U21 hurling v Laois, Wednesday 5th June, Portlaoise

[Plain of the Herbs]

Between the Senior football on Saturday and the Senior hurling the following Sunday, the U21 hurling match against Laois has been squeezed out of focus to a degree.

Offaly travel to Portlaoise on Wednesday 5th June to face Laois for a 7.30pm start. Whatever about the Senior football or the Senior hurling, this is a match that simply MUST be won. And if the attitude is right, it may well be.

Laois are cock-a-hoop after a Minor win over Offaly and a Senior win over Antrim. How they deal with expectation and favouritism is their problem.

Offaly’s defence is expected to be led by Dan Kelleher and Pat Camon and will also include Seán Gardiner, Michael Cleary and David King, all of whom are leaders with their respective clubs. The attack will be led by Tom Carroll (who seems to have been hurling U21 forever), Stephen Quirke and Sean Cleary. The St Rynagh’s pair Niall Wynne and Seán Dolan are also expected to be involved, while Conor Clancy and Kevin O’Connor vie for the goalkeepers position. Ne’er a bad hurler there.

Results in challenge matches has been mixed. A good win over Dublin at Tullamore almost two weeks ago now was followed by a humiliation at the hands of Tipperary. No better crowd to sew it into you when you are struggling. Still, part of the Offaly tradition has been to recover from hidings similar to this and to produce a performance when it matters most – on championship day.

As Minors, this group drew with a highly-rated Wexford before going down in extra-time. They went on to reach the semi-final where they exited at the hands of a good Kilkenny team. Many of these lads won Schools All-Irelands with either Banagher College or Coláiste Pobal, Roscrea in their time. And this Offaly U21 championship saw some good hurling played out. And that this match is on the week before the Seniors play Kilkenny ensures that any dual panellists (Senior and U21) will be fully focussed in the U21 tie.

If you’ve a tenner to spare after the spin to Croke Park on Saturday, a spin to Portlaoise on Wednesday night may well prove rewarding.

[jimbob17]

lads i really feel that this game is crucial to our year now, The seniors obviously will get it hard to beat KK and the minors already lost comprehensively to laoise. Its a big one and we are mot too bad. Laoise will be strong with a lot of seniors though our lads have some experience too. itll tell a lot about our development system and really tell where we are and if we are passed out. eve if we win by a point or two, id say we are being left behind as this was a talented bunch a few years ago at minor

[Plain of the Herbs]

Looks good on paper. Two sets of twins on a county team must be fairly rare.

1 Conor Clancy (St Rynagh’s)

2 Niall Wynne (St Rynagh’s)
3 Dan Kelleher (Brosna Gaels)
4 Michael Cleary (Shinrone)

5 David King (Coolderry)
6 Pat Camon (St Rynagh’s)
7 Sean Gardiner (Lusmagh)

8 Sean Dolan (St Rynagh’s)
9 Aodhan Kealey (Kinnitty)

10 Sean Cleary (Shinrone)
11 Tom Carroll (Seir Kieran)
12 Peter Geraghty (Kilcormac/Killoughey)

13 Stephen Quirke (St Rynagh’s)
14 Thomas Geraghty (Kilcormac/Killoughey)
15 Adrian Hynes (Seir Kieran)

Subs -
16 Kevin O’Connor (Kinnitty)
17 David Magner (Ballinamere)
18 Aidan Treacy (St Rynagh’s)
19 Shane Mc Kelvey (Shinrone)
20 Con Mahon (Kilcormac/Killoughey)
21 Andrew Browne (Kinnitty)
22 Colm Mulrooney (Birr)
23 Paddy Murphy (Ballinamere)
24 Declan Parlon (Coolderry)

[joe bloggs]

Looks a decent side. A pity Eoin Ryan and Simon Lyons are out with long term injuries. We need everyone in a small county.

Would have thought that Ethan Mannion would have been worth a place on the bench , and am surprised there is no room for Brendan Murphy. I also see lads on the line who started last year so maybe there is some good competition for places which is always healthy.

Anyway I would think looking at that team they won't be afraid of laois.

Best of Luck to all involved

[Plain of the Herbs]

Laois have named the following team -

1. Eoin Fleming (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)

2. Darragh Duggan (Portlaoise)
3. Gearoid Burke (Camross)
4. Oisin Carroll (St Lazerian's Abbeyleix)

5. Matthew Collier (Camross)
6. Bill Duggan (Clough Ballacolla)
7. Nathan Unwin (Rathdowney Errill)

8. James Ryan (Rathdowney Errill)
9. Ben Conroy (Castletown Slieve Bloom)

10. Paddy Purcell (Rathdowney Errill)
11. MJ Lalor (Ballypickas)
12. Stephen Maher (Clough Ballacolla)

13. Ross King (Rathdowney Errill)
14. Paddy Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)
15. PJ Scully (Borris-in-Ossory-Kilcotton)

[Lone Shark]

Betting is posted up by Powers as 10/11 Laois and even money Offaly. Definitely a close one expected to be on the cards here, should be well worth a look.

