www.uibhfhaili.com

Who's favourite for this? What's the verdict?

Dublin have apparently beaten Cork in a challenge match
Dublin Won last year's Leinster minor championship
Dubin Colleges Won the All-Ireland Colleges recently
Dublin have Beaten Offaly over the last few years in this U-21 grade
Tomas Brady looked like a a class act in the Senior match v Offaly
Dublin have home advantage

On the other hand Paul Cleary, Joe Bergin, Dylan Hayden, Alan Egan, James Rigney, Eddie Bevans and Daniel Hoctor have got some senior experience with Offaly. There are other good youngsters on the squad and the Offaly team looks good on paper.

So what way will it turn out?

Dylan Hayden would be overage by now.
It's hard to get the hopes up about our underage teams, because Dublin have the knack of squeezing past us.

Don't think so BnM, think he's just turned 21.

Dylan Hayden was playing Under 21 football with Ferbane/Belmont (Wheery) this year, so I think he's underage alright

On paper we should be good.

On paper we should have been good last year. I'd like to see what the preparations are like this time. If we don't have all the messing that went on last year (lads not being picked because they wanted to focus on their leaving cert etc.) then I'd give us every chance.

As you say though, it's hard to be optimistic about Offaly under 21 teams after the way things have gone the last few years.

Like John Giles said to Bill last night, he held up a piece of paper and said "Bill, this is paper, paper doesn't go out and play on the pitch" it was class

In both codes, performing well at U21 level seems to be a bit of a problem.
Maybe we read too much into the amount of senior county players we have on an U21 panel.
In Offaly they are more likely to get their game in the seniors, than everywhere else.

I've always thought that these games are usually decided by your weakest players as much as your strongest. That's where traditionally we fall down.

Hard to know if we're going to be any better than normal in that regard this year.

In Offaly's case, I think of players with a couple of years county experience haven't stood up to the plate at U21 level.

Taken from Hill 16

Dubs U21 hurlers look to put one over on Offaly

Four players who started in last Saturday night's All-Ireland SHC qualifier against Offaly in Parnell Park return to the same venue for Wednesday night's Leinster U21 HC semi-final against the Faithful (8.0).

Defenders Ger O'Meara and Tomas Brady as well as midfielder John McCaffrey and forward Alan McCrabbe were all in the Dubs starting 15 for their three-point defeat, while Eoin Moran and Peadar Carton were both brought into the fray up front during last Saturday's game.

Paddy Bergin, Alan Nolan and Kevin O'Reilly - who will all start on Wednesday night - are currently part of the senior panel while wing-back Cathal Billings played with the senior hurlers last season.

John McCaffrey, last year's Leinster minor winning captain, is named at midfield alongside Willie Lowry but has been somewhat hampered with a hamstring complaint of late.

Senior hurler, Keith Dunne, is not selected to start as he continues his comeback from a hand injury.

DUBLIN (U21HC v Offaly) - A Nolan; G O'Meara, P Bergin, D O'Reilly; K Nolan, T Brady, C Billings; J McCaffrey, W Lowry; E Moran, G Morris, K O'Reilly; P Carton, D O'Dwyer, A McCrabbe.

On the face of it that's a very decent Dublin team. Certainly their half back line is particularly strong, and there's no reason to believe that we'll be any better in our HF line than we have been for years - i.e. woeful.

In saying that, I'd assume our backline would be fairly strong. I'm guessing that along with Cleary, Rigney and Hoctor we'd have a selection out of Trevor Corcoran, Michael Verney, Ciaran Kenny or Kevin Grogan there - no huge problems with any of those guys. But then the backs were fine last year, conceding only eight scores, and we lost.

Certainly it's time for Hayden to step up - he should be leading this team. To me tomorrow night will tell a lot about him.

DUBLIN (U21HC v Offaly) - A Nolan; G O'Meara, P Bergin, D O'Reilly; K Nolan, T Brady, C Billings; J McCaffrey, W Lowry; E Moran, G Morris, K O'Reilly; P Carton, D O'Dwyer, A McCrabbe.

That is indeed a strong Dublin team.

Tomas Brady was named as Man of the Match in at least two national newspapers reporting on the Offaly-Dublin Senior match on Saturday night and I have to say that he impressed me more than any other young hurler I've seen this year.

Alan McCrabbe scored 4 lovely points in the senior game against Offaly, including one from right up against the sideline. He also had a goal-bound shot saved by Ger Oakley.

McCaffrey has always impressed me in minor matches and they have Ger O'Meara, Eoin Moran and Peadar Carton also involved.

On the credit side Dylan Hayden played really well on Saturday night. He caught one ball straight from an Offaly puckout, made space and put it over confidently. He scored another point and narrowly missed another chance. In general play he was bright and good at finding a spare man with the ball.

I wonder where Joe Bergin will be placed. Earlier in the year the U-21s were playing him at Centre Half Back. I'd prefer to see him at full forward or centre forward, just to see how he gets on at Under 21 level in the forwards.

It'll be a good test for Offaly - I'd say that McIntyre will be watching with interest after his comment that there are a lot of places up for grabs for the Limerick match.

OFFALY (U21 HC v Dublin) - R Murray; K Grogan, P Cleary, S Clancy; C Hernon, D Hoctor, J Rigney; D Hayden, S Dooley; E Deavan, M Verney, D Kenny; C Slevin, J Bergin, A Egan.

Offaly team - as named on Unison:

OFFALY (U21 HC v Dublin) - R Murray; K Grogan, P Cleary, S Clancy; C Hernon, D Hoctor, J Rigney; D Hayden, S Dooley; E Deavan, M Verney, D Kenny; C Slevin, J Bergin, A Egan.

I'm assuming that E Deavan is Eddie Bevans, otherwise not too far from what most people would have expected. I would have maybe thought Grogan for half back with Trevor Corcoran in behind perhaps, and maybe Kenny at midfield with Shane Dooley in the half forwards, but on the other hand I'd prefer to have Kenny under puckouts. I'm surprised Eamonn Lee is left out as well, I'd maybe have picked him over Slevin.

Still don't know if I'm confident or not. I'm tired of looking at under 21 teams that look good on paper and seeing them underachieve. Be nice to see this one come good.

Someone said the odds for this game are:

Dublin 8/11 Draw 8/1 Offaly 5/4

Given recent records, I'd say that would be about right.