Offaly vs Wexford - Leinster Championship 30/05/2009

[Bord na Mona man]

Kenny in fitness battle

David Kenny is facing a race against time to be fit for Offaly's Leinster SHC quarter-final against Wexford on May 30.

The highly-rated full back suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury which forced him to miss most of the NHL during Belmont's county SHC loss to Birr last Friday, and is regarded as a major doubt for the Wexford Park clash.

Offaly manager Joe Dooley was among the spectators in Kinnitty for the first round tie which five-in-a-row chasing Birr won by 3-15 to 1-13, and would have been very concerned to see Kenny leave the field after 43 minutes.

Kenny returned from injury to produce an outstanding display for the Faithful County in their NHL Division 2 final victory over Wexford 10 days ago, and he would be a considerable loss if he was to miss the championship opener in just over two weeks' time.

http://www.hoganstand.com/Offaly/Articl ... ?ID=111465

[uibhfhailiabu]

Not news we wanted to hear...

http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=111756

[Bord na Mona man]

How did Banville get off?
Was it a technicality (wrong coloured ink on the letter), or did they managed to convicne the committee the offence wasn't a red?

[Efan]

Technicality

[joe bloggs]

If our defence can play like they did in thurles we will be hard to beat, but if we are without kenny then it will be a tall order.
Our record in wexford park is very poor in the league so we will need a full strength team if we are going to come through

[lovelyhurling]

Offaly XV to play Wexford in the Leinster SHC in Wexford Park, Saturday, 7.00pm:

1. Brian Mullins (Birr), 2. David Franks (Carrickshock), 3. David Kenny (Belmont), 4. Paul Cleary (Birr), 5. Rory Hanniffy (Birr), 6. Ger Oakley (Carrig & Riverstown), 7. James Rigney (Kinnitty), 8. Kevin Brady (Coolderry), 9. Brendan Murphy (Ballyskenagh), 10. Daniel Currams (Kilcormac/Killoughey), 11. Joe Brady (Coolderry), 12. Derek Molloy (Shamrocks), 13. Brian Carroll (Coolderry), 14. Joe Bergin (Seir Kieran), 15. Shane Dooley (Tullamore)

Kenny recovers to take his place.

[Bord na Mona man]

Great if Kenny is fit.
At least Banville isn't the type of player to run him hard if he isn't 100%.

Stephen Nolan is an injury worry for Wexford.
Their crocked list is:
Stephen Nolan, PJ Nolan, Keith Rossiter, Barry Lambert, Eoin Quigley, Colm Farrell and Darren Stamp

[Lone Shark]

Great news about Kenny, both for him and for Offaly. Neither of these teams are scoring well so if either side were to get in for a couple of goals, they would very much have the upper hand. While Banville is always capable of getting one, you'd have to fancy Kenny's chances of keeping him bottled up more than any of the alternatives.

No surprises in the forward line then - on the one hand it's hard to blame Dooley since there aren't really that many alternatives and experimenting in Division Two could have seen us come a cropper, however with so many of them off form, it's hard to imagine all six hurling well on Saturday and we don't exactly have a lot of replacement options right now. Somebody like Mick Verney might end up being first sub no matter who has to go off.

With Wexford's injury list, a lot of pressure will fall on Diarmuid Lyng to carry the attack - it'll be interested to see who is put on him. Lyng will probably line out either at 9 or 12, so one would assume that it'll fall between Hanniffy and Brady. Hanniffy might be the safer option though we'd miss his attacking influence if he had too much defensive responsibility, while I could imagine Brady fouling Lyng a bit more than necessary.

I'd expect Wexford to target James Rigney in the half back line as well, assuming he starts there and doesn't swap with Cleary from the off. I'm not saying for a minute that Rigney can't handle it, however whether it's Andrew Shore or someone else to line out at ten, you'd have to assume that they'll put plenty of high balls in on top. Offaly midfield will have to be very alive to this, I'd say Brendan Murphy in particular might be given Rigney's side for the first few puckouts just to be there to sweep up in case there are any problems.

The concern is the same as always - I really don't see where we're going to get twenty scores. On current form it would be difficult to see a lot of them get any more than one or two and with none of them hurling well enough to be sure of three or four from play, it could be a similarly nerve wracking day to the Thurles game. As was the case in Semple, an early goal would go a long way, particularly with Wexford likely to have Fitzhenry back in goals - allowing him to make a save or two would really lift them.

[Offalys Future]

my thoughts on saturdays game are these:

I think it will be a very low points scoring game. Offaly certainly will struggle to get scores so unless
they get goals or win alot of frees they wont be capable. Wexford are very much the same, they havent forwards
capable of notchng up big scores on Saturday.

