Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
As Leinsterman said the best way to get there is taking the carlow road after the rounabout. The directions are the same as Leinsterman gave only difference a couple of landmarks to help you on your way. If you're coming from the Dublin side on the Motorway take the first exit (Junction 16) and head towards Portlaoise town for about 500M and then turn left signposted for Carlow. Drive straight through next roundabout and there will be a Honda Garage on your left. Keep going straight for about 2 miles and then turn right and keep going till you get to the back of the kyle centre and the rest is as leinsterman said. Theres a Lidl carpark which you'll probably get parking in.
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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Faithful McManus man for all seasons
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic- ... 88559.html
By Colm Keys
Friday May 21 2010
Tom Cribbin never got around to it, but reveals it was on his mind. Finding the right words to suggest to arguably Offaly's most productive player of the last decade and a half that it might be a good time to call it a day is not an easy thing to do.
So Cribbin opted to keep his inner most thoughts under lock and key and press on without attempting to trigger such radical change. When he looks back on it now, he admits he doesn't know what he was thinking.
"I don't know what I'd do without him," said Cribbin. "He's been a revelation this season. I'm delighted he has hung in there."
Ciaran McManus would probably be the first to acknowledge that Cribbin had a point after the season he had.
He has never allowed travel to be a barrier to his career, whether it's within Ireland or from some far-flung continental destination where his work as a senior engineer with ESB Energy International has taken him. Whatever has to be done is done. No complaints.
But last year the first chinks in the armour appeared. Based in Southampton, where he was heading up a significant project, the commute to and the absence from the training field began to take their toll.
He had already been thrown out of kilter somewhat in the early part of the season with a placement at full-back that had square peg and round hole written all over it. That was in the unfortunate days of Richie Connor's brief reign.
unprecedented
By May and the first round of the Leinster Championship against Kildare, the Tubber man found himself in unprecedented territory. For the first time in a championship career that spanned back to 1996 he found himself surplus to initial requirements -- on the outside looking in.
Dermot Earley's dominance for Kildare soon had Offaly redrawing their plans and by the end of the first quarter McManus was pressed into action. But retirement for a 33-year-old, with a wedding at the end of the year, had to be a consideration.
Nothing defines McManus' Offaly career more, however, than his sheer willingness to persevere.
There is scarcely another inter-county footballer or hurler, who has served under more managers, the legacy of Offaly's deplorable shifting of the deck-chairs so often during the last decade.
After a period of stability through the tenures of Tommy Lyons and Padraig Nolan, Offaly took off on a campaign of changing management with Abramovich-like fervour.
Paul O'Kelly and Gerry Fahy lasted just a season each, Kevin Kilmurray had two years that incorporated a Leinster final appearance, but still found the sands shifting from beneath him. Pat Roe would rather forget his two years in Offaly, as everyone else would too, and Connor's timing just could not have been worse. For a few weeks his former team-mate Tom Coffey offered his services, before Cribbin's arrival.
With Eugene Mulligan's 1996 team included, Cribbin is now the 10th Offaly manager McManus has taken instruction from. This year Cribbin has really come to appreciate what he can give.
"He's based back in Ireland (a new safety management role with ESB Energy International) now and he's really a different player," said Cribbin.
"Having himself and Scott Brady around for training has made such a difference. The encouragement he has given in a difficult period has been immense."
The common denominator throughout McManus' time has been his levels of personal fitness.
When Colm O'Rourke had charge of the International Rules team for the revival of the series with the Australians in 1998 and 1999 McManus emerged as one of the leading lights.
O'Rourke didn't know then and doesn't know now if he has come across a better athlete in Gaelic football.
Cribbin reports now that the engine is suitably conditioned. "No doubt about it he remains one of our fittest players, even at 34," he says. "It's a tribute to him. He's in front for everything, regardless of the distance."
Offaly have altered deploying him as a midfielder or half-forward. Cribbin's hunch is to just let him go. "You can't confine him to a specific role. You just have to give him freedom."
In championship terms, McManus is relatively lightly raced with 41 appearances.
Darragh O Se has played in just two more championships, but has played in twice as many games, which provides an indication of Offaly's paucity for much of his career.
The 104 league appearances he has made is a better reflection of how he has put his shoulder to the wheel.
For Paul O'Kelly, his manager in 2003 and a selector during Lyons' three-year reign the measure of McManus is the mileage has clocked up just to remain an Offaly player.
