Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

A forum to air your views on Offaly GAA matters and beyond.
kaiserchief
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by kaiserchief »

Well done to the management and players after what could only have been the worst week of their lives from what is being reported.

Carlow through the kitchen sink at Offaly in the first 5 mins of both halves but couldn't last the pace up. Some good individual displays for Offaly from McDonald, King, Murphy, Sean Cleary and Dooley. Mullrooney and Podge Guinan made a difference when introduced.

Colin Egan is said to have broken a rib last week in training and Sean Ryan was suffering from concussion. Both are set to be back for the next day along with Niall Wynne who was suffering a hamstring injury. Be good to have all 3 back the next and strengthen our hand as much as possible.

Faith is in our own hands against Kerry. Its knockout championship hurling and will show if we have men or boys in our camp.
No bullshit or sweeper system, just 15 on 15 and hurl..

Sharp Eye
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Sharp Eye »

Congratulations on the most vital victory Offaly has obtained in many years. Elimination from the "Liam Mc Carthy" would have destroyed Offaly hurling.
While the victory was vital, it was also somewhat fortunate. Had Carlow converted their chances after half time, Offaly would have been playing Christy Ring in 2017.
The panel is not strong enough to take on Kerry with confidence. Management at this late stage, must telephone our better players, who are not in the panel, and get them on board. Kilcormac/Killoughey are very strongly fancied to win the Offaly senior hurling championship this year, which will be their 4th title in 5 years. Rumour has it that there is only one member from that club on the county panel. Don't tell me that these players are not committed to hurling. Their record speaks for itself. Good managers get the best from the best.

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townman
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by townman »

lets leave all this k/k bullshit behind us and go with what we have, i am sure if the kilcormac/killoughey lads wanted to hurl with offaly they would be in there.

Sharp Eye
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Sharp Eye »

townman wrote:lets leave all this k/k bullshit behind us and go with what we have, i am sure if the kilcormac/killoughey lads wanted to hurl with offaly they would be in there.
A number of their players have recently recovered from injuries. Many of their players would have been tired of hurling last October after 4 years hurling with Kilcormac/Killoughey with very limited breaks. Their defeat in last year's semi-final has probably resulted in a fully refreshed team. By all accounts their recent league performance against Coolderry was outstanding. Victories for Offaly over Kerry & Laois will get Offaly out of the Round Robin next year.

To get Offaly back on track, the first step must be to try and get the best players back on board. I think it is worth a few phone calls.

ryot
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by ryot »

There is no way lads who refused to join the panel and train with the lads for 6 months shhould be brought in less than 14 days before a vital championship game....

It would be a massive insult to those who committed in November and have worked their asses off ever since.

Now if there are lads out there who declied to join this year and want to join in November for the winter training, be they from KK or elsewhere, fine,,,,,,,

Plain of the Herbs
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

Absolutely agree. Imagine what bringing fellas in now would do for team spirit. Éamonn Kelly has more cop on than that.

And I'm backing Éamonn Kelly.
ryot wrote:There is no way lads who refused to join the panel and train with the lads for 6 months shhould be brought in less than 14 days before a vital championship game....

It would be a massive insult to those who committed in November and have worked their asses off ever since.

Now if there are lads out there who declied to join this year and want to join in November for the winter training, be they from KK or elsewhere, fine,,,,,,,
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

allstar2010
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by allstar2010 »

Sharp Eye wrote:
To get Offaly back on track, the first step must be to try and get the best players back on board. I think it is worth a few phone calls.
I don't think so Sharp Eye, if any additions were to be made it should have been done after the first round of Club championship. It would be a huge insult to the current players after the week they've had. I'd imagine this group are determined now to push on together and make something of the remainder of the season.

Sharp Eye
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Sharp Eye »

Plain of the Herbs wrote:Absolutely agree. Imagine what bringing fellas in now would do for team spirit. Éamonn Kelly has more cop on than that.

And I'm backing Éamonn Kelly.
ryot wrote:There is no way lads who refused to join the panel and train with the lads for 6 months shhould be brought in less than 14 days before a vital championship game....

It would be a massive insult to those who committed in November and have worked their asses off ever since.

