Offaly v Carlow, Leinster round robin Saturday 7th May
Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 10:11 pm
I don’t know anything about Carlow, so there won’t be a ‘verdict’ piece at the bottom of this piece.
Last chance for Offaly to save their season. And even then, a win for Kerry over Westmeath (played at the same time in Tralee) would leave Offaly in a very precarious position. If that was the case, Offaly would need to run up a big winning margin against Carlow.
Writing in the Offaly Independent last week, Kevin Egan expressed concern at Offaly hurling’s carefree attitude to league fixtures. That manifested itself in Mullingar as Offaly travelled to play a league match with the hosts geared up for championship’s opener. They brought a knife to a gunfight. This thing of Offaly needing to be underdogs, needing to be written off, has to be removed from the psyche. Anyway, it will be a while before Offaly will be underdogs again.
3pm on a Saturday is the ‘graveyard shift’ as regards championship hurling. Very few locals will attend – you have to earn support, people aren’t stupid, and Saturday is a working day for many.
Carlow lost to Westmeath and Laois by a combined total of five points last year. They are no mugs. Read the Séamus Murphy piece on the Leinster Council’s website.
Offaly’s lineout in Mullingar, with four half-backs, two half-forwards and three full-forwards was a surprise. All the moreso given they were assisted by the wind. They were quickly forced to revert to an orthodox formation. However. With Westmeath always going to pull Offaly defenders all over the place, it gave the security of an extra defender. And three up front gave the outlet to give it long. But out on the field, the auxiliary defender played too far forward (note Waterford’s sweeper hurls as an auxiliary full-back) and only Kevin Connolly had to deal with a dropping delivery. Like, how difficult is it to go down the flanks when you know there is a spare centre half-back (because it’s your gameplan that has been rehearsed)?
Some would see Offaly’s need to deploy a sweeper against Westmeath as the lowest point of the day. But maybe that reflects Offaly’s status in the game. With underage coaching the way it is, Offaly are completely unable to think their way around the pitch. Offaly can’t play a formation other than an orthodox 3-3-2-3-3, and can’t play as a team. Did Offaly make a single hand pass last Sunday? I don’t think they did. Éamonn Kelly will have learned alot about his charges last Sunday. He presumably will have harboured ambitions of managing his native county one day and is currently watching the chances of realising those ambitions go down the drain.
Shane Dooley – not selecting him merely cost Offaly a few dozen extra supporters who would have decided not to travel as a result. Springing him didn’t faze Aaron Craig, or anyone else from Westmeath, for that matter, and if he aggravated a hamstring injury he will be a severe doubt for Saturday.
Joseph Bergin – it’s all very well standing behind someone like Damien Joyce (who was poor under a dropping ball anyway), but you need to do more than that in order to win the ball against Tommy Doyle or Tommy Gallagher. If Shane is unavailable, Cillian Kiely should take the frees.
Communication - the contrast between Westmeath and Offaly in terms of shouting, communication with each other, was stark. Fifteen individuals had no hope against a team.
Offaly may well bring their championship game Saturday, in which case we will be entitled to ask the question – what the bloody Hell were they at in Mullingar. Still, morale can only be on the floor and it will be difficult to do anything about that in six days.
I think it needs the players to step up now. I know only Bergin, Dooley, Dempsey and Egan have made more than 30 appearances, but in that situation, others step up and make themselves heard. Leadership rolls along. It’s over to the hurlers themselves now – they downed tools after Westmeath’s first goal and couldn’t show less pride in their jersey. The weakest, most anaemic Offaly display in living memory.
They have a chance to set that right now.
Backlash!
Last chance for Offaly to save their season. And even then, a win for Kerry over Westmeath (played at the same time in Tralee) would leave Offaly in a very precarious position. If that was the case, Offaly would need to run up a big winning margin against Carlow.
Writing in the Offaly Independent last week, Kevin Egan expressed concern at Offaly hurling’s carefree attitude to league fixtures. That manifested itself in Mullingar as Offaly travelled to play a league match with the hosts geared up for championship’s opener. They brought a knife to a gunfight. This thing of Offaly needing to be underdogs, needing to be written off, has to be removed from the psyche. Anyway, it will be a while before Offaly will be underdogs again.
3pm on a Saturday is the ‘graveyard shift’ as regards championship hurling. Very few locals will attend – you have to earn support, people aren’t stupid, and Saturday is a working day for many.
Carlow lost to Westmeath and Laois by a combined total of five points last year. They are no mugs. Read the Séamus Murphy piece on the Leinster Council’s website.
Offaly’s lineout in Mullingar, with four half-backs, two half-forwards and three full-forwards was a surprise. All the moreso given they were assisted by the wind. They were quickly forced to revert to an orthodox formation. However. With Westmeath always going to pull Offaly defenders all over the place, it gave the security of an extra defender. And three up front gave the outlet to give it long. But out on the field, the auxiliary defender played too far forward (note Waterford’s sweeper hurls as an auxiliary full-back) and only Kevin Connolly had to deal with a dropping delivery. Like, how difficult is it to go down the flanks when you know there is a spare centre half-back (because it’s your gameplan that has been rehearsed)?
Some would see Offaly’s need to deploy a sweeper against Westmeath as the lowest point of the day. But maybe that reflects Offaly’s status in the game. With underage coaching the way it is, Offaly are completely unable to think their way around the pitch. Offaly can’t play a formation other than an orthodox 3-3-2-3-3, and can’t play as a team. Did Offaly make a single hand pass last Sunday? I don’t think they did. Éamonn Kelly will have learned alot about his charges last Sunday. He presumably will have harboured ambitions of managing his native county one day and is currently watching the chances of realising those ambitions go down the drain.
Shane Dooley – not selecting him merely cost Offaly a few dozen extra supporters who would have decided not to travel as a result. Springing him didn’t faze Aaron Craig, or anyone else from Westmeath, for that matter, and if he aggravated a hamstring injury he will be a severe doubt for Saturday.
Joseph Bergin – it’s all very well standing behind someone like Damien Joyce (who was poor under a dropping ball anyway), but you need to do more than that in order to win the ball against Tommy Doyle or Tommy Gallagher. If Shane is unavailable, Cillian Kiely should take the frees.
Communication - the contrast between Westmeath and Offaly in terms of shouting, communication with each other, was stark. Fifteen individuals had no hope against a team.
Offaly may well bring their championship game Saturday, in which case we will be entitled to ask the question – what the bloody Hell were they at in Mullingar. Still, morale can only be on the floor and it will be difficult to do anything about that in six days.
I think it needs the players to step up now. I know only Bergin, Dooley, Dempsey and Egan have made more than 30 appearances, but in that situation, others step up and make themselves heard. Leadership rolls along. It’s over to the hurlers themselves now – they downed tools after Westmeath’s first goal and couldn’t show less pride in their jersey. The weakest, most anaemic Offaly display in living memory.
They have a chance to set that right now.
Backlash!