Offaly v Wexford, NHL, Sunday February 22nd 2015

[kingscounty]

Wexford team named 1. Mark Fanning 2. Liam Ryan 3. Matthew O Hanlon 4. Ciaran Kenny 5. Paudie Foley 6. Lee Chin 7. Eoin Moore 8. David Redmond 9. Garrett Sinnott 10. Ian Byrne 11. Daith Waters 12. Diarmuid O Keeffe 13. Paul Morris 14. Jack Guiney 15. Liam Og McGovern

[Plain of the Herbs]

A team being announced this early in the week is almost certainly a dummy team. And particularly a team managed by Liam Dunne. I'm taking no notice.

Logic: why announce it now?

[Lone Shark]

What's more, Matthew O'Hanlon and Jack Guiney will both be playing with their colleges over the next few days, so they may or may not come through intact. I don't know Wexford well enough to know what the "dummy" is in there, are there any players conspicuous by their absence?

[kingscounty]

Its more or less the same team that played Antrim one or two changes in the line up named . McGovern is a hurler I like speed and skill and will be very hard to pin down . Guiney is a big target man and physically strong and a good free taker. Chin if he does play centre back will want to attack more so than defend so we could see him start at midfield . We need to get out of the traps early and lay down a marker like we did on Saturday night and let them know we are going to fight and win dirty ball and hunt everything down . Any word on Sean Ryan , he didn't look great when he was carried off the other night, other than that I think we escaped with few injuries.

[Bord na Mona man]

We would be honoured to think we're worth a dummy team. I'd say Wexford start roughly like that.
Though who knows what goes through Liam Dunne's head. He might be trying to find ways to get back at his nemesis John Troy who left him emotionally scarred a decade and a half ago!
I predict Dunne will grab a hurley a start flaking Troy if they pass each other on the touchline!

[Plain of the Herbs]

According to the Examiner, Wexford lined out against Antrim as follows (and I can't vouch for the positions) M Fanning; E Moore, T Waters, C Kenny; P Foley, L Chin, D Redmond; P Morris, G Sinnott; I Byrne, D Waters, D O’Keeffe; K Foley, J Guiney, L Óg McGovern. Subs: H Kehoe for Morris (48 mins); S Tomkins for Sinnott (59); J Kelly for Foley (60); R Kehoe for Byrne (65); L Ryan for H Kehoe (inj. 70).

I just smell a rat. There is no way Liam Dunne would announce his intended line-up to Offaly four days in advance of Sunday. We are long since gone beyond the days when teams were announced well in advance and fellas received a letter in the post (younger readers: there was no email in those days) informing them of their selection and where to present themselves on the Sunday. I'd say the possibility of Conor McDonald's return cannot be discounted. This time last week Joseph Bergin was looking at missing the bulk of the League.

[kingscounty]

According to the Examiner, Wexford lined out against Antrim as follows (and I can't vouch for the positions) M Fanning; E Moore, T Waters, C Kenny; P Foley, L Chin, D Redmond; P Morris, G Sinnott; I Byrne, D Waters, D O’Keeffe; K Foley, J Guiney, L Óg McGovern. Subs: H Kehoe for Morris (48 mins); S Tomkins for Sinnott (59); J Kelly for Foley (60); R Kehoe for Byrne (65); L Ryan for H Kehoe (inj. 70).

I just smell a rat. There is no way Liam Dunne would announce his intended line-up to Offaly four days in advance of Sunday. We are long since gone beyond the days when teams were announced well in advance and fellas received a letter in the post (younger readers: there was no email in those days) informing them of their selection and where to present themselves on the Sunday. I'd say the possibility of Conor McDonald's return cannot be discounted. This time last week Joseph Bergin was looking at missing the bulk of the League.

yeah but rumour has it Joe Bergin went to Knock on Friday night and a miracle was declared and the Lord said Joe you will play against Laois.

[SearingDrive]

According to the Examiner, Wexford lined out against Antrim as follows (and I can't vouch for the positions) M Fanning; E Moore, T Waters, C Kenny; P Foley, L Chin, D Redmond; P Morris, G Sinnott; I Byrne, D Waters, D O’Keeffe; K Foley, J Guiney, L Óg McGovern. Subs: H Kehoe for Morris (48 mins); S Tomkins for Sinnott (59); J Kelly for Foley (60); R Kehoe for Byrne (65); L Ryan for H Kehoe (inj. 70).

I just smell a rat. There is no way Liam Dunne would announce his intended line-up to Offaly four days in advance of Sunday. We are long since gone beyond the days when teams were announced well in advance and fellas received a letter in the post (younger readers: there was no email in those days) informing them of their selection and where to present themselves on the Sunday. I'd say the possibility of Conor McDonald's return cannot be discounted. This time last week Joseph Bergin was looking at missing the bulk of the League.

yeah but rumour has it Joe Bergin went to Knock on Friday night and a miracle was declared and the Lord said Joe you will play against Laois.