"In 2003, when he stood up to that '45' he converted to earn Offaly a draw against Laois, he had been based in Germany practising his free-taking without the use of posts," recalled O'Kelly.
"Later that year he arrived home from Finland on the morning of a qualifier game against Roscommon. Finland is two hours behind so effectively it was 9.0 for him when the match started. His commitment to Offaly knows no bounds.
"From my point of view I would certainly appreciate what he gave me in my year as manager in '03, not just in terms of what he did on the field, but off it as well.
"We had something like 12 U-21s, but Ciaran gave wonderful leadership to them."
His propensity for scoring great goals is a matter of debate among Offalians where opinion can be divided.
spurned
As much as the brilliance of his effort against Laois in 2003 is remembered, so, too, is the 2001 Leinster semi-final when they had Dublin on the ropes and he, more than anyone, spurned opportunities to put them away, before Vinny Murphy came on to apply the coup de grace. The consensus was that he had tried the impossible from too far out.
You won't hear O'Kelly complaining, though. "You'd hear criticism of Ciaran in Offaly, but my reply is that if we had two or three of him we'd be in a much better position than we are now."
O'Kelly, a victim of the managerial coups that have stalked much of the last decade for Offaly, believes the instability of those years may have robbed McManus of a much more fruitful career.
"Even after Tommy Lyons departed Offaly reached three consecutive Leinster finals, but it was chaos after that," he said.
McManus stood firm behind Gerry Fahy in 2004 when he secured only a lightweight endorsement to continue from the Offaly County Board after just a year in charge. And the decision by the players to down tools and expose a number of related issues had his considerable backing.
Ciaran McManus enters a new decade hoping against hope that he'll be able to reflect better on this one than the last.
But one thing is certain. He'll leave with a clear conscience, sure that he had given everything that he could.
- Colm Keys
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic- ... 88559.html
By Colm Keys
Friday May 21 2010
Tom Cribbin never got around to it, but reveals it was on his mind. Finding the right words to suggest to arguably Offaly's most productive player of the last decade and a half that it might be a good time to call it a day is not an easy thing to do.
So Cribbin opted to keep his inner most thoughts under lock and key and press on without attempting to trigger such radical change. When he looks back on it now, he admits he doesn't know what he was thinking.
"I don't know what I'd do without him," said Cribbin. "He's been a revelation this season. I'm delighted he has hung in there."
Ciaran McManus would probably be the first to acknowledge that Cribbin had a point after the season he had.
He has never allowed travel to be a barrier to his career, whether it's within Ireland or from some far-flung continental destination where his work as a senior engineer with ESB Energy International has taken him. Whatever has to be done is done. No complaints.
But last year the first chinks in the armour appeared. Based in Southampton, where he was heading up a significant project, the commute to and the absence from the training field began to take their toll.
He had already been thrown out of kilter somewhat in the early part of the season with a placement at full-back that had square peg and round hole written all over it. That was in the unfortunate days of Richie Connor's brief reign.
unprecedented
By May and the first round of the Leinster Championship against Kildare, the Tubber man found himself in unprecedented territory. For the first time in a championship career that spanned back to 1996 he found himself surplus to initial requirements -- on the outside looking in.
Dermot Earley's dominance for Kildare soon had Offaly redrawing their plans and by the end of the first quarter McManus was pressed into action. But retirement for a 33-year-old, with a wedding at the end of the year, had to be a consideration.
Nothing defines McManus' Offaly career more, however, than his sheer willingness to persevere.
There is scarcely another inter-county footballer or hurler, who has served under more managers, the legacy of Offaly's deplorable shifting of the deck-chairs so often during the last decade.
After a period of stability through the tenures of Tommy Lyons and Padraig Nolan, Offaly took off on a campaign of changing management with Abramovich-like fervour.
Paul O'Kelly and Gerry Fahy lasted just a season each, Kevin Kilmurray had two years that incorporated a Leinster final appearance, but still found the sands shifting from beneath him. Pat Roe would rather forget his two years in Offaly, as everyone else would too, and Connor's timing just could not have been worse. For a few weeks his former team-mate Tom Coffey offered his services, before Cribbin's arrival.
With Eugene Mulligan's 1996 team included, Cribbin is now the 10th Offaly manager McManus has taken instruction from. This year Cribbin has really come to appreciate what he can give.