Now if there are lads out there who declied to join this year and want to join in November for the winter training, be they from KK or elsewhere, fine,,,,,,,
The manager appears to have done this already. I don't think David King and Kevin Connolly have been training since last November. The Westmeath result and the current form of the Offaly Hurling Team calls for drastic actions!

sam88885a
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by sam88885a »

sharp eye i see where ur coming from ,
i expect kk to win their 4 county title in 5 years this year , simply because the have by far the most tallented hurlers at the moment and m fogerty will have them fitter than ever but those kk guys arent coming back this year .
i think if the play to their potental they will win easily this year.

e kelly and the kk lads seemed to get off on the wrong foot and c kiely is the only kk left and even he was suppose to be dropped earlier and then came back . pity because these guys live hurling and are at their physical peak now,
dont know whether it has anything to do with the way the county disrespected d owens .
guys like d regan dont help with his gobshite remark.
we have a panel i think are good enough to beat kerry and laois , we have to get on with it

offaly need to beat kerry but so does e kelly he wont want to be as the manager that lost to kerry twice in the one year after leaving them last year and having lost to westmeath aswell this year .

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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Bord na Mona man »

Offaly official slams pundits as abuse 'goes too far'
Jackie Cahill

A leading Offaly official has railed against the criticism dished out to the county's hurling team from pundits "collecting fees on radio stations and papers".

Faithful county secretary Tommy Byrne insists that the abuse of players and managers has "gone way too far".
Byrne was reacting to comments from Offaly boss Eamonn Kelly over the weekend, who claimed that he was abused by anonymous phone callers following the shock Leinster SHC round-robin defeat to Westmeath nine days ago.

Byrne added that there was "no real explanation for the Westmeath thing" but was pleased to see Offaly get their campaign back on track with a hard-earned victory over 13-man Carlow in Tullamore on Saturday.
Kelly and his players were hammered locally following the Westmeath defeat, and former Offaly All-Ireland SHC winner Daithí Regan also made his feelings known on national radio station Newstalk.

Byrne reflected: "There's work to be done and there is work being done. Our minors are in a Leinster semi-final on Saturday (against Wexford) and they're in with a chance.
"Some of the lads giving out don't even know what's going on. They're collecting fees on radio stations and papers, not even at any of these matches."

Byrne added that he didn't "hear or see" any of Regan's comments, when he directed the bulk of his criticism at the Offaly County Board in the wake of the Westmeath defeat.
Byrne said: "I didn't hear or see it. That's the way he wants to be . . . you can't stop a fella talking."

Byrne also insisted that Kelly is the man to take Offaly forward - and has the full backing of the county board.
A number of players have not made themselves available for selection in recent years, which weakens Kelly's hand, and Byrne explained: "When Eamonn came in, he looked for lads that would make the commitment to train at a level he feels is necessary.

"Some couldn't do that and that's their choice. It's an amateur sport and you can't force them. The abuse is gone way too far, as it is probably when somebody does something good.
"Maybe it's over-hyped what the manager's role is - the players are the ones playing and some lads can have an off-day.

"We're all human. There's no real explanation for the Westmeath thing but they got back together, put their head down, trained during the week and went out and won the (Carlow) match.
"The lads he has are committed and we'll have Sean Ryan and Colin Egan back for the next game (against Kerry) as well.

"He (Kelly) is the right man for the job. We picked him, he has our full backing and he knows that.
"We're moving forward in a positive way. There's no real explanation for it (Westmeath) but recriminations are not going to solve any problems.

"The players came out on Saturday, they had a job to do and they did it."

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic- ... 00175.html

Plain of the Herbs
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

Tommy Byrne's quotes is the lowest point of the month. Rock bottom - digging like mad.

"There's no real explanation for the Westmeath thing . . ."
". . . and some lads can have an off-day."
"There's no real explanation for it (Westmeath) but recriminations are not going to solve any problems."

So you, Tommy Byrne, completely ignore your underage for two decades, consistently send out county teams who are woefully unprepared for progressive counties, and you can't explain it and call it an off day. The dogs in the streets are barking the problems at you! And you, Tommy Byrne, have the audacity to wave two fingers at us all, to sit on a report that might provide a gateway out of the mire the county is in, and instead you, Tommy Byrne, make the county a laughing stock with bullshit like that.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

Killeighman
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Killeighman »

Sharp Eye wrote:
Plain of the Herbs wrote:Absolutely agree. Imagine what bringing fellas in now would do for team spirit. Éamonn Kelly has more cop on than that.

