All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round 1 Antrim v Offaly

[Lone Shark]

I see the bookies have essentially made this a 50/50 tie. The funny thing about this is that one of these two sides is incredible value at even money or so - though picking which one is tricky. As far as I'm concerned, if Offaly have bounced back from what happened in Nowlan Park and they are in the right mindset for this tie, they can win and win well up there. If not, and they're mentally broken and just marking time before they get back to their clubs, well then there's no happy ending for them.

I remember a few years ago picking up a good few euro in winnings when Antrim beat Galway in the football qualifiers at Casement. Galway had some fine players but they tend to be fairly disinterested in the early rounds of the qualifiers. Once they get a sniff of Croke Park they'll perk up again, but a game like this was always likely to test their resolve. They had no interest and critically, the distance meant that they knew that hardly any supporters would make the trip. If they had been drawn out against a team like Leitrim or Clare, where there wouldn't have been a long road trip, they might have had a thousand supporters follow them down the road and so that would have kept them honest to a certain degree. Less than 100 Galway supporters supposedly went to Belfast for that one and they just phoned it in, and Antrim won at 3/1.

My huge concern would be that something similar will happen here. It's not about deliberately losing, but sometimes it's just too hard to keep going t the well and finding the intensity that championship hurling requires, particularly a game like this where Antrim will smell blood in the water. If the panel just want this year to be over, then this is a great chance to exit stage left under cover of darkness. They mightn't be explicitly thinking like that, but if one or two are it could creep into the group as a whole very easily.

That's why I'd like to see lads like David Kenny and Colin Egan fit and ready to hurl, because that wouldn't be in their nature - not unlike Brian Carroll as he showed against Kilkenny, they're fight-to-the-death kind of men. I'm not saying that the others don't care, far from it, but this year has been a horrible experience from start to finish and they wouldn't be human if that didn't affect them and make them long to be back with their friends at their clubs and away from the misery that county hurling has been.

It'll be interested to see if the way Antrim treated the league game in Tullamore will affect them here either. That was a pretty blatant insult to the Offaly players and to the supporters from both sides as far as I'd be concerned and it would be the kind of trickery that could get the dander up in the players. Maybe.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

"It's not about deliberately losing, but sometimes it's just too hard to keep going t the well and finding the intensity that championship hurling requires, particularly a game like this where Antrim will smell blood in the water. If the panel just want this year to be over, then this is a great chance to exit stage left under cover of darkness. They mightn't be explicitly thinking like that, but if one or two are it could creep into the group as a whole very easily. "
BNM with something similar.

If this is not questioning the integrity of our hurlers then I dont know what is.

The fact is that we went up there and lost in the league after Antrim humiliating us the week before, after we hurled them off the field for the first 20mins.

Look, we have to ask what are we at if we dont turn up and want to give a decent performance after busting a gut training for the year and also trying to stimey some of the press and some of the statements about the Offaly hurlers.

[Lone Shark]

"It's not about deliberately losing, but sometimes it's just too hard to keep going t the well and finding the intensity that championship hurling requires, particularly a game like this where Antrim will smell blood in the water. If the panel just want this year to be over, then this is a great chance to exit stage left under cover of darkness. They mightn't be explicitly thinking like that, but if one or two are it could creep into the group as a whole very easily. "
BNM with something similar.

If this is not questioning the integrity of our hurlers then I dont know what is.

The fact is that we went up there and lost in the league after Antrim humiliating us the week before, after we hurled them off the field for the first 20mins.

Look, we have to ask what are we at if we dont turn up and want to give a decent performance after busting a gut training for the year and also trying to stimey some of the press and some of the statements about the Offaly hurlers.

I don't agree that it's questioning their integrity at all. I'm saying that they're human. I'm saying that this year has been one long miserable haul that has got worse and worse as it's gone on, and now they face a trip to the furthest possible corner in the country, where if they win it'll just go down as beating Antrim, i.e. no big deal to the average Joe on a bar stool, and if they lose it'll be yet another low point, yet more ammo for the likes of Ger Loughnane and another milestone on the road to the end of the earth as we know it. It's a horrible situation to be in, and it would be understandable if the players were looking forward to this about as much as people like you or me look forward to root canal treatment.

It's not about wanting to hurl well, it's about having the conviction and belief in yourself and the players around you that you're well prepared and utterly ready for the challenge ahead. I don't doubt that every player will go out on the field wanting to do his best, but the human spirit can only take so much battering.

I worked as an odds compiler for years and even now my livelihood rests on assessing these situations. If I didn't account for the fact that there will be times when motivation and self-belief will be a lot harder to come by than others, then I'd have gone broke by now and brought several large firms down with me.

[timber]

Both teams will be happy enough with the draw. Antrim supporters will be expecting a win in this one. Offaly will know that they have the hurling to beat Antrim. To many Antrim will be favourites purely because of Offaly's form and the fact that Offaly have to travel to Ballycastle.

