Birr vs Coolderry Preview

[Lone Shark]

Group formats and backdoor systems may have come into vogue in recent years in Gaelic Games, but this weekend Offaly hurling followers can look forward to a county final that will feature two teams who did things the old fashioned way – beating every team that was put in front of them and confirming their status as the two leading lights on the local scene.

From the start of the year it was widely expected to pan out along these lines, and although both teams would have been seen as equal at the start of the year, Birr have assumed the mantle of favourites by winning with a lot more style, while Coolderry have been much more businesslike in their performances, and even came under pressure in the semi final, a situation Birr have not had to deal with to date.

In these circumstances, it would be very easy to put together a traditional preview for a traditional final, with copious amounts of handy phrases such as “hard fought”, “close battle”, and the like, and then tip Birr to win by a couple of points. And while things could easily work out that way, this is one occasion where the attributes Coolderry bring to the table could win out over the flair and panache that we expect to see from Birr.

Up until the county semi finals, both sides were winning by large margins, but because Birr were scoring much more freely, they caught the eye of the observer so much more. However for every plaudit earned by the Birr attack, the Coolderry defence was performing just as worthily, and they will put up a level of resistance that Birr have not yet met. The quarter final performances of the two clubs were both typical displays, and yet Birr got lauded for scoring 0-26 even though they conceded a worrying 1-11 against a one man attack, while Coolderry got castigated for their middling display even though they conceded a mere nine points to a dangerous young forward line.

It’s also very easy be swayed by looking at the teamsheet, where 10 of Birr’s starters against Shinrone were intercounty panelists last year – but Coolderry are no poor relations in this regard either, with seven of their own. Their star names might not have the same resonance as the Whelahans and Hanniffys, but Brian Carroll and Barry Teehan will be guaranteed county starters next year on merit, and players like Cathal Parlon and the Bradys have youth on their side and are still developing.

Finally, a lot of Coolderry followers will be concerned at how the two semi finals panned out – certainly they were two very different games. Birr cruised through to the decider keeping Shinrone at arm’s length at all times, while Coolderry were seriously rattled by Kinnitty. On the face of it, this indicates that Birr are in the much better form of the two, and that Coolderry have had an Achilles heel exposed by the Slieve Bloom men. However Coolderry were comfortable for the first half an hour of this game, only to be troubled when Kinnitty applied a more “robust” approach in the second period. Of all the tactics that Birr might use, that’s the one approach that we can be sure will not be employed, so alien is it to their nature.

None of this changes the fact that Birr will start this match as bookmaker’s favourites, and rightly so. However a lot of the arguments in their favour have holes in them, and if any concerns around Birr were to offer prices of the order of 2/1 or more about a Coolderry win on Sunday, then this writer recommends you join him in a little wager. For the first time this year, Birr will be meeting a good defence who will not allow them 40 scoring chances as Shinrone and Lusmagh did, and crucially, they will be meeting a team who know that they can beat Birr, having done so only twelve months previously. If Birr get away to a good start, Coolderry are not well equipped to chase the game, and could easily lose by eight or nine points. However if they stay in touch up to the last fifteen minutes, they’ll be on familiar ground while Birr will be having their first foray into uncertain territory. This writer suspects that this will make all the difference on Sunday.

[Plain of the Herbs]

An interesting point before next Sunday is that the oldest on the Coolderry starting 15 in the semi-final was 24!! (Murray & Paddy Teehan)

Seamus Tooher (a big loss IMO) and Pat Connors havn't played this year, and Eoin Kennedy and Dermot Dooley didn't appear in the semi-final.

Perhaps gives a clue to their inability to prosper against dogged opposition. Equally, are they going to dominate when the same lads hit 28-29.

[Mise]

what time is the match on sunday??

[Plain of the Herbs]

Sunday's final will be won on hunger, by birr who have it inabundance. Revenge for last year, the ongoing Crinkill saga, and a new management and fresh approach are all factors which weren't there last year.

Interesting to see where Coolderry site Joe Brady. On the evidence of the Kinnitty game, I'd say he'll start at 6, where he can block off the centre, and will likely mark Rory Hanniffy (who missed last years encounter).

I'd say Birr by 5 or 6. Alot depends on who has the scoring goal in the first half and how they use it. hard to see Cooldery winning coming from behind, whereas if Birr were to be 4 down with 5 to play, they'd still have the composure to level withiout scoring a goal.

At a guess, 1-17 to 1-12.

[azoffaly]

Jaysus LoneShark I hope you left your betting shoval at home this weekend

[Lone Shark]

Sadly, the shovel did some digging. Procured Coolderry with a decent head start at even money, and I thought they'd make a fight of it.

The head start was a little bit less than 16, unfortunately.