ground" i said to myself you cant be serious.
They are trying to play a game that is 10 years out of date.

Only that Johnny Pilkington was wearing the banisteoir top you wouldnt know who was the manager. The 4 of them were
up and down the line the whole match shouting in and young lads and contradicting each other.
Pilkington made a show of himself in the second half when the ref gave a free against an Offaly player and he ran on the field
cursing and shouting. It was a disgrace his language and attitude. I said it before he hasnt a clue how to manage a team
and the last 2 years proved that. This minor team werent prepared to a level acceptable. His attidtude on the sideline was
a disgrace and he shouldnt be let near a minor team. I say it once and i say it again he hasnt a clue.

His attidute came across in the supporters aswell, when kk got a free in 2nd half near the stand, there centre back was booed by the
Offaly supporters as he stroked the ball and when it went wide. This happened on 2 occasions and i was actually embarrassed
to be from Offaly when you see carry on like this. These people should be ashamed of themselves.

To the match itself and Offaly were well capable of winning this match if they had been coached properly. We had just as good hurlers
as kk and that is the frustrating part. These players deserve better than what they are getting.
This kk team arent great and unless they were missing players i cant see them winning much with this team. Saying that they
won this game at a canter hitting 13 wides to offalys 6 . They had one outstanding forward in Cathal Kenny. For Offaly Sean Cleary
and kevin connolly were the stand out players.

The Offaly team looked like a team that were given no coaching. i counted 28 times that kk players caught the high ball while offaly players
caght 8. But constantly the puckouts kept coming high and very little low ball was sent to the forwards (anytime it did come low offaly looked dangerous)

Then when when the game was lost there was no encouragement from the sideline, just silence.

THESE PEOPLE SHOULDNT BE OVER THE BEST HURLING PLAYERS IN OUR COUNTY. AND WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO BE THEN SCORELINES LIKE THIS
WILL BECOME ALOT MORE FREQUENT.

A COMPLETE JOKE.

I was in Nolan Park yesterday and i would say fair play to the young lads who gave it all. The first goal was a real sickner and i think we should have had a free in just before the ball broke to kilkenny who then sent it down the field where the goalie unfortunately spilled it. When the next high ball came in he was obviously rattled from the first one and that was that. The offaly goal was scored by Tom Carroll and not as described above but actually from a first time overhead pull and the ball went in off the post,