Offaly v Kilkenny 17-04-11

[townman]

well you have lads from tullamore and shamrocks on the panel now and they would have been strong football beds
Rynaghs were a football club before a hurling ball was hit like mullinahone, but i don't think that you will fine the answers
to offalys underage hurling problems in Rhode,Gracefield,Edenderry,Raheen, as there is no underage hurling there.

thats the problem them clubs only start hurling at junior A or B and its to late to learn the bread and butter of the game at 17 or 25
as some lads only pick up a hurl in there late teens which is way to late . Edenderry and Gracefield were strong in junior A in the 80's
and early 90's but have fell away since.

with Gracefield just holding there own in junior B Edenderry are still junior A ,Rhode don't have
a hurling team or walsh island who used to go to raheen, or bracknagh whos players were not let play with Gracefield over some rule
even doe it was good to see Gracefield let play with seir kierans in underage hurling and you never know they might get one or two lads
as i see Gracefield had a young chap on the offaly minor hurling panel this year keith mullally he is corner back with the footballer as well.

[True Red]

Rynaghs were a football club before a hurling ball was hit like mullinahone, but i don't think that you will fine the answers
to offalys underage hurling problems in Rhode,Gracefield,Edenderry,Raheen, as there is no underage hurling there.

Have to wade in here.

There is huge effort been made in Edenderry at the moment in terms of underage hurling. There are blitz competitions organised,entry into the Kildare underage hurling league and a massive focus been put on training and skills work.

The fruits of this work have been seen in recent years with some good results in underage competitions and notably last week, an under 11 Community Games win over Birr which up to a few years ago it would have been unheard of.

[Bord na Mona man]

yes offaly are falling behind at underage because the talent isn't there Carlow have made strides Dublin but neither have won all irelands at underage

So what. Winning All Irelands is hardly the only criteria for judging whether underage work was worthwhile!
You aren't wrong all along and then suddenly right when you cross the final hurdle.

Dublin would still be Division 2 hurling county instead of Division 1 league finalists had they they copied what Offaly did (or didn't do) hurling development wise this past decade.

The talent is no longer there in Offaly because it isn't being developed. Simple as.

[townman]

Rynaghs were a football club before a hurling ball was hit like mullinahone, but i don't think that you will fine the answers
to offalys underage hurling problems in Rhode,Gracefield,Edenderry,Raheen, as there is no underage hurling there.

Have to wade in here.

There is huge effort been made in Edenderry at the moment in terms of underage hurling. There are blitz competitions organised,entry into the Kildare underage hurling league and a massive focus been put on training and skills work.

The fruits of this work have been seen in recent years with some good results in underage competitions and notably last week, an under 11 Community Games win over Birr which up to a few years ago it would have been unheard of.

well thats good news and well done to Edenderry and lets hope them young lads get the chance to hurl underage with offaly
as i said before if they are good enough they will get the chance, Edenderry have a good record, with Cillian Farrell,Sean og farrell, Finbar Cullen, all got the
chance to hurl with offaly.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

I never heard of that one, but I know for definite how the results of 2000 were treated in Kilkenny by hurling people there.
It was probably a factor in them kicking on to win 7 All Irelands in minor and U21 in the following few years.

The point is Kilkenny acted swiftly to the alarm bells when there was evidence of standards dropping.
Offaly have been reaching for the snooze button with each alarm call.

- Another heavy defeat to Kilkenny...Ah well
- More defeats to Wexford...You can't win 'em all. Nothing to see here
- A row of defeats to Dublin...Ah shure we'd probably still beat them at senior
- Defeat to Westmeath...A bit unlucky
- A pair of defeats to Carlow...Arrah, who needs underage anyway

Brilliant, sums it up perfectly.
Shur fuck it, the teams fell together in the past, can't be too long until it happens again.

We're a great county.