LSHC 30th May Offaly v Antrim Parnell Park 3:30pm

[cromabu52]

Just want to know is the numbers and panel right. Nothing more.
16 James Dempsey (Kinnitty)
17 Ger Oakley (Carrig-Riverstown)
18 Conor Mahon (Kilcormac-Killoughey)
19 Cathal Parlon (Coolderry)
20 Ger Healion (Kilcormac-Killoughey)
21 Brendan Murphy (Ballyskenagh)
22 Odhrán Kealey (Kinnitty)
23 Stephen Egan (Tullamore)
24 Dylan Hayden (Birr)
25 Shane Kelly (Tullamore)
26 Stephen Wynne (St Rynagh’s)
27 Mark Egan (Belmont)
28 Diarmaid Horan (St Rynagh’s)
29 Éanna Murphy (Seir Kieran)
30 Conor Hernon (St Rynagh’s)

[naasmanxrhode]

Was Diarmuid Horan togged out, listed as 28 on subslist, thought he was gone from panel.

[Loughers]

What is the story with the Horan brothers?

[tacmot]

Think 1 of the horan lads is gone/goin to the states again for the summer nd heard dat joe dooley asked the other chap to rejoin the panel but refused. maby sum1 can confirm dat. Also while we are on the subject where ared lads dat were brought onto panel cuple weeks ago i.e browne mulrooney and mooney????

[cromabu52]

The panel above is not the right panel just a list of players who played in the league. Waiting for someone to give the correct panel.

[tacmot]

cromabu52 how do u know dat isnt the rite panel, wer u at the match yesterday? did u get an offical programme? well if u did go ahead and read the flippin thing and stop coming on here and asking STUPID questions every monday.........

[black and red exile]

Lads ye are going into Hogan stand territory here

[BUFFALO]

Was in Parnell Park yesterday. A very frustrating performance. We recovered well from a sucker punch of a start. This can happen and scoring 1-8 without reply was exactly what the doctor ordered. At this stage we were cruising and were certainly in a position to kick on. But as happened against Limerick in the league from a position of complete dominance we conceded bad goals and suddenly we were in the thick of a battle. We could have easily kicked on and won handy. Even after half time and for about 10 mins after the sending off we were still struggling but as Antrim tired we could see there was something in it for us and battled well to force the draw. Bar the 1-8 spell in the first half a lot of players underperformed in the 70 mins. When we dropped our intensity and started getting sloppy and taking bad options. WE have one gear …. Full throttle and in games where our intensity wanes we appear to find it hard to switch back on. This is a man management issue. I don’t want to be OTT negative, if we had lost things would have been far worse. I think it’s a balls that the Galway game is in Croke Park rather than Nolan Park as I think the tighter more intense provincial ground would suit us better when it comes to getting stuck into the tribes men. We will have our work cut out. A few other things from yesterday ….

1) It was a killer to end up with Cleary at 6 and Kenny at 3 by full time having played the other way around for the league. Kenny will give us better go forward ball from centre back and I think we have to start as we started yesterday against Galway.
2) Derek Molloy is worth his starting place based on his ability IMHO. That said we cannot justify carrying him if these “rushes of blood to the head” continue. Yesterday in the passage of play that lead up to his challenge that earned him his second yellow card, 4 other Offaly players had closed down Antrim players and forced them back across the field. After these challenges came his lunge which cost us a player, a free and a point against. I think this is a man management issue, I would have him on the team but only if I was convinced that I had this side of him in check.
3) Hats off to Shane Dooley. Over the last few years we have lost games (like yesterday) as we did not have a 90% free taker. His point to level the game just up from the Antrim bench showed great leadership. You can also see from his conditioning and strength he has really worked to build himself up and can challenge very well for 50-50 ball. This is how we have to be to compete at the highest level.
4) I thought Stapleton’s refereeing was very dodgy especially in the first half. Maybe it’s my imagination but I thought a few times we were penalised on things that were let go by Antrim players. At one stage he chose to ignore his umpire (following a consultation) when he had clearly signalled that the Antrim keeper had stepped outside the square when making his puck out (Antrim had gone up the field and subsequently scored). 3 or 4 bad 50-50 calls like this can keep a team in the game. In the second half his performance improved, he was right to send off Derek Molloy and added a bit of extra time at the end I would think because the Antrim boys were dropping like flies for the last 15 mines.
5) Who is the lad with the Offaly jersey that is behind the goals at every game including Nolan Park on Saturday night?

