offaly v cork NHL 21/02/2010

[black and red exile]

Very true about Oakley, anytime he got possession he took the wrong option and turned into a red wall everytime and his striking was even worse than usual yesterday, maybe next Sunday he could be asked to take a rest and start on the bench, I would start Kevin Brady at midfield with Rory and yes your right it's not working with Bergin in the forwards, he has done alright at centre back, Riggs, after a slow start yesterday got into the game more but his natural position is half back with Morkan on the other side, speaking of Morkan wasn't he fantastic yesterday, I thought he was our best player by a mile, his reading of the game is top notch for somebody still so young. David Kenny has to start a Full back, Cleary did ok when switched yesterday, id leave him in the corner and bring in Stephen Wynnn or Stephen Egan in the other corner and I know i'm repeating what your saying but yes Carroll has to be given a rest too with Diarmuid moved to half forward.

[uibhfhaili]

The reason Offaly always collapses in last 20 mins against the big team is becoz they have to work their backsides off for the preceding 50 minutes just to stay close. Cork were only in 2nd gear and Offaly were running themselves into the ground for most of the game, when Cokr upped it Offaly had nothing left to respond with. Offaly had to work far harder for their scores. This kills up completely every time when you see opposition forwards tapping the ball over the bar with the minimum of effect to cancel out an Offaly score usually on the back of a minutes hard work.

[Bord na Mona man]

The reason Offaly always collapses in last 20 mins against the big team is becoz they have to work their backsides off for the preceding 50 minutes just to stay close. Cork were only in 2nd gear and Offaly were running themselves into the ground for most of the game, when Cokr upped it Offaly had nothing left to respond with.

And yet Offaly only used 3 subs yesterday.

Back in the 90s switches used to be made for the purposes of providing players with a breather.
You might throw Johnny Pilkington in to corner forward to catch his breath and someone like Joe Dooley would come out to midfield and hurl away.

Obviously we had more all rounders back then, and stamina wasn't Offaly's strongest point, but is there merit in trying to use that sort of strategy with the current crop?

[flyingsaucer]

[quote="black and red exile"] speaking of Morkan wasn't he fantastic yesterday, I thought he was our best player by a mile, his reading of the game is top notch for somebody still so young.

yes i was at the game,del morkan had a very good game,yes he is young but he proved yesterday hes up to it,.maybe the other younger players should be given the chance as well.mahon did well,took alot of punishment,didnt even realise bergin was on the field.the final score didnt justify how well offaly played.

[Johnno81]

To answer Black and Red Exile's question earlier as to why Joe Bergin was not taken off?? Only Joe Dooley can answer that one. He was that quiet yesterday, I had forgotten he was playing. There is no doubt he is a talented hurler but he disappears from matches at times. Hopefully we can see the real Joe throughout the league. I was not picking on Ger Healion, he certainly troubled the Cork full back in the first half ( who was taken off at half time), what did not help was Cork's Shane O'Neill at no 2 who cleared up a lot that breaking ball, i think Ger would have had more joy... But this constant changing of the forwards in the second half was very annoying to watch and must be for the lads themselves. You cant get a pattern of play going with that option. He done the same messing n Wexford park last year and it didnt work then!!! You wonder does Joe know his best team with lads in the right position. And as for Del Morkan yesterday!!! He was absolutely superb and didnt deserve to lose.

[bula bula]

Same old story again but the thing that bugs me most is that Cork were there for the taking and we could just not manage it. As has been said, 11 point difference flatters Cork but this type of thing always seems to happen to us. Some lads are saying that we done well to stick with them but this is very close to the full Cork side and in my opinion they are miles off the cats and Tipp.

The game itself seemed to have no edge to it, especially in the first half and was almost like a practice match. There is some lads that are clearly nowhere near good enough and then some who are for some reason are just not doing it or couldnt be bothered putting in the effort. Not surprised to hear about Carroll mouthing off. His attitude all day stank and I for one would not have him near the team, nevermind bloody captain. Its harder to figure out whats going on with Bergin. He clearly has the talent and unlike that other fella, puts in the effort, but things are just not happening for him. Playing Rigney corner back was a massive mistake as he got destroyed by Pa Horgan. Hope Dooley has learnt from this but I doubt it as he stuck with him all day there. Conor Mahon won an awful lot of ball again but was a bit wasteful when he got it. He also took a few heavy belts but soldiered on well. The forwards generally struggled and it was inevitable that Cork would tap on a few points when the ball kept coming straight back down at us. Wadding again done us no favours but was probably bad all round. Could not make a decision and decided to throw the ball in way too often instead of making a call. All in all another frustating day with another second half fall out. Even the Cork boys around me commented on it. Also very annoying to only hear my own clap or voice when we got a score . I fear for us in Nowlan Park.

