Cats claws leaving a deep scar

[Phoenix]

By Cian Murphy


Saturday February 12 2011

OFFALY hurling has lost its way and needs to go back to its traditional skills and make coaching fun for kids again.

That's the view of Offaly legend Brian Whelahan, who believes the focus on underage coaching is wrong and says it's time for hurling in the Faithful County to go back to basics.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Offaly hurling's first ever All-Ireland triumph. But after so many golden moments throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the county's fortunes have dipped alarmingly.

For GAA Team of the Millennium hurler Whelahan, the future depends on a proper investment in good coaching.

"You have to commend the people that are going into the schools and doing their work, but I just think the focus on it is wrong," he says.

"We are trying to get kids from eight to 12 to master all the skills straight away and that's not what it's about. No one masters the skills. Every day you go out, you go out to improve, even as a senior hurler, and I just think we need to get the basics right so that when they get to 15 or 16 years of age they have that to fall back on.

"That's what we really need to focus on and make it fun again. I think it's very serious now. There's an awful lot of drills being done at underage that seniors are doing and I think that's a little bit much," he argues.

lynchpin

The Birr legend was a lynchpin of great Offaly teams who showed no fear playing Kilkenny when their paths crossed in the championship, famously beating the Cats in the 1998 All-Ireland final.

But Offaly haven't won a Leinster title since 1995, and Whelahan believes Brian Cody's all-conquering Kilkenny team of the last decade left a lot of scars.

"I think playing against Kilkenny in the first round of the championship over the last decade was a big thing because it looked as if there was a fear element straight away and it sucked the confidence out of the team.

"The confidence was very low going into the back-door system and we had a very poor run there for a number of years."

Last year Offaly were beaten in Leinster after two titanic struggles with Galway, when Whelahan believes Joe Dooley's team showed some of the old characteristics of Offaly hurling.

"They hurled with a carefree spirit against Galway and it was great to see. It was great to see hurling with a purpose and see movement of the ball and players.

"We are not expecting them to win All-Irelands or Leinsters at the moment because Kilkenny are so strong, but to go out and have a go is what we are after," he says.

Enshrined in GAA legend as the only player from the modern era to be selected on the GAA's Team of the Millennium, wing-back Whelahan was just one of several iconic hurlers to line out for the county in their golden era.

But he still owes much of his philosophy to the coaching he received from the Christian Brothers in Birr.

"It was all about moving quickly. We had our own little leagues where you were allowed rise and hit it and could catch it in the air, but you couldn't solo run. It was a way of curbing stronger players and bringing everyone along and that worked very well.

"It brought a new way of thinking that lads had to be moving if they were going to be involved. They had to make space and hurling has to be about that again," he says.

"I looked at Tipperary in the final last year and after five minutes Noel Hickey and Lar Corbett were out around the midfield and that's what you are looking for -- to create space.

"Kilkenny set up their six backs and are very hard to break down. Tipp found a way of doing that, so other teams will have to start thinking outside the box again and to me it goes back to getting the basics right and making it enjoyable for kids again.

"It's where we need to go in Offaly anyway, and the sooner we do, you won't see it for a while but, maybe in five or 10 years, we'll come with a bunch of players again that will take a bit of beating.

"In an ideal world your game has got to be about movement and I think we are very static at the moment, especially up front," he adds.

Offaly open their Allianz NHL Division 1 campaign away to Cork tomorrow. For Whelahan, the goal has to be retaining that status as preparation for their tough Leinster Championship quarter-final with Dublin in Parnell Park on May 29.

"The next number of years are very important for Offaly," he warns. "They need to find another couple of forwards. They were very reliant on Shane Dooley last year, and if we can get Joe Bergin back into a bit of form, he has the potential as well.

"If we could do that we could be a threat in certain areas, but we are still a long way off the creme de la creme of the Kilkennys and the Tipps."

In the meantime, Offaly hurling's old guard like Brian Whelahan will look for more signs that the links to their glorious past are not all broken.

- Cian Murphy

Irish Independent

[Plain of the Herbs]

The heading “cats’ claws . . .” missed the real meat in this piece, and I’m glad someone posted it up.

For me the two most interesting points was, firstly, the children are being coached skills inappropriately given their age.

The second is the Tipperary one. Tipperary have similar problems to Offaly – they have too many attackers who can’t win their own ball so they have to resort to winning breaking ball. This requires an emphasis on movement noted by Whelahan.