I think the crowd and the attitude of the wexford players will have alot to do with the result.
Wexford people have a pride and passion that is unrivalled in gaa terms if you ask me.
If Offaly start well they could silence the large home support. If not then i can see it been a bad night.

I think there is too much pressure been put on young hurlers. David Kenny is a good hurler, but he is an average intercounty
hurler, lads are talking about him like some god. jesus give the man a chance. He suffering badly from injury so
i wouldnt be expecting a whole lot from him saturday.

Just regarding the time i think yet again the offaly county board have let the offaly supporters down. To have a game in wexford
on a saturday at 7pm many offaly supporters wont be home till after 1am. I think they must be trying to turn people away
instead of encouaging. All in all its goin to make it a very tough atmosphere for our young hurlers.
One which i dont think they will win. And really could be beaten well.

Hopefully i am wrong, but if Offaly do come out of Wexford with a win it will be a great result and one that the management
will deserve great credit for. Time will tell i guess.

[Bord na Mona man]

I think there is too much pressure been put on young hurlers. David Kenny is a good hurler, but he is an average intercounty
hurler, lads are talking about him like some god. jesus give the man a chance. He suffering badly from injury so
i wouldnt be expecting a whole lot from him saturday.

Average?
He'd walk onto the starting 15 in the likes of Cork, Waterford or Galway. That's not putting pressure on him, just an acknowledgement of his abilities.

[Offalys Future]

Personally i think you are raving.
The lad is playng only his 2nd year at full back.
I thnk he is a good hurler and not running him down. But n my opinion he isnt an exceptional full back just yet.

The same was talked about Joe Bergin a few years back. These players need to be given time to develop.
They cant be over-hyped until they develop and perform for 3-4 years at a consistant level.

And to be honest people like Michael Duigan dont help these young players coming out on tv last year saying
Diarmud Horan is one of the best wing backs in the game.

[durra1]

David Kenny is hands down the most consistent talent we have for the last few years.
He’d make the KK starting 15, no question.

He’s an exceptional talent and a model of consistency. The contrast of the chaos in Wexford Park and the steady performance of the entire defensive unit in League final was confirmation, if we needed it, of the calming influence Kenny brings to those around him.

He’s a class act.

[Offalys Future]

He’d make the KK starting 15, no question.

Now your talking rubbish. Instead of Noel Hickey ya?

[Plain of the Herbs]

An unchanged lineup for Offaly means one of two things – or maybe both – a vote of confidence in the side which won promotion in the league final, or a dearth of alternatives.

Certainly David Kenny’s selection is a boost. Wexford seemed to place all their eggs in Stephen Banville’s basket in Thurles though the interesting thing was that, while the Belmont man was dominant in the air, Banville took his two points from a low ball and turning onto his right each time.

Hopefully Kenny is fully fit but his hamstring problems have dogged him for some time now and his training is sure to have been severely inhibited. While he will man the square well, how would he fare if dragged out to the side and forced to go at full pace?

The Offaly attack is a cause for concern. Joe Brady will be fine as will Derek Molloy, though Molloy has a tendancy to disappear during the second half of matches betimes. Daniel Currams is a strange choice at wing forward and doesn’t strike me as a ball-winning half forward.

David O’Connor always does well on Brian Carroll, though the selection on the right wing may be a ploy and they may switch. Carroll is decent enough under the dropping ball. Currams seems to be down on his luck at the moment and needs to stop publicising his frustration by banging the hurl on the ground as he tends to do lately.

Joseph Bergin may be anonymous for the whole match – or he may have one of those days when he scores a few goals while recent weeks have revealed that Shane Dooley actually can strike off his right side – instance his goal attempt four weeks ago in Thurles and his goal against Clareen. Dooley is troubled by a lack of pace and as a consequence needs to have his two sides fully operational.

At the first sign of trouble Offaly will switch Joseph Bergin to centre forward and Joe Brady to full. This would be a mistake. Bergin does his best hurling at full forward and probably should be left there – or moved to the corner if they need to make a switch. Brady is a better man to keep the ball breaking and for stopping the centre back from hurling and should also be left in the centre for as long as possible.

Offaly may well miss Rory Hanniffy’s influence at midfield but he has shored up the defence well from wing back. Wexford may well target James Rigney under their puckout but Kevin Brady has played midfield on his side against Antrim and Wexford (in Thurles). Still, I’d prefer Brady behind, under the dropping ball with Rigney covering. That said, Brady might be good for a score from the halfway line and the Coolderryman will also play as a seventh defender if the squeeze comes on in the second half

In the full back line, David Franks I expect will pick up Rory Jacob as before, with Paul Cleary marking debutant Peter Atkinson.

