Offaly vs Cork - SHC Qualifier Rnd 2 07/07/2012

[My Left Foot]

The focus for Offaly has to be on our own game- be organised defencely - mark your man don't let him past / around you - when you have possession use it wisely. Support the man in possession where possible.

After that worry about the opposition, they will still have 15 players in red jersies irrespective of who is in or out.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Jayz left foot, have you spoken to Ollie Baker and imparted such profound wisdom! Mark your man and dont let him around you! I wish someone had told me during my playing days. And yep too true, 15 in red jersies, but personally think Cadogan will be a loss

[Bord na Mona man]

Mark your man...up to a point.
When you're the corner back and your man starts bringing out to the '45 to isolate full back.
Plan B. Mark the space.

[townman]

this is a very different Cork side from last year, true we could have beaten them even if they only had 14 men for a lot of the game
Cork were badly beaten after by Galway after, who had lost the leinster semil- to Dublin and were later beaten well by waterford.

the way i look at it is we never won a game down in the park, and going on form this year and the games the two have played and if Cork
hurl half as well as they did last weekend i am sorry to say we won't be 7 points near them, hope i am wrong bar there is a few changes
in the offaly team or they up there pace and hurling i can only see a Cork win

[Plain of the Herbs]

Word is there is severe flooding in Cork after heavy overnight rain. That being the case, chances are there are eleven-swans-a-swimming on Páirc Uí Chaoimh presently. That place floods quicker than the Callows.

[townman]

pity the game isn't this weekend, they would move it to Pairc UI Ring l'd say if it was to be flooded out.

[My Left Foot]

Jayz left foot, have you spoken to Ollie Baker and imparted such profound wisdom! Mark your man and dont let him around you! I wish someone had told me during my playing days. And yep too true, 15 in red jersies, but personally think Cadogan will be a loss

After the first ten minutes against Galway someone should have told him alright......
its clear that some basics need to be spelled out, Yes its of u14 calibre but hey lets get THAT right first please.
no goals conceded = having a chance - hopefully ...

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

I fear for Offaly alright, I dont think we have learned anything this year and the defeat to Galway was a bitter blow to the hurling fraternity. But lets face it, there is a real need for a wake up call to be finally taken onboard by all the stakeholders

[Offaly2010]

The Offaly team to take on Cork Saturday night has been named tonight..

1 Eoin Kelly (Lusmagh)
2 Conor Hernon (St Rynaghs)
3 David Kenny (Captain) (Belmont)
4 James Rigney (Kinnitty)
5 Derek Morkan (Shinrone)
6 Rory Hanniffy (Birr)
7 Diarmuid Horan (St Rynaghs)
8 Kevin Brady (Coolderry)
9 Sean Ryan (Birr)
10 Colin Egan (Belmont)
11 Conor Mahon (Kilcormac/Killoughey)
12 Brendan Murphy (Ballyskenagh)
13 Shane Dooley (Tullamore)
14 Joe Bergin ( Seir Kieran)
15 Brian Carroll (Coolderry)

[kinnittyman]

Ah good man Ollie. Like obviously James Dempsey was the problem against Galway. And not your tactics. Or your selection of players who clearly are not now up to inter-county hurling. Or your ridiculous decisions during the game. No it was definitley all the goalkeeper's fault!!

[Bord na Mona man]

Dempsey and Franks pay the price for the defensive meltdown against Galway.
None of the goals stood out as goalkeeping howlers, though Dempsey did appear a little rattled in his general play after the first 2 went in.
Franks may now be suffering now from the accumulation of lenghty lay offs he's had in recent years.
At corner back, form is everything, reputation and previous experience don't buy you much game time.

Conor Hernon makes a comeback and we'll see how he goes. In some of his early big day outings he struggled. Against Joe Deane in 2007 and Eoin Kelly (WD) 2008, he tended to be very far off his man when the ball arrived. That was 4 and 5 years ago though. Players shouldn't be dismissed so early or easily when learning their trde, so hopefully he'll have a good game on Saturday.

At midfield Sean Ryan gets a run and I think he has a much better chance of doing well here with more space, than in at corner forward. I don't think he has precision hurling to catch, control or rise the ball with a corner back glued to him. At midfield he'll have a chance to pick-and-go with more loose ball. A midfielder who can carry the ball and link up with the half forwards is no harm. We need some variation on just always hitting everything in the general direction of the forwards.

The biggest variable that will decide how this games goes is just how 'up for it' Offaly are. They can either down with a whimper, or make a real battle of it. They are well able to do the latter.