In the All-Ireland, Tipperary swarmed around the breakdown, often with one hurler contesting the dropping ball and two others coming onto the break, one moving left-to-right, the other in the opposite direction.

They played with 4 midfielders and brought their corner-forwards far outfield leaving just Corbett inside, Robbie Keane-like, on his own. Notice how many times Jackie Tyrell burst up into attack, given that he was following his man to that point. What that gave Tipperary was plenty of manpower around the breakdown.

Offaly obviously can’t ape the powerful Kilkenny tactic. They can model a gameplan on the style that won that All-Ireland for Tipperary.

[townman]

The heading “cats’ claws . . .” missed the real meat in this piece, and I’m glad someone posted it up.

For me the two most interesting points was, firstly, the children are being coached skills inappropriately given their age.

The second is the Tipperary one. Tipperary have similar problems to Offaly – they have too many attackers who can’t win their own ball so they have to resort to winning breaking ball. This requires an emphasis on movement noted by Whelahan.

In the All-Ireland, Tipperary swarmed around the breakdown, often with one hurler contesting the dropping ball and two others coming onto the break, one moving left-to-right, the other in the opposite direction.

They played with 4 midfielders and brought their corner-forwards far outfield leaving just Corbett inside, Robbie Keane-like, on his own. Notice how many times Jackie Tyrell burst up into attack, given that he was following his man to that point. What that gave Tipperary was plenty of manpower around the breakdown.

Offaly obviously can’t ape the powerful Kilkenny tactic. They can model a gameplan on the style that won that All-Ireland for Tipperary.

what are you on about tipp have the problems that offaly have sorry plain of the herbs but thats bull
tipp are way ahead of offaly years ahead if you look back tipp should have beaten kilkenny in 09 final
we don't have the back's midfield or forwards that tipp have, if you look back on the hurling final lar won many a dropping ball
the maher's padraig and Brendan caught the leather for sport in the final.

i tell you what tipp had and offaly had in the 80's and 90's they didn't give a f..k about kilkenny but we don't have that now
you have great views on the game and you know your hurling well but tipp have the hurlers we don't
just on the last word on this tipp have the hurlers to beat the cat's we had 12 year's ago as well but don't have them
now god be with the day's of the Dooley's, troy ,Sid and johnny P we didn't care about any of them but they are history now
but i still we go to the grave knowing we had the best of them when we we on top and that can never be took away for us......

[kingscounty]

agree with townman,we dont have the hurlers and this is just fact.we lost to many of our best players at the same time,when the dooleys,troy ,sid,jp,etc stopped playing we had no replacements.lads coming through now are all guys who have no experience in beating kilkenny,cork,tipp and each time they go out to play these teams the fear is there that their going to be beaten and if that is in the head then its like been a man down at the start of the game.hopefully we will rise again in few years when some of the lads playing now will be wiser and we can blood some new young guys with them.as far back as i remember no other team had the skill offaly hurlers had in the 80s and 90s,offaly were not the about fitness,anything they won was won with pure skill and heart for the game.today i think there is to much focus on fitness and games are scrappy and lack good touches.

[Bord na Mona man]

i tell you what tipp had and offaly had in the 80's and 90's they didn't give a f..k about kilkenny but we don't have that now
you have great views on the game and you know your hurling well but tipp have the hurlers we don't
just on the last word on this tipp have the hurlers to beat the cat's we had 12 year's ago as well but don't have them
now god be with the day's of the Dooley's, troy ,Sid and johnny P we didn't care about any of them but they are history now
but i still we go to the grave knowing we had the best of them when we we on top and that can never be took away for us......

The prize for the longest sentence in history goes to...

[Bord na Mona man]

It isn't just down to skill (in the old sense).
I believe that in the late 90s Offaly were already starting to suffer from the evolution of hurling with all the above players mentioned.
Technically less able teams like Clare and Wexford were getting the better of Offaly, by improving their fitness, power and tactics. The didn't play the games on Offaly's terms any more.

While Offaly had some chance of countering those teams, once the elites like Kilkenny introduced more power into their hurling, Offaly were in trouble. Regardless of age or retirements, Offaly were going to have to evolve.

None of this has anything to do with POTH original argument. Which is about what you do when you don't have the hurlers. Better management of the drop zone is vital for a team like Offaly where primary ball winners are not at a premium.

There have been too many times in the recent past where an opposition catcher has had to beat just one Offaly player and he is into space and freedom.
There is no way the likes of Tommy Walsh should be one catch (or shove) away from having a free puck into the Offaly square...Especially if this arises from an Offaly puck out.
Crowding, closing down, space management, support play etc. are all vital skills these days that can't be ignored.