Tis none other than Michael 'Smokey' McDonagh.
Originally a Galway man I believe,but has been settled in Offaly for a good number of years now and is a naturalised Offalian.
Fair play to him he never misses a match,come hail,rain or shine and whatsmore is that he wears that jersey continually even if it's below freezing.
Often see him thumbing a lift to games the length and breadth of the country.
Nice man who eats,sleeps and breaths Offaly and the GAA in general,but the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Eye-brow raising maybe but yesterday's result/performance should come as a shock to no one.

As I pointed out before the game, talk of a 15-20 point beating was completely unjustified and, to be frank, bordering on the delusional. Have people forgotten where we are, where we've come from? A review of the last few years would appear to be required. Since 2002, Limerick are the only top 8 team that Offaly have beaten. That's the better part of a decade with just two victories over Limerick to shout about. Not one quarter final reached since 2003 against Tipperary. As recently as last year we were annihilated by a Wexford team short 5/6 starters. Blown away a few weeks later by Cork.

As for progress this year? Look harder. One win against Dublin, horror show against Limerick (that was repeated yesterday), beaten at ease by Cork, Kilkenny, Galway, close against Waterford and Tipperary. Big deal. We had better years than that in the league during the last decade and it counted for damn all in the grand scheme of things.

Team in transition? New players added, should be better this year than last year? Afraid not. Only one championship debutant started yesterday, Derek Morkan. Think about this, only one new player on a team that hasn't been good enough over the last two years of this current management. And what is Del? A defender. Where is our need more acute? In attack. Yesterday, the same six forwards started yesterday as have been there for the last two championships. This is the same unit that has widely been agreed as in need of change. Have a look at the threads for last years league final, the championship match against Wexford and the qualifier against Cork lest anyone forget how poorly the front six performed.

So on the background of all of the above, I fond it nothing short of incredulous that Offaly were due a to hand out a 15+ point beating to Antrim, the 9th best team in the country against the 12/13. Let this be a lesson to all to ignore the casual fan/ lazy media remarks about 'progress' and how Joe Dooley is doing 'great work down there'. They're nothing but throwaway condescending platitudes flung about by those that know no better.

So that's where we are, were. Where are we going? Surprisingly perhaps, given the above, I won't be too negative. This team performs poorly as favourites so at least the expectations for the next day will be non-existant. Hopefully the management and players learned something. Maybe, just maybe the management will be pro-active is trying to jig things. Oh and Antrim played brilliant hurling up until Derek Molloy got sent off.
Team selection for the Galway game? Dempsey in goals. I'd leave the defence as it started yesterday save for perhaps starting Egan ahead of Verney. Kenny may also be the man for Canning although I'm loath to remove him from centre back. Midfield unchanged. My forward six would be Hayden, Molloy, Murphy, Dooley, Bergin/Carroll, Kealey/Carroll.
Hayden was on for all of one minute yesterday when he knocked over a point of the style that should come as no suprise to those who watch any club hurling. Pure striker off his left side, he'll knock them over all day from 40+ yards. His ability to work 'like a dog' though in championship hurling reamins a valid question. Kealey scored two in the blink of an eye upon joining the fray, his pace offers something extra. I'm not saying either of these two would change things but at least give them a chance, I'm not sure how much longer I can watch Joe Brady or Daniel Currams not score anything.

[Loughers]

Tis none other than Michael 'Smokey' McDonagh.
Originally a Galway man I believe,but has been settled in Offaly for a good number of years now and is a naturalised Offalian.
Fair play to him he never misses a match,come hail,rain or shine and whatsmore is that he wears that jersey continually even if it's below freezing.
Often see him thumbing a lift to games the length and breadth of the country.
Nice man who eats,sleeps and breaths Offaly and the GAA in general,but the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.[/quote]

What happened between him and the mush with the moustache? They used to be at all the matches together but not anymore. He was down the other end yesterday.

[leinsterman]

Well where do you start on this one, i was as far out as a lighthouse on this game after five minute's when they went 1-2 ahead i said this could be
another 89 job then offaly playing some good hurling for 20 minute's and went 1- 8 to 1-2 ahead i said they will close out this game before half time now

what happen next i don't know whats wrong offaly just went asleep didn't seem to want to know about it. and i will stand bye what i said Antrim are not a good team
there is two or three lads that shouldn't be on that offaly team and i am not going to name them as lads who watch offaly know who they are .

it was a bad day at the office yesterday but i think offaly showed great belly to pull it out of the fire at the end Shane Dooley had a great game as did David Franks
David Kenny Del Morkan Joe Bergin took his scores well and his goal should have stood as he ran into the square . my man of the match was James Rigney he had
a great game even when we went down bye five points in the second half he was hurling his heart out in the backline and cleared a lot of ball during the game.

