puzzled wrote:I hear Shamrocks are on the hunt for a new manager after relieving Donal Franks of his duties! Anyone else hear this? They are in serious trouble no matter who is in charge for the rest of the year!
Totally untrue. If anything he might walk due to very small numbers training.
They will be relegated without question. If they had Molloy and Coughlan I'd give them a good chance against Shinrone and Kinnitty but these two players are gone so not a hope.
In fairness Kevin Corigan acknowledges Lusmagh's quality pitch in his 'Rynagh's v Belmont match report when he states "It was a superbly entertaining game of hurling, played at a lively pace in front of a big crowd that helped create a great atmosphere at the superbly well prepared Lusmagh venue - Hats off to Lusmagh GAA for the way they had their grounds looking and the number of stewards present."
Lone Shark wrote:I think sometimes journalists can be a bit lazy and mentally they presume the pitch is the same size as the club or county that plays on it.
Lusmagh pitch was in perfect condition this evening and was a credit to those involved in maintaining it, while it certainly is a very decent size, at least as big as any other club ground I could think of in the county.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
This weeks fixtures
Shinrone v Drumcullen
Thursday evening in Birr is the first game of the week hard to see past Shinrone here,they will have too much firepower for Drumcullen! Surely hurling senior championship games on a thursday evening is doing nothing to promote the game?
Tullamore v St.Rynaghs
Friday evening in O'connor park,Tullamore proved last week that they have strength in depth and perhaps dont get the respect they deserve for being more than a one man team,saying all that I think Rynaghs will win this one by a couple of points! Tullamore seem to be getting a lot of their games in O'connor park now I know its not a 'home venue' but I think they have a distinct advantage hurling there and maybe more of their group games should be played in a 'neutral venue'!
Kinnitty v Shamrocks
Saturday evening in Rath this is a huge game for both clubs if Shamrocks lose they are in a relegation play-off and if Kinnitty win they would almost certainly be in a quarter final,Shamrocks without Derek Molloy arent at the races Kinnity should win this 5-7 points!
Birr v Coolderry
Game of the weekend in Shinrone saturday evening and its a hard one to call Coolderry have to be slight favourites but when Birr play Coolderry they up their game a notch or two,so i'm going for Birr by 2points and it wouldnt surprise me if the referee has a busy evening these two teams really dont like one another at all!
Lusmagh v Seir Kieran
Sunday morning in Carrig,Lusmagh put up a good performance last time against K/K while Seir Kieran were lucky not to lose against Tullamore I think the fright that Seir Kieran got will kick them into action and they will win this by 5-6 points,the fact that its not in Tullamore will help Seir Kieran they really dont go well in O'connor park at all!
Belmont v K/K
Sunday evening in Banagher,this is a tough game to call and a real tough test for K/K,Belmont are a decent outfit and only for a couple of dodgy decisions the last day they could have beaten Rynaghs! I'm going to go for a Belmont win here only just!
Shinrone v Drumcullen. Shinrone by 4.
Tullamore v rynaghs. rynaghs by 5
Shamrocks v kinnitty. kinnitty by 12
Coolderry v Birr. Birr by 3
Lusmagh v Seir Kieran. Seir Kieran by 7
Belmont v kk. Draw match
Briefly, on Shinrone v Drumcullen, seeing as it’s on Tomorrow (Thursday) evening. I wouldn’t rule out a Drumcullen win here.
Shinrone were a huge disappointment against Coolderry, particularly given that Coolderry were missing so many leaders. There was no fight in them and they seemed to settle for the inevitability of the defeat early on. Shinrone are stuck for a few leaders in attack too, and could really do with a bullocking centre half-forward. Their 5 – 9 is good but they have a tendency to play too far upfield – contrast this with the way James Rigney sat back and perfectly read all the hopeful deliveries for Kinnitty against Drumcullen. That positioning of Shinrone’s half-backs left the room for Eoin Ryan to roam and to prosper in that space. With a 40 yard gap between full-backs and half-backs, Ryan took up station between the two, from where he fired 1-5.
In contrast, Drumcullen showed plenty of heart against Kinnitty. It was a match that was there for the taking for them – there was a period of 5-10 minutes midway through the second half when the match could have gone either way and the next score was going to decide the issue – but it was Kinnitty who took their chances. The return from suspension of Willie Spain will benefit them as they can shove Pearse Gath & the lie further upfield. Gath could do well on a Cleary, as would Niall O’Leary. Harry Ryan could drive them from centre-back too. Drumcullen’s puckout was notably short against Kinnitty – this might be to their advantage as it would avoid Derek Morkan & Daniel Hoctor, while also drawing out the Shinrone half-back line.
