Offaly v Clare NHL 01/04/2012

[llkj]

I have great time for Joe Brady as a man and as a player. Great presence on the field and I believe that he has a lot to offer the Offaly panel.

Does anyone know how his injury status is? I know he had some type of a hip situation; has that been fully fixed or is he still struggling with it?

One of the big difference between club and county training is the frequency and intensity of training. At club level, you can get away with carrying an injury and not being at 100%. For example, if the team trains 3 times a week, you could do the Tuesday and Fri, but sit out the Sunday and let your body recover a bit and really just focus on having yourself right for the big games.
However, with the county set up, you could do the Fri training, be expected to be in the gym the following morning and then play a practice game on the Sunday. If your body is not 100%, then it is next to impossible to keep up with the demands. You can't afford to be sitting out too many trainings, as you lose that vital 5% that makes a huge difference at county level.

Hopefully he is in decent health and physically able for the demands of Intercounty this year. If he is, he will be an asset to the panel, as we need to have options for various positions.

[Long John]

I know alot of the chat here is about the forwards. I feel however that Offaly are conceding far too much in every game. This has been the case for quiet a while. The Laois game is an example of a game that Offaly should have been able to keep them to 9 or 10 points especially with the extra man. What is happening is that they are hurling alot of ball but neglecting the marking side of things. They need to find a solid more ruthless back 6.

The Joe Brady debate is interesting. I would agree with views that he is too slow for intercounty level but I also have to say that he was outstanding this year. Gort had Aidan Harte trying to drag him all over the field but he won the battle and cleaned out everything. He deserves alot of credit for his performances.
He does struggle on the ball that drops in behind him and he has to turn but as somebody said, horses for courses, hes on the panel and has plenty to offer. I would agree that he is a better hurler than McDonald and Wynne.

Clare are a team that Offaly have struggled with. I dont know why as they have been poor in recent years. This is a game Offaly are well capable of winning and should go flat out to get the win. Davey Fitz wont want the Clare momentum being slowed down so I expect them to be well up for this game.

Offaly have to start finding some form now and hope to get a more settled team. Nice to have options like Carroll and Parlon to spring from the bench in the last 15.

[joe bloggs]

A fit Paul Cleary would give offaly the option of putting Kenny on the half back line

[Toxicity234]

i have to say that i think the offaly will improve and stop's conceding score when we our forward begin put pressure on the backs clearing the ball.
Its hard for a defender is good ball is coming in all the time.

[Deadandgone]

No 2 mac donald was destroyed the last day. Clare will beat that team. Horan is a half back. Harding not fit enough. Healion not fit enough and dooley not fit enough. Where is rigney gone. Instead of gettin settle team for championship we seem to be all over the place.

[Deadandgone]

Sorry i see rigney is back at wing back. I think i would have went with horan at 6 and del at 5. Shane kelly should be back by now or mulrooney mid field.

[townman]

Sorry i see rigney is back at wing back. I think i would have went with horan at 6 and del at 5. Shane kelly should be back by now or mulrooney mid field.

i know we have problems in midfield but Shane Kelly isn't the answer

[townman]

A fit Paul Cleary would give offaly the option of putting Kenny on the half back line

i heard he is back training

[Toxicity234]

A fit Paul Cleary would give offaly the option of putting Kenny on the half back line

i heard he is back training

Great to hear that he on his way back.
Any word on Dylan Hyden and Setphen Egan?

Just watching the Highlights of the games last weekend action.
One thing i just seen. is that the lots of important scores are coming for turnover from defender trying to do too much.
the Offaly Forwards only had two that i can remember last weekend.
But still at best tomorrow we going to be in a League Final and at worse we will not be in a relegation battle.

I'm dont think offaly will line out like that tomorrow.
Mahon is getting a good run of games at centre forward.
Ger Healion is looking fitter than i have seen him or they finally got him a bigger jersey.
Its a big job tomorrow.
Limerick VS Antrim could be a good game as well, Loughiel Shamrock player will return for Antrim they might run Limerick close in Antrim.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Much speculation as to what Davy Pipsqueak will do tomowwor. What he will do is ask himself what Loughnane would do – and then get the wrong answer. Pip’s interest in winning this match is not to be determined in the strength of his lineout, but rather in last week’s training schedule. Clare will see that they have a quarter-final next Sunday (which has to be won, no matter what), and a possible semi-final against Kilkenny or Cork a week later. Chances are they had a couple of hard sessions this week.

However, it cannot be taken that a weakened Clare lineout increases Offaly’s chances of winning. It generally is the case that fringe players will try much harder in April than those who are guaranteed starters in summer. Stands to reason. For the same reason, I wouldn’t be doing handstands over Shane Dooley’s current form. Dooley will be alright when it HAS to be done.

It’s unusual for a team to be announced at lunchtime on a Thursday so we can take it that this lineup is a ruse. We can take it that whoever starts at centre half-back, it will not be Derek Morkan. It’s also difficult to see a likely centre half-back in the team as announced. Éanna Murphy was deemed good enough to start at 6 against Dublin in Croke Park last championship. He would have held his place for Cork too, only an injury sustained a day-and-a-half earlier prevented him doing so. For that reason I’d say the Clareen man will man the centre tomorrow.