[Bord na Mona man]

Can anyone give an assessment of that Leix team?

[Killeighman]

I can imagine that they would be a decent outfit as there has been an improvement in the minor and senior teams this year

[keenonsport]

Did Shinrone not win the U-21 final by around 20 pts? Should they not have more of a presence on the team/panel? Only 2 on the starting XV (3 on panel). All in all the team seems strong enough but I can certainly think of a few areas where it could be improved!

[Plain of the Herbs]

Personally I'd prefer if the best available team was selected, and I think on balance it has. If Offaly start picking the team using a quota system then the county is finished as a viable entity. If you would like to see more Shinrone forwards, you could make a case for Dónal Morkan and/or Jason Sampson, but who of the selected six forwards would you leave out?

Did Shinrone not win the U-21 final by around 20 pts? Should they not have more of a presence on the team/panel? Only 2 on the starting XV (3 on panel). All in all the team seems strong enough but I can certainly think of a few areas where it could be improved!

[keenonsport]

I can see your point and I agree to a certain extent but surely if a team wins a county championship by 20 odd points it stands to reason that they would have more than 3 of the best 24 hurlers in the county? To say neither Morkan or Sampson are among the 24 best U-21's in the county is an absolute joke. I would certainly have both of them in ahead of Dolan, Kealey or Hynes. Then, there is Conor Doughan who has impressed all year for the Shinrone U-21's and got man of the match against Laois for the minors-he has to be worth at least a place in the panel? I notice Kinnity also have 3 players on the panel-where is the manager from? I take your point about selecting the best 15 regardless of where they are from but I honestly don't believe that has happened in this case.

[suckindiesel]

my view is that in teams of under 20 to under 15, if I can describe the ages groups as such, laois are well ahead of offaly. I think ye are not in a good place.

this laois team has some good players, a few surefire starters, are carrying niggles and left on the bench. if you asked me a month ago, I thought this could be close, a 3pointer either way. then laois went down to wexford and beat them in a challenge a fortnight ago, and speaking to one of the wexford selectors, he hinted they thought they had a good team and were shocked laois beat them, he felt laois on the basis of that challenge performance would handily take care of offaly.

not sure the laois team will line up as announced. I recognise some of the offaly team. I am surprised that banagher have 5 starters, as I did not see 5 quality under 21s playing for them in the 2012 OY county final. your midfield is unlikely to last the hour.

whoever wins will be cannon fodder for KK in the semi.

the tide has turned and with laois now most definitely gaining the upperhand at underage level and the monkey of beating OY off our backs, I think with home advantage a win in the 6 to 8 point margin is the likely outcome. I will have a few euros on that outcome at 15/2 with powers and top up with half time fulltime at 2/1.


ps in stating the obvious that LS are now well ahead of OY throughout the underage ranks, I am not giving you the needle, as I freely admit your senior team would still account for LS without too much hassle.
I did predict before the minor 1/4 final a comfortable win for LS, a we have a sporting chance in the minor semi final. that game illustrated a future for Laois hurling, as well as big problems on the horizon in OY unless something is done quickly.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Just to clear this up, Jason Sampson is currently injured, Conor Doughan is concentrating on exams (I don't know the chap but as he is Minor, he is possibly doing the Leaving?) while Dónal Morkan has been dealing with injuries.

And on the Shinrone thing, while they did beat 'Rynagh's in the U21 Final by 13 points, are Shinrone really 13 points better than 'Rynagh's? Given that 'Rynagh's had won the Minor in 2010 and Shinrone won the U16 in 2008. I think not. Maybe marginally so, but not to the extent of 13 points.

I can see your point and I agree to a certain extent but surely if a team wins a county championship by 20 odd points it stands to reason that they would have more than 3 of the best 24 hurlers in the county? To say neither Morkan or Sampson are among the 24 best U-21's in the county is an absolute joke. I would certainly have both of them in ahead of Dolan, Kealey or Hynes. Then, there is Conor Doughan who has impressed all year for the Shinrone U-21's and got man of the match against Laois for the minors-he has to be worth at least a place in the panel? I notice Kinnity also have 3 players on the panel-where is the manager from? I take your point about selecting the best 15 regardless of where they are from but I honestly don't believe that has happened in this case.

[Lone Shark]

ps in stating the obvious that LS are now well ahead of OY throughout the underage ranks, I am not giving you the needle, as I freely admit your senior team would still account for LS without too much hassle.
I did predict before the minor 1/4 final a comfortable win for LS, a we have a sporting chance in the minor semi final. that game illustrated a future for Laois hurling, as well as big problems on the horizon in OY unless something is done quickly.

No issue at all with the comment, no rational person could disagree with the assessment that Laois are way ahead of Offaly at underage level at the moment. Sadly.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Nathan Unwin (then centre half-back), Ross King (right half-forward, Stephen Maher (left half-forward and freetaker) and Paddy Whelan (full-forward) are the only ones selected to line out tomorrow evening who lined out for Rathdowney against Banagher in the 2010 Vocational Schools Leinster Final.