Truth as i see it wrote:I seem to be talking to myself on this forum as no-one bothers to reply to my posts (must have to be in the gang and all that) but i'll say my two cents anyway.
One sure way to get somebody to reply
Truth as i see it wrote:I have to disagree about Cribben, i think for the first time in 13 years the board have got something right.
I'm not so sure. For almost the entire duration of the first-half on Saturday afternoon, nobody from 8-15 really knew where they were supposed to be playing or what they were supposed to be doing. The full forwards were half-forwards, the centre-half forward was a midfielder and then a full forward - it was chaotic.
In addition, there didn't seem to be any real tactics, with the exception of lumping it forward long and high towards Niall McNamee, who was trying to catch the ball on the goal-side of the Clare backs. This is a strange tactic. It was also tried against Meath and in my opinion doesn't work. Perhaps it has something to do with an injury that he's said to be carrying? He seems happier playing goal-side of his man and not trying to get out in front for the ball.
Anyway, Clare overran Offaly in that first-half, primarily because they won more ball in the middle of the field, but also because they poured forward in numbers (particularly the wing-backs) offering an overlap. Half-time couldn't come quickly enough. Clare 0-6 Offaly 0-1.
The second-half brought some changes. P Sullivan, Dalton and one of the Darbys was replaced. Sean Pender, David Egan and Graham Guilfoyle were introduced. Offaly started to compete, but for every score they took Clare replied with a score. Offaly narrowed the gap slightly to 0-9 0-5 and then David Egan made himself a little bit of luck to finish off a good Offaly move with a deflection into the Clare net. Only a point behind, the small crowd became noisy and we thought we had a game on our hands. However, Clare replied pretty emphatically. Within 5 minutes, they'd put a goal and a point on the board - though the goal looked highly questionable for a throw/pass right at the end of the move.
Clare tagged on a couple more points and it really did look like curtains. The score stood at 1-12 to 1-5. With about 10 minutes to play, things started to happen again for Offaly. Throughout the second-half, Brian Connor had been growing into the game and when Ciaran McManus was partnered with him, Offaly started to win the middle of the field. This combination of centre-fielders was to be the final experiment of the match and it worked. McManus, to his credit, never gave up and made good space for himself for a couple of quick kickouts. Connor was muscling the middle moreso and winning or breaking ball. This was where John Reynolds and Graham Guilfoyle came into the equation, starting to win breaks. Reynolds in particular, started to play the role of the modern wing-forward very well, winning breaks, taking a tackle and then doing the simple thing.
Offaly tagged on 3 points, I think from frees and a 45. With the score at 1-12 to 1-8 and time running out, David Egan played a tidy little ball into Niall McNamee. For the first time in the game, McNamee came for the ball in front of his man and also for the first time, he ran straight at his man towards goals. After a great run the ball made it's way across to Ken Casey (who improved as the game wore on) and he found the back of the net from short-range. Offaly had a chance to equalise from a Casey free (wide) before Ciaran Mc backed himself with a 45. Although he topped it, lady luck was with the faithful as his low-struck free pinged into Graham Guilfoyles hands and was duly dispatched over the bar. Shortly after the whistle blew for full-time and Banner heads dropped.
Offaly continued to play in the first-half of extra-time in exactly the same manner. The middle of the field belonged to Connor and John Reynolds and interplay between the Offaly forwards continued to improve. Niall McNamee kicked a superb point from the hospital-side into the town-end and Offaly had blasted 6 points clear within 10 minutes. Game over. Clare rallied well in the second-half of extra-time, coming to within 2 points of Offaly, before the plucky and ever-willing Anton Sullivan sent over the insurance point.
A funny game indeed. Offaly mixed the incredibly poor with the very good in patches. This win should bring them along quite a lot. This is a very young group of footballers and on the basis of the two championship games I've seen this year, they're trying very hard.
On the day, although I haven't mentioned him above, Scott Brady was immense at full-back. He held things together well, had great hands and drove Offaly forward from a deep position. Brian Connor probably pips him for man of the match, as his influence in the middle was huge. Also great performance from Ciaran Mc and John Reynolds. Anton Sullivan was super and all-energy - he ran miles. Graham Guilfoyle and David Egan both contributed positively too. Niall Mc, when the chips were down, dug deep and probably defied an injury. He remains a messiah, despite missing a 14 yard free in front of the posts!
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