Drumcullen are physically stronger, and are favoured by tradition in the head-to-heads. If they’re in with a shout by the three-quarter mark Blue and Red might well pull through.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
Plain of the Herbs wrote:Briefly, on Shinrone v Drumcullen, seeing as it’s on Tomorrow (Thursday) evening. I wouldn’t rule out a Drumcullen win here.
Shinrone were a huge disappointment against Coolderry, particularly given that Coolderry were missing so many leaders. There was no fight in them and they seemed to settle for the inevitability of the defeat early on. Shinrone are stuck for a few leaders in attack too, and could really do with a bullocking centre half-forward. Their 5 – 9 is good but they have a tendency to play too far upfield – contrast this with the way James Rigney sat back and perfectly read all the hopeful deliveries for Kinnitty against Drumcullen. That positioning of Shinrone’s half-backs left the room for Eoin Ryan to roam and to prosper in that space. With a 40 yard gap between full-backs and half-backs, Ryan took up station between the two, from where he fired 1-5.
In contrast, Drumcullen showed plenty of heart against Kinnitty. It was a match that was there for the taking for them – there was a period of 5-10 minutes midway through the second half when the match could have gone either way and the next score was going to decide the issue – but it was Kinnitty who took their chances. The return from suspension of Willie Spain will benefit them as they can shove Pearse Gath & the lie further upfield. Gath could do well on a Cleary, as would Niall O’Leary. Harry Ryan could drive them from centre-back too. Drumcullen’s puckout was notably short against Kinnitty – this might be to their advantage as it would avoid Derek Morkan & Daniel Hoctor, while also drawing out the Shinrone half-back line.
Drumcullen are physically stronger, and are favoured by tradition in the head-to-heads. If they’re in with a shout by the three-quarter mark Blue and Red might well pull through.
POTH, did Shinrone use any of their juniors against Coolderry? There seems to be an opinion on here that their junior team is seriously strong. Surely a few of them could have helped them beat a depleted Coolderry side last time out in a close game. Were they not used?
Shinrone v Drumcullen can't see where POTH can see a upset here Drumcullen have been poor so far besides the first round win over
a even poor Shamrock's team, seen Shinrone once they will win by 7 points.
Birr v Coolderry game of the round a bit of cat and mouse don't think either side will show there full hand as there will be a bigger prize to play
for later on in the year, Birr by a point or 2 but could be a draw.
Tullamore v ST.Rynaghs Rynaghs run to go on Banagher by 5 points.
Shamrocks v Kinnitty shamrocks are a mess this year and could go down Kinnitty by 7 points or more.
Lusmagh v Seir Kierans kierans will have to much up front kierans by 8 points.
Gary Conneelly suspended and Joey O'Connor injured - that's two big losses for Rynaghs. Surely Tullamore could be in with a shout of getting a draw at least there? (I'm looking at the 11/1.... )
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
Rynaghs by seven or eight for me i reckon. Tullamore still minus a lot of their main players. They drew with a very poor clareen team the last day. Clareen appeared to be set up totally wrong with eanna murphy at FF and tom carroll at midfield which is ludicrous in my opinion. Clareen have some good individual hurlers but dont play as a team and they were found wanting the last day by a tullamore team who should have beaten them while missing 5 regulars who are the spine of their team. ie Dagg, Kelly, Keane, Dooley and one more i cant think of.... I think this clareen team is totally overated. Tullamore are also missing stephen Egan and nigel bracken for the next day due to long term injuries but will regain james keane from the last day. In my opinion, rynaghs will be the surprise packet this year and are very well drilled under dinny cahill and could easily make a county final and perhaps even win it....They always have good hurlers down there, its just a case of organisation and discipline to get them on the right track which is something i think dinny cahill has brought to them this year.....
Shinrone only used one hurler who didn't line out the other side of summer - John Paul Cummins, so word that their Junior side has been decimated is wide of the mark.
I dunno if wholesale changes would have worked the oracle that evening - they just didn't seem to be 'wired' in the way you would expect in a derby match, and in the way you would need to be in order to get over the line.
Long John wrote:POTH, did Shinrone use any of their juniors against Coolderry? There seems to be an opinion on here that their junior team is seriously strong. Surely a few of them could have helped them beat a depleted Coolderry side last time out in a close game. Were they not used?
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.
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