National Hurling League 2017

[allstar2010]

Just seen the team has been announced, all the best to all involved and here's hoping for a progressive year ahead. Looking forward to supporting them along the way.

Danny Maloney, Michael Cleary, Aidan Treacy and Oisín Kelly have been handed their League debuts by manager Kevin Ryan.

Offaly (NHL Div 1B v Galway): James Dempsey; Danny Maloney, Michael Cleary, Paddy Rigney; Aidan Treacy, Conor Doughan, Ben Conneely; Paddy Murphy, Cillian Kiely; Shane Dooley, Sean Gardiner, E Ó Nualláin; S Ó Riain, Oisín Kelly, Sean Cleary.

[Killeighman]

Think currant squad is probably the best and youngest we have had for some and that's encouraging. A lot of those lads are well able to hurl and compete at that level in time to come but now might be a bit to soon. Encouraging to see non the less. All the best to the lads

[Plain of the Herbs]

I like that team, though I expect there will be a few positional changes prior to throw-in.

One thing - much is being made of it being a young Offaly team. Now, while there are many selected who have made but a handful of Offaly appearances, a number of those are aged 24 or 25. I get that Conneely, Kiely and Kelly are still U21 this year while Doughan & Nolan are a year older, but on the other hand Cleary x 2 and Treacy are 24, Gardiner and Rigney a year younger, and Maloney a year (or possibly two) older. I'd say that age profile is not dissimilar to a number of teams in Offaly's NHL division.

Which or whether, I wish the lads well for tomorrow and the year ahead.

[allstar2010]

I like the way the new management seem to be trying to put their stamp on the way the team is set up to play. It'll be interesting to see how first few matches go, Laois game more important than tomorrow. As POTH said, it's not an overly young team at all. Plenty of quality hurlers in that line up and few more still to come back.

[Toxicity234]

Best of luck to the team today.
I have no doubt if a hurling match breaks down we will have a great chance. If the Galway forwards front up it be a long afternoon.

[sam88885a]

Best of luck to offaly today ,a decent preformance will be a bonus in my opinion but really the Laois and Kerry games are our big games in this league .Galway Limerick and Wexford are at a different level than this young Offaly team .
Best of luck to the guys making their first start its a special day for those guys .

[private joker]

Galway 6- 23 to offaly 1-12

[Toxicity234]

Galway 6- 23 to offaly 1-12

All Eyes should be looking at P. Boalnd and Tommy Byrne.

[Bord na Mona man]

Galway 6- 23 to offaly 1-12

All Eyes should be looking at P. Boalnd and Tommy Byrne.

Why this time as opposed to any other?
For the last 5 years Offaly have shipped astronomical beatings to the top counties.
Any game against Tipp, Galway and Kilkenny usually ends with a concession of 5 or 6 goals and 20-30 points.

[allstar2010]

The sad thing about these type of results is that it's not even a shock anymore and is just greeted with shrug of the shoulders. I don't think one or two people are responsible for how far we've dropped. I think you have to look closer to home. If each one of us can say that our own club is doing everything in it's power to get Offaly hurling back on track then we can start blaming others. Does your club have a structured underage set up implementing the basics to kids from u6? Does your club have the best people available representing at CB level? Does your club encourage your better players to represent the county? I'm sure there's other questions we need to ask ourselves too but that's a start anyway....

[Buttons]

What i couldnt believe was the handicap on tuesday was Galway -8 at evens, drifted to -10 so even the bookies cant get it right. It just shows how far off the mark we are.

Offaly against Laois next week, game is being shown on eir sport or one of them channels saturday night, cant see too many paying in to watch these 2 teams or any neutrals tuning in to watch.

[biffinbanner]

All Eyes should be looking at P. Boalnd and Tommy Byrne.

what the fuck have p boland and tommy byrne to do with getting beaten by 26 points? a common theme on this site has been the constant blaming of administrators for the failure of teams to win games.we have tried in both football and hurling outside managers ,inside managers,former players, former legends.with professionalism and things left less to chance offaly are prob in the place in both codes where we deserve to be population wise,jobs wise etc. kevin ryan gave a very sincere interview on rte this evening at around 5.30ish.well worth listening to.beating laois and kerry will prob ensure div1 b status..im not sure it will happen..

[Bord na Mona man]

what the fuck have p boland and tommy byrne to do with getting beaten by 26 points? a common theme on this site has been the constant blaming of administrators for the failure of teams to win games.

Ahem, about 2 or 3 posters do this. The ones who must have been holed in Bin Laden's compound this past 20 years and never noticed Offaly's underage progress.

Yep, Kevin Ryan sounded shell shocked in his post match interview. You could see that Offaly were attempting to play to a pattern at certain times. For most of the first half Offaly held their own in the contests around the middle off the park. Unfortunately if Galway ever got past the 45 there was inevitably a score and all too often a goal. Once Offaly shipped a few the will to fight on evaporated.
Therein lies the rub, so long as Offaly can't prevent being fleeced for half a dozen majors against decent attacks, anything useful they do out the field is moot.

[Toxicity234]

Yeah, Our underage progress in a problem.
P. Boland and Byrne picked the manager.
Can't blame the Manger.. He knows nothing about Offaly Hurling.. . But if you have seen Galway hurler in the last two years you will know that there Full forward line is Huge. Putting out physical small Lads vs that full forward line and they run straight through you and that what happen today.
Ryan Has to know something about Hurling and Galway. otherwise well why is he managing a hurling team.

So if i can't blame the manager and i won't blame the lads that are been sent out like lambs to the slaughter. I have to blame the people that put that system in Place, The ones that have been in different CB jobs over the Last 10 years and the one that appointed another Coach instead of a manager.
That lead us back to the County Board. Which the underage set is shit and that may not be P. Boland and Byrne fault. they haven't Help it, Sitting on the recover plan for 18 months is just one example. Appoint into key position Coaches with no experience.

So yeah in this case the buck stops at Byrne, Boland and the county board for many reasons. The underage system that produce players, The appointment as managers, The consent re-building of our senior squad while never getting anywhere.
This is all thing that the county board are meant to look after and if you don't believe that, may i suggest that you wander back into the bunker and see if Eva Braun still want to talk hurling with you.

[biffinbanner]

would brian cody get any good out of offaly? the answer is no in my opinion.we ahvent got the talent.there was no one interested in the job.its a poisoned chalice.a once great team on the way down with no prospects or any underage group coming through.why did kelly leave?he said he basically hadnt the time but still has time to manage laois simple enough to figure out why id say.