[leinsterman]

Your right bula bula about hearing your own clap, there was 3.000 or more there
i know it was in cork along trip away and time's are hard but if the match was in tullamore it would be the same, the support offaly hurler's get is bad don't know about the footballers but much the same i say, i was in tullamore for the galway match and about six lads got up to go and watch the ruby why come in the first place nothing again ruby but to come and watch your county and walk out at half time to watch ruby i don't get it, but its funny when we have a good team hurling or football all the sunshine fan's come out and know it all. we have to be the worst
followers in gaa, jesus there was more fan's from d.i.t at rath for the walsh cup game than offaly supporter's and what worst is lads come on and run down the hurlers and manger from their armchair's at home you wonder why the players
bother their arse sometime's

[black and red exile]

Leinsterman, I have been on my high horse about our crap support for years now, both for our hurlers and footballers and yes there were comments made by some so called supporters on this site about the hurlers yesterday that sickened me, these same supporters who don't go to the games and yet they come on here with their little sneaky digs about lads that go out and try their very best for the County and just because results don't go the way we want them to the experts who are either sitting at home watching sky or feeding the ducks down at the local pond think it's cool to give their twopenny worth when they haven't even seen the game.

[leinsterman]

The reason Offaly always collapses in last 20 mins against the big team is becoz they have to work their backsides off for the preceding 50 minutes just to stay close. Cork were only in 2nd gear and Offaly were running themselves into the ground for most of the game, when Cokr upped it Offaly had nothing left to respond with.

And yet Offaly only used 3 subs yesterday.

Back in the 90s switches used to be made for the purposes of providing players with a breather.
You might throw Johnny Pilkington in to corner forward to catch his breath and someone like Joe Dooley would come out to midfield and hurl away.

Obviously we had more all rounders back then, and stamina wasn't Offaly's strongest point, but is there merit in trying to use that sort of strategy with the current crop?

you might have a point about trying that but you only get a johnny p or joe dooley
once in a life time in offaly hurling, thing is sid,johnny p, Erritty, johnny dooley and joe could play anywhere and be at home in that position the same can't be said
of the current crop of player's, the only two players on the panel now that could play in the back's midfield and up front and do alright are hayden and hanniffy,
not just saying that now because iam a birrman maybe horan as well but thats it.
even at that dylan played corner foward two years ago and didn't go well, the point
is if we are going bad in two or four position's we don't have the hurler's to patch
it up now like we did years ago, was just looking at the 1994 hurling final programme all you had to do was look at the bench we had that day they were the
good days but sure they might come back you never know, its like what cody said in
his book after winning the minor and senior in 1971 i think, he said if someone said
to him that day that in the next 40 years or so that offaly would win more hurling
allireland's than tipp he said he tell them to go into the mental, and they did win more ???

[Bord na Mona man]

I reckon the choice of where to play Bergin is either full forward or centre back.

From what I've seen, I don't think he has the sort of game for the half forwards.
I don't think his distribution, decision making and short game are developed enough yet to be a play maker and creator. This is my limited impression of seeing him operate around here.

He always came across to me as a 'catch-and-smack' sort of player. If he gets the ball to hand near goal, he'll put a hole in the net.
Put him at centre back and he'll pile drive everything to the other end of the field - Sweet spot every time! None of those slices and half clearances that seem to dog Offaly's defensive efforts when the squeeze is on.

[Phoenix]

I agree - full forward or centre back are Joe Bergin's best positions at the moment. He played well at centre back in the Walsh Cup, came into the game more as it went on and then drove on to hit a crucial, skilful point near the end.

I've heard it said that centre back is the pivotal position in hurling and, if so, there is an argument to play our best player there - that means David Kenny, Rory Hanniffy or Joe Bergin. I prefer Rory at midfield or the forwards so I would be thinking of David Kenny (with Paul Cleary at full back) or Joe Bergin. Then again, I am only a hurler on the ditch.