Is that Knock via Roscrea, or Knock via Ballinagar?

[Plain of the Herbs]

I was reasonably confident there was a big performance in Offaly prior to last Saturday night's visit to Portleix. On the other hand, I don't know how Sunday is going to go. On Sunday we are going to see if Offaly can be consistent or whether Portlaoise was a one-off.

There is a context though. When you look at the remaining fixtures (better quality opposition, long distance travel), last Saturday v Leix was arguably the easiest of Offaly’s five League matches. They won that by four points, but it’s uphill from here. Sunday is a step up in difficulty and whatever else, will give us a better idea of where Offaly 2015 are at.

Weather is promised lousy on Sunday – wind and rain. Bah! Whoever hurls into the Park Avenue End in the first half better use it for it will be a game of two halves.

No more than Offaly, Wexford’s Welsh Cup campaign was an unmitigated disaster. Still, it wasn’t ideal that Wexford had to dig out a win at home to Antrim. I wonder if they carried on their heavy training for a week longer than anyone else, taking Antrim for granted. That they announced a ‘team’ well in advance means there will be no further clues as to their eventual lineout. I suspect Conor McDonald will make his reappearance following injury. Given their recent form, they really need the Gorey youngster.

Offaly’s fortunes still lie in their own hands. They will need to be as committed and as smart as they were in Portlaoise. The full-forward line will need to press just as hard as they did in Portlaoise to slow down the clearances, the half-forward line will need to do likewise and will need to win their own puckout. Dermot Shortt will be big enough and strong enough for Jack Guiney, or Conor McDonald. And Wexford will probably hurl a more direct game than Laois do.

Normally I’d prefer to have the wind behind you for the second half (you are wind assisted in the second half when you know the target you are chasing, and it will take 10 or 15 minutes to settle at the start of the game anyway), but with confidence still a bit fragile Offaly might need to take the wind in the first half.

For what it’s worth, there is one thing in Offaly’s favour. Wexford’s last NHL win at an Offaly venue was back in 1973 and they have left for home with nothing in each of their eight visits to Offaly in the meantime. Similarly, Offaly haven’t won in Wexford since 1995.

It will be interesting to see how Laois can recover from what was an obvious setback last Saturday night when they travel down to Waterford. To revert to a sweeper or play an orthodox formation? I imagine Waterford will pull through by four or five points in a high scoring game.

[ryot]

Wexford fielded a very stong team v Antrim and if anything, with Ryan, O'Hanlon & McDonald possibles for Sunday they may even be stronger.

So our lads face a massive task. Just hoping there are no injuries from the Leix game and that they are in the right frame of mind for the challenge.... I was going to use the "drive on" words but I dislike those words. Lads are not bloody trucks or tractors to drive but humans and subject to the vagaries of human nature.

A bit of cuteness can be very useful v Wexford and I hope that will give us the edge to win by 2 or 3......

[Lone Shark]

So our lads face a massive task. Just hoping there are no injuries from the Leix game and that they are in the right frame of mind for the challenge.....

For me this bit is huge, and that's why I'd be hugely worried about the whole "we proved everyone wrong" stuff that we heard after the last game. Despite what some people would have you think, an away win against Portlaoise is a good result nowadays, so I'd be very happy to appreciate it for what it is. However you can't rely on contrariness to fuel your efforts week in and week out, and we'll have proved nothing if they go out on Sunday and are yards off the pace against Wexford. I wouldn't say we have to win or anything, losing a tight game after a strong performance would be disappointing but not unforgivable, however falling back and producing another performance similar to the Walsh Cup showing against Galway would be very worrying.

[kingscounty]

Lets just be positive for now and wish the lads the best of luck on Sunday , an honest hard effort is all we can ask and if we get that none of us can really complain . I'm going for a tight affair , Offaly 2-13 Wexford 1-15 .

[Kevin]

Let's go git 'em!!!!!

[onthefence]

Best of luck Offaly on Sunday missed last week due to work commitments but was at the Galway game so the level of improvement must have been huge. Hopefully the work rate is as good as last week I heard they fought for every break. All suporters want to see this time of year is effort and commitment from a team.

[sam88885a]

best of luck to offaly on sunday .
I think wexford at a different level than laois so offaly will have try conceed less scores and get a better spread of scores themselves .
hopefully b carroll will be back and j bergin will be getting a bit sharper too .
best of luck a fighting spirited performance would be great and a win would be a bonus for me .