Team selection is key here. If they hurl lads where they hurl with their clubs, I think Offaly have more hurling and can win this by 5 or 6 points. Select lads that are physical enough for this type of hurling and lads that wont shy away from the dirty work. Offaly have to be more hungry and up for it. Pay no attention to any decisions that go against them and dont let antrim breath, give them very little time on the ball. Id like to see Offaly hurl with more intensity. Move the ball quickly. Make Antrim have to hurl and move the ball quicker than they would like.

Its an opportunity for this bunch of players to stand up and show a bit of grit. Its easy for Loughnane and others to stick the boot into lads when they are down. Very easy. I think its time our boys dragged themselves up and threw a few slaps. Hopefully good support will travel. Its a nice part of the country if anybody can at all make the trip. Best of luck to all involved. No bother to ye, if ye give it everything from start to finish ye will win this game.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

I take your point LS, but BNM man has also alluded to the fact that there might be a temptation for the lads, sub concious or whatever , to quietly bow out in a game that the media or public will have little interest in.

This would point to all the issues that others were castigated here earlier for raising, both by players and by posters such as yourselves.

We have not won many championship matches in recent times, this is an opportunity to win one, maybe get a home draw in the next round, and restore a bit of pride and self belief.
There was a stark situation for the hurlers back in the league, mgt set up the team tactically, we were hurling the shite out of Antrim, and unexpicably fell apart.
My clear view for a few years is that many of our players lack the "bottle" for the tight games, for whatever reason that is, and your statement along with BNM mans would say that subconciously or whatever, ye agree with that too!

By the way "bottle" should be defined as "belief that you have the necessary , skills, fitness, physicality and motivation to defeat your direct oponent/s". The reason this belief may waver is that you have not prepared yourself as best you can, you dont believe in your coach trainer and their methods, you believe CB is not supporting you, your believe your opponents are better prepared, so mentally you are struggling before you even go out.
Am completely pissed off with lazy analysis of teams not having the bottle on a given day, because they lose by a couple of points.

I will be bitterly disappointed if we arrive in Antrim on Saturday/Sunday not believing we can & wanting to win this game.
We have a generation of hurlers who cant look down their nose at any championship win, nor can we as supporters.

[Bord na Mona man]

Select lads that are physical enough for this type of hurling and lads that wont shy away from the dirty work. Offaly have to be more hungry and up for it.

On the mention of physicality.
Against Kilkenny this year, Offaly gave away 2 frees in the entire game. One of them was James Dempsey having to put in a goal saving foul. Last year, Kilkenny scored 11 points from frees and I assume got a few more frees along the way.
So there was a stark difference in approach between 2013 and 2014.

In 2013 Offaly's tactic was to rip down any Kilkenny player as soon as he gained possession in our half and let them have their free. Kilkenny got 26 points but never got a sniff at goal. This year they got 5 goals but could have had 8 or 9.

How much of this is determined by the tactics on the day, or is this down to the selectors and management taking a different approach in how they prepare the team in the months leading up to the game?

And perhaps this is where we aren't best armed having the management and selectors who all played a similar style of hurling. Sid, Ger Coughlan and John Troy were all players who were slight in build to various degrees and needed to avoid rather than embrace physical combat. They were the classical Offaly hurlers of the era - move the ball quickly and don't get hit. I'd wonder is there an element of groupthink in how they want the game played and how they prepare the team.

I prefer a bit of diversity in a backroom team. For example, did it slip through the cracks that with the injuries and switches, that we left ourselves with little in the line of viable puckout targets against Kilkenny. We were never going to beat them, but this oversight alone was worth 7 or 8 points to Kilkenny and crucially killed any semblance of a contest after 20 minutes. If there was someone like Brendan Kelly or Kevin Martin on the line, who were ball winners and distributors, would this area of the game have been addressed better?

[sam88885a]

its a big week for offaly hurling we need a decent show from the u 21 against wexford a win would be a huge plus . the seniors need to both hurl well and win up in ballycastle against antrim for themselves .
i think if whelahan allows them to play there natural game picks lads in their best spot we will see a much improved offaly team .
i agree that against kilkenny we picked a light defence and midfield that physicality had not a chance .
last year we had d kenny and g healion instead of rory and d morkam . rory and morkam dance around guys where g healion and d kenny would go through them for fun .
b whelahan was light but he played off h rigney k kinahan m hanammy k martain who all were fierce strong . b whelahan has to learn that there is a balance . we need both power and pace . too much of either wont work . last year rory was wing back which allow him to hurl and i feel we got much more value out of him than having him minding the house because he is one of our most skillfull players.
i dont know why but for the first time this year i think offaly are going to go out and do themselves justice with a solid win . after kilkenny b whelahan has to forget all about his crasy tactics of sweeper and light lads running with the ball slowing down the ball into the forwardas.
i think offaly will stand up and prove loughnane that there is life in offaly yet

