Re: Laois v Offaly – Leinster Hurling Quarter Final 7th Ju
Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 11:02 am
i will fill in a few blanks for you all star...and as always I will call it as it is.
on the leinster quarter final on sunday week, if offaly apply themselves, you will win comfortably by maybe 5 points or more.
my read for what it is worth, is that laois played ok for one half of the entire league campaign(2nd half against offaly when mostly with 14 men), save for that laois were poor. the laois antrim game was a bottom of the barrel encounter, and it was obvious that something was amiss with antrim and their subsequent fall from grace no surprise.
since that league game (the win saving laois' bacon), the laois squad had a week on the continent in the sun(first ever for a hurling squad, pre championship), and from there, laois were bad against antrim, conjuring a defeat from victory, should have hammered Carlow and ended up clinging on, and played for 20 minutes against Westmeath and it got them across the line...........there is no nice way of putting this, but, the standard in this qualifying group is very poor, and does nothing for improving hurling in laois, scrambling against Westmeath and Carlow has negative mental outcomes, because the players then see themselves as no hopers against the big guns. a secondary effect of this group system is that club teams are denied their county panellists for up to 6 to 8 weeks, and with the laois league stages coming to a conclusion and knockout and relegation looming, there are plenty of discontented clubs about in laois.
now I know some of you may not accept this, anyway, I believe due to a decent recent conveyor belt of underage talent coming through in laois,we are now assembling a better quality squad than at offalys disposal. when cheddar took over the senior set up, it was flat as a pancake on the rim, and I suppose the only way was up.
Cheddar for all his sound bites, is a theory and organisational expert, he put together a good set up, Cunningham and br damian originally, and assembled the extra personnel expected to attend to an intercounty squad. laois have improved from a point of zero 3 years ago, rattling galway twice and enjoying a decent league in 2014. alas in 2015, despite having a full squad, and getting the foreign holiday, the results and performances have been bad.....in the league....fair v offaly, collapsed v Waterford...defensively all over the shop v wexford, the limerick game was a glorified challenge match as limerick had thrown in the league towel after their defeat in wexford, and against antrim, an ugly win....the hair raising element of the antrim game, was when they had a man sent off, the laois sideline failed to react to the situation, a bad sign.
in 2013 laois upset the odds to reach a provincial under 21 final with a modest side. cheddar sought out and was given the management of the under 21 side in 2014 and again this year...both squads were above average by historic laois standards......lack of pinpoint preparation for the under 21s resulted last year in defeat at parnell park to Dublin, and last nights defeat to Carlow was hard to stomach....Carlow worked harder and on that basis deserved the win, but this squad exiting to a moderate side was the definition of under achievement. Cheddar, the "manager" of this under 21 squad, was not present on the sideline last night, because the rumour mill whispered last night, he had resigned in a strop over county squad players, playing with their clubs. if the rumours are true, and he did indeed abandon this u21 side pre match, then the manager must take a large proportion of the blame for the defeat, as the pre match dressing room must of stank of a bad attitude.
in conclusion, cheddar has laid some solid foundations, his time is up(the players are now fed up of the same voice and ideas), a more expert brickie is now required to continue the building process. whether cheddar returns to take charge for the offaly game or not, it will have little material difference on the outcome, as offaly will win the game.
and to all star, the laois under 21 team would be a long way better than the offaly one, and I expect you to come up short versus the McDonald led wexford in the semi.
on the leinster quarter final on sunday week, if offaly apply themselves, you will win comfortably by maybe 5 points or more.
my read for what it is worth, is that laois played ok for one half of the entire league campaign(2nd half against offaly when mostly with 14 men), save for that laois were poor. the laois antrim game was a bottom of the barrel encounter, and it was obvious that something was amiss with antrim and their subsequent fall from grace no surprise.
since that league game (the win saving laois' bacon), the laois squad had a week on the continent in the sun(first ever for a hurling squad, pre championship), and from there, laois were bad against antrim, conjuring a defeat from victory, should have hammered Carlow and ended up clinging on, and played for 20 minutes against Westmeath and it got them across the line...........there is no nice way of putting this, but, the standard in this qualifying group is very poor, and does nothing for improving hurling in laois, scrambling against Westmeath and Carlow has negative mental outcomes, because the players then see themselves as no hopers against the big guns. a secondary effect of this group system is that club teams are denied their county panellists for up to 6 to 8 weeks, and with the laois league stages coming to a conclusion and knockout and relegation looming, there are plenty of discontented clubs about in laois.
now I know some of you may not accept this, anyway, I believe due to a decent recent conveyor belt of underage talent coming through in laois,we are now assembling a better quality squad than at offalys disposal. when cheddar took over the senior set up, it was flat as a pancake on the rim, and I suppose the only way was up.
Cheddar for all his sound bites, is a theory and organisational expert, he put together a good set up, Cunningham and br damian originally, and assembled the extra personnel expected to attend to an intercounty squad. laois have improved from a point of zero 3 years ago, rattling galway twice and enjoying a decent league in 2014. alas in 2015, despite having a full squad, and getting the foreign holiday, the results and performances have been bad.....in the league....fair v offaly, collapsed v Waterford...defensively all over the shop v wexford, the limerick game was a glorified challenge match as limerick had thrown in the league towel after their defeat in wexford, and against antrim, an ugly win....the hair raising element of the antrim game, was when they had a man sent off, the laois sideline failed to react to the situation, a bad sign.
in 2013 laois upset the odds to reach a provincial under 21 final with a modest side. cheddar sought out and was given the management of the under 21 side in 2014 and again this year...both squads were above average by historic laois standards......lack of pinpoint preparation for the under 21s resulted last year in defeat at parnell park to Dublin, and last nights defeat to Carlow was hard to stomach....Carlow worked harder and on that basis deserved the win, but this squad exiting to a moderate side was the definition of under achievement. Cheddar, the "manager" of this under 21 squad, was not present on the sideline last night, because the rumour mill whispered last night, he had resigned in a strop over county squad players, playing with their clubs. if the rumours are true, and he did indeed abandon this u21 side pre match, then the manager must take a large proportion of the blame for the defeat, as the pre match dressing room must of stank of a bad attitude.
in conclusion, cheddar has laid some solid foundations, his time is up(the players are now fed up of the same voice and ideas), a more expert brickie is now required to continue the building process. whether cheddar returns to take charge for the offaly game or not, it will have little material difference on the outcome, as offaly will win the game.
and to all star, the laois under 21 team would be a long way better than the offaly one, and I expect you to come up short versus the McDonald led wexford in the semi.