Offaly v Galway

[Efan]

Given both our own and The Tribesmen’s performance last weekend wha’s a fair expectation for the game at the weekend?

I think we need a good start to get into the game as we did last Sunday. When we got the intensity up to any level at all we were able to give as good as we were getting. It’s hard to peg Galway until you see them playing in the flesh but given what we know and what we saw of them last season they would have to be 5-10 point favourites.

I stick by my prediction that 2 league wins will represent a decent league season and I don’t think we will get one of the two on Sunday. I will happily though be proven wrong!!

[midfield]

at 2.30 in Tullamore - hopefully a good crowd will turn out to support the team. Referee is Dickie Murphy. Was any lineout named yet?

how much is the admission ?

[Lone Shark]

I wouldn't be expecting miracles here to be honest. On the one hand you'd like to think that in front of a home crowd and after last week there would be a fiery performance in the locker from the lads, but the same issues do present themselves - one side trying to plug 15 gaps with about 10 intercounty standard players (if that) against another team with tremendous depth and power.

I don't know much about Conor Dervan who has been drafted into the corner, and Tony Óg Regan is the best of a mediocre bunch of makeshift full backs, but beyond that it's hard to criticise, and the range of potentially heavy scorers up front is very intimidating.

I'd like to see us run them close, but all things considered I'd say an 8-10pt defeat is a lot more likely, unfortunately.

[uibhfhaili]

Galway are a side who like Tipp when they get some momentum can rattle off 10-12 scores in 15 minutes. We'll be doing well to keep it respectable.

[Offalys Future]

can somebody please tell me what have galway achieved at senior level since 2000. A national league and nothing else.

These players are over rated and over hyped. There manager tries to win matches through the media because he isnt able to transform his arrogant shapers into serious hurlers.
The one excelent hurler Ollie Canning that they have had in that time he doesnt want to play with them.

Offaly should have nothing to fear. Hit them lads and hit them hard.

Jesus Chriest Galway me hole.

[Treasurer]

Fair dues to the lads, after a mediocre first half they came out fighting for the second half and gave a very encouraging performance. Backs played particularly well, David Kenny looks like a star in the making, David Franks had a great game at wing forward, his goal was particularly memorable. Forwards were a bit disjointed in the first half, but played much better as a unit in the second half, which made all the difference. We could even have pulled off the win but for some dodgy decisions by Dickie Murphy near the end (though in fairness Galway will feel they should have won after some bad wides.)

All in all very encouraging.

[Rynaghs Biffo]

Couldn't make it to either game this weekend, anyone have the starting 15 for this match by any chance???

[Over The Black Spot]

A decent performance overall but nothing more than should have been expected. Reading through the Galway line-up, it was obvious that Offaly were at least a match for them & it was a tad disappointing that they dominated to such an extent for 30-40 minutes but very heartening to see the revival in the final 20 minutes. Galway should have been out of site given the amount of chances they squandered but Offaly stuck at it well. My ratings (from behind the safety of the perimeter wall) are as follows:

Shane O’Connor – looked a little dodgy at times and took a little long in getting his clearances away, needs to sharpen up but overall not doing too bad.
Conor Hernon – kept the shackles on Farragher and later Wade pretty well. A second good performance.
Kevin Brady – dominated the square very effectively but needs to watch his clearances.
Kevin Grogan – can be very happy with his competitive debut. Tight and tough and plays in the style of corner backs of old, using plenty of timber at the right times.
Diarmuid Horan – got to hit plenty of ball & used it effectively trying to open up the game. Wasn’t overtaxed defensively by Wade but done all he asked to.
Joe Bergin – much better this week. Probably helped by the running game of Galway as opposed to the aerial bombardment of Tipp but, deserves credit for his performance nonetheless.
David Kenny – some great fielding & has developed a great habit of driving forward with the ball. All positive so far.
Brian Leonard – was in and out of the game, like many, but battled hard and contested everything very physically. Looks a decent prospect & hopefully can be minded & nurtured because he should have a future in the county jersey.
James Rigney – battled hard but lacked quality. Has a great appetite for work though & won’t fail for the want of trying.
David Franks – out of the game in the first half but benefited from the changes at midfield which brought more ball his way in the second half and picked off some nice scores. A bit of the ‘DJs’ about his goal but well finished.
Ger Oakley – not at the races at all despite having got a good early point. It’s a problem position & we could make big strides if we find the right man to fill it. Ger may prosper in a different position but not at 11.
Conor Mahon – the game kind of passed him by and the Galway dominance in this area in the first half nearly cost us the game. Needs to work on his hurling & up the anti pretty soon.
Brian Carroll – more of the same from Carroll. In and out of the game but did some nice pieces of hurling at times. Would probably benefit from a bit of pressure on his place in the team.
Derek Molloy – very similar performance to 7 days earlier. Battled hard with little reward for long periods but was in the mix when Offaly started to run through the Galway defence and definitely has something to offer.
Francis Kerrigan – got the first score of the game & then disappeared. Not good enough in my opinion, end of.

Ger Healion – came in at full forward and put himself about well. Won’t win any style awards but will give full back lines trouble with his physical presence.
Daniel Currams – looked lively when he came in & got a good score. Probably best used as a sub for a while until he adapts to the big time, another with a bright future though.

A couple of observations on the day: Where has Damien Murray gone to??
Why did we change our free-taker so quick after Franks missed one??
How did Dickie Murphy (AKA Rotten Dirty Ba*tard from Wexford) get out of Tullamore alive??
The terrace is still streets ahead of the stand for watching a game.

[Loughers]

I believe Murray walked off the panel. Where's Alan Egan and Daniel Hoctor?