And I'm backing Éamonn Kelly.
ryot wrote:There is no way lads who refused to join the panel and train with the lads for 6 months shhould be brought in less than 14 days before a vital championship game....

It would be a massive insult to those who committed in November and have worked their asses off ever since.

Now if there are lads out there who declied to join this year and want to join in November for the winter training, be they from KK or elsewhere, fine,,,,,,,
The manager appears to have done this already. I don't think David King and Kevin Connolly have been training since last November. The Westmeath result and the current form of the Offaly Hurling Team calls for drastic actions!
David King may not have been training with the panel since November for his own reasons but he was one of the best players out there against Carlow on Saturday and when the players are good enough they must play. We are not blessed with all stars in the county so we must pick the best players that are available

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Wing Back
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Wing Back »

Plain of the Herbs wrote:Tommy Byrne's quotes is the lowest point of the month. Rock bottom - digging like mad.

"There's no real explanation for the Westmeath thing . . ."
". . . and some lads can have an off-day."
"There's no real explanation for it (Westmeath) but recriminations are not going to solve any problems."

So you, Tommy Byrne, completely ignore your underage for two decades, consistently send out county teams who are woefully unprepared for progressive counties, and you can't explain it and call it an off day. The dogs in the streets are barking the problems at you! And you, Tommy Byrne, have the audacity to wave two fingers at us all, to sit on a report that might provide a gateway out of the mire the county is in, and instead you, Tommy Byrne, make the county a laughing stock with bullshit like that.
I have to completely agree with you POTH. What has gone on here in general is scandalous. I have friends contacting me telling me that our County Board is a complete joke. And I totally agree with them.

Like you mentioned there

20 years of total disregard for underage development hurling squads in the county
Complete lack of promotion of hurling in our schools
Complete lack of promotion of hurling in the less traditional areas

And then when something was finally put together on it they sit on it since basically December 2014. Some County Board members weren't even aware of the report and the group. Did they even attend what went on in the County Arms where hundreds made their feelings known I wonder?

The only reason that this report/plan is coming out now is because of what has happened in recent weeks with Daithi Regan and Michael Verney voicing their opinions on the airwaves. The county board were afforded the opportunity to defend themselves on radio and turned it down. It is clear that they have no leg to stand on with any of the criticism directed at them.

I was cringing reading Byrnes comments of denial about reasons for results in that article. The reasons for all the low ebbs we have experienced in recent years are blatantly obvious and to say otherwise is fooling no one. It's a pity Jackie Cahill didn't question him on the report that has been gathering dust for the last year and a half.

Embarrassment and a Joke

Just to add......I understand that it is a thankless position to take up a post in the county board at the best of times, and I do have some sympathy for them as it's not all their fault, but the fault of what went before also. But holding your hand up here and acknowledging error would look a lot better for them than burying their heads in the sand, as they are being ridiculed across the country and not just in Offaly.
'Babs keating 'resigned' as coach because of illness and fatigue. The players were sick and tired of him'

Keiap
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by Keiap »

Sharp eye your comment about kk boys hurling for 4 years without a break is bit of a cop out really.portumna have done it for 10 yrs and are still going with there county team goin pretty far in the championship..ballyhale with at least six lads on or there abouts on the county team winning all Ireland's..crossmaglen up in Armagh for the last 20 years them boys do both..then you have the best club hurling team of all time birr since 91 til 08 most of them lads hurling all year round at club and intercounty for them years..winning all Ireland's in both..so your point is invalid

allstar2010
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Re: Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May

Post by allstar2010 »

Reading Will O'Callaghans tweets from the CB meeting would make your blood boil. What an absolute joke of a county board we have at the moment. Only one club delegate questioned the delay in publishing of the report?? Holy f**k we are a laughing stock. Disgraceful carry on by all involved no accountability by anyone shur lets just carry on regardless and see if things change. Joke. Sick of this crap, time for heads to roll. New blood seriously needed on that CB.

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