Offaly vs Limerick All-Ireland SHC Qualifier Phase 2 10/7/10

[Offaly2010]

Well lads,what are the thoughts on this one?
This could be tricky for us,Limerick will come to Tullamore with nothing to lose and will make it difficult for us.
If we play like we did against Antrim we will be beaten but if we play like we did against Galway on both occasions we will win relatively easy.
I also think we would be better off playing Tipperary in phase 3(as they should beat Wexford)as appose to playing Antrim/Carlow because as they say..you have to beat the best to be the best! It would also give us a better indication as to exactly how far we have come this year as hammering Antrim/Carlow would do the lads no good at all(not a given mind..).

Back to the Limerick game,if the few injuries in the backline are not cleared up by Saturday week Limerick will make it extremely difficult for us!

I'm going to say Offaly to win by between 5-8 points.

[beirut]

Presuming that there will probably be a big crowd for these matches, do you think it will be all ticket?

[Offaly2010]

Presuming that there will probably be a big crowd for these matches, do you think it will be all ticket?

Thought of that myself this morning. As you said,with the football on aswell and presuming there will be a big crowd I think it's a very strong possibility.

[Bord na Mona man]

There'll be a good crowd, but certainly not a huge crowd.
Limerick and Waterford won't bring many supporters.
A lot of the Offaly people who went to watch the hurlers against Galway in Portloise won't go to this one.

However at the Westmeath Wicklow game there were some ticketing snags.

http://www.setanta.com/ie/Articles/2010 ... nid-70271/

[ditchhurler]

I doubt it will be all ticket. O'Connor Park is a fine big ground and the travelling supports wont be big, particulary from Limerick. What is the most we have ever brought to a game 14,000? Wouldn't say there would be that at the 2 games to be honest

[beirut]

It's hard to know what kind of crowd will turn up hurling wise, you'd like to think we'd get another big crowd, not as big as portlaoise but still. Anyway I'll get down early.

Off Topic: The crowd at Portlaoise was given @ around 12,000, but definately looked alot more than that. But how could they have gotten it wrong especially as they were handing out tickets?

[tacmot]

Spot on beirut, i was wondering what o moore park capacity is? thought it would be bout 25,000? If so then it was only half full??????. Typical GAA SAYIN IT WAS ONLY 12,000. IT was all-ticket with kids having to pay £5 aswell. Shocking.

[Bord na Mona man]

Attendances may be understated for various reasons - the host ground wanting to keep revenue, some stiles not functioning correctly or individuals on the take

But bear in mind the 25,000 capacity is based on everyone being jammed in like sardines in every available piece of concrete in the ground.

[beirut]

[quote="Bord na Mona man"]Attendances may be understated for various reasons - the host ground wanting to keep revenue, some stiles not functioning correctly or individuals on the take

But bear in mind the 25,000 capacity is based on everyone being jammed in like sardines in every available piece of concrete in the ground.[/quote]

27,000 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ga ... n_stadiums but I take your point on it been jammed in, but still a fair few more than 12,000.

Well I got my ticket at the ticket booth, where a machine printed them out, and I would have expected that these machine would be used to calculate how many tickets were printed etc so I think it would be hard enough to keep revenue, fair enough if it was a cash at the stiles job.

[the bare biffo]

Accoring to the GAA website its pay on the day.

[Offaly2010]

It was pay on the day for the Cork game last year aswell. I would think there will be about 8,000-10,000 in OCP next Saturday. It will be great for both our hurlers and footballers to have a big crowd cheering them on again,like in '07 in OMP when the footballers played Carlow and the hurlers played Kilkenny. The last time Offaly footballers played a Championship match in OCP with a decent enough crowd it was Westmeath in 2008 and there was 13,000 at that match. The hurlers will have become more used to the big crowd in recent weeks with 26,000 in Croke Park the first day against Galway and 12,000 last week.
Lets hope whatever Faithful crowd turns up get the results they are looking for!

[Offaly2010]

Dooley eager to build on Galway displays

02 July 2010


Joe Dooley wants Offaly to build on their excellent Leinster SHC semi-final performances in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

The Faithful put the much-fancied Tribesmen to the pin of their collar in Croke Park and Portlaoise over the last two weekends, and their manager stressed the importance of maintaining their momentum against Limerick next Saturday.

"There's only two teams not going to play in the qualifiers and that's the winners of Leinster and Munster," he said.

"Everybody else is going to be in the qualifiers so we are now in the same position as the Limericks, the Clares, the Dublins and all these teams, but it is probably where we were going to end up anyway. We just have to regroup and get back to the drawing board."

Dooley takes great satisfaction from his side's progress and the renewed interest in Offaly hurling.

"You would probably have to go back nine or 10 years, to be able to shout for two days in-a-row is satisfying. It really would really have been a big letdown if we didn't perform (in the replay), having played so well last week.

"It is very gratifying that we are able to do it two days in-a-row against a team of the quality of Galway. There was great support for both teams and it was a great advertisement for hurling," he added.


(taken from HS)

[the bare biffo]

Joe Dooley seems to be a very nice man and says a lot of nice things, sometimes I wouldnt mind seeing him having a really good go at something.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Maybe my memory isn't what it used to be, but I thought Offaly were beaten by Galway in Portlaoise th'other evening. If the manager is satisfied with that, and he says he is, then there is a problem.

The worry is that when they got level with five minutes to go and had all the momentum while Galway were dying, they were unable to close the deal. Whatever your views on Galway's prospects, the blunt truth is that Offaly should have won that match.

The first two paragraphs below amount to a whole lotta nuttin'. The last two are the first shots in Dooley's campaign for another term as county bainisteoir.

T'would be more in his line to get his team in the correct frame of mind to go out and beat Limerick next Saturday. The team he manages has yet to win a Championship match in 70 minutes, as noted by Paul Cleary when interviewed by Eoin McDevitt on Newstalk during the week.

There's only two teams not going to play in the qualifiers and that's the winners of Leinster and Munster.

Everybody else is going to be in the qualifiers so we are now in the same position as the Limericks, the Clares, the Dublins and all these teams, but it is probably where we were going to end up anyway. We just have to regroup and get back to the drawing board.

You would probably have to go back nine or 10 years, to be able to shout for two days in-a-row is satisfying. It really would really have been a big letdown if we didn't perform (in the replay), having played so well last week.

It is very gratifying that we are able to do it two days in-a-row against a team of the quality of Galway. There was great support for both teams and it was a great advertisement for hurling.

[bracknaghboy]

I'll be laughed at here but I think this Limerick game is going to be a very difficult assignment next saturday. This could be J. McCarthys last ever match in charge of a intercounty team and I don't expect him to go quietly into the night. He'll have some sort of plan to frustrate Offaly. Against Cork he knew they had no hope so they played a containing game and considering they played most the game with 14 men, missed a penalty and gave away 2 themselves I'm sure he was happy with a 13 point defeat. They'll have had their heads down the last few weeks working away. They won't fear Offaly and the league result will be great motivation for them. As for Offaly, well the hurlers have always had a habit of not being clinical against weaker opposition (eg. loss to Carlow in '05, Laois in '08, Antrim '89, Antrim '10). The biggest problem that Offaly face is a potential hangover from the Galway games......they were pulsating matches in great atmosphere and the media were all talking about how refreshing they were and how Offaly are "back". Now the lads face the prospect of a game that they are expected to win and win easily, the atmosphere will be nothing like the last 2 games. So I expect Offaly to win but I expect them to have to dig it out here. Any notions of a easy win are way off in my opinion.