League & Championship hurling 2022

[Fairplayalways]

1. Eamonn Cleary (Shinrone)
2. Darren Crean (Shinrone)
3. Ciaran Burke (Ballinamere)
4. Oisin Murphy (Birr)
5. Jordan Quinn (Kk)
6. Michael Cleary (Shinrone)
7. Killian Sampson (Shinrone)
8.Cillian Kiely (Kk)
9.Conor Mahon (Kk)
10. Patrick Clancy (Belmont)
11. Donal Morkan (Shinrone)
12. Cathal Kiely (Kk)
13. David Nally (Belmont)
14.Ciaran Cleary (Shinrone)
15. Jason Sampson (Shinrone)

My stab at a team of the year! These teams are always debatable just a bit of fun.

7 Shinrone
4 Kk
2 Belmont
1 Birr
1 Ballinamere

a great team there no doubt and the ould question of course is how does one leave the likes of Ben Conneely out of that team (was he captain of Offaly this year?) and if to include him where do you put him, surely he alone would be a sole Rynaghs man to claim a spot, not his usual self this year but one swallow doesnt make a summer but he was one of Rynaghs better players this year, be Cleary did give him bother in Q/F but that was one game against the eventual county champions, Shinrone only beat them by 2 points in that Q/F. nothing at all wrong with the team above I must say.

[greenairfield]

Burke had a very ordinary year if you were at the games I attended

[pigeon house biffo]

Ciaran Cleary has to be a shoe in for the county panel next year. Himself and Oisin Kelly would offer serious physical threat in the inside forward line.

I suppose a lot of the players mentioned in that team above have actually been involved with the county and not really stood out. Will Shinrones victory make their players more or less likely to come into the county setup? Looking at KK, Rynaghs and Coolderry (the prominent teams of the last decade) there doesnt seem to be an awful lot of talent from their starting 15s that would contribute to the county team. Conneelly, Luke O Conner from rynaghs is about all you could tally really, what happened to Aidan Treacy who was a nailed on starter? everyone else has either been involved and opted out or are coming towards the end of their careers. Coolderry are still very reliant on Brian Carroll who can't go on forever and surely now must be considering his next step with Coolderry looking to be stepping back into the pack. For all the talk of KKs underage talent, they still lined out with G. Healion at 14 and brought Gorman in off the line when the game was getting away from them. Maybe I'm being unduly negative but it looks like the best players on the best teams are all the wrong side of 30 and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot sticking their hands up to take their jersies. Would love to see the Kielys involved next year but feel that boat has sailed now that we're the far side of Covid and they've tasted life outside of the intercounty scene. In fairness Cillian got far more hardship than praise when he was involved so why he would go back in is a mystery. Brendan Maher is an interesting appointment but there is a hint of the michael fennelly 'glamour' appointment, said it before about our new found wealth being viewed upon by outsiders as a way to line their pockets, we shall see. Very curious to see what level of buy-in the new management get, even moreso than in years gone by, Offaly can ill afford to suffer a big turnover of players again.

[chimbonda]

Ciaran Cleary has to be a shoe in for the county panel next year. Himself and Oisin Kelly would offer serious physical threat in the inside forward line.

I suppose a lot of the players mentioned in that team above have actually been involved with the county and not really stood out. Will Shinrones victory make their players more or less likely to come into the county setup? Looking at KK, Rynaghs and Coolderry (the prominent teams of the last decade) there doesnt seem to be an awful lot of talent from their starting 15s that would contribute to the county team. Conneelly, Luke O Conner from rynaghs is about all you could tally really, what happened to Aidan Treacy who was a nailed on starter? everyone else has either been involved and opted out or are coming towards the end of their careers. Coolderry are still very reliant on Brian Carroll who can't go on forever and surely now must be considering his next step with Coolderry looking to be stepping back into the pack. For all the talk of KKs underage talent, they still lined out with G. Healion at 14 and brought Gorman in off the line when the game was getting away from them. Maybe I'm being unduly negative but it looks like the best players on the best teams are all the wrong side of 30 and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot sticking their hands up to take their jersies. Would love to see the Kielys involved next year but feel that boat has sailed now that we're the far side of Covid and they've tasted life outside of the intercounty scene. In fairness Cillian got far more hardship than praise when he was involved so why he would go back in is a mystery. Brendan Maher is an interesting appointment but there is a hint of the michael fennelly 'glamour' appointment, said it before about our new found wealth being viewed upon by outsiders as a way to line their pockets, we shall see. Very curious to see what level of buy-in the new management get, even moreso than in years gone by, Offaly can ill afford to suffer a big turnover of players again.

Ciaran Cleary is apparently going to Australia for a year at the end of October so will even be missing for Shinrones leinster campaign.

[pigeon house biffo]

Ciaran Cleary has to be a shoe in for the county panel next year. Himself and Oisin Kelly would offer serious physical threat in the inside forward line.