Wexford have made changes on every line after their no-show in Thurles. As expected Damien Fitzhenry returns in goal. Fitzhenry will bring leadership around the square, as well as an improved puckout. Andrew Shore, who made absolutely no headway against Ger Oakley the last day might be the main beneficiary here.

While they have a litany of injuries that have been much heralded, only Stephen Nolan has been lost to them since the league final, resulting in a rearranged halfback line and midfield.

Richie Kehoe moves from 7 to 6, Ciaran Kenny from midfield to wing back, with Stephen Doyle coming in to midfield. David O’Connnor will add experience to th defence while in attack, Tomas Waters replaces Paul Carley on the half forward line while Peter Atkinson replaces Paul Kenny at corner forward.

The pressure to perform is all on Wexford here. They are playing at home which will actually be a new environment for them, and while they will know Wexford Park so well, it might not bring the big-game feel that Croke Park does. It’s a similar scenario for Offaly when hurling in Tullamore – while the ground may be hard and the sun shining it would still have the feel of a league match.

Rory Hanniffy made an interesting point when interviewed after the league final win. When asked about taking the wind in the first half he replied that he’d rather defend a lead than chase a deficit. Now that wouldn’t be my personal preference but if the team is comfortable taking the wind then so be it.

There’s much talk in Wexford about there being no great public interest in this match. However, when the weeks work is done and the sun comes out as promised, be assured the Wexford faithful will flock to ‘the park’ to urge on their side. Nothing lifts Wexford quite like the sight of Offaly coming to town. They may be quiet at first but if the team gains a foothold in the match, they won’t be long regaining the support of the home crowd. Vital for Offaly go make a good start then.

The principal worry about Offaly is the onset of yet another second half fadeout. In fact the recent league final made history in that it was the first time a fadeout yielded a win as the attack stuttered and the Trojan work in defence carried the day.

The three most recent championship meetings (’03, ’04 & ’06) have been characterised by second half Offaly fadeouts with Offaly’s second half scored amounting to 0-2, 1-3 and 0-2 respectively. In short, each was as galling as the other. Thurles recently saw an inability by forwards to win their own ball, an inability to read breaks, passing or shooting while leaning on the back foot under pressure, and an opposition defence storming onto breaking ball or misplaced passes and firing quality front-foot ball to their attack.

Freetaking is becoming an issue too. Paul Cleary should be taking ‘65’s and anything further out as Shane Dooley’s backhand stroke doesn’t yield from distance. They’d also be better served with an extra man in around the goals to collect a breaking ball. Also, you couldn’t depend on Dooley nailing a pressure free late in the game which would be needed to grab a draw. Neither could you depend on Brian Carroll or Joseph Bergin, who would be either of the alternative freetakers, in that situation.

Another crucial issue is that of pace in the attack, with really only Bergin having a turn of pace which would leave defenders for dead. Mark Egan, who has a turn of pace and can take frees, was grossly underused during the league, while Alan Egan would be another good alternative but isn’t on the panel at all!

A lack of alternatives in attack is also a worry. Cathal Parlon, who had a good league final and probably should be lining out on Saturday, is the only other forward who got any meaningful game-time during the league as most substitutions tended to involve defenders. Interesting, then, to see Dylan Hayden, Eddie Bevans and Derek Morkan added to the panel since the league final.

Wexford alternatives may well include moving Rory Jacob to full forward as they did in the league final. With their panel so threadbare due to the number of injuries, Paul Carley will likely be the first man to be called from the bench if their attack needs a boost.

Wexford have had many alternate purple and gold strips in recent years with varying degrees of purple and gold and the current one features considerably more gold than purple. Offaly had so many misplaced passes in that match which went to Wexford players that I wonder if there was a clash between the two jerseys.

Offaly went to Nowlan Park three years ago to face Wexford in good form and in confident mood and were overturned by Wexford’s greater hunger. This is an almost similar situation. Wexford can only improve following a near no-show in Thurles and we can be sure that they will, particularly with Fitzhenry steering them from goals.

A win is vital here as it would offer the possibility of a match against Kilkenny with a back-door still open. Defeat would hasten the qualifiers and a one-in-three chance of drawing the losers of Tipperary and Cork, and a one-in-two chance of having to travel away, which is best avoided. Defeat there would mean relegation playoffs and a possible risky away trip to Belfast.

Best to win in Wexford then. We can almost depend on the defence being watertight. If the forwards can lift their game in the second half and pick off regular scores after the break then Offaly just might.

[durra1]

Read and consider before you leap draw your own conclusions.

’Starting 15’ is what it is – any of the 15 positions on the field.

Kenny has been outstanding for us at wing back and at 3.

So shall we compromise and say ‘wherever the honourable Mr. Cody would see fit to start him’