Offaly vs Galway NHL 20/03/2010

[Bord na Mona man]

http://www.galwaynews.ie/11840-tannian- ... and-injury
Tannian ruled out with hand injury
March 18, 2010 - 7:42am
Selectors ring the changes for visit of Offaly

STEPHEN GLENNON

Galway’s leading scorer from play, Iarla Tannian, could miss the rest of the Tribesmen’s National Hurling League campaign after he was diagnosed with a suspected broken bone in his hand.

Tannian sustained the suspected break in Galway’s 2-17 to 0-14 defeat to Tipperary last weekend, but the extent of the injury will not be known until later in this week.

However, the Ardrahan sharpshooter – who has tallied 3-6 from play so far in the League – has not been selected in Galway’s starting XV to face Offaly in Pearse Stadium on Saturday (2.30pm).

The Galway management team – no doubt, disappointed and frustrated by Galway’s second half collapse against Tipp – has rung the changes for Saturday’s game, with four adjustments in personnel and two positional switches.

Kinvara’s Colm Callanan is restored to the No 1 jersey as the management’s continue their rotation of their goalkeepers, while Liam Mellows’ John Lee replaces Conor Dervan at left-half back in an otherwise unchanged defensive unit.

Fresh from his Fitzgibbon Cup heroics, Lee will relish his return to inter-county action, even if it is not in his more familiar role of centre-half back. He replaces Mullagh man Dervan, who is somewhat unlucky to lose out.

Although he struggled with the pace of Tipp’s Seamus Callanan last weekend, it was, after all, Dervan’s first competitive game in over four months. Also, Dervan is more of a central man – be it centre-back or full-back – and if the Galway management learned anything from last year’s experience, you can never have enough cover for those positions!

A new midfield partnership will be tried against the Faithful County, with St Thomas’ David Burke joining Ger Farragher in the middle of the park. For many observers, this is Burke’s best position, so it will be interesting to see what he can bring to this sector on Saturday. Certainly, he is an exciting prospect with plenty of ability. He just needs to make the jersey his own.

With Tannian out through injury, there has been a reshuffle of the attack. Aonghus Callanan and Cyril Donnellan reprise their right-half and centre-forward roles respectively, while Eanna Ryan – nephew of the great Galway hurler of the same name – gets his first National League start in replacing Gort’s Aidan Harte.

Ryan was in fine form for Killimordaly in their recent Senior League game against Craughwell, with it taking the home side some time to get to grips with the sharpshooter. If he can reproduce that first half club display on Saturday, then he should be good for a couple of points.

Meanwhile, Niall Cahalan – who has been picking off points regularly from his midfield berth – is moved into the right corner forward position, with Joe Gantley and Niall Healy making up the rest of the full-forward unit.

[Bord na Mona man]

That Galway team will be:

1 C Callanan
2 F Moore
3 S Kavanagh
4 D Joyce
5 D Collins
6 T Og Regan
7 J Lee
8 G Farragher
9 D Burke
10 A Callanan
11 C Donnellan
12 E Ryan
13 N Cahalan
14 J Gantley
15 N Healy

The Offaly team will be a closely guarded secret!

[leinsterman]

We should go into this game with our confidence high after the dublin game.
don't think joe will make many change's to the team that had there first win in the league.

we have played galway in the walsh cup this year already and were unlucky to lose at the end. but we can't give them the start that we gave them the last day or we will be in trouble.

offalys backline with be alot tigher on saturday, they have been our best line so far in the
league young morkan, james rigney, david kenny are playing great stuff for offaly.

our forwards came good against the dub's last weekend lets hope they can continue to keep
the score board ticking over. joe bergin and brian carroll up their game the last day lets
hope the can lift it to another level on saturday and we could win.

Dylan hayden might get a run in the forward's and ger oakley back into the back's
the portumna lad's won't be playing so that should help us. as i said before the dublin
the forwards won't come up again back's as good as cork's and the cat's again, so if we hurl
well for the full 70 mintue's we could sneak it bye 2 or 3 point's.

[Bord na Mona man]

Probably the biggest factor is that Galway lost the last day and will want to bounce back. In the league, team's form sequences are very often win-lose-win. Teams coming off a loss have more to prove.

Home advantage is another factor especially on an exposed venue that gets a strong onshore wind. That Salthill pitch always looks sandy and bare on tv, so it will pose a challenge for Offaly too.

The Offaly team might be roughly like the team that finished the last day. Hayden won't be wing back, Kevin Brady is highly unlikely to start centre forward but might be midfield with Mahon moving to wing forward and Bergin in at full. If Oakley starts at wing back he'd be the right man to sniff out Galway forwards who traditionally don't like it up 'em.

