Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

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kingscounty
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Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by kingscounty »

This is without doubt the biggest game we as a county have had in years . Having seen the team in their previous two matches I have been very impressed with the attitude shown by all . One thing I would want and expect is for the faithful followers to go in huge numbers from all corners of the county . Go to the game to supporter this bunch of players , they will make mistakes , drop balls , miss scores but go and encourage each and every player let us give them the confidence to perform. Team, management and supporters lets us be as one on the night and please God we will be Leinster champions on the 6 th night of a glorious July 2016 !!!

Exiled in Connacht
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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final

Post by Exiled in Connacht »

After the terribly disappointing exit of the senior hurlers from the championship today, a championship that was book ended by awful defeats to Westmeath and Wexford, the under 21 final is fraught with danger but also holds the tantalising prospect of a first Leinster hurling title since 2000.

Undoubtedly we have benefited from being on the easier side of the draw. However we should never forget how our seniors delivered in 1980 when they also benefited from the the then newly introduced open draw system in Leinster. An easier path to a final will never hinder a good team delivering the goods in the final.

I have seen Dublin live on TG4 against Wexford and I saw highlights of our game against Carlow and we are undoubtedly going in as underdogs. Dublin looked very strong and athletic as you would expect, when I saw them. Their no. 4 that night Eoghan O'Donnell played at full back and handled Conor McDonald very well. We have seen today and other days just what a handful McDonald can be at times. Weather conditions at times in the Carlow game looked awful but we got over a dodgy patch and won well in the end. I listened on KCR and the two Carlow commentators were gas at times. The co-commentator who I think was called Johnny had a son playing and he kept referring to him as "my lad".

Good luck to all concerned on Wednesday night. I hope that all the under 21 players who played today got through without injury.

I always felt after losing the 3 AI finals in 89,91 and 92 that we have unfinished business with the under 21 grade. The 89 and 92 finals were left behind but lets not dwell on 91 in Limerick v Galway. Anyway we can start this year with a Leinster win and see where it takes us !

Plain of the Herbs
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Re: A few thoughts on Wednesday's final

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

I am surprised the Offaly management were so quick to go public with the fact that Cillian Kiely is actually ruled out. I wouldn’t have shared that information with Dublin. They should have let them make what they wanted out of the rumour and counter rumour.

That Kiely is ruled our probably means all bets are off, but anyway.

Having attended Dublin v Westmeath, there actually isn’t alot to really fear about this Dublin team. Westmeath weren’t clinical enough, and when you twice hit the post, as Westmeath did, the gods aren’t shining on you. And the match turned on a four point (maybe a six point) swing – a slightly misplaced pass, Dublin clear to Bennett who skins the corner-back and goals.

Dublin corner-forwards Bennett (on the left) and Jamieson-Murphy on the right, are two dangerous operators. Bennett showed great positioning for both his goals, once when winning a ball on the touchline, the second when moving infield to the centre half-forward position to gain possession. Other than that, Dublin are not unmanageable. They puck out long, their puckout targets are constantly moving (something that wasn’t as apparent on television). Other hand, they don’t tend to catch alot, the goalkeeper is wont to drive his puckout over the sideline on occasion, and they foul alot (giving Westmeath close on 20 frees).

I’d actually be more concerned were Offaly playing Westmeath – they are mobile, lively, it would have been in Mullingar, and Offaly’s attitude would have been much different.

Offaly had a clear plan against Carlow – to go for goals at every possible opportunity, and they front-loaded the full-forward line with three quality strikers. Different opposition now and they’ll need Emmet Nolan much further outfield this time, to get him into the game. With Kiely gone, Offaly can’t afford to have Nolan on the periphery. Conor Freeman impressed when introduced to the attack against Carlow and should start.

In so may respects this is not a typical Offaly team – so many of them are athletic and rangy, and there are probably more who stand over 6’ tall than any other Offaly underage team.

Dylan Murray, Pádraic Guinan and Darragh Wyer need to scrap like mad, and they need Johnny O’Toole, Oisín Kelly and Conor Freeman doing the enforcing. Dan Doughan and Ben Conneely will be fine in the half-back line. David O’Toole is improving too.

I gather Alfie Devine is the appointed referee. I seem to recall he did the U17 Final in Nowlan Park against South Kilkenny and is reported to have let the game flow. Forewarned is forearmed, and Offaly needn’t by screaming for refereeing sympathy while Dublin are busy converting scores.

The pressure is entirely on Dublin, who will have one eye on the All-Ireland semi-final and will have their supporters telling them that. Granted their underage development has been far superior to Offaly’s, but none of these Dublin fellas will ever have seen a Dublin hurling team lose to Offaly, and defeat isn’t really on their radar. Which isn’t to say Offaly have nothing to lose – the Offaly lads would be devastated were they to lose a Leinster final.

Best to get into the game from the start, and wire into them for 60 minutes. For nothing is impossible.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

Just to point out it's €10 in to O'Connor Park for the U21 final, while U16s are free. In case you're thinking of not going because it's on d'telly, because Cillian is out or because Tellamore is too far.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by Toxicity234 »

Home advantage. So get out and support the lads.
Best of luck to them and the management.

The Dubs are far from the perfect team and can be got at. They play a sweeper. we need to keep the ball away from the middle. They will try to work it out which mean our half forward need to make the hits count.

Let get the win the county needs.
“Common sense is not so common.”

private joker
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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by private joker »

Final score 2 15 to 1 10 in favour of Dublin
Poor game. Dublin took over in 2nd half scoring 2 11 to 4 points. One thing, offaly really put in a real shift in the first half but like the minors vs wexford completely ran out of steam. Dublin very powerful for the hour. Something offaly teams are going to have accept. Need to have the fitness to last the hour.

