Offaly Vs Wexford 2/6/12 Leinster Championship

[Bord na Mona man]

Will this get anywhere close to being sold out.

Nowhere near it, I'd say.
Anything near half full would be seen as a good crowd.

[kingscounty]

might be big enough crowd at it i think dublin are playing laois at 5 and the dubs normally bring a big crowd im sure whoever pays 25euro for stand ticket will watch the 2 games to get the value out of it. its 15euro for the terrace.

[UibhFhaili2012]

Looks Like A Strong Team For Us, Not Sure About Colin Egan, Big Physical Lad, Hope He Is Able For The Tough Physical Encounter That Lies Ahead.......

Brady And Mahon To Me Are A Strong Midfield, Hopefully Dooley Will Be Out Front Of His Man And Hopefully Cathal Parlon Can Show The Form He Showed In THe Club Champiosnhip, Even Though Inter County Is A Completely Different Standard....

Big Joe To Net A Goal...

Mon The Faithful.... Get stuck in and give these Bastards what they deserve,, we owe them one at this stage

[aze111]

Havnt seen an awful lot of Mahon, much Hurling in him? is he the fella that hit the crossbar against cork last year when should have scored, along with the other 5 goal chances we missed that day from the forwards

[Toxicity234]

well, don't know about the everyone else, but i think it a good team,
i think the backs will be fine. Guiney will be the only forward that we could have a problem with. but only if wexford move into one of the connor's.

The winning of this match for Offaly is in the Half Forward Line. If we can breaking even or better we have a bit to spare. if wexford win that battle we find it rough.
The league match in wexford should not be forgotten and we play to the end of the game.
Morkan at No. 2 is a bit odd, i don't remember him playing there before but he a good hurler and should do fine.
Wexford are starting 3 new guys in the backs so hopefully we get to them early and unsettling them.

[bracknaghboy]

I can't understand all this cute hoorism surrounding team selections. If I was over Offaly I'd have the balls to name my team early in the week 1-15 in exactly the positions I intended to start them. I'd be saying now Liam Dunne deal with this. Nothing worse than going to a game, buying your program and hearing 2 minutes before the game starts that "theres 4 personnel changes and a number of positional swtiches on team X's starting lineup"

I worry about the sideline for us Saturday, in the games I've seen this year they look to be up to nothing and its cruel watching Paudge looking bewildered at the games. The truth is he looks like he doesn't know what day of the week it is let alone offer insightful positional switches that could swing the game. I don't like saying that as he has been a great servant to Offaly but it questionable what he is bringing to the table these days.

I'd say there will be around 8-9,000 there Saturday so lets hope the weather holds and we get the badly needed win we all crave. Theres no excuse for either managment or players here now as we are surely set up to win this game......its there if the boys want it badly enough. Looking forward to seeing Rigney give his absolute all as always and hopefully he will inspire all around him.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I don’t mean to be getting at you, Brack, but I’d be of the opposite view to you as to the team selection. If I had my way I wouldn’t tell Liam Dunne what time the match was starting. Chances are Dunne is adopting a ‘cloak-and-dagger’ approach in his selection too.

Anyway it wouldn’t take long to work out how the team will start. And Wexford can work that out for themselves, I’m not going to do it for them!

I’d expect the same fifteen will start as are named for the programme, and as a keen programme collector that’s enough for me. The team, particularly the forwards, will be switched during the game anyway. And the players will have had a fair idea for a few weeks how the team is going to line out, which they will have observed in challenge games and practice matches. And I’d be placing the defence in a ‘horses-for-courses’ fashion, probably with Rigney marking the Guiney chap.

You make an interesting point re the sideline. I’ve observed them in the NHL matches and in Clara. It seems to me that the two ‘home’ selectors have no say and that the real power and decision-making rests with Baker, Cunningham and the other fella who’s name I don’t know (and who looks a bit like Cunningham). Anyway, it’s up to the manager to structure the management as he sees fit.

I agree completely with your third paragraph. Hope ta f**k Offaly win. Nobody under 22 and only one over 30 named. Time is ticking.

[first_touch]

There's a good look to the team for Saturday evening. Sean Ryan in hard luck to lose out but hopefully he will make a big impact if and when introduced. A major difficulty is that we have four natural half backs to fill the defence. Rigney is definately a better wing back than corner back, as is Del. Hopefully whatever way they line out will work on the day.

Looking forward to us tearing ino Wexford from the start and not slackening off like we did in the League encounter.

Let's hope our supporters turn out in force and get behind the team.

[DAF]

Havnt seen an awful lot of Mahon, much Hurling in him? is he the fella that hit the crossbar against cork last year when should have scored, along with the other 5 goal chances we missed that day from the forwards

He is a horse of a man who works all day never gives up and will never let the man he is on get the ball easily .His striking of the ball isnt great, however that part of his game seems to have improved a bit this year.I've always liked him as although he isnt the silkiest of hurlers you know exactly what you will get from him and every team needs a few mullockers to mix with the more stylish players

[aze111]

DAF,

That will do just fine so

[Kevin]

The time is nearly upon us!!!

Our opponents are confident of victory. They think we are weak.

Fired up and assured though they are, they have underestimated us.

Tear into them boys, WE ALL KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!

COME ON OFFALY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kinnittyman]

I have to say I'm getting it hard to have any confidence in our ability to grind out a win on Saturday night. As has been said on this forum many times before this team is supposed to be at it's hurling peak right now. They have lots of championship experience (not too many victories however) but my early season optimism has been diluted, particularly by the performances against Limerick and Clare which were fairly poor to say the least. I know people will say they are only league games and Offaly are a championship team but that may have been acceptable 15 years ago when we had a team with a proven pedigree but this team needed to build confidence and preformance levels in the league and they weren't able to do it.

What we can be guaranteed with Wexford is that they will bring a hard-hitting physical intensity to the game and I don't know if Offaly will match that. They have too if they want to win the game. The Offaly forward lines ability to harass and hassle a back line when they are in possession leaves a lot to be desired and this badly needs to improve.

The team named actually isn't too bad but the inevitable changes before throw in (Brian Carroll to 11??, James Rigney to 2??), in my opinion will weaken the team rather than strengthen it.

Hopefully a big crowd will shout the team on and we get a nice evening for it and the Leinster Championship gets shown up in a favourable light. It's hard to listen to all the rubbish that goes with the Munster Championship.

[joe bloggs]

Paddy power have Joe Bergin at 18/1 for first goal. Worth a few bob I reckon

[townman]

having seen offaly hurl wexford twice this year i don't think offaly will be afraid of them wexford are not a big side or powerful one
offaly can match them head to head if offaly can hurl well like the galway games in 2010 or cork last year we should be ok.

we have only 9 of the side that were unlucky again Dublin in last years leinster tie in croker we have a stronger side and panel this year
its a home game in tullamore we have a good record in leinster championship in tullamore even if its again laois over the last few years
i think we will get a preformance from offaly on saturday and win by 5 points.

[Bord na Mona man]

Paddy power have Joe Bergin at 18/1 for first goal. Worth a few bob I reckon

A "few" being the operative word.
I was only able to put €8.50 on it.