offaly v cork NHL 21/02/2010

[leinsterman]

wonder what team joe will pick for this one, he has a good panel to pick from
with some player out and some coming in after the walsh cup. on form and with the
the fit player's this would be my team.
1. Jame's Dempsey
2. James Rigney
3. Dave Kenny
4. Stephen Egan
5. Dylan Hayden
6. Paul Cleary
7. Derek morkan
8. Ger oakley
9. Rory Hanniffy
10.Daniel Curram's
11. Joe Bergin
12. Diruimd Horan
13. Cathal Parlon
14. Ger Heailon
15. Shane Dooley
with david frank's and derek molloy brendan murphy out hurt this team should
give a good account of themself's down in cork,

[Plain of the Herbs]

This is the Cork team named, taken from RebelGAA which shows a mix of experience and novice as you’d expect.

Donal Cusack; ShaneO'Neill, David Cunningham (Glen Rovers), ShaneMurphy; BrianMurphy, RonanCurran, Seán Ó hAilpín; John Gardiner and TomKenny; LorcánMcLoughlin (Kanturk), MarkO'Sullivan (Dripsey), Niall McCarthy; KieranMurphy (Sars), AisakeÓ hAilpín, PatrickHorgan.

[black and red exile]

Not a bad looking team Leinsterman, the only positional changes I would make to that team would be Cleary and Kenny swapping positions. In my opinion Paul Cleary's best position is definetly full back and David Kenny certainly didn't look out of place at centre back a few years back. I would not be a huge fan of James Rigney at corner back, I thought against Galway he was far less effective than he was at half back against Kilkenny but I suppose with Dylan Hayden performing so well when he came on at half time against Galway at wing back it would make perfect sense to start Hayden there on Sunday.

[leinsterman]

This is the Cork team named, taken from RebelGAA which shows a mix of experience and novice as you’d expect.

Donal Cusack; ShaneO'Neill, David Cunningham (Glen Rovers), ShaneMurphy; BrianMurphy, RonanCurran, Seán Ó hAilpín; John Gardiner and TomKenny; LorcánMcLoughlin (Kanturk), MarkO'Sullivan (Dripsey), Niall McCarthy; KieranMurphy (Sars), AisakeÓ hAilpín, PatrickHorgan.

it's a strong cork team an no newtown player's on it, i think the offaly half back line
have the beating of their half foward line, saying that cork's centre field an full foward line look strong. offaly better be tighter on aisake o hailpin than they were in tullamore in the summer. they have about seven player's with allireland title's
on their team, offaly will have to start well because if cork get going or get there tails up we could be in for a long day. we didn't play to bad there two year's ago cork had the rock playing fullforward that day an paul cleary done well on him.
they pull away near the end in that match, but this is a new start for denis walsh
and this cork team and thay will be out to impress walsh. offaly have to be on the ball from the start if we get a good start you never know, just hope we can put up
a good show we don't need a bad beating with the cat's out for revenge for the walsh cup the next sunday.

[Plain of the Herbs]

As for the Offaly team, I’d like to see something along the lines of David Kenny at centre half back flanked by Derek Morkan and James Rigney. You’d have to pick Stephen Wynne and Stephen Egan at corner back. Hard to know about full back - I’d like to see Eanna Murphy get another run here, but he’s had some bother under the dropping ball and with Ó hAilpín at full forward, that would be critical. Not that Cleary would be utterly dominant under a dropping ball either.

That still leaves Diarmuid Horan. Midfield, perhaps. Then there’s Kevin Brady, who had done well when he came on against Kilkenny and Galway.

Ger Oakley should be at midfield. I’d like to see Rory Hanniffy at centre forward. Parlon should wear 13, Healion 14. That would leave Bergin (12, perhaps?). Ódhrán Kealey, when fit, would be the best candidate for 15, in my view. With him out there’s room for two more forwards – whatever you’re having yourself!

As ye know, James Dempsey, Michael Verney, Brian Carroll, Shane Dooley & Dylan Hayden are currently on the UL team. What’s interesting is that the UL team are coached by Ger Cunningham (or Newtownshandrum fame) and that they are hurling a possession-type game. Thing is, I wonder how the five lads are adapting to that style of game.

Edit: Someone enquired about Offaly's record in Cork. Offaly have gone to Cork nine times in the NHL and won only once - in 1981/82 when they were reigning All-Ireland champions and won by a point 1-10 to 0-12.

[leinsterman]

Wonder what gone wrong with kevin brady's game over the last year or so,
jasus a few years ago he would be the first name on it. i think alot of it is to do
with joe playing him in centre field i always said if kevin brady is on the team he
would have to be at half back. i wouldn't go with young wynne or enna murphy for
sunday their day will come i like the look of stephen wynne i think he will make it
i would give him a run against the dubs or limerick later on in the league, as for
the lad's playing for ul team a lad saw them hurl in the first game he said brian carroll and dooley were poor and took off he said dylan hayden was the best of them. hayden had a good game against galway after coming on at half time he played with ul that friday as well. i think if dylan put's his mind to it and puts in the
efford he is one of the best hurler's in offaly i have seen him since under 10s and he
alway's stood out hope it goe's well for him me being a birr man

[Lone Shark]

Midfield never looked to me like an obvious place for Kevin Brady - his main strengths would be literally strength and a decent presence under a high ball neither of those really get exploited at midfield the same way they would at half back. I'd imagine that moving him back to corner back would be a more obvious adjustment if you wanted him on the team but not at 5 or 7.