[durra1]

It’s all very well to look back at Sid, JD , JP, Troy and hark back to their golden era.

The modern game is was a world apart.

I saw the 95 Leinster final there again recently which I put down as one of the best displays of backsmanship, and certainly the best display in wet weather, I’ve ever seen.

In looking at it again and while it is very easy on the eye compared to the modern game, it appeared static in parts and there didn’t look like there was any great tactical input from the sidelines of the type you would see from the movement of todays sides.

It was pretty much one-on-one contests all over the park.

While it was good to look at , the reality is the modern approach is as much about power, taking the ball on the front foot , doubling up on the man in possession and on contesting the puckouts as it is about mastering the finer arts.

Contesting and winning the puck out is a vital. We have lost out big time here in the last ten years.

Tipp did their homework on the KK long delivery and worked hard to edge the 50/50 breaking balls and POTH is right when he says that was key to their All Ireland.

It doesn’t take a John troy or a Johnny Dooley to get yourself into the right place at the right time when the ball breaks or alternatively, position your men around the dropping ball so as to give themselves a better chance of winning the break than the opposition .

That type of stuff can be coached.

Troy to Billy Dooley in the 1994 Leinster semi –v- Wexford cant be coached.

[fifitrixiebelle]

u can coach all you like but its the combination of that with skill and vision which makes the teams that are a cut above.

an example of that in teh AI was the way Ryan drove the ball into mcgraths hand before the reverse pass. that was coached by eamonn oshea while at the same time noel hickey was dragging R power to the ground in nolan park. When mcgrath passed that ball to Corbett, that was the vision which you cant coach. teh ball was gone before hickey could foul or belt him. O'muircheartaigh said mcgrath had 'the hands of a piano player'.

But crucially tipp as mentioned earlier dont give a s**te about KK. KK bet them in '10 but it meant nothing in '11. Brian is right, we have to get rid of this inferiority complex where kk are concerned.

[Plain of the Herbs]

A pity you didn’t read the full sentence before you ploughed into your keyboard. I’ll repeat it for you: –
“Tipperary have similar problems to Offaly – they have too many attackers who can’t win their own ball so they have to resort to winning breaking ball.”
Worth noting that Lar Corbett played the ball a grand total of SIX times in the All-Ireland, so he hardly “won many a dropping ball” as you put it. Neither Maher hurled in the forwards either – if they did then I didn’t notice it.

I’m a bit tired of this “we don’t have the hurlers” lark. You might have given up on them, and that’s fair enough, you’re entitled to do so, but there’s a cause worth fighting for yet. Quite a number of the current team beat Kilkenny U21s in Kilkenny a few years ago. The talent is there alright – it just needs to be harnessed and brought along the right way.

Further down, the Offaly mini-sevens team had a number of big days out against Galway and Tipperary last year. I must say I was impressed with how they compared to boys from counties with a much greater pick.

what are you on about tipp have the problems that offaly have sorry plain of the herbs but thats bull
tipp are way ahead of offaly years ahead if you look back tipp should have beaten kilkenny in 09 final
we don't have the back's midfield or forwards that tipp have, if you look back on the hurling final lar won many a dropping ball
the maher's padraig and Brendan caught the leather for sport in the final.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

I’m a bit tired of this “we don’t have the hurlers” lark. You might have given up on them, and that’s fair enough, you’re entitled to do so, but there’s a cause worth fighting for yet. Quite a number of the current team beat Kilkenny U21s in Kilkenny a few years ago. The talent is there alright – it just needs to be harnessed and brought along the right way.

Couldn't agree more.

[old yellar]

3 goals from 6 possessions isn't bad going in fairness. Rem most players in a match are in possession of the ball in terms of seconds than minutes. As regards coaching and making progress, well it's hard to see that happening when the director of hurling up there a few years ago was critical of coaching sessions that didn't have an amount of ground hurling.. Work ethic is a massive part of the modern game compared to years gone by. Adapting to suit the enemy is another. Wexford did this to Kk a few years back and even tips tactical nouse this year were examples of good management too. A certain style is great but somedays you have to be willing to change to suit the opposition rather then the old motto of let them worry about us..