[black and red exile]

I know we have done this to death but on the evidence of watching the game last Sunday this would be my starting line up for the game from hell next Sunday.
Derek Molloy will be a while away for full fitness, more than likely the end of the league as with Brendan Murphy and David Franks, Molloy will probably be used on the bench again and will more than likely get a run out to get his match fitness slowly back on track.

1. JAMES DEMPSEY [IF THE HAND INJURY HAS CLEARED UP ALTHOUGH EOIN KELLY WOULD BE WELL UP FOR THE JOB ]
2.STEPHEN EGAN
3.DAVID KENNY
4.PAUL CLEARY
5.JAMES RIGNEY
6.JOE BERGIN
7.DEREK MORKAN
8.KEVIN BRADY
9. RORY HANNIFY
10.DAN CURRAMS
11. CONOR MAHON
12.DYLAN HAYDEN
13.CATHAL PARLON
14.GER HEALION
15.SHANE DOOLEY
Bergin is just not doing it for us in the forwards, at times last Sunday it was like playing with 14 men and Oakley is too big a risk for this game coming up, he gave away possession, his striking worse than ever, took the wrong option in going into opposition traffic time and time again and even though he is an Offaly legend he would be a serious weak link in the half back line/ midfield area, as for Brian Carroll, how many more times have we to persist with him hoping this will be the day when he shows true leadership.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

I know we have done this to death but on the evidence of watching the game last Sunday this would be my starting line up for the game from hell next Sunday.
Derek Molloy will be a while away for full fitness, more than likely the end of the league as with Brendan Murphy and David Franks, Molloy will probably be used on the bench again and will more than likely get a run out to get his match fitness slowly back on track.

1. JAMES DEMPSEY [IF THE HAND INJURY HAS CLEARED UP ALTHOUGH EOIN KELLY WOULD BE WELL UP FOR THE JOB ]
2.STEPHEN EGAN
3.DAVID KENNY
4.PAUL CLEARY
5.JAMES RIGNEY
6.JOE BERGIN
7.DEREK MORKAN
8.KEVIN BRADY
9. RORY HANNIFY
10.DAN CURRAMS
11. CONOR MAHON
12.DYLAN HAYDEN
13.CATHAL PARLON
14.GER HEALION
15.SHANE DOOLEY

Bergin is just not doing it for us in the forwards, at times last Sunday it was like playing with 14 men and Oakley is too big a risk for this game coming up, he gave away possession, his striking worse than ever, took the wrong option in going into opposition traffic time and time again and even though he is an Offaly legend he would be a serious weak link in the half back line/ midfield area, as for Brian Carroll, how many more times have we to persist with him hoping this will be the day when he shows true leadership.

Aaah, Diarmuid Horan?

[Bord na Mona man]

I know we have done this to death but on the evidence of watching the game last Sunday this would be my starting line up for the game from hell next Sunday.
Derek Molloy will be a while away for full fitness, more than likely the end of the league as with Brendan Murphy and David Franks, Molloy will probably be used on the bench again and will more than likely get a run out to get his match fitness slowly back on track.

1. JAMES DEMPSEY [IF THE HAND INJURY HAS CLEARED UP ALTHOUGH EOIN KELLY WOULD BE WELL UP FOR THE JOB ]
2.STEPHEN EGAN
3.DAVID KENNY
4.PAUL CLEARY
5.JAMES RIGNEY
6.JOE BERGIN
7.DEREK MORKAN
8.KEVIN BRADY
9. RORY HANNIFY
10.DAN CURRAMS
11. CONOR MAHON
12.DYLAN HAYDEN
13.CATHAL PARLON
14.GER HEALION
15.SHANE DOOLEY
Bergin is just not doing it for us in the forwards, at times last Sunday it was like playing with 14 men and Oakley is too big a risk for this game coming up, he gave away possession, his striking worse than ever, took the wrong option in going into opposition traffic time and time again and even though he is an Offaly legend he would be a serious weak link in the half back line/ midfield area, as for Brian Carroll, how many more times have we to persist with him hoping this will be the day when he shows true leadership.

I dunno how Dan Currams would fare against a Kilkenny half back line that would eat you without salt?

As Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun might say:
I wouldn't wait until the last minute to fill out those organ donor cards.

[black and red exile]

Jaysus lads I forgot about Diarmuid Horan, Danny Currams back on the bench and Diarmuid in at No 10.