Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

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Phoenix
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Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Phoenix »

Saturday 22nd Apr 2017

Offaly(---) v (---)Westmeath


Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship 2017

O'Connor Park 3:00 PM

Referee: Stephen Murphy

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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Bord na Mona man »

Good win, 0-13 to 1-4, though this wouldn't be a good Westmeath team.
Westmeath got their goal right at the end

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by jimbob17 »

Great to have two wins. Only saw Westmeath game and they were poor. Not taking from our lads though, the forwards were impressive after lot of early wides.

It would seem that the two teams we played would be two of the weakest teams in leinster. Think with talent available, we could go very close this year to winning but at this level you can only measure yourself against the likes of Kildare, Dublin and Meath. Win lose or draw, we need to be getting up to be competitive with these teams consistently to ensure the groundwork is being done for future senior success.
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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by greenairfield »

Can somebody refresh my memory and tell me how we did last year at minor....i know we got a few wins but were we then beaten well by one of the bigger counties..??

We seem to be competing at a fair standard at minor level football for years now but still a bit below the Dublins and Kildare of this world!!

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Buttons »

Lost to Dublin in first round and won a few games i think Longford and Wexford, lost to Laois in Portlaoise in semi final, they never got going that day and were well beaten.

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

Couldn't see a Birr man stuck, on this week of all weeks -

Round 1 - lost to Dublin 1-7 to 2-14 at Parnell Park
Qualifier 1 - beat Longford 1-11 to 0-12 at Longford
Qualifier 2 - beat Wicklow 1-13 to 2-9 at Aughrim
Quarter-final - beat Wexford 0-19 to 1-11 at Tullamore
Semi-final - lost to Leix 0-6 to 1-15 at Portlaoise
greenairfield wrote:Can somebody refresh my memory and tell me how we did last year at minor....i know we got a few wins but were we then beaten well by one of the bigger counties..??

We seem to be competing at a fair standard at minor level football for years now but still a bit below the Dublins and Kildare of this world!!
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Exiled in Connacht »

TG4 showed some highlights of this game last night, see from 43m 46 sec in
http://www.tg4.ie/ga/player/baile/?pid= ... 17&dlft=34

From 49m 53 sec in there is an interview with the manager John Hughes where he talks about bringing this group through from under 13 on. Talks about s&c programme with Athlone IT.

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Phoenix »

Offaly 0-13 - Cian Johnston 0-06, Cian Farrell 0-03 (1 free), Conor Lynam 0-03 (2 frees), Sean Farrell
Westmeath 0-04 - Luke Price 1-01, Daniel Heavin 0-01 (Sideline), Colin Murphy 0-01, Conor Gavin 0-01

Thanks to Exiled in Connacht for the TG4 link. I enjoyed the highlights and the interview with John Hughes. It's interesting to hear John say that this new approach (bringing them through from Under 13, using Athlone I.T. for S&C etc.) is the start of something good in Offaly football. John impressed me on the line on Saturday - for instance I heard him coaching Oisin Murphy (20) to drop back to fill a gap in the half-back line at the No. 5 position and then pick up a Westmeath player that came into that sector. There was no panic, only calm direction.

I'd say that the 5 day turnaround from the Wexford game did Offaly no favours. Some missed chances to start with but at least the Offaly players were getting into good positions to shoot! A lot of the early Offaly balls were mopped up by the Westmeath screening player (No. 6 - Joe Moran?) but as the game developed Offaly worked out ways of getting around that obstacle. They managed to thread their way through the packed Westmeath defence at times - picking out good low diagonal balls at other times - and Offaly broke very well when they had a chance, often after intercepting or turning Westmeath possession over.

The early Offaly point shown by TG4 where they work it out from a short kickout to midfield, then the full-back, Luke Gavin Mangan, drills a beautiful low ball into the forwards where an outrushing forward meets it and transfers it to Conor Lynam (11) who takes the point - you'd be hard pushed to see a better team score in Gaelic games anywhere.

The Offaly ball skills were good - for example the segment on the highlights where Cian Johnston and his marker are grabbing the ball from each other, back and forth, the Westmeath back wins it and hops it, only to be robbed by Cian who immediately whips it over the bar. Or the sequence of play near the sideline under the stand in the second half, where the Offaly player wins the ball, controls it well by hopping it and then moves it on quickly - that also led to a sweet left-footed point from Cian Johnston.

Some knocks/cramps/aggravated injuries near the end - I hope everybody's fit on May 20th for the Leinster quarter-final.

Who knows how good this Offaly minor team is or what they've beaten but they're playing an attractive brand of football and they deserve all the Faithful support they get!!!

