Next year's championship draws

[Bord na Mona man]

A nice draw against Carlow in the football quarters. Most likely play the Dubs in the Leinster semis. That would at least ensure we get another bye to the quarters for 2008.

In the hurling, assuming Laois don't get their act together, we should be facing Kilkenny in the Leinster semis. This is what I'd hoped for. We might as well face down the demons of 2005. I don't think there would be much use in playing Wexford. Either we'd lose to them again, or scrape by them in a timid affair and probably be no better off because of it.

It's time for high time for an Offaly team to burst onto the field and get stuck into the Cats. No more spineless surrenders! We'd have nothing to lose. With little expectation and a low water mark that can't (surely?) be worsened, there is infinite scope to improve our status.

Roll on 2007!

[the bare biffo]

Meath under Colm Coyle would relish a scrap with the Dubs and if yer going to get them, thier first game is the best time to do it. If they get over Kildare, Meath Dublin is a game to look forward to next year. If we get over Carlow, no reason not to expect to, I wouldn't be so certain it'll be Dublin opposition. Jaysus Leix got a handy one this time round.

Agree 100% on the hurlers time to get back to Offaly basics.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Meath under Colm Coyle would relish a scrap with the Dubs and if yer going to get them, thier first game is the best time to do it. If they get over Kildare, Meath Dublin is a game to look forward to next year. If we get over Carlow, no reason not to expect to, I wouldn't be so certain it'll be Dublin opposition. Jaysus Leix got a handy one this time round.

Agree 100% on the hurlers time to get back to Offaly basics.

T'was a 50:50 chance hurlers would get Kilkenny. I would have preferred Wexford - chance to exorcise some old demons etc.

Qualifiers beckon for the hurlers. With the new system recently approved, a win over Laois would see them in a group with:-

Limerick/Tipperary (Think Limk will win here; time for them to make a burst);
Cork/Clare/Waterford
Wexford/Dublin.

If we feck up against Laois its:-
Galway;
Cork/Clare
Antrim.

The Laois match will be in Tullamore (continuation of home and away arrangement). Additional spice here with Damien Fox bringing his adopted county to his home town!)

There's a 50:50 chance of two home qualifiers, unlike previously when Offaly had a chance of one in five.

As for Kilkenny. Well, anything less than a 31 point deficit is an improvement.

As for football draw.
Now we'll see how good Dublin are. They're coming cold into a a team with a tough opener behind them. An Offaly win over Carlow would see them possible face Meath with 2 players suspended after a fractuous clash with Dublin!
Draw suits Wicklow too. look out for a semi final clash with Laois.

Venues will be interesting. As will dates. Presume hurlers will face a qualifier 6 days after Kilkenny.

[Bord na Mona man]

T'was a 50:50 chance hurlers would get Kilkenny. I would have preferred Wexford - chance to exorcise some old demons etc.

This year I thought that playing Wexford would be an ideal warm up to then face Kilkenny.
Given how that game panned out, we were probably better off that we didn't nick the win over the Wexicans. There was too much wrong with the side to be put right in a hurry. Offaly were better off taking our hidings unnoticed in the qualifiers than be undressed in a more public occasion.

It also seemed that the players had used all their gunpowder in the league and by championship there was little left. Maybe there was too much talk about atoning for 2005 and by the time championship had come around, a certain lethargy had set in.
If the players had been training from last November, perhaps all the rage, regret and need for revenge had been spent on the treadmills of the gym instead of on the field.

This time around, it's better to have the "sink or swim" scenario. We need to play KK sometime soon to have the 31 point defeat a bit less of a millstone. Also it's better to play the game during John McIntyre's tenure. Here will be his chance to send an Offaly team onto the championship field properly fired up. To me this has been the biggest failing of both his stints in Offaly.

[Plain of the Herbs]

This year I thought that playing Wexford would be an ideal warm up to then face Kilkenny.

So next year we get a warm up against Laois. Yowza.

Given how that game panned out, we were probably better off that we didn't nick the win over the Wexicans. There was too much wrong with the side to be put right in a hurry. Offaly were better off taking our hidings unnoticed in the qualifiers than be undressed in a more public occasion.

Can we face them unnoticed some Tuesday evening in Rathdowney?

