Offaly GAA is in Some State

[Commentayto-r]

Lads I was at the meeting and by god out lads are not living in the real world. The best All Ireland we may have ever seen on Sunday, how many times was the ball actually drove on the ground up the field? That day is gone. We need lads who aren't stuck in the 80's. The two Kilkenny men could be a great move.
Another point to be made, Mick Dempsey is also involved in Carlow IT with a GAA coaching course. I've heard the likes of Barry Harding, Tom Carroll, Sean Gardiner, all Offaly senior panel members are in this course. Why not get these involved in bringing Offaly back to the top!?

[townman]

i think Martin Fogarty would have been the one to takeover from Baker, but i belive the countyboard wouldn't put their hand deep enough into their or should be counties pocket.

[Toxicity234]

Ok Lads

Last Night was advertised as Stage one of Offaly Recovery. implementing Skill Coaching In Team Preparation

The two advertised Main speaker with coaches.
Complaining that the the whole thing was about coaching is along the line of complaining that there two many Irish in the St. Patrick Day parade.

The comment about lads playing football. That section was about recovery after training and matches it had nothing to do about playing game. He was saying that don't have the lads playing game and then killing themselves in training the following day.
That whole 10 mins was about player welfare and training recovery but it when over some people heads.

The comment on Facebook about Ground Hurling. Jesus Christ.
Healy and Fogarty were talking about improving the basic skills of the game. They talk about a simple training drill to do to improve the players striking and anticipation. A Simple ground hurling drill to do as part of training.
They was no talk of all ground hurling in matches.
I would have to question the intelligence of anyone who didn't get that. I'm a dumb fuck and i got it.

Fogarty Has worked with the Greatest Manager of All Time in Hurling for the last 10 years. Is he stuck in the 80's?

Lads the county Board stepped up to the mark. They did something different. They got in lads that they think can improve the game. if that underwhelmed were fucked!!

We just finished the worst year of Offaly hurling in my life time. 26 point hammering and 17 points hammering. a poor Kerry team had the beating of us. Manager and Chairman attacking Players. Players unhappy with manager and county board.
We a mess.

You have to start somewhere. Last night was that start. If we complain that they did nothing. We should praising them when they start trying.

Lads Been underwhelmed by a step in the correct direction after 10 years of stand still is like complaining about a person in a coma not talking to you.

Anyone that was underwhelmed by last night. I have a plan for you. This is Diarmuid Healy e-mail address: diarmuidhealy@eircom.net
Take the time to write out what you want to see change in Offaly hurling and E-mail him and explain why you think these change will improve Offaly hurling.

[Truth as i see it]

Ok Lads

Last Night was advertised as Stage one of Offaly Recovery. implementing Skill Coaching In Team Preparation

The two advertised Main speaker with coaches.
Complaining that the the whole thing was about coaching is along the line of complaining that there two many Irish in the St. Patrick Day parade.

The comment about lads playing football. That section was about recovery after training and matches it had nothing to do about playing game. He was saying that don't have the lads playing game and then killing themselves in training the following day.
That whole 10 mins was about player welfare and training recovery but it when over some people heads.

The comment on Facebook about Ground Hurling. Jesus Christ.
Healy and Fogarty were talking about improving the basic skills of the game. They talk about a simple training drill to do to improve the players striking and anticipation. A Simple ground hurling drill to do as part of training.
They was no talk of all ground hurling in matches.
I would have to question the intelligence of anyone who didn't get that. I'm a dumb fuck and i got it.

Fogarty Has worked with the Greatest Manager of All Time in Hurling for the last 10 years. Is he stuck in the 80's?

Lads the county Board stepped up to the mark. They did something different. They got in lads that they think can improve the game. if that underwhelmed were fucked!!

We just finished the worst year of Offaly hurling in my life time. 26 point hammering and 17 points hammering. a poor Kerry team had the beating of us. Manager and Chairman attacking Players. Players unhappy with manager and county board.
We a mess.

You have to start somewhere. Last night was that start. If we complain that they did nothing. We should praising them when they start trying.

Lads Been underwhelmed by a step in the correct direction after 10 years of stand still is like complaining about a person in a coma not talking to you.

Anyone that was underwhelmed by last night. I have a plan for you. This is Diarmuid Healy e-mail address: diarmuidhealy@eircom.net
Take the time to write out what you want to see change in Offaly hurling and E-mail him and explain why you think these change will improve Offaly hurling.