[old yellar]

Also with regards to the comments about Offaly beating Kk a few years ago in u21. Well it was a one off match firstly so hard to be definitive on it's worth. I rem a few years ago watching a schools game in stradbally. Ballyhale had 2 key men in Paul Murphy and Colin fennelly. Both were roasted by Patrick bonnar maher and a young Gary Connelly. Now one bad/good day doesn't make a huge difference over a hurlers career. Consistence performance at a high level and coaching are more important.

[townman]

A pity you didn’t read the full sentence before you ploughed into your keyboard. I’ll repeat it for you: –
“Tipperary have similar problems to Offaly – they have too many attackers who can’t win their own ball so they have to resort to winning breaking ball.”
Worth noting that Lar Corbett played the ball a grand total of SIX times in the All-Ireland, so he hardly “won many a dropping ball” as you put it. Neither Maher hurled in the forwards either – if they did then I didn’t notice it.

I’m a bit tired of this “we don’t have the hurlers” lark. You might have given up on them, and that’s fair enough, you’re entitled to do so, but there’s a cause worth fighting for yet. Quite a number of the current team beat Kilkenny U21s in Kilkenny a few years ago. The talent is there alright – it just needs to be harnessed and brought along the right way.

Further down, the Offaly mini-sevens team had a number of big days out against Galway and Tipperary last year. I must say I was impressed with how they compared to boys from counties with a much greater pick.

what are you on about tipp have the problems that offaly have sorry plain of the herbs but thats bull
tipp are way ahead of offaly years ahead if you look back tipp should have beaten kilkenny in 09 final
we don't have the back's midfield or forwards that tipp have, if you look back on the hurling final lar won many a dropping ball
the maher's padraig and Brendan caught the leather for sport in the final.

yes offaly might have beaten kilkenny in the under 21 semil-final but went down bad in the final after to Dublin.
plus the cat's came back the next year and hurl offaly out of tullamore in the leinster final and went on to win the final,

what bit of we don't have the hurler's do you not understand last year's under 21 display again kilkenny not tell you anything
bye the way going back to that win over kilkenny under 21's a few year's ago some of the best players that we have that year
are not with the panel, Brian Watkins, Colm Coughlan,Sean Ryan,Duirmuid Horan, are just to name a few.

as for tipp not winning hight ball in there forward line in the final or most matche's they play go and look back at
tipp's run to the final you will fine Bonnar Maher, Noel McGrath,Eoin Kelly, and John o'Brien Ger Ryan, and Lar won
many a hight ball all year. just going back to tipps win over Galway how many puck outs and points did the half forward
Noel McGrath and John o'Brien score and the waterford match as well i think think that wipes out your point about not winning there own ball
but sure everyone has there own opinion on things and team's .

[Plain of the Herbs]

At the risk of arguing with the obtuse and being beaten on experience . . .

Whatever the reasons for Offaly U21’s capitulation to Kilkenny last year, lack of hurling ability isn’t one of them. Do James Dempsey, Derek Morkan, Éanna Murphy (who lined out that evening) carry a talent deficit? Absolutely not. Remember the previous year’s vintage should have won down there too. In any event, the success of a particular underage team is dependent on the contribution of the weakest five of the team – it is the strongest five who will go on to hurl Senior into the future.

That 2007 U21 team also included Paul Cleary, David Kenny, Conor Mahon, Joseph Bergin, Derek Molloy, Shane Dooley & Cathal Parlon, all of whom continue to make a valued contribution to the Offaly Senior team.

No-one has more difficulties under the dropping ball tan Galway have, so controlling the skies against Galway (as Offaly did twice last summer) is nothing to crow about.

yes offaly might have beaten kilkenny in the under 21 semil-final but went down bad in the final after to Dublin.
plus the cat's came back the next year and hurl offaly out of tullamore in the leinster final and went on to win the final,

what bit of we don't have the hurler's do you not understand last year's under 21 display again kilkenny not tell you anything
bye the way going back to that win over kilkenny under 21's a few year's ago some of the best players that we have that year
are not with the panel, Brian Watkins, Colm Coughlan,Sean Ryan,Duirmuid Horan, are just to name a few.

as for tipp not winning hight ball in there forward line in the final or most matche's they play go and look back at
tipp's run to the final you will fine Bonnar Maher, Noel McGrath,Eoin Kelly, and John o'Brien Ger Ryan, and Lar won
many a hight ball all year. just going back to tipps win over Galway how many puck outs and points did the half forward
Noel McGrath and John o'Brien score and the waterford match as well i think think that wipes out your point about not winning there own ball
but sure everyone has there own opinion on things and team's .