JULY 4th 2009

[naasmanxrhode]

Surely to God one of these matches can/should be changed to the Sunday. We are the only team that is affected this year, a football match in Wexford Park and a hurling match in Tullamore. The GAA have a lot to answer for, did they not take Offaly's case into account before they made the fixtures. Are the fixtures committee are shower of idiots orv what. Its now up to our County Board to get this sorted. Its only a f**cking joke with the footballers waiting nearly seven weeks for a match. They should take the footballers out (not turn up)as its an away match and go all guns blazing to Tullamore and shout the hurlers on to a great victory against them shit holes from Cork.

[Bord na Mona man]

Second year in a row this happened.
If it was Dublin, Cork or Galway, the GAA wouldn't make them choose like this.

[Bord na Mona man]

Yet again, we've sleepwalked into this.
Its very late now to get any accommodation.
This issue should have been sorted a few weeks ago, when the possibility first arose.
The footballers were knocked out in mid-May and this was flagged a long time ago:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2468

What is worse, the remaining back door hurling fixtures are the next weekend, so the Offaly-Cork doesn't need to be on that weekend.

We are a small county with limited box office appeal, who the authorities aren't going to really bother about.
We need to fight our own corner at all times, or this sort of occurrence will keep happening.

[black and red exile]

Yet again we are being rode. It's a case of big wigs not given a hoot about the small County and for the second year in a row we again have to choose between our 2 senior teams. Iv'e no doubt that the only Offaly people that will be in that KIP Wexford Park on Sat week will be mostly family members of the players with the vast majority of dual supporters in Tullamore at the more attractive hurling game. Why in the name of jaysus can't our gutless County board grow a set of balls and fight for players and supporters alike. I have no doubt that Wexford used the loophole of claiming that this is a separate competition from the Leinster championship and that they are entitled to their home advantage despite the arrangement made after the hurling venue toss earlier in the year. It's pretty obvious too that our useless County board rolled over like a dog getting its tummy tickled, told to take its medicine and sure that's the way the cookie crumbles. OUR 2 SENIOR TEAMS WERE LAST IN ACTION A MONTH AND A HALF AGO AND NOW THEY ARE BOTH OUT ON THE SAME DAY AT THE SAME TIME AT SEPARATE ENDS OF THE PROVINCE. IT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO VOMIT.
By the way I could be wrong about this but I think that Cork footballers are in the Munster final on July 5th so we wouldn't expect Cork hurlers to agree to a Sunday night throw in.

[Phoenix]

Any chance Wexford would switch to the Sunday or is there another solution?

I really want to have the opportunity to go to both games!!

[faithful till I die]

Does the home -away agreement between Offaly & Wexford not come into effect or does that not apply to qualifiers ??

[Hocker]

Well I'm going to see Rod Stewart in Thomond park that evening!!!

At least i'll be guaranteed my money's worth!

[Kemo Sabe]

Does the home -away agreement between Offaly & Wexford not come into effect or does that not apply to qualifiers ??

it was my understanding that we would have wexford at home the next championship game between the two counties but you can be sure wexford wiggled their way out of it somehow and our usless county board just let it happen .how will our fortunes ever change if we have nobody fighting our corner in these mathers.

[Lone Shark]

Well I'm going to see Rod Stewart in Thomond park that evening!!!

At least i'll be guaranteed my money's worth!

[Georgio1]

Cant see there being an issue really? How many of you really will go to Wexford?

[Lone Shark]

Generally speaking, when push comes to shove I'll go with the footballers over the hurlers, but I really and truly despise going to Wexford Park more than any other ground in Ireland. If the game was in Buncrana I'd be there in a heartbeat, but Wexford Park? I'm tempted to stay at home and just take the handy spin into Tullamore.

It's an absolute disgrace that our county board aren't fighting this a lot harder by the way - I'd say if you went to the Wexford county board and pushed for this to be the second game in the home and away arrangement, they'd let it slide - they'd much prefer to have home advantage for the hurlers again for the next meeting between the two counties. Still this could make all the difference, and right now our footballers need a break to try and get out of the downward spiral they're in.

[Bord na Mona man]

It's an absolute disgrace that our county board aren't fighting this a lot harder by the way - I'd say if you went to the Wexford county board and pushed for this to be the second game in the home and away arrangement, they'd let it slide

The home and away agreement supposedly struck up between Offaly and Wexford this year, where Offaly were down to get home advantage in a football clash was obviously as leaky as a rusty bucket, where it didn't cater for qualifiers.
Yet the home-away agreement for Offaly-Laois meant that Offaly travelled to Portlaoise in 2006 for a qualifier - Go figure.

It seems like the county board will roll over once again and take it?
There aren't many noises of dissatisfaction.
Not even a grumble in the media, never mind a threat of taking the nuclear option.

It is matter of principal really. Maybe only a couple of hundred people would be affected by it, but still we are getting shafted big time!
Or should I even get worked up about it any more?
Most Offaly people probably couldn't give a fiddlers either way.

[black and red exile]

Surely it wouldn't be too much for Wexford to agree to a Sunday evening throw in. It wouldn't kill the yellowbellies to meet us half way on this.

[puremule]

I actually emailed the couty board yesterday asking for clarification on the home/away arrangement for the Offaly/Wexford football game but of course I got no reply . Even if they had came out in the last few days to say we're not happy about this it would have been something, I don't think they give a fiddlers about the team or the supporters.....

[Doon Massive]

A double header in Tullamore would be perfect, with two games a decent crowd would be in attendance (I would hope!!), and that's what Offaly GAA needs.
But with this sh*te again, it appears we have nobody willing to stand up for us, and the GAA don't give two hoots. Qualifiers are badly handled every year, there is a huge gap after the first round should you get knocked out till the next game, then all the games are played in a heap over a weekend or two.

The whole thing is madness, with our limited championship outings at the moment, I think its only fair we be given the chance to attend all of them. The GAA priority is the glamour counties (Dubs and so on) and take that.