Yeah totally agree, with the exception of Lone Shark who i thought was better than that, these are the same guys who complain when nothing is done to improve Offaly's underage structures, now that they are they are still complaining.

They complained that the county teams were training outside of the county this year and now that something is being put in place i can almost see them moaning about the facilities when they are built in some way shape or form

Look, things are finally getting done, we finally have a chairman who is not afraid to face up to the challenges that are holding the county back, challenges that others didn't bother to even try tackling, things are getting done, not everything is perfect but its getting better, you can't have your cake and eat it, either contribute in a positive way or don't contribute at all

[babsandbond]

I went into the county Arms last night with a very open mind.I was sitting beside two banagher men one of them a school teacher the other a coach at underage.After listening to Healy speak we were fuming with Boland and co..How have they put him in charge of sorting out this huge mess.People are gving the CB credit for finally getting of there backsides and doing something,its there job they dont deserve one bit of credit untill we see change and results all around the county after all these men are mainly to blame for the state of Offaly hurling.Take away the ground hurling slide Healy gave, it was really sad to hear him constantly make reference to the teams of the 80s, he must of said it 10 times while he gave his presentation.We are living in the past.First of all we have to stop looking at lads who won us All-irelands to bring us out of the hole were in,we are constantly doing it,look at the team of men picked to annalyse it even.We need hurling coaches with relevant papers and courses done not ex hurlers and maybe then were moving in the right direction.I just think the Healy move is such a panic move because the cb have to be seen to be doing something after the year we had and it really shows the lack of knowledge the CB have..we need someone modern!

On Bolands article in the tribune.....its a man under pressure he is such a politician it makes me wonder how he gets away with it and he never answers the questions directly..why would he stay there knowing nobody wants him,its time of move on... RESIGN!!

[Lone Shark]

An Offaly Hurling Open Forum will be held in the County Arms Hotel, Birr on Wednesday September 10 at 8pm. This Forum will consist of presentations by Diarmuid Healy and former Kilkenny selector, Martin Fogarty on Stage 1 of Offaly Recovery –Coaching/Team Preparation which will focus on defining hurling, coaching and team preparation. This will be followed by questions and answers and a sharing of ideas of how to restore Offaly to its rightful place among the top hurling counties.

Lads I will stress once again that I don't think that there was anything wrong with the concept of discussing coaching, indeed any plan to re-invigorate Offaly hurling will have to be centred on the improvement in our work with younger hurlers, which means better coaching. However the forum was promoted as above, and I don't think that the bit in bold was really touched upon. I think that while coaching has to be central to any plan, there still must be a plan, and people need to know what that plan is if they're to buy into it.

I'll be the first to admit that while I follow both sports, my technical knowledge of football is far better than that of hurling and the only coaching work I've done has been in football, so I'm certainly not going to comment on aspects like drills and the like. If men like Diarmuid Healy and Martin Fogarty say that a certain drill will be beneficial, then I'm very happy to believe them and let them at it. A ground hurling drill doesn't mean ground hurling in matches, so that bit was fine with me. I am certainly in complete agreement with the point that was made that the revival in Offaly hurling has to come from clubs, and it has to be driven from the ground up - the points made by attendee regarding how the county board should be doing more work with talented under-10s and how they should be the ones working with primary schools nearly put me on the verge of tears, I mean if we can't trust the clubs to do that much what's the point of them at all?

However if people are going to turn out in numbers and do their coaching courses, put in the hours and work with young hurlers, they need to believe that they are part of a bigger picture, that the county is moving in the right direction and that at all levels, a revolution is underway. For that to happen, there needs to be a grand plan that incorporates all aspects of the sport in the county, and a big part of my disappointment was that I thought something along those lines was going to be unveiled. That's not the same as saying that I don't think the subject matter presented was unworthy, far from it.

With regard to the football, I think if ye listen to the audio piece linked, anyone with a critical ear will know fairly immediately that there are elements that don't stack up. Martin Fogarty opened by saying that there is as many football matches played in Kilkenny as hurling matches - now if there is anyone here who believes that there is one football match played in Kilkenny for every five hurling matches, I'd be amazed. The ratio is closer than one to twenty. And yes, he turned it into a point about burnout, but that wasn't the angle I was coming at it from at all, and I think his comment that a football match was more beneficial to a hurler than hurling training was hard to believe. However if he can get that message across, we could be in for a football revolution in Offaly as lads from Coolderry, Clareen and Shinrone embrace the big ball game, never mind a hurling one.

