azoffaly wrote:Jaysus Shark, that's harsh on Mac. He's the same age, or a year younger than me, so he's hardly 15 years past his peak. 15 years ago he was 20 or 19
Seriously?????
I have recollections of him being around for ages and even getting a few runs for Offaly in the mid 1990's - maybe I have my years wrong. Firstly my apologies to Kieran, who as I mentioned before is still a fine footballer and made bits of us in the Junior last year, hence my relief that he won't be around tonight, but even so shouldn't be the best candidate for upgrading to senior that a club like Gracefield have.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
Seriously. He was Corner Forward on the Offaly Minor team of 1991, and he may have been on the Under 21 team that won the leinster in 1995. He did get a few run outs with Offaly in the mid 90s, but he was in his early 20s at that stage. (I think he may have knocked around the panel for a few years in fairness).
Shane Gavin. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
Vital win for Ferbane on Saturday night, and great to get it. Ferbane will play better, and in the future will probably play better and lose, but to win a game like that is a great way to get going. The conditions were brutal, Edenderry were well up for it, and Ferbane had a few lads that never really got going, but for a young team they dug in, and fought for every ball without giving away silly frees that could have cost them. Ferbane bounced back well from the early concession of a penalty, and that was also good to see. This Ferbane team hasn't won the first game in the championship for a while now, and it had the real feel of a monkey off the backs.
In the second half, we began to tie up, started getting sucked towards our own goal, and our forwards became disconnected from our backs, which lead to a lot of over carrying into trouble, and messy passages of play, but when the rubber hit the road, it was Ferbane who held on just about.
Edenderry will be very disappointed. They had a chance of winning that game, or at least drawing, and in the circumstances that would probably have been fair enough, but our lads fought, and fought, and fought and got their reward for that at the end.
Big game against Tubber now, but it's great to be able to have your own fate still in your hands after the first game of the year, which is often the most important, especially for teams trying to break through.
Shane Gavin. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
azoffaly wrote:I think it's supposed to be the weekend after next.
Yup, this is correct!
County board announced before the first round of fixtures that for the second round, to keep all games at their most competitive, it'll be Loser v Loser and Winner v Winner, so next round of games starting from next Friday 24th July,
Group A, Ballycumber v Shannonbridge & Rhode v Shamrocks
Group B, Ferbane v Tubber & Edenderry v Tullamore
Group C, Clara v Brigids & Erin Rovers v Gracefield.
Leaving it all very interesting indeed......... Win and you're right back in it, lose and you've still a lot to play for going into final match.
I have to say. I know there has been a fair bit of criticism of the fixture list and all that side of it on another thread (I can't find it). But I think this system is working great.
At the start of the year we were told we'd be out the weekend of the 11th of July and we were and we were told it'd be run of at about a game every two weeks. Which it looks like we will. I think it is a matter of getting round the fact that it was a long way looking forward when you were training away in the cold of the winter but it has been kept to.
I also know there are issues with the Juniors and I fully sympathise with them and I also know they CB were "lucky" that Offaly had such a poor run in so many codes.
Last year I would have said the season needed a major restructuring. Now I reckon it only needs a few tweaks.
TheManFromFerbane wrote:
Last year I would have said the season needed a major restructuring. Now I reckon it only needs a few tweaks.
In terms of the championship, I would tend to agree, and that's from a Junior perspective. (Though talk to me again after tonight when I'm looking for excuses... )
I think there is a bit of an issue with the leagues ending so soon, that's the main thing. If we had league football up until the middle of June, with the semi finals and finals in weeks 3 and 4 of June, then it wouldn't be so bad. (I personally would prefer no semi finals and have everyone playing in week 3, but if the clubs voted for them, then so be it). The problem was not that there was no championship in June, the problem was that there was no football whatsoever, though granted there were some hurling league games.
Of course next year the issue will be whether or not to copy the hurling structure for the football.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
LS, sure what is the problem of having no championship in June? Everyone knew that it was starting in July and that the leagues were finishing in June. The only fixture problem would come about if the county teams progressed further than anticipated. If that happened surely the clubs wouldnt mind accomodating them, at least there would have been sign of progress. By your same assertions would you want the inter county championshipsto begin in April? Get over it..........
Hyper wrote:LS, sure what is the problem of having no championship in June? Everyone knew that it was starting in July and that the leagues were finishing in June. The only fixture problem would come about if the county teams progressed further than anticipated. If that happened surely the clubs wouldnt mind accomodating them, at least there would have been sign of progress. By your same assertions would you want the inter county championshipsto begin in April? Get over it..........
As I keep saying, the problem is not no championship in June - the problem is no football at all in june and scrambling around for challenge matches, which are far from dependable at best, often descend into farcical affairs and often leads to the junior team getting forgotten about. I've no problem with the championship starting when it does - though we were no worse than Wexford, and if we had got an extra point or two in Wexford park, we could be where they are now - on constant standby.
Still though, run the leagues up to later and it's fine. I just don't like the idea of a month without any football at all in the height of the season.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
From a Ferbane perspective, a six point defeat to Tullamore would in all probability lead to elimination - and since we've been eliminated on points difference for the last two years, I'm sure fate will make sure that if we don't look after our own corner, that's exactly what will happen.
That's not trying to run down Edenderry, but it's very hard to break the cycle of narrow defeats and that match on Sunday evening was as much down to psychology as anything else. Edenderry should have closed that game out but they simply allowed Tullamore's tactics to dictate how the game was played and failed to defend a pretty rudimentary high ball. Obviously that's not meant to take away from John Kenny who showed great bravery, but I don't know of two many fullbacks/keepers who'd be happy to concede a goal like that. If Tullamore did that to them, Tubber could easily do the same.
In terms of the draw, well I've never heard complaints about it being unfair before, so I would presume it's all above board.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
