Offaly Lions

A forum to air your views on Offaly GAA matters and beyond.
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ballymanabroad
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Offaly Lions

Post by ballymanabroad »

Right so I am getting geared up for the Lions tour while keeping an eye on the Offaly Laois match coming up. But with the Super 12 final on saturday and the State of Origin game last night (superb game which the Maroons won) it got me to thinking. Eventually it exploded into a fully fledged bar debate which are always the best ones. There were a langer load of lads from Ireland watching the league so we started to pick the All Ireland Lions based on hurling and football. So here is my Offaly Lions team for what it is worth.

1. Neville Coughlan - Need a bit of grunt here
2. Colm Quinn - Outhalf aside you need your most accurate player here. Brendan Cannon was a flanker before he was converted
3. Clocker - Does what Bull Hayes does for Munster
4. Super - The locks have to be our midfielders
5. Jim Grennan
6. Scott Brady - Mobile and a great ball carrier, not afraid to tackle
7. Ciaran Macmanus - Need to be very mobile,hard and a bit mad, look at Phil Waugh, Richie McCaw, Keith Gleeson
8. Conor Evans - enforcer like Axl Foley
9. Froggy - Best hands in the county
10. James Coughlan - Like Quinny, you need accuracy here
11. Slatts - Burning pace
12. Barry Mooney - Second 5/8ths and a bit of strength, needs to tackle like a madman
13. Damien Hunt - Good hands, good turn of pace and good man carrying the ball forward
14. Chop Grennan - Blistering pace
15. Niall Mac - you never know what he might do next and he is very good with ball to boot

Paschal will be pushing for a slot, Shaper wont play because he has to wear a scrum cap and that undoes his hour of gelling and styling his hair every morning.
It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe - Muhammad Ali

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Bord na Mona man
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Post by Bord na Mona man »

This team could benefit from the "weight" of more experience. That's why I'd draft in some past greats who could still do a job for us.

I'd put Scrap Bracken in the front row. Strength and a low centre of gravity.
John Ryan and Daithi Regan as the locks. Regan has rugby experience and certainly wouldn't be intimidated by the Martin Johnsons or Paul O'Connells.

Colm Quinn would be the out half as he reads the games well and his tactical kicking would be important.

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Lone Shark
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Lions

Post by Lone Shark »

I'd definitely want to get some of the hurlers involved. Cordial is nailed on for scrum half with those wrists, and I'd put Joe Brady in with Jim Grennan in the second row.

Front row is a conundrum. Happy with Clocker, I'd throw in Daithi Regan on the other side and let Finbarr Cullen in as a Keith Wood style hooker.

McManus and Brady yes, Evans no, not for number 8. I'd put Mac at 8, Brady blindside and put Slattery openside - just enough devil in him to do the amount of surreptitious fouling needed for this role.

Quinny has to be outhalf, and if Rory Hanniffy isn't the rangy but classy fullback waiting to happen I don't know who is.

minor
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Post by minor »

both slatts and hunt have played for ireland underage rugby. i'd have slatts full back with mcmanus 1st center and hunt 2nd, jimmy coughlan was a handy out-half in his day with sarans so he'd be in there. neville coughlan one wing and chop grennan other . grennan no8 flanked by neville coughlan and evans, with joe quinn and super second row. brady and quinn as props and reynolds hooking, he'd love that. mark daly would be versitile as well


deadly back line but forwards lake stupidity, they wont be along about realising there going to get broke up and simply will stop going into rucks.

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Lone Shark
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Post by Lone Shark »

minor wrote:both slatts and hunt have played for ireland underage rugby. i'd have slatts full back with mcmanus 1st center and hunt 2nd, jimmy coughlan was a handy out-half in his day with sarans so he'd be in there. neville coughlan one wing and chop grennan other . grennan no8 flanked by neville coughlan and evans, with joe quinn and super second row. brady and quinn as props and reynolds hooking, he'd love that.
Right, so first of all you've Neville Coughlan playing two positions, and the two lightest lads on the Offaly senior football team in the front row. :roll:

You're off the selector's committee.
minor wrote:reynolds hooking, he'd love that.
God only knows what that means. And please don't tell me.

minor
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Post by minor »

alan mulhall hooking we dont have any props all the heavy lads are too tall even mulhall is a bit tall to be hooking. okay neville flanker and quinn on the wing. although mike devine would still have to be in with a shout, played rugby with connacht for a few years and was on the senior football panel for awhile i think but he was definitly with the 21s. niall mc wouldn't be bad for the line-outs.

Doon Massive
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Post by Doon Massive »

What about the Troys and Brendan Kelly?
The biggest and gingerest* front row possible.

* New addition to the 2005 Collins english dictionary

mykneehurts
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Post by mykneehurts »

Ha Ha Ha! Just saw this now. Very amusing but the real craic would be had if we were allowed to include lads that had played any level of football with Offaly e.g. Trevor Phelan. P.s. Loneshark I think minor was referring to the level of hard hitting involved in the hooker position and Reynolds is hardly known for his big hits.

minor
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Post by minor »

still though, you wouldn't know what kind of hobbies reynolds might be into

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Lone Shark
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Shaper.

Post by Lone Shark »

And as we speak the Clara lads are pinning this on their wall in case of a future clash with Ferbane in the Championship..... :P

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