The forward line as named is believable. Forwards are going to move around anyway. The current situation with James Rigney is a curious one. Obviously Rigney is crucial to Offaly. He’s been on and off the team though, picked to start and didn’t, wasn’t picked to start and did. Now, either the lad isn’t fully fit, or Baker doesn’t see him as important as the rest of us do, and Rigney cut a forlorn figure when isolated at wing-forward against Limerick. And that was before he was withdrawn. Baker may well go with a half-back line of Morkan – Murphy – Harding.

The performance against Limerick was not encouraging. And let's face it, Limerick were poor. The form-team in the group, Clare will be a big step up in standard.

Finally, it’s early yet to be bringing the Coolderry lads back into the panel. They’ve had a long year, some having been hurling without a break for 15 months now. They might be alright now, but the fatigue will eventually take its toll in summer. They should give them another fortnight off. T’will be time enough.

[Deadandgone]

Shane kelly is flyin it and deserves a chance. A lot of offaly lads need to improve on fitness. As i see it offaly have to win to get into final where they will play clare again and the winners of that game play in league semi final of div 1a.

[weary traveller]

Dermot Mooney? really? surely better than him out there??

[DAF]

Poor performance by Offaly to get beaten by a team with 14 men for 60 minutes is not good enough.The first half performance was shocking,terrible use of the extra man David Franks was lose in around the full back line and really done nothing as Clare sent in high quality ball to the full forward line and Franks wasnt able to cut this out (nor would most players) and all he seemed to do was collect short puckouts from the goalie and drive thme into Offalys half forward line (James Dempsey could have done that by himself).Also the amount of times Offay sent good ball in to the full forward line and our forwards failed to collect or miscontrolled was a bad reflection on our skill levels.Offaly improved in the second half and should really have won, Shane Dooley should have went for goal and finshed Clare off when he had the penalty as Offaly were on top at that stage and a goal would have killed Clare off.Also Clares goal came from an Offaly attack that broke down because Dooley went for a goal when he should have put the ball over the bar and put 2 points in it, the goal itself was as a result of very poor defending by Offaly.Offaly also failed to cop that most of Clares puckouts were being sent down the hospital side of the field and left it too late to double up on Enda Barrett who wona huge amount of arial ball in the second half (he dominated in the first half when he was playing in the backs aswell).Clare had far superior skill levels to Offaly and probably would have handed out a fair beating had they 15 men for the full game.Clares sending off was totally justified a dangerous and unnecessary pull by Fergal Lynch.

[Deadandgone]

Not good enough to day. Joe bergin has to be full foward and leave him at 14. Healion got more ball in first half and could not even get it in his hand. Murphy was poor to day. Mahon was he poor or did he try hard. He missed about 1 04. Heard ollie baker on radio he thought mahon was brill. Carroll came on and was beaten in the corner for a ball then taken off again limpin. The only 2 up to a high level of performance were kenny and bergin. Had dooley got goal from peno we would have been 4up and then he should have tapped the ball over the bar when he went for goal clare came down the field and got the goal. Long time to wexford game now. Big improvement needed

[bracknaghboy]

Bakers first real managerial test and he has failed miserably I'm afraid.

* Everyone here except POTH knew that Healion would do nothing and was never a starter but Baker put him out there and true to form he did nothing. Enough ball (high, low and along the ground) went in to him today and he fell around the place. The funny thing is the way the game went the last 15 mins would have been an ideal time to spring Healion. There is way less pressure on a guy coming in for the last few mins than there is starting and coming in late suits Healion but starting...no.

* Young Mooney was always going to struggle today. If Parlon is to be brought in with 15 to go why didn't he start given the nature of this game.

* Sean Ryan started poorly today but really got going late in 1st half I thought. The conditions were ideal for him and I was expecting a big 2nd 35 from him and Baker takes him off 5 minutes into it! Wrong Decision.

* Carroll replaced Ryan and was taken off himself 10 minutes later....was this an injury, he did appear to be limping slighting going off.

* When we got the penalty Limerick were 14pts up in Antrim meaning we would need to win by a few. That ball needed to go to the net but over it went. Did Baker not have someone following the game up north? Should the message not have gone out to Dooley?

* I've always been a fan of Shane Dooley but this playing behind his man craic is starting to cost us. Today he beaten out 5 or 6 times to the ball. Also he tapped the penalty over but yet went for goals from play late in 2nd half when simple points were a certainty. The 2nd was blocked and the Clare winning goal came from it. Murray would try his guts out in a game but Shane is standing around doing feck all at times. Are we carrying him for the frees at this stage. Is it time to consider Murray in there as well?

* Why can't Baker and other posters here see that Joe Bergan is the best option at 14. He should start there and remain there all game.

* We dominated the 2nd half because of the extra man and still lost the game. If Clare had 15 I feel they would have by 5 or 6 points.

* Rigney had a mighty game and in the 2nd half ran himself into the ground. He read the game perfectly. All players need to have this mans commitment, he's a real example.

* The Clare goals were soft. The first one Kenny stood right in front of Dempsey.

* The Offaly first touch was way off the pace. Too many lads not getting the ball up first time. Theres no shame in needing to use 2 hands on the hurl lads!!

* Once again we face into the championship with little or no idea what the team will look like against Wexford. I'm very worried about the Wexford game. Baker looks out his dept.