[allstar2010]

Ah good man Ollie. Like obviously James Dempsey was the problem against Galway. And not your tactics. Or your selection of players who clearly are not now up to inter-county hurling. Or your ridiculous decisions during the game. No it was definitley all the goalkeeper's fault!!

In fairness to Kelly he deserves a shot at it, he's been on the panel for the last couple of years and now he's getting his chance. Dempsey is a good goalie, no doubt about it but even you can admit he wasn't at his best the last time. Whats the point having a sub goalie if your not going to use him. All the best to him on his debut and hopefully we can get a result or at least a decent performance.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Best of luck to Eoin Kelly, he deserves a chance, maybe there is an injury to Dempsey or something. dont think anyone could fault Dempsey. Maybe there is a puck out strategy at play here and that is the reason, oh wait, sorry its Offaly hurling, we dont play to a strategy or game plan!

Glad to see a change at midfield but dont know, its probably last chance saloon for Sean Ryan. Hopefully Mahon can win some ball and lay off enough of it to produce a few scores. Offaly need to cut loose here with no fear, and believe, if they did so last year they would have won.

Best of luck to the lads, wont be able to make it, Thurles left me with a bellyfull of Offaly GAA, following on from the overdose in Portlaoise.

I have every sympathy with the effort these guys put in, and wish them well, but I fear we are not competing on an even playing field, or even giving ourselves a chance to compete.

[townman]

The Offaly team to take on Cork Saturday night has been named tonight..

1 Eoin Kelly (Lusmagh)
2 Conor Hernon (St Rynaghs)
3 David Kenny (Captain) (Belmont)
4 James Rigney (Kinnitty)
5 Derek Morkan (Shinrone)
6 Rory Hanniffy (Birr)
7 Diarmuid Horan (St Rynaghs)
8 Kevin Brady (Coolderry)
9 Sean Ryan (Birr)
10 Colin Egan (Belmont)
11 Conor Mahon (Kilcormac/Killoughey)
12 Brendan Murphy (Ballyskenagh)
13 Shane Dooley (Tullamore)
14 Joe Bergin ( Seir Kieran)
15 Brian Carroll (Coolderry)

we still haven't done anything about where we failed again Galway, Kenny fullback Kevin Brady picked again at centre field
what has Paul Cleary to do to get his place back on the side put him fullback moved Kenny to centre back where he would do a better job
moved Rory Hanniffy to centre field and Brady to the bench.

we will be looking for Dooley to get the scores again why is Derek Molloy not picked again you need height and power in the forward line
how many more chances is Brian Carroll going to get .

Sean Ryan at midfield he should have been there all year as we have no midfield what so ever, its midfield or no where for Ryan.
i wouldn't have dropped Dempsey either as he is only as good as the men that are in front of him, and there was a few who had a nightmare in front
of him again Galway.

lets hope for a good display anyway and they give it there best, i think Cork will target Kenny to get him on one on one early like Galway did
Kenny has to learn that you can't catch every ball used his hurl bat a few out break a few hurles he is to nice at full back.

Corks midfield are full of pace with Sweetman a real live wire up again slow as a week Kevin Brady it will be no contest,
i would also fear Connor Hernon up again Pat Horgan.

heart says offaly but the head says Cork. as they are alot better than last year and i think offalys ball work and touch has dropped alot from last year.

[Over The Black Spot]

Teams have to be sent in for the programme and to the media by Tuesday prior to a championship weekend so it's quiet possible that the team isn't finalised yet. I think we can take it that the 3 who weren't named the last day (Kelly, Hernon and Ryan) will definitely start.

Kelly definitely deserves a chance in goals. He's at least as good a keeper as Dempsey and given a couple of recent mistakes a change is no harm. He's got a very good puckout aswell so we may be able to get past our half-forward line easier which would be a help.
Hernon done ok when he came in recently but I would rather see him midfield as he's shown in the past that he lacks the real aggression required for corner back.
I'm not sure on what basis Sean Ryan can be picked but if he is, midfield as a worker is better than corner forward where he can't score.

Apart from that, it's hard to fathom how Kevin Brady would be included again. I would love to hear the 'logic' behind including him because I could do with a laugh. Hopefully he'll be one that doesn't make it when the team is finalised. Would personally like to see Derek Molloy in there. We all know what can go wrong with him but he'll put himself about and takes on defences and we're going to need a bit of an 'up n at em' attitude about us to have any chance Saturday.