Wicklow v Offaly, July 7th, Aughrim @ 3.00pm

Hyper · Post by **Hyper** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:37 am

I think the panel is meeting up tonight for the first time (excluding the few beers) since the Dublin game. Its hard to know what the feeling will be like within the camp but here's hoping that the team that goes out will do themselves justice.

True Red · Post by **True Red** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 10:53 am

I have held my fire for a good while on this game and on the ridiculous debacle that was the Dublin game.I will continue to do so untill Offaly are out of all football competitions for the year.

However I will say this.If Offaly were taking this competition seriously
which the Chairman of the county board has stated publicly that they were
“No matter what competition you go into, whether it is the Tommy Murphy Cup or the league, you have to go out and try and win it. But we will be up against it in that as well, and there is no point in saying anything different.”.
Then how can they justify "training" on the Thursday nite before the game.

The harsh reality is that Offaly will travel down to Aughrim with a scratch side,due to lack of interest and injury, and they will be greeted by a Wicklow side leaping out of their skins to get a schkelp at the Offaly boys. Offaly's season will end in ignominy and defeat to one of the country's worst footballing sides.

Sadly you read it here first.

black and red exile · Post by **black and red exile** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 7:56 pm

Sadly I fear that true red is right. The lads are definetly back training tonight, although its more of a team meeting than actual training itself. The fact of the matter is that we will not be at full pelt on saturday night and yes the mountain men will be pumped up to get a crack at us. Between injuries and sheer lack of interest we are going to be far from healthy. As a dual supporter, I am actually going to sacrifice the qualifer in Cork for the Aughrim game for the simple reason that the whole county has viciously turned on the footballers and this is no time to turn our backs on them. On this site I have attacked this competition for its unimportance, but at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I want to make a call on as many lads as possible who are not travelling to Cork, to make the trip to Aughrim.

Hyper · Post by **Hyper** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:42 am

Well lads it looks like the evens available on Wicklow could be a good one!We are going to be short tomorrow evening. There was something like seventeen at training last night. Out for the game are Slats,Paschal,Joe Quinn,Ken Casey,Sean Ryan,Tommo, and one wonders will Niall be around. Though this might be the gee up that the lads that are available just need.

Bord na Mona man · Post by **Bord na Mona man** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:44 am

From what I've heard the Wicklow lads couldn't give a toss about this game either.
Though, it being in Aughrim will probably wake them up.
It will be a total farce of a game, that will have all the intensity of the sort of challenge match played to open clubhouse in October.
An O'Byrne Cup game would be infinitely more competitive as at least players want to impress management at the start of a campaign.

MF35 · Post by **MF35** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:52 am

I can understand why Slats, Deehan, and Sean Ryan are out. Whats the excuses for the rest of the above mentioned?

Sydthebeat · Post by **Sydthebeat** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:34 am

bring in as much fresh fringe players as possible, and use it to blood them to competitive senior level football.... thats the only use for this competition in my opinion....

Rynaghs Biffo · Post by **Rynaghs Biffo** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 11:11 am

One quick question!! Is anyone going to the game?

Rynaghs Biffo · Post by **Rynaghs Biffo** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:13 pm

Rynaghs Biffo wrote:One quick question!! Is anyone going to the game?

thought so, I'll be on me own then!!!

black and red exile · Post by **black and red exile** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:30 pm

I will be there Rynagh's. There will be 2 of us there. God help us.

Hyper · Post by **Hyper** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:28 pm

I'll be there, on the way now- that is now 11/8, Nialler to score 10! get on that even money!that is now 11/8

Offalys Future · Post by **Offalys Future** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:54 am

This topic has been playing on my mind for quiet a while now.
I know the competition is over now but i just cant understand the logic of players, management and some of you on this forum.

The majority of your comments were that the players would have better things to be doin i.e. playing in club championship etc.
And that the team would not benefit from this competition.

I disagree
The reasons i dont agree are this.
If Offaly had not been in Div 4 of the football league for next year then when beaten by Dublin they would have entered in the qualifiers.
They would have taken the qualifiers very serious and at best win 1 game.