"He's based back in Ireland (a new safety management role with ESB Energy International) now and he's really a different player," said Cribbin.
"Having himself and Scott Brady around for training has made such a difference. The encouragement he has given in a difficult period has been immense."
The common denominator throughout McManus' time has been his levels of personal fitness.
When Colm O'Rourke had charge of the International Rules team for the revival of the series with the Australians in 1998 and 1999 McManus emerged as one of the leading lights.
O'Rourke didn't know then and doesn't know now if he has come across a better athlete in Gaelic football.
Cribbin reports now that the engine is suitably conditioned. "No doubt about it he remains one of our fittest players, even at 34," he says. "It's a tribute to him. He's in front for everything, regardless of the distance."
Offaly have altered deploying him as a midfielder or half-forward. Cribbin's hunch is to just let him go. "You can't confine him to a specific role. You just have to give him freedom."
In championship terms, McManus is relatively lightly raced with 41 appearances.
Darragh O Se has played in just two more championships, but has played in twice as many games, which provides an indication of Offaly's paucity for much of his career.
The 104 league appearances he has made is a better reflection of how he has put his shoulder to the wheel.
For Paul O'Kelly, his manager in 2003 and a selector during Lyons' three-year reign the measure of McManus is the mileage has clocked up just to remain an Offaly player.
"In 2003, when he stood up to that '45' he converted to earn Offaly a draw against Laois, he had been based in Germany practising his free-taking without the use of posts," recalled O'Kelly.
"Later that year he arrived home from Finland on the morning of a qualifier game against Roscommon. Finland is two hours behind so effectively it was 9.0 for him when the match started. His commitment to Offaly knows no bounds.
"From my point of view I would certainly appreciate what he gave me in my year as manager in '03, not just in terms of what he did on the field, but off it as well.
"We had something like 12 U-21s, but Ciaran gave wonderful leadership to them."
His propensity for scoring great goals is a matter of debate among Offalians where opinion can be divided.
spurned
As much as the brilliance of his effort against Laois in 2003 is remembered, so, too, is the 2001 Leinster semi-final when they had Dublin on the ropes and he, more than anyone, spurned opportunities to put them away, before Vinny Murphy came on to apply the coup de grace. The consensus was that he had tried the impossible from too far out.
You won't hear O'Kelly complaining, though. "You'd hear criticism of Ciaran in Offaly, but my reply is that if we had two or three of him we'd be in a much better position than we are now."
O'Kelly, a victim of the managerial coups that have stalked much of the last decade for Offaly, believes the instability of those years may have robbed McManus of a much more fruitful career.
"Even after Tommy Lyons departed Offaly reached three consecutive Leinster finals, but it was chaos after that," he said.
McManus stood firm behind Gerry Fahy in 2004 when he secured only a lightweight endorsement to continue from the Offaly County Board after just a year in charge. And the decision by the players to down tools and expose a number of related issues had his considerable backing.
Ciaran McManus enters a new decade hoping against hope that he'll be able to reflect better on this one than the last.
But one thing is certain. He'll leave with a clear conscience, sure that he had given everything that he could.
- Colm Keys
Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Nice article above. Thanks for posting.
As for Meath...let's go get 'em boys!!!!!
As for Meath...let's go get 'em boys!!!!!
Kevin Clancey. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
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Offaly2010
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
My main worry on Sunday is going to be Richie Dalton marking Joe Sheridan. I think after 20 mins if its not working out, Ciaran Kiely should be brought on instead of Dalton and put Shane Sullivan centre back.
Other than that, I think it's a good team selection.
Maybe if Meath are winning the middle of the field, Brian Connor can be brought out and used as a third midfielder.
I really believe that Offaly can put it up to Meath on Sunday and maybe with a bit of luck you never know.
Come on the Faithful!
Other than that, I think it's a good team selection.
Maybe if Meath are winning the middle of the field, Brian Connor can be brought out and used as a third midfielder.
I really believe that Offaly can put it up to Meath on Sunday and maybe with a bit of luck you never know.
Come on the Faithful!
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Offaly2010
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Ciaran Kiely of Gracefield is starting tomorrow instead of Brian Darby of Rhode who is injured,at corner back.
I knew Darby had a slight injury on Thursday night when I was in Gracefield watching them train but I was sure he would be ok,obviously not.