It also seemed that the players had used all their gunpowder in the league and by championship there was little left. Maybe there was too much talk about atoning for 2005 and by the time championship had come around, a certain lethargy had set in.
If the players had been training from last November, perhaps all the rage, regret and need for revenge had been spent on the treadmills of the gym instead of on the field.

Ah the league. Offaly were the only county training in November like. How about not being able to hurl in the summer?

This time around, it's better to have the "sink or swim" scenario. We need to play KK sometime soon to have the 31 point defeat a bit less of a millstone. Also it's better to play the game during John McIntyre's tenure. Here will be his chance to send an Offaly team onto the championship field properly fired up. To me this has been the biggest failing of both his stints in Offaly.

There'll always be a millstone. Did you see the Kilkenny county final yesterday? T'was like watchin Brazil playing soccer on a good day. The skill level was out of this world. Offaly has no-one like the Reids who took some sublime scores.

Anyway, we can't do anything about the draw. I do accept a 'car crash' match with Kilkenny will at least be far better preparation for a qualifier opener than, say, Galway will have in advance of a possible opener away to Cork! Provided they don't feck up against Laois!

[Bord na Mona man]

If we keep building Kilkenny up to be Gods, then we'll never have a hope. I think Offaly's problem have been as much psychological of late. I still don't completely buy the "not good enough" at face value.

How come counties like Limerick and Wexford who ability wise are closer to Offaly, than they are Kilkenny can give the Cats a competitive game for 70 minutes?
Why is only Offaly who pack it in as soon as they fall a few scores behind?

At this moment I'd love to see Offaly take on Kilkenny and try to give them a game of it. It's time we stopped prostrating ourselves before the Cats. We'll never get up off our knees otherwise.

[Lone Shark]

Overall I'm happy with the draw.

The football draw illustrates how significant it was that we hadn't made a Leinster semi since 2002. We were automatically ruling out the opportunity of an easy draw for ourselves. When you contrast what we have to do to reach a semi this year with what Kildare have to do who we played in a quarter final, it just shows you how that victory is still paying off this year, and even will into 2008 one would hope.

Carlow themselves wil be fired up, but memories of 2005 - probably the worst result for Offaly football in my lifetime - should make sure our focus is there. Ditto Rhode lads being run close by Palatine should focus them. In saying that, Carlow are struggling to even put a manager in place, so if we are operating at any kind of level we should take them. Granted overall the draw is not as easy as for our neighbours in Laois, but even so it could be as good a time as any to get the Dubs.

As regards the hurling, I said last year that we needed to play Kilkenny sooner rather than later, ideally under McIntyre's time in charge. That 31 point defeat will linger all the more, and it will never be expunged from the psyche until we play them again and do so with a bit more pride. One would hope that there would be some residual fitness from this year's efforts, while Fogarty and Kirwan will bring in a bit of freshness at least. (The lack of enthusiasm down in Ennis that night was appalling) With all dues respect to Laois, they should be well beaten if we've anything about us at all, while try as they might, there's no way Kilkenny will take us seriously - they just can't, how could they?

We have to start by getting stuck into them at least - a little blind fury might be no bad thing. Certainly I don't think scraping by Wexford (a team in as dire straits as us) then avoiding the qualifiers, where real development should happen, will do us any good. whatever about our draw, I'd hate to have got theirs.

[Rynaghs Biffo]

I think its a great draw for both our hurlers and footballers.

I nice warm up game with Laois leading onto a good hard crack at Kilkenny, the boys should be mad up for it and hit them hard. I think the venue against Kilkenny has a huge bearing on it. We havent played in Croker too often wheras its Kilkenny's second home. But, where else can we play them....

As for the footballers, I'm delighted with the draw, for the reason that we got a very beatable team in Carlow, and that Carlow wouldn't have played anyone in the Preliminary round. And IF we do win, a semi final against Dublin is the ideal time to play them. Also, a win against Carlow leaves us in the same position for the draw in 2008.

Looking forward to next years championship already!!!!

[Plain of the Herbs]

I think its a great draw for both our hurlers and footballers.

I nice warm up game with Laois leading onto a good hard crack at Kilkenny, the boys should be mad up for it and hit them hard. I think the venue against Kilkenny has a huge bearing on it. We havent played in Croker too often wheras its Kilkenny's second home. But, where else can we play them....

RB, regarding the venue for a possible Offaly-Kilkenny meeting . . .