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Exiled in Connacht »

Best of luck to the minor footballers who play Louth in Drogheda tomorrow, Saturday in the quarter final
http://leinstergaa.ie/fixtures-results/ ... ship-2017/

Louth beat Laois by 2 points in previous round and Laois have come back through the backdoor and play Kildare tomorrow.

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by jimbob17 »

Hard luck to the lads today. Didnt get there but saw them earlier in the year and there are some good players within the bunch who are capable of stepping up through the grades with the right application. We seemed to get off to great start but fell away from about 20 minutes in and best team won from what I heard.

There had been a bit of local hype around this team for past few weeks after two good wins but I don't think it is any way helpful, especially with young lads. From what I heard, we were red hot favourites to win today which is a difficult position to be in. Some lads are not able to handle the favourites tag and attention and expectation the hype brings and it serves no purpose to any player. I think journalists and adults around clubs need to be more aware of the pressures they heap on such young players when pushing them out in the media to be very talented when they really are only young lads learning their trade as inter county footballers.
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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Exiled in Connacht »

Had a look at Louth GAA twitter page.

They scored a 45 with couple minutes left to level it and then in injury time the same player kicked a free from his hands from about 40m out to get the one point win.

Pity but hopefully we can bring some players through to the senior panel over the next few years.

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by kingscounty »

Well done lads very proud of this group of young lads, keep the heads and keep playing the rewards will come. Credit to yourselfs and to your clubs and families. We need young lads to build for the future, we will have a top class training facility soon and it's youth we need coming through to develop teams for the future. Onwards and upwards

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Lone Shark »

jimbob17 wrote: There had been a bit of local hype around this team for past few weeks after two good wins but I don't think it is any way helpful, especially with young lads. From what I heard, we were red hot favourites to win today which is a difficult position to be in. Some lads are not able to handle the favourites tag and attention and expectation the hype brings and it serves no purpose to any player. I think journalists and adults around clubs need to be more aware of the pressures they heap on such young players when pushing them out in the media to be very talented when they really are only young lads learning their trade as inter county footballers.
To an extent I see what you're saying here, but I can't say I'd agree to be honest. I wasn't in Drogheda and I'm not living anywhere in between Shannonbridge and Bracknagh any more, but anything I read or heard was moderate - along the lines of saying that the team had played well in their two performances so far, but that they didn't have to beat very much.

Moreover, let's be honest about it: we're not a hugely successful county in the modern era, and a championship win is a meaningful thing - if we've to wait for Leinster and All Ireland titles to pat young lads on the back and say well done, and to be happy for all involved, then we'd be a long time waiting. There's enough work involved in playing for intercounty teams, senior and minor, so by all means let everyone take enjoyment out of the championship wins when they come along.

And finally, playing minor intercounty is all about preparation for senior really, and part of that is learning how to handle expectation. I don't care what level Offaly football and hurling might have fallen to relative to where we were at 20 years ago, by handing a tricolour jersey to any player you're saying to him that he's earned the right to wear it, and that now there is a responsibility there to justify that faith by putting everything he has into the team cause for the next hour and a half. That doesn't mean that he has to win every kickout or put every shot over the bar, but he has to put every ounce of energy he has into delivering on his ability, and if the chance comes to deliver a key moment, he needs to trust in his ability and take on that moment, whatever it may be.

The last thing we want is a future where Offaly are underdogs for every game, because that implies we're always at or near the bottom of the pile. So if a minor footballer or hurler can't handle the pressure of being favourites and going into a game where they are expected to win, then he needs to learn - because if a senior player can't handle it, they're no good to the county. That may be harsh, but it's the truth. We've two huge senior games against Westmeath coming up now - what use is any player who can't handle a bit of responsibility and expectancy? We don't expect wins, but I'm damned if I'm going to accept that an Offaly team will go in as outright underdogs in any game against Westmeath - things aren't that bad.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by jimbob17 »

Fundamentally agree and disagree with some of the points. The press needs GAA promotion, equally the GAA needs press. But there is a distinct difference between promoting the games and building up a young lad into something he is not - massaging the ego to a degree where some and many cannot handle. These are young lads, many of them immature and unable to handle newly found notoriety they are getting off local media. It brings a level of pressure that they can't handle and it often results in young lads under performing.

The media should have a responsibility to these lads, not yet fully formed adults and not be putting them on a pedestal when they are just negotiating their way through what is very often a difficult period in their lives with enough pressures. I wouldnt accept that just because they are county players that they should be able to manage this. They are young lads. Some can't. I have seen it first hand in more successful counties where young lads get ahead of themselves after a little success and turn into ego maniacs or worse still, alcoholics! The media has a responsibility to young lads and shouldnt shirk this responsibility lightly!