I'd say Galway 1-19 Offaly 2-13

[leinsterman]

OFFALY Team to play galway

1. Brian Mullins
2. James Rigney
3. David Kenny
4. Micheal Verney
5. Ger Oakley
6. Paul Cleary
7. Derek Morkan
8. Derek Molloy
9. Rory Hanniffy
10. Brian Carroll
11. Kevin Brady
12. Connor Mahon
13. Shane Dooley
14. Joe Bergin
15. Daniel Curram's

Not bad side, i think molloy and brady might switch before throw in kevin didn't do well last
sunday there.

galway's halfback line is their best line on the team, david collins, tony og, and john lee
i think dylan hayden would have being a better choice in the half forward line.
doe's anyone know how bad young horan's injury is, or is he out for a while.

[backofthenet]

OFFALY Team to play galway

1. Brian Mullins
2. James Rigney
3. David Kenny
4. Micheal Verney
5. Ger Oakley
6. Paul Cleary
7. Derek Morkan
8. Derek Molloy
9. Rory Hanniffy
10. Brian Carroll
11. Kevin Brady
12. Connor Mahon
13. Shane Dooley
14. Joe Bergin
15. Daniel Curram's

Not bad side, i think molloy and brady might switch before throw in kevin didn't do well last
sunday there.

galway's halfback line is their best line on the team, david collins, tony og, and john lee
i think dylan hayden would have being a better choice in the half forward line.
doe's anyone know how bad young horan's injury is, or is he out for a while.

Id probably have switched carrol and currams, we need to compete with high ball on the half forward line, carroll cant do this, on the other hand he is a bit more lethal on the inside forward line and i think he would work well closer to shane dooley. Im not sure how Derek Molloy will go at midfield, I would nearly switch him and Kevin Brady, he is a better shooter whilst Brady is better defensively.

This is a great chance to get safety before the squeaky bum time of the league, without Portumna's Joe Canning & Damien Hayes up front Galway should lack the firepower to pull away, if the forwards can get anywhere close to the tally they scored against Dublin we should get the two points.

Also Id wager Joe Brady to come on at some stage centre forward to provide a focal point to the attack.

[footoftheblooms]

Offaly have a very good side out against a weakened Galway string, would be suprised if Offaly dont upset if even beat galway. Ger Oakley is a big boost for Offaly back after injury and no doubt will lead from the front in defence with Brian Carroll likewise in attack!!
It should make for an interesting game!!

[Bord na Mona man]

1-15 to 0-10 to Galway early in the 2nd half.
Joe Brady on for Derek Molloy
David Franks on for Kevin Brady

[Bord na Mona man]

Galway 1-17 Offaly 0-14 12 minutes into 2nd half.

[Bord na Mona man]

Shane Dooley goal
GY 1-19
OY 1-14

[Bord na Mona man]

1-21 to 1-17

[Bord na Mona man]

4 point win for Galway. Sounds like a good fightback from Offaly.
Galway saved a Joe Bergin 20 metre free in injury time.

[Slieve Bloom Man]

Sounded like a good fightback on the radio. While it is disappointing to lose, it is good to see Offaly put in a good second half performance 2 weeks in a row. Important question which I hope someone can answer. Last year we were informed in the club championship& leagues, that if 2 teams finished on the same points in a group, then the result between those 2 teams rather than scoring difference would decide who came in what position. This was a directive from GAA headquarters to Offaly county board. Obviously if 3 teams finish on same points then scoring difference will be most likely to settle the issue. What I'm trying to get at-is this the same for the allianz leagues. Just say Limerick beat Offaly and the 2 teams both finished bottom of division 1 with 2pts each , offaly have a better scoring difference but would be relegated because of their result against Limerick?? All hypothetical and Offaly should be able to get another win or 2 but I'm just wondering. Likely Justin McCarthy will be got rid of this week.

[footoftheblooms]

Encouraging 2nd half display from offaly today,being in division 1 is doing us the world of good,thought we lost the game in the 10 mins before half time where galway scored 5 or 6 unanswered points,dublin did the same last week but thankfully we were 6 points up before they got them scores last week..things did look ominous when galway got 1st point of second half and went 9 up but in typical offaly fashion they battled right to the finish and none more so than the old warrior ger oakley,he was substituted 10 mins from time but probably due to fatigue as he ran himself into the ground,he hit alot of ball today.carroll chipped in with afew nice points and seems to be hitting form now,played a captains part,dooley mishit 1 or 2 frees but other than that he had yet another good game,fantastic workrate and very strong on the ball.morkan from shinrone had another good game at wing back,2 good long range points in 1st hald,1 when he intercepted an attempted galway short puck out.mullins solid in goals,joe brady had a good game when introduced and it was him that got the goal and he also chipped in with a point,bergin had his best game of the year hitting 4 points,unlucky when had ball cleared off the line with 2 mins left,he beat the goalie but a galway defender got back to save it,if that went in it would have left us within a point and maybe we could have snatched a draw but overall it wasnt the worst display ever and was encouraging.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Have a look at the photograph of Shane Dooley on the back page of this week's Offaly Independent which was taken against Kilkenny a few years ago. He's filled out and bulked up enormously since then.

dooley mishit 1 or 2 frees but other than that he had yet another good game,fantastic workrate and very strong on the ball.