[Bord na Mona man]

I wasn't able to make it along, but there sounds like the emphasis on coaching the coaches was stronger than I would have thought. Possibly no bad thing, but maybe there are other platforms to do this.
In some ways I can see why the presenters might use the '80s as a touchstone. In a county that has seriously lost its way and now lacks self belief, it may be no harm to remind people of what we are capable of. Obviously I'm hoping the vibe wasn't a vindication of the 'year zero' faction in Offaly hurling who want us to go backwards and mimic what was done 30 years ago.

Overall it's a step in the right correction. If mentors go back to their clubs with new ideas and a renewed vigour for the job, then it has to be positive.
Maybe the strategy aspect will become clearer in the near future. It might well be a nebulous process for now.

[Truesupporter]

I was at the meeting last night and am wondering how everyone has missed the point both men were making regarding the ground hurling.
They were NOT saying to solely return to it. The point is that if you start with and perfect the ground hurling skill, ALL OTHER SKILLS will flow from that as it develops so many others e.g.co-ordination, anticipation, left and right sides and you can build on this.
Both men made another valid point which no one has spoken about yet. It is what you need in a player. Apart from skill, CHARACTER is the other quality needed. Martin said that if the players have the right character you can develop the skills. Both combined lead to strong players who will give their all on the field at all times and builds strong bonds in the panel.

I felt it was a very positive presentation and am disappointed that people are still not happy. Everyone says we need to change as we all know things are not working at present, so why not be open to trying it? All coaches in the clubs would be doing the same thing after attending the up coming coaching sessions and this can only be good for the future.

Two things to note: Both mentioned working voluntary in their county roles and have said there IS hope..... Ever faithful.

[substandard]

I would have liked to have gone along, even though I'd be more involved in the football side of things, but I'd do a bit with the small ball now and again. The idea of an overarching plan is a prerequisite for progress, and improving the coaching, as has been alluded to, is a bread and butter component of this.
However, there needs to be something tangible and uniform about this overall plan in order to see measurable progress, and I've said before there shouldn't be such a gap in the quality of coaching in the development squads and that available at club level- if the standard of coaching in clubs and schools improves, then the quality of players making the development squads will improve, and less time will need to be spent coaching skills in the squads, and a greater emphasis can be placed on strategic gameplay and increasing the speed, accuracy and intensity of the gameplay, which should lead to a more competitive minor team, and ultimately contributing county senior players.
To my mind, this would entail a specific skills-set for all players across a particular age-group, and a conscious effort to improve all players in a particular group; the tendency is to build a team around 2-4 particularly strong individuals, with the rest of the team merely a supporting cast to get the ball to these 2-4 players.
These lads, be it through physical strength or raw pace, tend to dominate through u14 and u16- in football, they can barrel their way through the middle and bury the ball- but is their vision, their footwork and their decision making being properly developed? Are they being allowed to play to their strengths at that particular time, while neglecting to work on their weaknesses?
That's always the temptation for underage coaching, and it would involve a fundamental shift in thinking for many coaches.
There would also need to be a properly implemented code of standards and behaviour for underage coaches put in place and monitored within the clubs regarding the way coaches communicate with players. Screaming abuse at players and referees, getting involved in slagging matches with mentors or supporters of opposition teams is both unsightly and hypocritical when the same coaches would demand respect and dedication from the players in training.

[joe bloggs]

Anyone would think we never held coaching courses in this county. They are going for years. The problem is getting enough people to do them, and then follow through what they learn at them.

[sam88885a]

i think last night was a very positive first step .
i find it amazing that because they talked about ground hurling drill people think there living in the past. ground hurling requires more skill .
anyone can strike a ball in the air but if u master ur ground hurling then u will have a much higher skill level.
they were promoting groung hurling drills as a way to improve overall skill level . neither of them suggested than offaly team or offaly clubs should play ground hurling .
they real big message was to be positive stop they negativaty . every one saying lads are useless , they dont care ,they can hurl , get into lads head and thier defeated before the start .
ex player will have to stop finding faults and look for a guys potental thats the message i think came across load and clear.
well done to all and a special thanks to the two kilkenny men healy and fogerty .

