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Vital match again lads. St Galls contingent unlikely to be back for this one? Hopefully!
They gave a great performance yesterday and really mixed up the game with some great passing moves and kicking into space for the forwards. There are some fine players on that team to come back in for Antrim.
For us we need to see Casey and Niall Darby back in the mix as soon as possible. Ward we could take or leave, talent but not the mentality is my view on the man. Deehan is a loss also.
However, the main thing is to try and get Niall Smith back in there. What are the chances on this? He would be a key man IMO, most natural fielder we have.
Slatts must be looked at for the half back line for Sunday also, or half forward if needs be.

We can lay down a marker on Sunday, a win will leave us with 2 games to secure promotion, a defeat and we are in the dogfight.
We have been at this juncture many times before and failed, what will happen on Sunday? All I can do is wish the lads the best, the weather is changing too which will really turn the game into a battle. Hopefully the last 20 mins last Sunday for the hurlers will be a lift across the board.

Is it 2 up 2 down in the football as regards to promotion/relegation?

Antrim are a bit like Tipperary last year. A team promoted from Division 4 who have decided to keep the momentum going and head for Division 2. Offaly are a Division 3 team who aren't too sure whether they should be gunning for promotion or fighting relegation.

We'd nearly be better off with the St Gall's lads playing, as they'd be fairly distracted. A couple of them wouldn't be overly pushed about playing for the county anyway. Whereas now you'll have the existing Antrim players wanting to fight hard to hold their places.

Looking at the on the road form Offaly have definitely improved from last year. In 2009 the losing margins were 8, 10 and 11 points in away games, compared to single point defeats this time. At home Offaly haven't look like ever getting beaten, but this should be the biggest test yet of that unbeaten record.

I think they should be fairly sure that they want to win each game, and thus ensuring Offaly are in the mix for promotion!We should be good enough to get out of this division, and if you had said after last years campaign that we would beat Roscommon and Fermanagh one would have thought we would finish very close to top 2? Mentally we need to start winning away games and I think we would see a big improvement in this team.

Yes.

Kevin wrote:Is it 2 up 2 down in the football as regards to promotion/relegation?

Great result for Offaly today, we're making something of a habit of 1 point margins. Anybody at it?

First half was very poor with plenty of basic errors in hand passing and over carrying but the second half saw a big improvement but still a lot of work to do. Both goals came from penalties, offalys coming in the last 5 mins

Lucky to win as Antrim were looking very comfortable with men behind the ball and breaking out to kick the odd point. Great heart from Offaly but there were a huge number of turnovers and unforced errors on both sides.

This has been an awfully tight division, an awful lot of games won and lost by one or two points with very little between the top and bottom teams.

A win against Cavan would give Offaly a great shout at promotion but away form and floodlight history doesnt augur well.
Looking at the other fixtures, losing to Cavan would most likely put them out of the promotion race.
But to be honest I think division 3 is just about right for this team at the moment.

A shame to think that there was nothing between themselves and Monaghan a few years ago, now Monaghan are competing at the top table.

Let's hope we can get something going from here and vacate division 3 before the Westies drop down.

Ferbane Forever wrote:Let's hope we can get something going from here and vacate division 3 before the Westies drop down.

I remember in O'Connor Park in 2008, some Westmeath goat herders roaring about it being Division 1 vs. Division 4.
All they'd win nowadays is a reversing competition, as I've never seen a team go backwards so quickly.

Dont be too hasty in writing them off, they have been close enough over the last couple of games against Meath & Kildare. It looks like they will go down, but at least they have a Leinster u21 final to look forward to and are in transition.

Georgio1 wrote:Dont be too hasty in writing them off, they have been close enough over the last couple of games against Meath & Kildare. It looks like they will go down, but at least they have a Leinster u21 final to look forward to and are in transition.

12 straight league defeats and 2 years without a league win.
Whatever about the future, the present makes compulsive viewing!