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townman
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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by townman »

hard luck to the players tonight, but one thing has to be adress is offaly is the lack of fitness in every team and grade in offaly. we seem to run out of steam in the second half in every game hurling and football minors like wise last night. anyway best team won Dublin were way the more skillful team as some offaly players got in hard to get the ball up and there first touch was way off. just wondering how can Liam Langton who has hurl senior and done well when he was asked to come on, was only put on tonight when we were beaten and he scored one of our best points tonight. it was as clear as the nose on your face that we need a change in the forward line after about 10 minutes of the second half but yet they watch on the sideline as Dublin defenders walk out time after time with the ball, anyway year over now hard luck to the under 21's some good young players who could be good seniors if we had a good man over the senior team.

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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by keyboardwarrior »

Well done to the players and management tonight for turning up with a winning attitude. It was great to feel a bit of positivity in the ground at half time. There were periods in the game when our lads really got stuck in and hurled for one another which is something we haven't seen for a while in an OY side.

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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by keyboardwarrior »

https://m.soundcloud.com/midlandssport/ ... -u21-final

Never got round to posting this earlier in the week.

To all ye geniuses who were critical of EK for accommodating emmet ... the reasons why he opted out or the senior panel this year....An entrepreneur starting his own intercontinental business .. a viral infection causing lethergy meant an inability to commit to a demanding s and c programme.

frankthetank
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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by frankthetank »

If you took Emmet Nolan out of that team tonight we could have got a right hammering. He was involved in nearly all our scores even though he only got 0-02 from play himself. Paddy Delaney was also quite good but the more balanced team won and could have won by more only for some wayward shooting and poor shot selection.

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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by greenairfield »

Hard luck to the team tonight they worked like dogs but iv a few issues.

No.1 it was a very ordinary leinster final and Dublin will be no world beaters and if they beat more teams it doesn't say much for them.

No.2 our management were awful the game was there for the taking and if we made a couple of changes we could of won....I dont want to name players but 2 lads actually didn't feel the weight of the ball and we looked at them well into the second half, simply not good enough.

No.3 We need to start bulking up and have the same fitness of these teams because each year we can't compete for the full game, this falls back on the County Board as they havent had the right structures in place and the players lose out because of that.

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Lone Shark
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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by Lone Shark »

Realistically, this game panned out largely as the formbook suggested it would. We were without one of our best players in Kiely, another key man (Conor Doughan) played and did reasonably well but was clearly hampered by his injury, while the lack of depth was shown up by Healy's injury. I don't know much about Cathal O'Brien but Healy's stickiness was badly missed for the two goals.

I think our best 8-10 players were more than a match for Dublin's best, but the Dubs were able to bring a game changer off the bench in the form of the number 12, and they didn't have any obvious weak points. Our defensive intensity was excellent and frankly I thought Ben Conneely was our man of the match - completely shut down Dublin's best forward, leading to him being taken off.

I'd agree that a few lads were left on a bit longer than you might imagine, but I don't know that I'd hang this one on management at all. I think we were working with an inferior team, and that the way we set up played a big part in why we were just a point down after 47 minutes.

On the plus side, from a future development point of view, it was hugely encouraging. Kelly, Delaney, Conneely all just out of minor, all excellent tonight. Guinan worked hard and got on a lot of ball, might be a slow burner but I see a bright future for him, David O'Toole Greene has potential, and of course you have Kiely and Doughan that are senior standard already. Tonight was a missed chance in that it was a home final, but let's be clear here - we were effectively going to Cheltenham for the Gold Cup after winning a couple of Grade 3 novice chases. It was always likely that the step up in class was going to ask big questions of the side.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by Bord na Mona man »

The trends would point to Offaly not having the same level of elite preparation as Dublin when it comes to fitness. How big a factor this alone on the outcome is another matter.

I think the bigger factor was that in the first half Offaly were working extremely hard when they didn't have the ball. They won a lot of secondary ball from broken play. A number of times an Offaly player went full tilt to close in on a Dublin player to hook or block him down.
Dublin were made look average in a lot of facets of play by Offaly pressure.

Comparing energy used, Offaly had expended more than Dublin in the first half. Dublin also went more direct in the 2nd half, with the wind at their back and the benefit of a half time team talk. Where they were foostering with sideways passes in the 1st half and giving Offaly a sniff of turnovers, in the 2nd half they ran at Offaly a lot more and delivered quicker. It left Offaly with less interception possibilities to chase, less chase of double teaming a player overdoing possession and generally put Offaly in scramble mode defensively.

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Re: Offaly v Dublin Leinster under21 final, Weds 6th July

Post by Toxicity234 »

Have to be Happy enough with the u21 year as a whole. The Dublin were just Bigger. 4 guy over 6'4 on the Dublin team and another coming on. Meant the the Offaly midfield were physical out matched.

Didn't help that 5 of our lads had played a senior intercounty match 3 days ago.

We didn't help our self as well we need to drag the Sweeper away from the middle but we feed him for a lot of the match.
forward play wasn't great.
But there a few on this team that could make a mark over the next 5 years and if you add in the likes of Conor Molloy, Micheal Gilligan, Graham Lynch and Eimhin Kelly. Again there a batch of hurlers that are good lads coming.

We can't kill these lads they need to coming through when there ready not be throw in and left to get hammered.
For god sake patience with these young lads.
3 years ago we had a good batch as well and we destroyed them by starting them all in the league matches when they weren't ready.
So patience let them develop at club level and when there lead club players bring them in.
But senior management need to tell the players that there the long future and leaders and that there in there plans but both management and players need patience to get the best our of them at the right time.
“Common sense is not so common.”

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