[jimbob17]

Well said Substandard......I was there last night and left annoyed and extremely disappointed.....Wasnt so much a forum but a rally call to enthuse people to "Get them out hurlin"......Like a Pied Piper to the rats. While I thought Fogarty spoke very well, i felt that at times he spoofed a bit and gave away very little about the strategic thinking in Kilkenny - how they run development squads etc..... Healy also spoke for a good while but said very little in terms of strategic thinking in how to reinvigorate the process other than build character and work on repetitive drills and BE ENTHUSIASTIC which was one of the main things i took from the evening!!!

Now there were some very legitimate points about coach education and this is central but that will get you so far only! It will build a solid foundation but no more than that! To my mind there is a lot of good work going on in clubs etc. To me the problem is with lack of resources put into county teams!!!!

Now i am trying to be positive here but i heard little about what we are going to do strategically to do these things! that is the problem.....It was all too vague. What did we leave with? Mick Dempsey coming in to do few courses on S&C...build the skills, get them hurlin..... and we will be grand.... HAVE WE NOT BEEN DOING THIS???? and it hasn't been working!!!!

I heard nothing about initiatives been put in place to support a structure! What happens when Mick Dempsey and Martin Fogarty toddle back to Kilkenny? What are the plans then about engaging with Offaly people who care? Good coaches who care? Hurling people who care? Engaging with schools and clubs? Sport Science S&C guys who are more qualified than Mick Dempsey and would love to be involved if treated with respect? What happens in the vacuum when they go away?

Where is the actual plan?

What will be done to keep players wanting to play for Offaly - to address player retention - a huge problem. Will they be treated with respect? and like other county hurlers in other hurling counties?
What will they do to address the issues over player expenses that are often unpaid and long over due?
What about the failure to provide boots to our county players that GPA fund county board to pay for?
What about providing gear to our players that they are entitled to after a deal struck under Eugene McGee ten years ago?
What about the hiring of grossly inexperienced management teams and backroom teams that are totally under funded, under resourced and often either inexperienced or unqualified by comparison to other counties?
What about the plan to stop constantly doing things on the cheap?
What about addressing the fact that there are numerous people around the county - players, doctors, physios, chefs, masseurs, coaches, shops, hotels in various parts of the county and country and there are many - key people that are left without expenses and unpaid for work and services provided?
What about the plan to respect the people that do trojan work for GAA in Offaly and OUR PLAYERS?
What about a plan to support the development squads properly?
To respect the people that will be central to a revival? There are countless coaches (and good ones) and countless players that simply will not engage with the county board any more for this simple reason!

There were 2 or three questions that were asked at the end to try and ask some of these questions - to huge round of applause. Were they answered? No? Was there someone off the county board available to answer any question? No. Are we any clearer as to what might happen to address these issues? No. What was the ratio of question time to lecture time? about 2 hrs:15 mins. Was this adequate? No. Did it suit the county board? Yes! Was it an open forum? No

I spoke to some people after who would be very central to hurling in Offaly including former members of the county board executive who were less than impressed! This is not a slight against the presentations of the 2 men that spoke - more a disillusionment that sees us possibly (hopefully not) continue with the status quo. A lack of respect for everyone involved bar the board members themselves! To me it was a great attempt at giving people what they want and needed without actually giving it!

[Kevin]

Ok Lads

Last Night was advertised as Stage one of Offaly Recovery. implementing Skill Coaching In Team Preparation

The two advertised Main speaker with coaches.
Complaining that the the whole thing was about coaching is along the line of complaining that there two many Irish in the St. Patrick Day parade.

--------------------------------

You have to start somewhere. Last night was that start. If we complain that they did nothing. We should praising them when they start trying.

Lads Been underwhelmed by a step in the correct direction after 10 years of stand still is like complaining about a person in a coma not talking to you.

Anyone that was underwhelmed by last night. I have a plan for you. This is Diarmuid Healy e-mail address: diarmuidhealy@eircom.net
Take the time to write out what you want to see change in Offaly hurling and E-mail him and explain why you think these change will improve Offaly hurling.

Tox, your passion and use of analogies are a potent combination! Fair play.

[DAF]

Any idea when it will be announced that Jim McGuinness will be coming down to teach us how to play football?

[Truesupporter]

Re : DAF.
Its that type of attitude that has us where we are in both codes! I would be open to any one that knows how to achieve success at the highest level help in us out of the hole we are in,

It is easy to knock, harder to build. The meeting in Birr should be looked at as the builderss moving in and giving us the tools and materials. But WE have to be the labourers ourselves and rebuild Offaly hurling and football.

And remember Jimmy's winning matches!!!!