[Fargo Boyle]

Quick question - who decides who enters the Leinster round robin competition which decides who eventually faces relagation to Chrsity Ring? This year Westmeath beat Kildare to avoid the drop but how come Offaly are not facing this round robin series. Surely with the performance levels of this year we should be in there with Carlow, Antrim, Laois and Westmeath. Hardly fair on these so called 'minnows' considering we might struggle to beat the aforementioned teams.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Sepp Blatter has Offaly connections and has worked the oracle. 2015 Championship will be played in Derrinlough, and Boora, in windy conditions allowing us the advantage of being used to the dust. He also played a part in getting Europe to ban turf cutting on the smaller bogs in Galway, Clare and around Tipp, so their players will be blinded with the dusht. This should enable us to get one over on a few teams like ensure we hang in there in the McCarthy cup.


if the above is false then I guess its something to do with the GAA Fargo.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Ah no Fargo, CCCC, 3 yr plan to be reviewed at the end of it to ensure the right counties fall into round robin section.

[Kevin]

This seems to be an ideal opponent for us.

They need repaying for the league stunt they pulled.

Let's hope our boys make their final interest in the 2014 Championship as unpleasant as possible.

[Toxicity234]

David Kenny, James Rigney and Stephen Quirke injured and Sean Gardner, Conor Doughan and Ciaran Slevin have left the panel.

Can anyone tell me of the 45 or so that started training with Whehelan and co. how many are left??


Antrim Team
Chris O'Connell;
Odhran McFadden, Conor McKinley, Aaron Graffin;
Simon McCrory, Neal McAuley, Neil McManus;
Tomas McCann, Jackson McGreevey;
Conor Carson, Paul Shiels, Conor McCann;
Darren Hamill, Ciaran Clarke, PJ O'Connell.

Offaly team
James Dempsey
Niall Wynne, Rory Hanniffy, Chris McDonald
Kevin Brady, Ger Healion, Cathal Parlon
Conor Mahon, Sean Ryan
Shane Dooley, David Kenny, Colin Egan
Brian Carroll, Dan Currams, Joe Bergin Capt

Chris McDonald, Kevin Brady, Ger Healion, David Kenny and Colin Egan replace James Rigney (injured), Barry Harding, Derek Morkan, Peter Geraghty and Kevin Connolly

[Plain of the Herbs]

The Antrim team and scorers who beat Offaly earlier this year in Ballycastle was - C O'Connell; Ciaran Johnson, C McKinley, O McFadden; E Campbell (0-02), N McAuley, P Shiels (0-9, 0-4f, 0-1 '65'); D Hamill, C McCann; C Carson (1-1), M Donnelly, S McAfee; N McManus (0-3, 0-1f), PJ O'Connell (0-3), Conor Johnson.
Subs used: B McFall for McAfee, N McKenna for McCann, C Clarke for Donnelly, D McKernan for Conor Johnson, J McGreevy for Clarke.

That’s five changes to the starting lineup. Don’t mind positional switches, no-one believes announced lineups anyway. Graffin replaces Johnson in the full-back line, McCrory replaces Campbell in the half-back line, two new midfielders, including McGreevy who is a regular anyway, and Jackson replaces Clarke in the attack.

[Killeighman]

Really cant see David Kenny playing centre forward. Thats a backline that just wont cut it at intercounty level.

[Kevin]

David Kenny, James Rigney and Stephen Quirke injured and Sean Gardner, Conor Doughan and Ciaran Slevin have left the panel.

Can anyone tell me of the 45 or so that started training with Whehelan and co. how many are left??


Antrim Team
Chris O'Connell;
Odhran McFadden, Conor McKinley, Aaron Graffin;
Simon McCrory, Neal McAuley, Neil McManus;
Tomas McCann, Jackson McGreevey;
Conor Carson, Paul Shiels, Conor McCann;
Darren Hamill, Ciaran Clarke, PJ O'Connell.

Offaly team
James Dempsey
Niall Wynne, Rory Hanniffy, Chris McDonald
Kevin Brady, Ger Healion, Cathal Parlon
Conor Mahon, Sean Ryan
Shane Dooley, David Kenny, Colin Egan
Brian Carroll, Dan Currams, Joe Bergin Capt

Chris McDonald, Kevin Brady, Ger Healion, David Kenny and Colin Egan replace James Rigney (injured), Barry Harding, Derek Morkan, Peter Geraghty and Kevin Connolly

Kenny 'injured' one day and named at center forward the next.

I guess nothing should surprise us.

Has the man ever played there before to anyone's knowledge? For Offaly I can only remember him at fullback or centerback.