the Untouchable wrote:http://m.rte.ie/sport/touch/gaa/hurling ... 01-offaly/
It might just be me...but I hate this sort of statement!!
Playing the Offaly way...what way would that be exactly Brian? Passing the ball to each other...supporting the man...Wow, if that's the game plan then we're all set for an all Ireland!!
I don't want to judge too quick but I think Whelahan is way out of his depth for county management, and if he thinks that playing a style of hurling that we played 20 years ago is going to bridge the gap between Offaly & say the Kilkenny's & Clare's of this world then he's dillusuional!!
I presume Brian's "Offaly style" centres around ground hurling...but let's be honest, Offaly didn't win all Ireland's playing ground hurling, we won it because we had an outstanding half back line & 5 great scoring forwards...the reason I say 5 forwards is because I think we never quiet had a brilliant full forward throughout the 90's when we had success. We have no where near the quality we had back then, so why think that trying the formula that we had back then is going to get us close to winning something.
The other thing is every top county are better at ground hurling than we are...their also better high fielders of a ball than we are right now, we haven't beaten a big team in years & the gap between us & teams challenging for an all Ireland is as wide as its ever been.
I guess the league will tell a lot of tales, but I hope Brian & his back room staff have more up their sleeve than he's letting on here.
Slan.
I read the Article and was very happy to hear that Brian is going to try and return to the value that made Offaly great and away from the sh*t that we have play for the last few years.
If we don't have the quality of players that we had back in the 90 so be it. But at least we can play a game that suits Offaly hurling and Offaly supporter enjoy watching.
The bull we put up with from the Clare league game 2 year ago, Galway game where we let in 5 of the worse goals I have ever seen. The Killkenny game where we only score 9 points. 9 Points for F**k sake and the masterstroke of putting Brian Carroll in on top of Brick Walsh.
The choice that in front of Offaly is simple believe in our-self or dump what make us great and go the Munster way of running the ball.
its a no brainier to me anyway.
The true is that if we have Tactics that suit The Offaly players we have in panel and we pick the best players in the county around the panel. They is no reason we can't beat anyone in the country.
Coolderry and Kilcormac Killoughey have showing that Offaly hurling can Compete with anyone but what has struck me is the amount of people that Love watching Offaly Club hurling. I have meet People for Dublin coming to watch Offaly Club hurling. because they love watching Kilcormac Killoughey in lenister last year.
And Belmont, Clareen, Birr and St Rynagh are all pushing to break through.
Clare beat Cork in this year final. Kilkenny and Galway played in last year final. We are not far away for any of these four. Considering that we were a mess over the last few years and we have being push Galway to 7 point After letting in 5 goals. pushed Kilkenny to 5 point and only scored 9 points. and Pushed Cork to 5 points. and that over the last two years.