[Treasurer]

I believe Murray walked off the panel. Where's Alan Egan and Daniel Hoctor?

I think Hoctor is away travelling.

[Bord na Mona man]

Jaysus,
Dickie Murphy screwing us again!
What's worse he does it with a big smile on his face.

[Bord na Mona man]

I believe Murray walked off the panel.

He had improved his free taking a lot and his strike rate was up there with Shefflin and co last year.
Games can be lost by missed frees.
He had potential to made strides on other aspects too, so its disappointing if he has gone.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Offaly hurlers’ draw with Galway yesterday maintains the longest unbeaten home record in division 1 of the NHL but the wait continues for Offaly’s first ever win over top 9 opposition at O’Connor Park. This result scarcely seemed possible when Offaly had to endure a torrid second quarter when only for Galway leaving the shooting sticks at home they would have been on the receiving end of a humiliation. Not unlike the recent Ireland v France rugby match a team who looked to have been dead and buried battled their way back to within an ace of an unlikely win.

Throughout that first half Offaly were struggling under their own puckout. Shane O’Connor pucked out from the Arden Road goal two dozen times and most were won by Galway. David Franks was contesting under the dropping ball on the stand side, pulling hard, though the break invariably fell to a Galwayman. Meanwhile Offaly were all at sea on the hospital side where very often the ball wasn’t contested at all.

How the blame for this is between the delivery and the receivers is a topic for debate. There certainly was a degree of confusion where a receiver often had to backpeddle over 5 years at a time to get under the dropping ball suggesting the delivery was off the mark. Yet, Franks on he stand side rarely had to move to the same degree. For once O’Connor wasn’t bashing them as far as he could.

In addition, there was no movement from the Offaly forwards, never looked to make any kind of crossfield runs into space, anticipating a delivery from defence and too often allowed their men get out in front.

A large part of the recovery was down to the second half dominance of Diarmuid Horan and David Kenny on each flank of the defence. This dominance was the launching pad for the Offaly attack and also cut off the supply for the Galway inside forwards. James Rigney was moved to centre half forward and while he didn’t get on the ball as much in the second moiety as he did in the first, he curbed John Lee’s influence. Franks looked more comfortable in midfield also. It was a tough game and Offaly battled hard, particularly when the ball went to ground.

To suggest the goals brought Offaly back into the game is unfair. The tide had certainly turned prior to that. A marvellous catch and delivery by Horan in front of the Offaly bench was probably the catalyst for the Offaly dominance. This led to three good Offaly points before a good Skehill save led to a 20 metre free for Offaly. While David Franks’ shot was saved and cleared, Skehill was picking the ball from his net following Offaly’s next attack when Franks again soloed thirty metres to bury an angled shot to the net.

The next attack led to a ball crossed from the right, Ger Healion collected and struck a sweet shot on the turn past the goalkeepers left side to put Offaly in front.

Galway surprised us all in the first half when they played a ground hurling game but they didn’t really get the hang of it and reverted to a more familiar carrying style in the second half.

Derek Molloy also came into prominence as the second half wore on. Molloy was at sea during the first half and was moved a number of times and could have been replaced. He got on the ball well during the second half and, his strength to good effect and his distribution was decent. H is also adept at ‘flicking’ the ball from an opponent in possession. He will improve as the year goes on.

One brilliant cameo I want to note came very late when Conor Mahon caught a dropping ball in his right hand while stepping backwards and quick as a flash laid off to Currams coming on a diagonal run infield. Obviously Mahon doesn’t possess a stylish stroke, as every one knows, but he looks to me to be more suited to a wing half forward berth where he can hold the puckout.

Galway were poor for a team with MacCarthy cup ambitions, however bloated those ambitions might be. Tony Regan’s first option is to lay off a handpass to a corner back which will cost him dear as the year goes on. They might have won the game late on if Ger Farragher possessed a right hand side, while bringing the ‘Cashel’ man crossfield to waste line balls by belting them wide was a killer for them. Crucial to Offaly was that Galway never looked like threatening Shane O’Connor’s goal.

Iarla Tannian is big and awkward, one of those men who, like Clare’s Barry Nugent, came to prominence in the Fitzgibbon Cup but will never win a Summertime championship game. I remain convinced as to the value of the inter-varsity winter competition. It’s invariably played out in winter’s muck and gutter while current training methods adapted by some colleges are probably more responsible for player burnout.

Overall, I’d be pleased with the fighting spirit shown by Offaly, showing the determination not to be shoved aside by the men in maroon. Offaly now have a three week break before facing Laois. I presume they’ll have two heavy weeks training before easing it down for the three matches they will face over fifteen days in March. They should be in good spirits following yesterday, though Laois will target the Offaly match as their only chance of a league win.

[Nbr6]

As regards Murray and Egan.. Egan is injured requiring an operation on the dreaded Gilmores Groin and so will be out for a good while. Murray left as he says he no longer enjoys his hurling.. A worry for both Offaly and Coolderry. Lets hope that a player of this standard finds that he does again quite soon.

[johntherobber]

Not bad to get a draw on sunday but i cant help being greedy and say that we could/should have won but one would definetly have to blame dickie murphy for giving them evry chance,if time is up blow it up dickie,playing for a draw is bull*hit. Overall the performance of alot of the players was heart warming. The backs were solid throughtout and never really looked like conceding a goal.Franks had a great second half and was a major improvement on Mahon at midfield.Mahon didnt really cut the mustard at wing forward and was surprised he was left on so long.Molloy continues to crucify the backs by giving away needless stupid frees but he did try hard in the second half,carroll was steady,currams was good when he came on,healion posed afew problems and did well for his goal.