I suppose a lot of the players mentioned in that team above have actually been involved with the county and not really stood out. Will Shinrones victory make their players more or less likely to come into the county setup? Looking at KK, Rynaghs and Coolderry (the prominent teams of the last decade) there doesnt seem to be an awful lot of talent from their starting 15s that would contribute to the county team. Conneelly, Luke O Conner from rynaghs is about all you could tally really, what happened to Aidan Treacy who was a nailed on starter? everyone else has either been involved and opted out or are coming towards the end of their careers. Coolderry are still very reliant on Brian Carroll who can't go on forever and surely now must be considering his next step with Coolderry looking to be stepping back into the pack. For all the talk of KKs underage talent, they still lined out with G. Healion at 14 and brought Gorman in off the line when the game was getting away from them. Maybe I'm being unduly negative but it looks like the best players on the best teams are all the wrong side of 30 and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot sticking their hands up to take their jersies. Would love to see the Kielys involved next year but feel that boat has sailed now that we're the far side of Covid and they've tasted life outside of the intercounty scene. In fairness Cillian got far more hardship than praise when he was involved so why he would go back in is a mystery. Brendan Maher is an interesting appointment but there is a hint of the michael fennelly 'glamour' appointment, said it before about our new found wealth being viewed upon by outsiders as a way to line their pockets, we shall see. Very curious to see what level of buy-in the new management get, even moreso than in years gone by, Offaly can ill afford to suffer a big turnover of players again.

Ciaran Cleary is apparently going to Australia for a year at the end of October so will even be missing for Shinrones leinster campaign.

Fair play. In fairness you couldn't blame the lad.

[private joker]

I've said from the outset that KKs style of play is not great. Dont really pass unless they have to, route one stuff. Can't really say they are a well coached side. Thing they just have lads ready to battle and as individuals can usually beat the opposite number. Now, that way of playing is plenty good enough to win counties but outside of offaly they need to do better. I fully expect kk to be back in the top two next year, really doubt shinrone will be to be honest. Absolutely delighted that they got their county title but, they rode their luck this year and could easily have conceded 3 goals in the 1st half on Sunday. Their match against Naas will be a hell of a game. Naas mean to do big things in the next decade. Be interesting to see how that match plays out.

[TerraceTalk]

A fella put it to me today that KK might consider a change of management going into next year after a bit of a stop-start campaign and a very much disappointing showing on Sunday. Now I don’t like talking about another man’s job, but that seems unlikely and a bit rash if anything? Let the dust settle I would say. Would be interested to hear peoples thoughts.

[private joker]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a change of mgt. Old school mentality, win your battle.

[Fairplayalways]

After Rynaghs win in 1993 (before the 23 year gap to 2016)in the years immediately after the then higher archy apparently wanted a change in management (rightly or wrongly is another matter) but some players and many others associated with set up didnt, they drew a county final with Clareen around 94 and lost the replay by a point as far as I recall, but the gun was fired and the higher archy ensured they got their way, Rynaghs were to go 23 years without a county final win, and some of top talent fell away (not all but alot too) so KK need to thread carefully and not throw the baby out with the bathwater as the saying goes, they were unbeaten in championship up until Sunday, and I know losing by 7 points is a fair beating, but Shinrone would probably have beaten any other team before them last Sunday. Unbeaten all year upto Sunday, they are not a million mile off the mark and KK would have beaten other teams last Sunday. Steady as she goes as they say.

[private joker]

I'd say the fact that Birr came on the scene in the way that they did had a lot more to do with it than rynaghs changing their mgt team.

[Fairplayalways]

oh no doubt, Clareen were a great team too then, but remember Rynaghs had almost as many county minors from the 87/89 era too as Birr and many of those players were Offaly players at that time too, along with the likes of Micheal Conneely and Hanamy and others, so Rynaghs certainly had great talent (county players) for sure but a whole host of club players came and went during that time for Rynaghs, ok Birr retained theirs as they won a Leinster in 1991/92 and won the club in in 1995 so I suppose it was easier keep players, but I do know Rynaghs had a generation of players at that time who had relatively short careers and many just drifted away. Changing management when you have a very good squad can work two ways...it was not certainly the one thing that led to Rynaghs famine for the next 23 years but one never knows, a county final was won in 1993..

[Onionbag]

Would be surprised to see any changes of management inKK. Unbeaten all way to final in first year is fair going in fairness to mgt..

Birr could look for change after 3 years with same man.

Rynaghs will stay with their new man I presume, a lot of players missing at various stages, which you can't blame players either.

Shinrone definitely stay with fletcher

Ballinamere and Belmont will stay same too.

Tullamore will give mgt team chance at senior.

Can't see to many vacancies tbh in senior teams

[private joker]

Ballinamere coach is gone I think.

[Onionbag]

Ballinamere coach is gone I think.

Didn't hear that tbh

[Onionbag]

His first year. Did a good job getting them to knockout hurling. Would be surprised at that