Kehoe Cup 2019/2020, NHL 2020

A forum to air your views on Offaly GAA matters and beyond.
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Lone Shark
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by Lone Shark »

llkj wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:52 pm I genuinely don't know the answer as to what is the best approach. Based on how last year went, maybe the decision that was taken was seen as the most logical.

The obvious goal this year is to get back to Joe Mc Donagh for next year. That is seen as vital. Would it be the end of the world if we didn't get out of 2a? It would definitely mean that our preparation for 2021 would mean a league campaign competing against teams of equal or less standard. However, that might be better than going back to D1 again and getting heavy beatings in prep for next year's Championship.
The bit in bold is indisputable. Offaly may not have the type of talent that exists in the Liam MacCarthy counties at the moment, but I cannot accept that anything lower than Joe McDonagh is our natural level, based on the quality of hurling that exists in the county. I know this is an oversimplification, but look at the way Seir Kieran easily disposed of Kildalkey in Navan - and that was Meath's senior champions. Admittedly Kildalkey won't provide too many players to the Meath team in the Summer, probably no more than three starters, but it's not unreasonable to say that there are at least eight and probably closer ten clubs in Offaly that would be the strongest team in the Meath SHC. Yet they're Joe McDonagh next year, and we're not.

There's no injustice in that, Offaly had chances to save themselves and didn't take them, but after years of people in the county not realising how much we were falling off the pace, we've now overshot and fallen to a level that is beneath where we are. I watch a reasonable amount of Christy Ring Cup hurling games, covering Roscommon and other counties, and at the risk of being seen as overconfident, I'll say it like it is - Rynaghs, or Birr, or K-K, or Belmont, by themselves, would reach a Christy Ring final at least if they were in form.

The reason I say that is because I genuinely believe that while the Christy Ring Cup is the "must win", Offaly can afford to try to be close to fully right for the Spring, there is no need to keep anything massive in reserve or anything like that. Those games against Antrim and Kerry, and hopefully a Division 2A final which would be against one or other of those as well, are the toughest games we'll play all year. We should be capable of winning, winning well, and getting back up to Division 1. And if we can do enough to win 2A, we'll walk the Ring Cup - it's that simple.

And personally, I think that league promotion is essential - because for all the praise that there is for the tiered hurling, I firmly believe it has cemented the standards in every county - good and bad. It has made it all the more difficult to really climb the ladder, because the good teams are powering ahead playing each other, and the rest are being left behind. (It's no coincidence that the same happened in football, since they changed from 1A/1B/2A/2B to 1/2/3/4 the top teams have driven on ahead too)

We need to be in Division 1, and even the likes of Westmeath this year, who will lose all five round robin games, are far better off than we are (or Antrim, or Kerry). If Offaly are ever to get back to a stage where we can be a match for Waterford, Wexford, Clare, Limerick etc., getting back to the top table in the league has to happen.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

frankthetank
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by frankthetank »

I agree with all the sentiments above.

Winning 2A and the Christy Ring cup are the tangible essentials of the year. Anything else is a failure.

To make a decent stab at the Joe McDonagh in the Summer of 2021 we must be playing Division 1 league hurling in the Spring of 2021.

Liam2020
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by Liam2020 »

Good solid start under m fennelly.
The 2 geraghtys ó kelly é cahill L Langton B Duignan C kiely C Langton are all young lads who look to have lots of potential as forwards my concern is we don't seem to have many good defenders, have we anyone that could mark Tj Reid c fennelly S callahan or P hogan??? Conceding 3-18 against meath shows again , imagine what score tipperary would put up. If the new management can find top quality defender over the next 24 months, will determine whether offaly can get back to the top table again.

private joker
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by private joker »

Are joe begin and Shane Dooley apart of the panel?

llkj
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by llkj »

private joker wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 12:31 am Are joe begin and Shane Dooley apart of the panel?
yes they are.

SearingDrive
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by SearingDrive »

I agree with Lone Shark's comments re Offaly hurling. If Offaly hurling is to progress, promotion to Division1, and winning the Christy Ring are essential.
Offaly play Antrim, in the Kehoe Cup Final on Sunday, in what will be their toughest game to date. A win would be a nice boost, before the league begins at the end of the month. Good luck to team and management.
One concern is the high scores conceded by Offaly in their last 2 games.

private joker
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by private joker »

Just as a question, is there any point to having joe and shane there, it'll be at least 3 years before offaly be back in liam McCarthy. Better to move on and get a new team together with a long term view to things.

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Lone Shark
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by Lone Shark »

private joker wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:20 pm Just as a question, is there any point to having joe and shane there, it'll be at least 3 years before offaly be back in liam McCarthy. Better to move on and get a new team together with a long term view to things.
I don't subscribe to this logic at all. There's plenty of room in the panel for the best players in the county now, and to still accommodate players that mightn't be intercounty ready in 2020 but will benefit from the experience. More importantly, we need to win every game this year, and while it's up to Michael Fennelly to decide if the two lads are worthy of a place in his match day 26, there aren't too many people in Offaly that would leave Joe Bergin or Shane Dooley out of their best 26 players in the county.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

llkj
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by llkj »

Pick your best panel and team with this year in mind and pick next years panel next year. Too much can change in 12 months to be worrying about shote like you hear with Irish rugby and the 4 year World Cup cycle. If the 2 boys still have something to offer this year, then select them. If not then don’t and definitely don’t just because they did the business in year’s past. But make sure you don’t pick them just because you think they won’t have some to offer in 3 years time

greenairfield
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by greenairfield »

It is an actual tricky one and if you look at any sport team that has to rebuild because of dropping to lower leagues cos of bad performances you usually just rebuild for the future but in Offalys case I'm not quite sure if we have better lads in the forward line to replace Joe Bergin for example.

If you were to start 6 forwards in the Offaly panel at the minute not including joe or shane you would probably go with

Oisin Kelly
Sean Cleary
Eoin Cahill
Peter Gerathey
Thomas Gerathey
Shane Kinsella

After that I think we are kind of struggling a bit.

GAHMAD
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by GAHMAD »

Jeesus, I cant believe that anyone could think we would be better off staying in 2a of the league in prep for Joe McDonagh next year (assuming we win C Ring)!!

Agree 100% with LS as would anyone that has played any level of hurling or football. Our best option is to get into 1B and have some quality teams coming to town.
We have a crack at Antrim on Sunday, use it to get used to the pace, and give them hell then in the league game in a few weeks time. We should go down to Kerry confident also, and hurl with the heads. We would have beaten them down there but for having the man sent off in the first half.

llkj
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by llkj »

Best of luck to the team and all involved this year.

Hasselhoff
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by Hasselhoff »

Who is the captain this year ? if we do win on sunday?

oneshot
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by oneshot »

Hasselhoff wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 8:29 pm Who is the captain this year ? if we do win on sunday?

Ben Conneely .

oneshot
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Re: Kehoe Cup 2019/2020

Post by oneshot »

GAHMAD wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:23 pm Jeesus, I cant believe that anyone could think we would be better off staying in 2a of the league in prep for Joe McDonagh next year (assuming we win C Ring)!!

Agree 100% with LS as would anyone that has played any level of hurling or football. Our best option is to get into 1B and have some quality teams coming to town.
We have a crack at Antrim on Sunday, use it to get used to the pace, and give them hell then in the league game in a few weeks time. We should go down to Kerry confident also, and hurl with the heads. We would have beaten them down there but for having the man sent off in the first half.

besides down to 14 men dropping our best forward in Joe Bergin didn’t help matters .

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