All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round 1 Antrim v Offaly

[timber]

Certainly not the strongest team they could have picked. Drives me mad seeing lads played out of position. Its a killer watching such a talented hurler and good athlete like Hanniffy stuck in the full back line but options are light I suppose. He would be a handful for any of the Antrim players if he was out the field.

Morkan not named at wing back. I can only assume he is injured.

Kenny played a bit at full forward and moved on to centre with Belmont I think but its not his position either.

Overall all lines have weaknesses and lads out of position.

I still think there is alot more hurling in the Offaly lads if they match antrim for intensity and make the game about moving the ball fast and good first touch.
Antrim think that by dragging offaly to Ballycastle they have the edge. I hope our lads are ready to show them the edge. Its a good opportunity for a win.

Best of luck lads, tear into them and leave everything on the field.

[flyingsaucer]

[quote][/quote]Drives me mad seeing lads played out of position. Morkan not named at wing back. I can only assume he is injured.

Morkan has not been named at wing back this year where he play s his best hurling ,why you would wonder ,and he is not injured at present but can not make the team .

If Kenny is still not at full fitness ,surly there are a few players that play on the forwards that should be put on instead .?
Makes you wonder about this management team

[Killeighman]

Morkan was out of the country lately so he missed a few training sessions. Its the only reason i can see why he isnt starting.

[sam88885a]

i think its the best team b whelahan has picked this year.
it looks he has dropped the sweeper at last.
morkam been droped is a surprise
the half back line lack pace but should be strong under puckouts which is vital as that is the platform to attack from .rory is probably picked at full back to sweep behind that half bach line.
i think if that forward line gets enough quick ball they can do damage.
i antrim ambushed us once this year but we will be ready this time .
revenge is a great sauce
i think this is the start of a recovery for offaly hurling .
win sunday and we could be hurling this summer when laois and wexford are gone and longer than one of tip galway or kilkenny .
the prize is huge

[Plain of the Herbs]

I like that team. There are some positional adjustments I would make (and Antrim can go figure for themselves), but there is plenty of heft, plenty of ball-winners n defence and attack. Put it this way, no Offaly man is going to get walked on here.

I wasn't at the league match in Ballycastle earlier this year, but I gather it took the same trend as so many Offaly v bananaskin matches, where Offaly make the early running before allowing the bananaskin retake the initiative.

On Sunday Offaly will have Derek Morkan in reserve for that time when Antrim start to believe. Peter Geraghty too.

It's the end of June now, the time when Offaly play their best hurling of the year. As they have done in Cork in 2011 and 2012.

Pressure is all on Antrim, who are expected to win, being at home and having beaten Offaly earlier this year. Generally Antrim would be expected to just 'do well', on Sunday they are expected to win the game. Offaly playing Antrim in Tullamore prior to the Kilkenny v Galway replay would not be ideal - the gathering masses roaring on Antrim as they got into the game during the third quarter. Everyone loves an underdog.

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

[babsandbond]

How is morkan been dropped a suprise.He went off to a wedding in malta for a week...he's gone for a strong team guys that have beaten Antrim before...heard all is not well in the camp..slevin and coughlan latest to walk of the squad

[Killeighman]

From looking at the team i could see Rory going as a sweeper and Kenny moving to full back. Anyone have an opinion on this?

[Lone Shark]

I find it hard to believe that Kenny at 11, with Mahon at 9 and Hanniffy at 3, would be better than Kenny at 3, Hanniffy at 9 and Mahon at 11. That would be the most obvious switch as far as I can see.

I'd agree with the POTH viewpoint though, this team is a hell of a lot better equipped to take on a challenge like the one facing them on Sunday than anything we've fielded so far. If you look at the five guys that have been brought in, there isn't anyone there who's been known to take a backwards step, and that'll be important in what will be a tough environment.

[Bord na Mona man]

Whatever about positions, I think BW has picked the right personnel on the field for Sunday.
If we’re going to war, then Kenny, Healion and Brady are the right options to use.

Antrim although tipped to win, will play with an underdogs’ mindset. A huge lift for any underdog gets is if the bigger name team shows weakness. If Offaly get bossed physically, then in no time we’ll be fumbling simple balls and crumbling mentally. The local crowd will feed an Antrim surge and they’ll be firing over points like they’re Kilkenny.

[Toxicity234]

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

Honestly. i don't know what to make of the team.

For the 5 lads drop of the team i feel sorry for them. The problem the last day was with the team set up and the players suffered because of it.
Morkan being drop cause he went to a wedding abroad is just rubbish. Morkan is on of the good lads in Offaly hurling. he look after himself and keep himself fit.
Soon people want lads to miss they kids been born to go to training.

I just don't know how this team is going to set up this weekend so sunday we going into the great unknown.

If hanniffy is to play as a sweeper well it might work. he a good reader of the game and is good at delivering the ball into the forwards.
Personally i Hate the sweeper system we tried to use in offaly over the last few years. I hope to god we don't try that on sunday.

If we play as selected and Healion and Hanniffy hold the middle. i can see us winning this game and having a few point to spare.

If we play as selected and Healion and Hanniffy follow their men all over the field. We be well beating.

[timber]

Personnel wise I would be content with what is named alright. Lads who will be up for it and not shy away from the dirty ball.

I would hope that the sweeper system is abandoned especially since we have better hurlers than antrim. Frees will be a problem. I expect that Antrim will get frees a bit handier up in ballycastle so this is something that I hope does not upset Offalys focus.

Neil McManus will surely line out at 11 or 12 and not on the half back line. Himself, McCann and hamill can take a score and shiels is good on the frees.

As POTH pointed out, the pressure is on Antrim. Lets face it everybody has been writing off Offaly and plenty mad to stick the boot in too. Nothing to lose for Offaly, so go out and show what you can do.

We know where our lads perform best and as POTH said let antrim figure that out for themselves.

[kaiserchief]

From what I hear the team won't play as picked.

Healion will play @3 with Rory @5 and Brady @6.

Currams will play @8 and Mahon @11. Leaving Kenny @14. Dooley will play @15 with Carroll @10.

I think it's a joke playing Kenny @14. We be waiting all year for him to come back and play @3.

Good to see Egan back @12 and McDonald @4. Both had excellent years last year.

I would still have reservation with Wynne and Ryan after their performances against Killkenny.

[sam88885a]

lads we have the correct players and we have options on the field rory could move to midfield kenny can move to defence maybe g healion could go to full forward with c mahon on the forthy . d morkam can come into corner back wing back or midfield . antrim will be guessing this time out so it will be harder to ambush us a second time . COME ON THE FAITHFULL.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Something tells me Sheils played at left half-back against Offaly in Ballycastle - someone who was there might confirm. That being the case, that blows the lid on the McManus / Shiels pack of lies.

Neil McManus will surely line out at 11 or 12 and not on the half back line. Himself, McCann and hamill can take a score and shiels is good on the frees.

[Plain of the Herbs]

400 years on and some people haven't learned the lessons of the Battle of Kinsale.

From what I hear the team won't play as picked.