Horan would be a different kettle of fish entirely - I could see a strong case for putting him as one of the two centrefielders, and I'd agree with POTH that he'd be an excellent foil for Oakley in there.

[leinsterman]

Midfield never looked to me like an obvious place for Kevin Brady - his main strengths would be literally strength and a decent presence under a high ball neither of those really get exploited at midfield the same way they would at half back. I'd imagine that moving him back to corner back would be a more obvious adjustment if you wanted him on the team but not at 5 or 7.

Horan would be a different kettle of fish entirely - I could see a strong case for putting him as one of the two centrefielders, and I'd agree with POTH that he'd be an excellent foil for Oakley in there.

Where doe's that leave rory hanniffy they say play him centre foward but i don't
think he is cut out for centre or any foward place, centre field or centre back is his
best place, even the game's he has played for birr in the forward's didn't go well
rory need's space an room to run. hanniffy and horan could work well but i think
they are two alike or you could put hayden centre field horan or hanniffy in the back's, its up to joe dooley to pick it right

[Lone Shark]

I could see Rory operating well as a deep lying centre forward myself, possibly swapping with Oakley under the puckout, but generally trying to link play and to offer a short passing option to fielders of opposition puckouts.

That would be my humble opinion, if you asked me where I think he'll end up being played, I expect him to play midfield with Horan either wing back or maybe wing forward.

[black and red exile]

Just thinking guys would Conor Mahon be a good option at centre forward, in my opinion after Derek Molloy he is our best fielder and would certainly fit into the half forward line, I feel with a full strenght squad he would be a better option than Danny Currams who is a notoriously slow starter in games, for Sunday I would drop Currams to the bench, move Bergin to the wing and start Mahon at No 11, he might not overwork the scoreboard but will make an awful nuicance of himself and his direct running would cause the Cork backs fierce problems.

[Bord na Mona man]

I always prefer to see Rory Hanniffy at midfield. He is very fast and has great wrists. An ideal man to keep keep the ball moving into the forwards. Rise and whip, whoosh it on, pick and go...

Put him in the half forwards or half back and you are requiring him to go into more direct combat with an opposition player, especially under the dropping ball. So a lot of his energy is spent winning a direct duel, plus he has less space to operate in. A player of lesser ability can tie him up to a certain extent by turning the contest into a mullock fest. He doesn't get to use his pace as much when in the sort of holding role that 6 and 11 are.

Another thing is, Offaly aren't short of big lighthouses who are a little one paced, so why use a more mobile player like Hanniffy in these sorts of holding positions?

[Bord na Mona man]

Just thinking guys would Conor Mahon be a good option at centre forward, in my opinion after Derek Molloy he is our best fielder and would certainly fit into the half forward line, I feel with a full strenght squad he would be a better option than Danny Currams who is a notoriously slow starter in games, for Sunday I would drop Currams to the bench, move Bergin to the wing and start Mahon at No 11, he might not overwork the scoreboard but will make an awful nuicance of himself and his direct running would cause the Cork backs fierce problems.

Mahon came out well on top against Ronan Curran in Tullamore last year under the high ball.
While we didn't successfully translate this onto the scoreboard, it was certainly a positive of an otherwise disappointing encounter. Whether he could do this consistently is another matter. If he can, then it at least gives Offaly some sort of platform to build from.

Remember that the Cork half back routine filleted much more vaunted half forward lines than Offaly's over the last decade. Sunday might make it clearer whether last year was a once off, or that maybe the legendary Cork half back line is in decline, or that Offaly are making genuine strides in managing to win primary possession, which was a big weakness all through the 00s.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Offaly team named – taken from the Offaly GAA site. Some eye-openers in defence – I can only assume Egan, Wynne and Verney are unavailable. David Kenny certainly doesn't strike me as a corner back, whatever else. Two attackers at midfield which is a no-no with Tom Kenny for company. The usual quota of Cream Eggs which you'd expect.

Oh, and I hope they're not travelling to Cork in a fleet of cars as happened previously.

James Dempsey; James Rigney, Paul Cleary, David Kenny; Diarmuid Horan, Ger Oakley, Derek Morkan; Dylan Hayden and Rory Hanniffy; Brian Carroll, Joseph Bergin, Conor Mahon; Cathal Parlon, Ger Healion, Shane Dooley.

[black and red exile]

How the hell is Brian Carroll starting and your right POTH starting Kenny in the corner is a strange one, i was looking forward to seeing Egan starting at NO 4 in his first League game but I suppose the way the team is picked where else would you put Kenny?

[Bord na Mona man]

Kenny at left corner back is unusual. I don't know how he'd get on with a nippy corner forward?

What may be in his favour is that playing at left corner back you get to defend a little bit more high ball lumped down the channel, and less low diagonal ball compared to the opposite corner. Right handed hurlers on the opposition team will be naturally inclined to strike it into the left corner when they have time and space to measure their delivery to the full forwards.
That said he mightn't even play there, so it is just speculation for now.