It seems to me the reason Kilkenny and Wexford are seeded is to free up Croke Park for a concert on the second weekend of June. Robbie Williams played there on that weekend last year, and the only semi-final pairing which would require Croke Park would be a Kilkenny-Wexford one. Semi-final double headers in Croke Park are a thing of the past.

I feel it's (KK-OY) more likely now to be at a provincial venue, Portlaoise being the obvious halfway house, though theres also the possibility of entering a home and away arrangement with a toss for home venue in year one. Note the Under 21 championships are now played on a home-away basis up to and including the final. Also, Kikenny's oppertunities for home championship matches are rare with our own scarcely better. We know the outlays spent on improvements to O'Connor Park. Well Kilkenny are continually improving Nowlan Park. They've only hosted one full house since, that being the Wexford-Waterford qualifier in 2003.

It will be interesting.

[Rynaghs Biffo]

Cheers POTH,

I was thinking that a leinster double header wouldn't be much good in croker. If the two semi finals were to be played on the same day, I'd imagine Dr.Cullen Park in Carlow would be an ideal spot for all concerned.

At least playing away from croke park against Kilkenny will give us a better chance.

[Lone Shark]

I'd love to see a bit of a push to get home and away arrangements in place, and this year seems to present a bit of an opportunity in that regard. Both Kilkenny and Carlow would make good sense for such arrangements, so you'd hope this would be pursued.

This is in no way connected to the fact that I'm sick of going to Portlaoise and the traffic nightmare with no good nightclubs to justify an overnight stay.

[Loughers]

Wouldn't Birr beating Ballyhale be a great start to restoring some pride in Offaly hurling. If an Offaly team could beat a Kilkenny team, it might bring back some of the self belief that's obviously missing since 2000. I'm very happy with the football draw. The Dubs are no world beaters.

[Lone Shark]

Wouldn't Birr beating Ballyhale be a great start to restoring some pride in Offaly hurling.

It would be - I won't believe it till I see it though. This Ballyhale team is playing some incredible stuff at the moment, and it'll be a huge step for Birr to take them. I hope they do, but I'm far from convinced.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Wouldn't Birr beating Ballyhale be a great start to restoring some pride in Offaly hurling. If an Offaly team could beat a Kilkenny team, it might bring back some of the self belief that's obviously missing since 2000. I'm very happy with the football draw. The Dubs are no world beaters.

Birr have every chance of beating the Kilkenny champions. While Shamrocks played some beautiful hurling in their county final, the performance dipped yeaterday against Rathnure.

Shamrocks are very strong in the 'diamond' area. Cummins is a good centre half back. Fitzpatrick and Fennelly are a superb midfield partnership and Shefflin we know about. still, the diamond is also Birr's strongest area. If Barry Whelahan is on his game and can get to grips with Fitzpatrick (who covers a huge amount of ground) the supply to the hurler of the year would be significantly reduced.

Shamrocks don't have a bad forward, and the Reids are impressive. Will Claffey pick up TJ Reid? Perhaps.

Shamrock's goalkeeper doesn't impress around the square and isn't comfortable on the ball and their full back line looks slow, where Ryan and Dwane could prosper if given a decent supply.

There's no doubt this will be the most eagerly awaited Leinster club match since Birr and Gowran a few years ago. Obviously if Shamrocks score 1-21 again, Birr wont touch them. If Birr can restrict them to twelve or thirteen scores Birr have a great chance. I'll chance a Birr win, something like 1-9 to 0-10 or the like!

[black and red exile]

The thing is LS, that as I do agree that Ballyhale have been very impressive so far and will no doubt be firm favourites for the Leinster final, club hurling is totally different to county hurling and Birr will believe because of their own great tradition they will not fear the Kilkenny champions in the least and will fully expect that they will triumph on Sunday week. This is a huge game, not just for Birr but also for Offaly hurling, there has to be a statement made to our friends in Cat land that the days of an Offaly team throwing in the towel against any Kilkenny outfit is a thing of the past, and what a terrific boost for our county team for 2007 and especially the Birr county players in the confidence it would give them if Birr were to be sucessful.
This is round 1 of a possible 3 round battle with Kilkenny teams over the next 6 months with round 2 probably in the Walsh cup semi final after we dispose of Westmeath in the quarter final in late January and then the big one next June in the Leinster semi final. It would be a great tonic if we were to get off to a super start with the most sucessful club team in Ireland wrapping up a 7th Leinster title on Nov 26.