That is not to say it is all print media fault. Social media too is responsible and putting lads up on a pedestal here is setting them up for a fall! Maybe it had an impact Saturday. It certainly had an impact a few years ago at minor level where this years U21 team were pulverised by Dublin in O'Connor park after the young lads had to endure huge local media hype in the weeks leading up to the game!

Games can be covered and lads can be mentioned and given confidence but it should be done in a manner that doesnt leave talented players exposed to pressure they struggle to handle! Even the players themselves would tell you that!
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Re: Offaly v Westmeath. Leinster Minor Football.

Post by Lone Shark »

jimbob17 wrote:Fundamentally agree and disagree with some of the points. The press needs GAA promotion, equally the GAA needs press. But there is a distinct difference between promoting the games and building up a young lad into something he is not - massaging the ego to a degree where some and many cannot handle. These are young lads, many of them immature and unable to handle newly found notoriety they are getting off local media. It brings a level of pressure that they can't handle and it often results in young lads under performing.

The media should have a responsibility to these lads, not yet fully formed adults and not be putting them on a pedestal when they are just negotiating their way through what is very often a difficult period in their lives with enough pressures. I wouldnt accept that just because they are county players that they should be able to manage this. They are young lads. Some can't. I have seen it first hand in more successful counties where young lads get ahead of themselves after a little success and turn into ego maniacs or worse still, alcoholics! The media has a responsibility to young lads and shouldnt shirk this responsibility lightly!

That is not to say it is all print media fault. Social media too is responsible and putting lads up on a pedestal here is setting them up for a fall! Maybe it had an impact Saturday. It certainly had an impact a few years ago at minor level where this years U21 team were pulverised by Dublin in O'Connor park after the young lads had to endure huge local media hype in the weeks leading up to the game!

Games can be covered and lads can be mentioned and given confidence but it should be done in a manner that doesnt leave talented players exposed to pressure they struggle to handle! Even the players themselves would tell you that!
I suspect that we're perhaps at cross purposes here, in that nothing that I saw or read was anything close to putting lads on pedestals, or massaging egos. I'm not saying that such things weren't to be seen however - it's not like I was exhaustive in my research or anything - so perhaps we're assessing the situation having seen different evidence, and naturally that would lead to different conclusions. Perhaps you might share specific examples of what you're referring to?

Moreover, and I'm only speculating here, I don't know that the idea of teenagers getting notions about themselves is really that new? I would suspect that every generation of 18-year olds had lads that were driven to succeed, and lads that were driven to distraction. However in the absence of statistics, I'm not going to claim that the problem is any more or less prevalent at the moment.

Also, I think you're entitled to judge local media if those outlets are professionals, such as the local press or Midlands 103. Those sources are accountable, attributable, and should of course take a broader view, rather than simply hype things up for the sake of a few extra ad sales in the next week. However that doesn't mean that praise can't be given, where warranted. Certain players did play incredibly well in those opening two games, and a local newspaper or radio station is doing a dis-service to their audience if they say otherwise. For me, saying something like Duine Eile put in two excellent performances, clearly has a lot of potential, has taken the role of a natural leader on this Offaly team, is all fair comment. Saying that Duine Eile is clearly the next Johnny Dooley or Niall McNamee is going too far - in my opinion. I would have no problem being judged for anything I write in the Offaly Indo on that basis and while I won't speak for any of my colleagues in the Tullamore or Midland Tribune, or Midlands Radio, or the Offaly Topic, I will say this - anyone who takes the time to email, call or write me will get a response, and I'll respect their view, regardless of whether or not I agree with it. That responsibility comes with the soap box, as far as I'm concerned.

However you seem to interchange "social media" with "media". For me, Social Media just means "people". Anyone can say anything they like on Facebook or Twitter, and it's up to the world at large to decide whether or not that viewpoint is worth listening to. The world is different now in that once upon a time, if a lad in some corner of the county thought that so-and-so was the next big thing, all he could do was tell it to the few lads at the bar in his local, or to the lad he sits beside at work. Now he can put it online and yes, the player in question can retweet, or forward, and I see the issue you're talking about. However as a member of the local media, I would bristle at the idea that such activity is anything to do with media - it's just people, being people, doing the things they always did. The only difference now is that they can hit a wider audience.

So with that in mind - are you saying that the local press were guilty of overcooking things (and if so I'd love to see where) or that social media was responsible?

As for the minors of 2014, I believe that they were a good team, and I don't know that I'd say that overhype was a factor. They took on a brilliant Dublin team, and lost their talisman and leader after five minutes through injury. Teenagers anywhere could struggle in that situation, and in this instance a few more unlucky breaks followed and the wheels came off as a result. We've all seen situations like that at minor level to be fair.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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