Carlow 3-12 Offaly 1-13 NHL 2005

[bracknaghboy]

Remember this shocker in Carlow 4 years ago. Johnny Nevin was outstanding that day for Carlow and I remember actually being pleased for them as they went crazy like they had won the All-Ireland when the full time whistle went. It was a strong enough Offaly side as well!! This proved to be a disaster for us as we were playing rubbish teams in the league (if I remember Kildare stayed with us early on in Birr) and met Kilkenny a few weeks later and were handed a 30-odd point beating. Joe Dooley must be rootless this time round we need to hammer these weaker teams out of sight. The momentum must start Sunday and anything less than a 12-15pt win would not be good in my estimation. Carlow will give a challenge for 40-50 mins. Offaly are 1/200 Carlow are 16/1.

For the record in 2005:

CARLOW: Pat Fenlon; Edward Coady, Johnny Nevin, Des Shaw; Martin Keating, Shane Kavanagh, Sean Watchorn; Karl English (0-1), Damien Roberts; Pat Coady (0-7, 0-6f), Mark Brennan (0-1), Paul Kehoe; Ruairi Dunbar (0-1), Des Murphy, Brendan Lawler (3-1). Subs: Robert Foley (0-1) for Dunbar, Johnny Kavanagh for Kehoe, Barry Cox for Foley (yellow card), Paddy Coady for Brennan (inj), Edward Spruhan for Fenlon (yellow card).

OFFALY: Brian Mullins; Niall Claffey, Peter Healion, Colm Cassidy; Daniel Hoctor, Gary Hanniffy, Joe Brady; Ger Oakley, Michael Cordial; Brian Carroll (0-1), Mick O’Hara (0-1), Stephen Brown (0-2); Cathal Parlon (0-2), Rory Hanniffy, Damien Murray (0-5f). Subs: Brendan Murphy (0-2) for O’Hara, Aidan Hanrahan for Brown, Paudie Mulhare for Oakley (yellow card), David Franks for Healion, Kevin Brady (1-0) for Mulhare (yellow card), Andrew McRedmond for Hoctor.

REFEREE: Denis Richardson (Limerick)

[GreatDayForTheParish]

In my opinion what is actually remarkable about that Offaly team is how weak it is. I appreciate that it was very much a League experiment 15 but in hindsight (isn't it great) it's not altogether suprising that Carlow humbled us. I'm not saying that the current starting 15 are world beaters but they nonetheless look better on paper than the 2005 league version. In addition, of those that did not survive from 2005-2009, there are few that I would gladly reinstall into the current Offaly set up. I may well be proven wrong but that's my two cents for what it's worth.

[Slieve Bloom Man]

That 2005 team wasn't that weak- some decent players there! Would like to see Niall Claffey back for Offaly-could play at full-back and David Kenny could move out to centre-back.

[Kevin]

Remember this shocker in Carlow 4 years ago. Johnny Nevin was outstanding that day for Carlow and I remember actually being pleased for them as they went crazy like they had won the All-Ireland when the full time whistle went. It was a strong enough Offaly side as well!! This proved to be a disaster for us as we were playing rubbish teams in the league (if I remember Kildare stayed with us early on in Birr) and met Kilkenny a few weeks later and were handed a 30-odd point beating. Joe Dooley must be rootless this time round we need to hammer these weaker teams out of sight. The momentum must start Sunday and anything less than a 12-15pt win would not be good in my estimation. Carlow will give a challenge for 40-50 mins. Offaly are 1/200 Carlow are 16/1.

For the record in 2005:

CARLOW: Pat Fenlon; Edward Coady, Johnny Nevin, Des Shaw; Martin Keating, Shane Kavanagh, Sean Watchorn; Karl English (0-1), Damien Roberts; Pat Coady (0-7, 0-6f), Mark Brennan (0-1), Paul Kehoe; Ruairi Dunbar (0-1), Des Murphy, Brendan Lawler (3-1). Subs: Robert Foley (0-1) for Dunbar, Johnny Kavanagh for Kehoe, Barry Cox for Foley (yellow card), Paddy Coady for Brennan (inj), Edward Spruhan for Fenlon (yellow card).

OFFALY: Brian Mullins; Niall Claffey, Peter Healion, Colm Cassidy; Daniel Hoctor, Gary Hanniffy, Joe Brady; Ger Oakley, Michael Cordial; Brian Carroll (0-1), Mick O’Hara (0-1), Stephen Brown (0-2); Cathal Parlon (0-2), Rory Hanniffy, Damien Murray (0-5f). Subs: Brendan Murphy (0-2) for O’Hara, Aidan Hanrahan for Brown, Paudie Mulhare for Oakley (yellow card), David Franks for Healion, Kevin Brady (1-0) for Mulhare (yellow card), Andrew McRedmond for Hoctor.

REFEREE: Denis Richardson (Limerick)

Agreement in this corner. We need to come out of the blocks hard and fast. Regardless of the score all subs coming on should be reminded that if they ever want to get in the first 15, now would be the time to give the management and selectors something to think about.

Kilkenny might still be a tough win to visualize at the moment, but I see no reason why we can't beat everyone else.

Winning forms a mindset and an expectation. Lets not worry about running up the score either.

[Phoenix]

I was there in Carlow and Carlow won on merit. It was quite a decent game with a good ebb and flow to it but hard to watch from an Offaly point of view. The Carlow crowd were delighted and they seemed like a decent set of supporters which softened the blow a bit.

I agree that it would be good to have Niall Claffey back in the squad as an option at full back to free up David Kenny to go to Centre Half Back. Nevertheless we are stronger overall this time around and we should be able to beat a Carlow team who have just been beaten by Westmeath.

[Bord na Mona man]

The writing was on the wall for 2005 with those 3 goals conceded against Carlow.
Granted you can have an off day, but worse still, Offaly conceded 4 goals again to Carlow in the league final later on.

I think it was small mercy that we only conceded 6 to Kilkenny a few weeks later. When Henry Shefflin taps a penalty over the bar, you know you are being let off the hook! In the second half when Offaly had thrown in the towel, Kilkenny were taking easy points outfield, when in reality could have walked in about 5 more goals.

As unpalatable as it may seem, Offaly will have to put small teams to the sword in the league if the opportunity arises. We might run up some obnoxious scorelines that counties like Tipp and Galway do against weaker opposition. It isn't the Offaly way, but the danger is that Offaly have a tradition of doing (usually) enough to win matches. After a while standards slip to match the standard of the opposition encountered.

I'd say Wexford will be cutting through their opponents, so we should be at least matching their standard.