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Offaly manager McIntyre fears Kilkenny backlash

OFFALY hurling manager John McIntyre harbours fears that his young side could feel the full force of a Kilkenny backlash on Sunday.

McIntyre senses the source of the backlash could be the Leinster semi-final defeat last year to Wexford that Kilkenny ultimately blame for upending their three-in-a-row dreams.

"I'm confident that this Offaly team will give a good account of themselves. I think there will be a lot of pride in the jersey on Sunday," said McIntyre.

"But there is a pragmatic part of me that understands that if this Kilkenny team really cuts loose they could give us a hiding," he admitted.

"I know what Kilkenny are like. They won't be concerned about the state or future of Offaly hurling. They'll be merciless with any team they come across this year because of that Wexford game," he predicted.

"They lost to Wexford at this stage last year and consequently blamed that defeat for what happened later that year. They don't want to go down the qualifier route again. Neither do we for that matter, but we know the task we face," he said.

McIntyre appreciates that the "prophets of doom" are predicting a Kilkenny landslide on Sunday and if they were to pay heed to them they'd be forgiven for giving a walkover.

"I don't think anyone would be too hard on us if we did that," he joked. "But I've been listening to it for the last few weeks. One man told me on Monday that Kilkenny's fourth team would beat us. That's what we're up against."

After a league campaign in the lower levels that had its hiccups, McIntyre admits this game is a shot in the dark for an Offaly team in transition.

"It will give us a fair indication of where we are. The fact is nobody in Offaly really knows. I'm sure the players will draw inspiration from all the negativity around. I know I will," said McIntyre who has announced his first championship team early to avoid too much conjecture.

Brian Whelahan's return opened up all sorts of permutations, but McIntyre was keen to lay the cards on the table early.

Whelahan is among the replacements after emerging from retirement last week at the invitation of the management.

"That's the team that will start. We wanted to get it out there. We wanted to avoid too much speculation about Brian and other positions by supporters and journalists. There'll be no dummy teams."

Dylan Hayden and David Hoctor are the two championship newcomers in a side quoted at 14/1 to win the Leinster championship.

Meanwhile, Derek Lyng is Kilkenny's only main injury concern ahead of Sunday's Croke Park showdown.

Midfielder Lyng has a knee injury that makes him a doubt, but injuries to DJ Carey, Henry Shefflin and J J Delaney have all cleared up.

Bryan Barry at midfield and Eoghan Larkin at centre-forward are expected to be the only two championship newcomers in a team that will resemble the league final starting 15. Kilkenny will announce their team tonight.

i don't see anywhere where john mcintyre says he is afraid or scared. the headline is misleading. i'm not scared and neither should any players or fans be

NO FEAR!!!!!

If you build it, they will come.

Fear mighn't be an issue now - where it will come into play will be after ten minutes, when the score is Kilkenny 0-4 Offaly 0-0, we hit three wides on the bounce and they go down the field and get a flukey goal. It'll take a lot of character in that situation, which is something that we don't know if our lads have.

In the run up to the game, to be honest what's to be afraid of? Laois are being given more chance than we are, and anything better than a ten point defeat will be hailed as a decent performance in the media. It's a no-lose situation in that sense.

Lone Shark, I don't know about anyone else, but for me the fear is that over the last 5 years Offaly teams with better players than the one that will take the field on Sunday have suffered some bad maulings by the cats.
However, I would hope to god (if I believed in her) that none of the players will be carrying that sort of fear onto the pitch with them.

If they are .............

Of course we are all hoping to stay with KK, not to let in silly goals etc. The record against the kittens sine '98 does not make for pleasant reading. Still I'll be up on Sunday because I'd hate to miss it, just in case we pulled off a surprise!

only 8000 people were there to see an Offaly side well used to Kilkenny hidings beat Kilkenny.We have a good team & a good manager who will have them in the right frame of mind for the challenge, similar to 1980. If they keep doing the right things they can win.

Ashamed to say that I was not 1 of the 8000.

I think there is slight cause to be hopeful.
In the late 90s, early 00s we shipped heavy defeats to Kilkenny for a number of reasons.
- Primarily as payback for the humiliation of '95 and the '98 All Ireland defeat.
- Most of the Offaly players were bringing down the curtain on great careers, so understandably they mightn't have been as motivated.
- Also for those years we were badly stuck for corner backs and Kilkenny could hit us for goals almost at will. How many times did we watch in horror as loose marking Offaly backs allowed Charlie Carter and co. acres of space to score easy goals.
- It's no harm that we haven't played Kilkenny in 3 years. These past defeats mightn't be as fresh in the minds of the players.

On the downside, we have a very inexperienced side.
We lack a couple of exceptional players that can turn a game.
If the game turns against us, will we wilt or keep battling?

In terms of hurling ability we certainly aren't worse than say Wexford or Limerick.
It's just that the current Offaly team has yet to find the ability to play to its potential on the big day.
Sunday would be a good time to start.

I'm willing to forgive myself 1980 - I was only two.

Funnily enough I'd say if we do our best to turn up here, we could actually outnumber Kilkenny - most of the Kilkenny lads I know are not even bothering to go.

I always love games like this though. You expect to lose, but maybe, just maybe.................

Lone Shark wrote:I always love games like this though. You expect to lose, but maybe, just maybe.................

Some of our best results performances have been on days when no one has bothered to turn up.
- 1980 obviously!
- In 1998 very few Offaly people travelled for the first Clare game - only for Jimmy Cooney, we would have won it.
- In 2000 only 22,000 turned up in Croker to see our footballers defeat All Ireland champions Meath - Remember there was 48,000 at the corresponding fixture 2 years previously, when we were league champions.
- The same year, in the hurling semi, we were massively outnumbered by Cork fans as no one gave Offaly a prayer.

It's those days you remember most. They're the matches you're most proud that you were there as an Offaly supporter.
The team needs support most when its down and not when they're lined up to collect a cup.
See ye all on Sunday!

Agree with all the sentiments there. I was there in 1980 with my Liverpool jersey on me. I didn't wear one after that. Traded it in for the first of many green, white and gold. I know alot of lads in Birr who are GAA men who won't travel. As BNM man said, now is when we need them. I've persuaded about 5 of my family to travel. Just imagine if we did win???

thats cos people fom Birr and down that way are too scabby to travel to Croker

lads,on paper it looks a foregone conclusion,but i worry that its not wexford we're playin.being a kk man i've experienced greater hardship at the expense of offaly when things looked good,remember 94-95-98.i personally hope ye're back in the melting pot.offaly in the 90's were the best team of the decade imho.kk to win,and yet,jaysus i dont know for sure.