The next game the shoe will be on the other foot Galway will be the big favourite's for that game which will suite offaly down to the ground, plus i don't think
we will play as bad again. but Dylan Hayden will have to get a run in the forwards and Brendan Murphy at centre field Currams, Molloy ,and Joe Brady forward line
won't work again Galway there half back line is as good as you will get and Antrims half back line cleaned offalys half forward line out of it yesterday.

we have three weeks now to the Galway game its nice to get back to croke park again its 2005 since we were there which is to long so you never know on the day.
as for that parnell park glad to get out yesterday with a win its a graveyard for offaly team's. just another thing it was bad form bye brian mullins and Daniel Currams
that they stead over at the dressing room for most of the second half and not with there teammates on the bench not a happy camp.

[black and red exile]

Looks like the only two on this site that are putting the rest of us to shame are POTH and GREAT DAY FOR THE PARISH. Personally speaking as one of the muppets who showed total disreguard for our northern friends and who predicted the 15 to 20 point margin I won't be making that mistake again, as we all learned yesterday on any given day anything can happen and when GDFTP analyised the last decade or so then we have no right to say we are going to roll over anybody, YESTERDAY WAS A LESSON LEARNED BY I WOULD IMAGINE ALOT OF THE PLAYERS AS WELL AS QUITE ALOT OF DAFT SUPPORTERS LIKE MYSELF SHOUTING AND ROARING ABOUT 20 POINT WINNING MARGINS

[backofthenet]

No I disagree...Offaly should have beaten Antrim by 15 - 20....its pure crap to be talking about on any given day etc. The simple fact of the matter is this Offaly team doesnt even have the confidence to take on and destroy a team that is 15 - 20 points behind them. What hope against Galway??!!

Im delighted that brian mullins is finally off the team. His attitude stinks big time. He should never have been even allowed on the panel, great goalkeeper, but his couldnt care less attitude is a bad influence on the panel. There are plenty of players that would give their right arm to play for the green white and gold, any player that isnt willing to give 110% commitment to the cause shouldnt be let on the panel,no matter how good he is.

[leinsterman]

Looks like the only two on this site that are putting the rest of us to shame are POTH and GREAT DAY FOR THE PARISH. Personally speaking as one of the muppets who showed total disreguard for our northern friends and who predicted the 15 to 20 point margin I won't be making that mistake again, as we all learned yesterday on any given day anything can happen and when GDFTP analyised the last decade or so then we have no right to say we are going to roll over anybody, YESTERDAY WAS A LESSON LEARNED BY I WOULD IMAGINE ALOT OF THE PLAYERS AS WELL AS QUITE ALOT OF DAFT SUPPORTERS LIKE MYSELF SHOUTING AND ROARING ABOUT 20 POINT WINNING MARGINS

Don't think we are muppets to say we would win well when we went six points ahead if we are going to do anything this year we should went 12 points up
but we didn't . the whole problem with this offaly team i think is they don't know or have a game plan to go with into game's.
hope we can pull the wool over galways eyes like in 2000 when we were brutal again Derry came out the next day and bet cork, wouldn't hold my breath doe.

[bracknaghboy]

just another thing it was bad form bye brian mullins and Daniel Currams
that they stead over at the dressing room for most of the second half and not with there teammates on the bench not a happy camp.

I only seen the highlights and listened on the radio but I reckon Mullins may have felt that he didn't do a whole lot wrong to be taken off. Its been said here before that he is a fantastic shot stopper but his puckouts are not the best and if Dempsey offers an extra 10 yards then it should be ultilised.
The funny thing about this is that after we've all calmed down we'll realise that Offaly will most likely give Galway a right good rattle in 3 weeks time such is the nature of the team...awful one week and then staying with good teams for 55mins the next week. On the Galway game:

1) Will Kenny be given a man marking job on Canning? I know they have more options than him but if he's left loose he'll destroy us in 5 minutes.
2) The Galway half back line is very strong. Reagan and Collins can't be let dominate every dropping ball......if they do its over. Our half-forwards are not known for their ability in the air, in fact who is going to be our half-foward line.........this battle is key.
3) The Galway half forward line is their weakest line. I don't rate Smyth or Donnellan. Can our line dominate them? Is Morkan going to a weak link here? He's determined yes but physically not the strongest. Poor players like Smyth could boss him about??

Realistically we are looking at staying with them for 50mins and then them pulling away but we should take heart from Antrim, they came with a dreadful record to Parnell Park and showed no respect for the opposition and got stuck into the task. Offaly will need to avoid a stupid red card or any back chat to officials in 3 weeks time. Keep the head down and get on with the job and perhaps Galways old doubts might come back.