Big test for Kiely tomorrow making his Championship debut.
I knew Darby had a slight injury on Thursday night when I was in Gracefield watching them train but I was sure he would be ok,obviously not.
Big test for Kiely tomorrow making his Championship debut.
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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
The Biff takes a shortcut through Portlaoise golf course to get to the ground!The Biff wrote:Is there any way to get across from it to the big pitch? Portlaoise Golf CLub is there in the middle but I'd even try carrying a 7-Iron and wear tartan trousers to look the part, if it might save a some time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E73RM9gS7bU
Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Jeez, the accuracy of that YouTube thingey is uncanny. How did it know my shotgun looked just like that.
No wait .... I've got the Tartan trousers like the other guy. Oh Sh1t!
No wait .... I've got the Tartan trousers like the other guy. Oh Sh1t!
Peter Parker: I missed the part where that's MY problem.
Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Bord na Mona man wrote:The Biff takes a shortcut through Portlaoise golf course to get to the ground!The Biff wrote:Is there any way to get across from it to the big pitch? Portlaoise Golf CLub is there in the middle but I'd even try carrying a 7-Iron and wear tartan trousers to look the part, if it might save a some time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E73RM9gS7bU
Falling down is brilliant! An excellent film! Biff is class.
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backofthenet
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
That referee is some joke, so far in the game he has blown up for half time just as offaly were about to score a goal,he has given a free against niall mcnamee as he was passing it across which would most likely have resulted in another goal and has given two easy frees to meath for the punch pass...thats eight points, and if we had a decent free taker we would have definately won this game
Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
John Coughlan was put off.
Did anyone see the incident?
Did anyone see the incident?
Kevin Clancey. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
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backofthenet
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Yeah he actually should have went, came across midfield and put his elbow straight into a meath lads head, stupid move on his part
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leinsterman
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Lads Didn't get to the game today as the young fella had a underage game today but got to see it on the TV .
offaly have learn nothing from last year only for the two Goals we were dead and gone in the first half and made meath look good.
Coughlan should have been sent off the ref got it right, i know spillane talks rubbish sometimes but he got it spot on when he said
if the offaly manger has to go around looking for the best players to wear the offaly jersey there is something wrong.
offaly football is falling way behind and it will be hard to see it coming back after this. i suppose a few players will want tom cribbin out now whats new.
offaly have learn nothing from last year only for the two Goals we were dead and gone in the first half and made meath look good.
Coughlan should have been sent off the ref got it right, i know spillane talks rubbish sometimes but he got it spot on when he said
if the offaly manger has to go around looking for the best players to wear the offaly jersey there is something wrong.
offaly football is falling way behind and it will be hard to see it coming back after this. i suppose a few players will want tom cribbin out now whats new.
Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
Like leinsterman, my young lads game ran late so I didn't make it down either. I considered a late dash to catch the second half. Glad I didn't as I would have missed the only good play we did.
Random thoughts in no particular order:
* I will do that Golf Course short cut again if it gives me a chance to shoot that ref.
* Better still, let me shoot the gobsh1tes at Congress who voted in a Hand Pass Rule Change that had not been properly tried out.
* The RTE lads said this new rule about ".... clear underarm striking action ...." only applies to open-handed hand-passes, and if a player elects to use a closed fist, then that's a different rule and it almost cannot be a foul pass. What a pity the gobsh1tes forgot to include that in there rigourous briefings of their referees.
* Please tell me that this was Niall Darby's first day taking frees; like I'm assuming the excuse is he hadn't practised that either. How can he score one from close to the corner flag and yet miss from the 20 metre line in front of the posts. At this level, that is not acceptable.
* Cian Ward - master-class in free-taking.
* John Coughlan - nice of you to drop by to help us out. Now feck off with your short-arm challenges that send your team-mates to Damnation.
* Even if we are down to 14 men and yet Meath seem to have 4 men challenging Niall McNamee any time the ball dropped in on him, that means we should have had one or two free men somewhere else. Why couldn't someone pick them out with a pass?
* We were lucky to lose by only 10 points.
* I would love for us to win even 1 Qualifier match, just to break this current streak. However, I dont know if I can rely on the team to approach whatever opposition we might face with a positive attitude.
