www.uibhfhaili.com

I'd usually allow an hour and a half starting from Ferbane, though you'd make it in less with the new toll bridge. Of course it's handy enough since we're only half an hour from Roscrea and it's M7 from there. Not sure how you'd attack it from North Offaly - Portarlington and M7 from there maybe?


I'm looking forward to the game but there's some trepidation there as well. People are forgetting about Limerick this year but Cork and Kerry cast a huge shadow, it's possible to be a very capable team and still be darkened by the shadow of giants like that. John Galvin's injury is a big blow to them, but he didn't really feature too prominently in the league game down there and we were still very fortunate to come away with the win.

All that said, I think playing the game in the Gaelic Grounds will suit us and if the lads travel down there with the same attitude as they took into the Monaghan match, I'd say we'll create and take enough scores to win - but any drop in intensity and we'll get punished. It'll ultimately come down to whether or not the lads feel as if they've redeemed the Wexford performance yet, or if they've some way to go. Better yet, if they are beginning to see the year open up in front of them. It's far from implausible that a run could be put together yet and if they go into it with that attitude, that this year is there for the taking, I'd say they'll come through.

Will the game be all ticket now given that the hurling is on aswell?

Offaly2010 wrote:Will the game be all ticket now given that the hurling is on aswell?

Limerick Hurlers are playing in Parnell Park.

i think he is talking about the Cork Galway hurling game, don't think it will be all ticket.

Yes indeed townman I was talking about Cork and Galway which is on in the Gaelic Grounds straight after the Offaly match on Saturday, DAF.

Cribbin was willing to accomodate dual players

Wednesday, 6 July 2011 07:26

By Rory Houston - @RTESundayGame

Offaly manager Tom Cribbin has revealed that the Faithful were willing to switch the date of their All-Ireland qualifier to avoid Limerick's football and hurling teams playing matches on the same day in different venues.

The Limerick footballers will play Offaly on Saturday in the Gaelic Grounds while the hurlers travel to Antrim for a third-phase hurling qualifier.

Dual-players Stephen Lucey and Mark O'Riordan have been forced to choose which code to play this weekend, with both opting to line out for the hurlers.

Cribbin said: 'The fact that the hurlers are out the same day in a different venue, it's probably unfair to them with the dual players.

'That is nothing to do with Offaly. We were asked to wait a week to see if we could be obliged and we were willing to oblige and play them on different days.

'I don't know why it wasn't changed but that's not our concern. All we can do is go out and try and perform like we did against Monaghan and look after ourselves.'

After plenty of criticism following their mauling by Wexford in the Leinster Football Championship, Offaly bounced back by upsetting the Farney in the first round of the qualifiers in Tullamore.

The Faithful manager said his players took little from the comments made in the run-up to the game and simply wanted to prove something to themselves rather than other influences.

He said: 'It didn't play much of a part. We knew we let ourselves down that first day against Wexford. It was the fact we folded with 10 minutes to go.

'We had something to prove to ourselves and to nobody else. We couldn't let a season finish like that after the work we put in.

'That's what we went out to try and set straight. We learned an awful lot from the Wexford game.

'No matter how things are going you can't feel sorry for yourself. You have to keep going and try to stay on top and that's what happened for us against Monaghan. We got the early goal and carried it through.'

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championshi ... bbint.html

Yet another example of how the Dual player is being punished, and forced to choose, by an association whose main purpose was supposed to be getting players to play the game. An unsurprising joke.

Heres hoping for another result on Saturday to keep the momentum going. Any team news available? Initially PaddyPower installed both teams at evens for the match but since Offaly and shortened to 4/6 while Limerick have drifted slightly.

TheManFromFerbane wrote:Yet another example of how the Dual player is being punished, and forced to choose, by an association whose main purpose was supposed to be getting players to play the game. An unsurprising joke.

I wouldn't be one of those who would favour making the whole association bend over backwards to suit lads who want to play both sports, in the sense that quite often you are discommoding 30 lads to suit 1, however in this instance I can't for the life of me understand why either the football or hurling couldn't have been moved to Sunday. Neither game is a big game from the perspective of the TV cameras, and it's not like there should be a big issue for lads who are working in the sense that Sunday usually suits a lot more people than a Saturday anyway - certainly a lot more than a Saturday afternoon.

The best bit is that they held off naming a time/venue for the football awaiting the outcome of the Limerick hurling qualifier.........then go and fix them on the same day anyway

... and the two Hurling Qualifiers were fixed for Neutral venues, so it looks like Limerick's Hurling game was never going to be in the Gaelic Grounds anyway.

At this stage, I'm assuming it will be possible to buy tickets at the ground on the day. It's a fairly big stadium, so it's unlikely to be a sell-out, even with two strong teams in the Hurling game. I wonder is the Limerick Football Home support as fickle as Offaly's often is when we are at home? I'll be heading for the Covered Stand anyway, the weather is not that reliable yet.

The Biff wrote: I'll be heading for the Covered Stand anyway, the weather is not that reliable yet.

Head for the back so, the Mackey Stand wouldn't have the best reputation for keeping the rain out.

Offaly team named:

1.Alan Mulhall
2.Brian Darby
3.Joe Quinn
4.Sean Pender
5.Stephen Lonergan
6.Ross Brady
7.Karol Slattery
8.Richie Dalton
9.Niall Smith
10.Ciaran McManus
11.Scott Brady
12.Niall Darby
13.Bernard Allen
14.Ken Casey
15.Niall McNamee.

Offaly2010 wrote:Offaly team named:

1.Alan Mulhall
2.Brian Darby
3.Joe Quinn
4.Sean Pender
5.Stephen Lonergan
6.Ross Brady
7.Karol Slattery
8.Richie Dalton
9.Niall Smith
10.Ciaran McManus
11.Scott Brady
12.Niall Darby
13.Bernard Allen
14.Ken Casey
15.Niall McNamee.

I presume(and hope) you've mixed up the two Bradys, with Scott playing centre back and Ross in the half-forward line like vs Monaghan. Scott played well there last week and Ross is hopeless as a centre back as everyone knows at this stage.

faithfullad wrote:6.Ross Brady

faithfullad wrote:11.Scott Brady

Has to be typo????