I think the big problem is that the mentality in Offaly is completetly wrong, players think they are alot bigger and better than they actually are.
Louth won the Tommy Murphy Cup last year, this year at a Gaa Forum in Dundalk Eamonn McEneaney spoke of how last years success was the foundation for this year. They won the competition, got confidence, played in Croker and this year Louth lost by 2 points to All-Ireland Semi Finalists Cork in the 3rd Round of the Qualifiers.

Take now Wicklow, are you telling me that this Wicklow team are not going to benefit from the win last weekend.
Of Course they will.
They played in Croke Park last weekend and i was at the game.
The joy and emotion that they showed at the end of the game can and will only make them a better team.
Do you think they want to play in Croke Park again? Your God damn right they do and they will train and look after themselves over the winter to give themselves a chance to compete again next year.

See the mentality in Offaly in different.
Players, Supporters etc think that the Tommy Murphy Cup is a waste of time and Offaly shouldnt be in it.
Yes they should be in it.

Offaly are one of the eight worst teams in the Country and the sooner people that realising that the better.
Why didnt Offaly take the above cup serious, i believe that even with their full team they wouldnt have beaten Wicklow in Aughrim.

The mentality has to change.
These players have won nothing and while a Tommy Murphy Cup would not have been many peoples choice of Medals this year.
I would and so would the Wicklow/Antrim players take it with arms open.

Wake up ad face the reality lads.
Or else it will be Div 4 for a long time to come.

azoffaly · Post by **azoffaly** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:17 pm

Offaly are one of the eight worst teams in the Country and the sooner people that realising that the better.

Sorry Future, but that's not correct. Whatever about the Tommy Murphy Cup, and I would have liked to give it a better rattle because I don't like Offaly losing to crap teams, but Offaly are not one of the 8 worst teams in the country. In a championship Match, I would be confident of beating the following teams

Wicklow, Carlow, Wexford, Tipperary, Waterford, Clare, Limerick, Leitrim, Antrim.

I would expect us to beat the following at least every second time around
Louth, Kildare, Westmeath, Roscommon, Sligo, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Down. Longford, Cavan,

I would have hopes of an upset against the likes of Cork, Mayo, Galway, Derry, Armagh, Donegal, Laois, Meath

I would consider us rank outsides against Dublin, Kerry, Tyrone,

In short, I agree the attitude of the players stank for a good bit of the year, not just for the Tommy Murphy Cup, but you exaggerate your point too much. Offaly are a Division 2 team, whose stupid approach to the league left them in this position.

the bare biffo · Post by **the bare biffo** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:35 pm

Agree with AZ above.
Also using Louth as an example is no endorsement of the Tommy Murphy competition. If they are a better team this year, and thats debatable, it is because they spent the last season in division 1. Even at that they finished 2nd last and will be in div 3 next year. They put it up to a Cork team that have looked pretty anaemic to date, took three games to beat the famed Wicklow and then lost to Wexford.

I agree the Offaly players attitude this year appeared to be appalling, but that can only be corrected by strong management both team management and at board level.

If Pat Roe continues then I would hope he would show a little more teeth next year, if not then we need someone who will.

Muck Savage · Post by **Muck Savage** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:37 pm

Agree with you AZ on most of the teams listed, either way we're at worst a Div 3 team and should be a Div 2 team. I don't care what anyone says about how Dublin were crap against us this year, I really believe that it's down to not letting them play. Too often teams are said to have bad days when they kick 10-14 wides but not enough credit is given to the backs. If we had played anyway decent from 8 to 15 we could have beat them. Playing in a Leinster Final last year to the Tommy Murphy cup this year is some drop, would you blame them for wanting to hide?

Where all this stems from is the county board. If they don't have a manager in place for next year in the next month then they are not tryong to progress. The Laois players have Gym programs already for next year, we should have the same. How is a manager going to pick up new players if he's not at a few C'ship games. Roe seems to be away from all this and maybe it's because the County baord won't paly for his petrol to go to a few of the games, they wouldn't let him have get togethers with the players before Christmas last year! They need to be preparing now for next year.

The only way the Tommy Murphy cup would get more interest is if the winners got back in the C'ship this way.