* Watched Pat McEnaney in the second TV match prove that a ref with enough self-confidence can decide to feck those stupid new rules and only blow up the few really blatant bad hand-passes. Granted he missed a fouled sideline kick that resulted in a Tyrone score, but that was minor compared to his excellent contribution to a free-flowing game. Oh to have more refs like him. Maybe we need to promote him to replace the afore-mentioned gobsh1tes.
* Bring on the Hurlers.
Random thoughts in no particular order:
* I will do that Golf Course short cut again if it gives me a chance to shoot that ref.
* Better still, let me shoot the gobsh1tes at Congress who voted in a Hand Pass Rule Change that had not been properly tried out.
* The RTE lads said this new rule about ".... clear underarm striking action ...." only applies to open-handed hand-passes, and if a player elects to use a closed fist, then that's a different rule and it almost cannot be a foul pass. What a pity the gobsh1tes forgot to include that in there rigourous briefings of their referees.
* Please tell me that this was Niall Darby's first day taking frees; like I'm assuming the excuse is he hadn't practised that either. How can he score one from close to the corner flag and yet miss from the 20 metre line in front of the posts. At this level, that is not acceptable.
* Cian Ward - master-class in free-taking.
* John Coughlan - nice of you to drop by to help us out. Now feck off with your short-arm challenges that send your team-mates to Damnation.
* Even if we are down to 14 men and yet Meath seem to have 4 men challenging Niall McNamee any time the ball dropped in on him, that means we should have had one or two free men somewhere else. Why couldn't someone pick them out with a pass?
* We were lucky to lose by only 10 points.
* I would love for us to win even 1 Qualifier match, just to break this current streak. However, I dont know if I can rely on the team to approach whatever opposition we might face with a positive attitude.
* Watched Pat McEnaney in the second TV match prove that a ref with enough self-confidence can decide to feck those stupid new rules and only blow up the few really blatant bad hand-passes. Granted he missed a fouled sideline kick that resulted in a Tyrone score, but that was minor compared to his excellent contribution to a free-flowing game. Oh to have more refs like him. Maybe we need to promote him to replace the afore-mentioned gobsh1tes.
* Bring on the Hurlers.
Peter Parker: I missed the part where that's MY problem.
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GreatDayForTheParish
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
1: Praise Jebus that Niall McNamee is from Offaly.
2: Alan Mulhalls kickouts were atrocious. By my reckoning he kicked at least four straight out over the sideline and those that remained in play were short, high and 'floaty' i.e. perfect for the Meath halfback line and midfield to attack and claim. This needless giving away of possession so many times was the reason for countless Meath scores.
3: I would very much like somebody to tell whether Niall Darby has any experience of taking frees for either club or county in the past? Because out there today he looked as if he had been told five minutes before the game that he was going to take them. Embarrassing stuff for all concerned and Ken Casey's were struck no better. Is there anybody reliable in the county who can take them?
2: Alan Mulhalls kickouts were atrocious. By my reckoning he kicked at least four straight out over the sideline and those that remained in play were short, high and 'floaty' i.e. perfect for the Meath halfback line and midfield to attack and claim. This needless giving away of possession so many times was the reason for countless Meath scores.
3: I would very much like somebody to tell whether Niall Darby has any experience of taking frees for either club or county in the past? Because out there today he looked as if he had been told five minutes before the game that he was going to take them. Embarrassing stuff for all concerned and Ken Casey's were struck no better. Is there anybody reliable in the county who can take them?
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leinsterman
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Re: Offaly Vs Meath this sunday
i could be wrong on this but didn't Niall Darby take the frees for Rhode the year they lost the leinster club final in parnell park a few year's agoGreatDayForTheParish wrote:1: Praise Jebus that Niall McNamee is from Offaly.
2: Alan Mulhalls kickouts were atrocious. By my reckoning he kicked at least four straight out over the sideline and those that remained in play were short, high and 'floaty' i.e. perfect for the Meath halfback line and midfield to attack and claim. This needless giving away of possession so many times was the reason for countless Meath scores.
3: I would very much like somebody to tell whether Niall Darby has any experience of taking frees for either club or county in the past? Because out there today he looked as if he had been told five minutes before the game that he was going to take them. Embarrassing stuff for all concerned and Ken Casey's were struck no better. Is there anybody reliable in the county who can take them?
he had a bad day that day. your answer would be the last great free taker offaly footballers had was Matt Connor he would put them free's over today
blindfold.