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Bord na Mona man wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:06 pm Louth win - Mickey Harte x factor. Tired Offaly shouldn't have played the League final, Louth waiting in the long grass, Offaly got carried away with a couple of league wins.

Offaly win - Mickey Harte washed up, on the rebound, chasing expenses. Offaly learned from the Derry match, playing in Divison 3 a big help, moving in the right direction.

Whatever happens, we have seen improvement this year, but how you spin the result of 1 game can define a lot. Fingers crossed!

Bord na Mona man wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:06 pm Depending on the result, the post match analysis will reveal that the outcome was obvious all along.

Louth win - Mickey Harte x factor. Tired Offaly shouldn't have played the League final, Louth waiting in the long grass, Offaly got carried away with a couple of league wins.
Offaly win - Mickey Harte washed up, on the rebound, chasing expenses. Offaly learned from the Derry match, playing in Divison 3 a big help, moving in the right direction.

Also, the media and pundits are rooting for a Louth win because it will give headlines, talking points and something to pump up. So losing would be extra annoying with the extra hooha it would attract.

Correct and right.

Haughey was never wrong.

High School Musical wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:05 am

Bord na Mona man wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:06 pm Depending on the result, the post match analysis will reveal that the outcome was obvious all along.

Louth win - Mickey Harte x factor. Tired Offaly shouldn't have played the League final, Louth waiting in the long grass, Offaly got carried away with a couple of league wins.
Offaly win - Mickey Harte washed up, on the rebound, chasing expenses. Offaly learned from the Derry match, playing in Divison 3 a big help, moving in the right direction.

Also, the media and pundits are rooting for a Louth win because it will give headlines, talking points and something to pump up. So losing would be extra annoying with the extra hooha it would attract.

Correct and right.

Haughey was never wrong.

Agreed.

Thinking back to the meetings between this counties in recent times.

1996 Offaly were going well for a lot of the game but Cathal Daly going off with a broken collar bone was a turning point. In the mid 90s you'd always feel that Div 4 Offaly would give championship matches a good lash before running out of steam.

1997 Now under Tommy Lyons, Offaly were a different animal. Clocker Grennan scored the crucial goal with a very Clocker Grennan-esque finish and Offaly lead comfortably enough by 6 points coming into the closing stages before Louth got a few late scores to make it a little nervous by the end.

2001 In the first year of the qualifiers, the problems of 6 day turnaround after a provincial defeat were starting to arise. Offaly had the better of Dublin previous weekend but couldn't get the scores on the board to put them away.
Here, Offaly were leaden and hanging on for most of the game. Donie Ryan grabbed a goal to get Offaly level with time nearly up. In search of a winner, Offaly were breaking upfield when Finbar Cullen was dragged back by a high tackle and spilled the ball. Louth swept forward and scored the winner. Mick Curley the ref knew he had ballsed up and give Offaly a late free to equalise, but it went wide.

2005 Louth were a poor outfit by this stage. Offaly hit nearly 20 wides and still beat them by 9. How bad Louth were was summed up by Mark Stanfield fresh-airing the ball in front of empty goal and landing on his arse in a cloud of dust. Cathal Daly stood over him and shouted a few words of advice. Stanfield swung a punch and fresh aired that also. Daly got sent off for a 2nd yellow.

So hard to know with this bunch have they developed the mental strength to say "right, fuck it, we looked for a game in Croker, got it and fluffed it, but its done now and what did we learn individually and collectively, and how am I going to get over it?"

Physically they may be ok if they take the right approach to the mental side as would have tapered off training last week and will do so this week.

I think back to a league game v Longford, I think last year in Tullamore, (Cian Johnson was taken off after around 20mins) in the spills of rain and playing with a severe wind in the first half,I thought "curtains, Div 4 coming up". Trailing by one at half time, lads produced a severe second half and if Ruairi Mc had off loaded a last minute pass to Chilly off his left shoulder we would have won and not drawn that game.

I'm thinking that regardless of anything we need to start clocking up some championship wins against some of these sides around us in the pecking order.
I'm guessing that our guys will be hell bent on ensuring that there is not a headline on Monday "Wee County shows Big Harte in Navan"!
Peter Fitz leaping around......No, let's knuckle down now and ball after ball grind out a proper Summer championship win....pleeeeease!!!!

Not a word out of Maughan this week

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/jQEXqLgte88cJJt28

Good listen. I wish they posted more stuff as what they do put out is very worthwhile

What we saying then folks

BiffoInThurso wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:11 pm What we saying then folks

That isn’t the team that’ll start !

Remember in Navan 2 years ago against Meath the success Offaly had pushing up on the Meath kickouts?
Well I believe this is key to success tomorrow. This craic of surrendering every kickout is complete bollox.
Make teams earn possession. Pushing up on teams ensures everyone knows their role, whereas dropping back and conceding the kickouts results in too many lads running headless around the place. We may not have the best fielders of high ball around the middle but they are capable of disrupting the ball at the very least. The downside of pushing up is it does take a bit energy and that is energy that may not be there after last weeks ill-fated outing.

I'd start Niall McNamee. He has 70 mins in him in the full forward line. Theres no need in having him running around in the opposition half wasting energy like he was in Croke Park last week. Leave him in around the goal and he'll take alot of attention away from the other forwards as well.
He's our best forward by a long way so just play him. It's winnable tomorrow and nothing less than a win is acceptable if there is to be evidence of real progress,

bracknaghboy wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:58 pm Remember in Navan 2 years ago against Meath the success Offaly had pushing up on the Meath kickouts?
Well I believe this is key to success tomorrow. This craic of surrendering every kickout is complete bollox.
Make teams earn possession. Pushing up on teams ensures everyone knows their role, whereas dropping back and conceding the kickouts results in too many lads running headless around the place. We may not have the best fielders of high ball around the middle but they are capable of disrupting the ball at the very least. The downside of pushing up is it does take a bit energy and that is energy that may not be there after last weeks ill-fated outing.

I'd start Niall McNamee. He has 70 mins in him in the full forward line. Theres no need in having him running around in the opposition half wasting energy like he was in Croke Park last week. Leave him in around the goal and he'll take alot of attention away from the other forwards as well.
He's our best forward by a long way so just play him. It's winnable tomorrow and nothing less than a win is acceptable if there is to be evidence of real progress,

Exactly. Think you might be happy come 1:30 tomorrow…make of that what you will.

Firstly, best of luck to the lads tomorrow.

Secondly, and I’ll try to keep this as brief as I can. Yes, there are a limited number of tickets to these games, unfortunately. There’s no doubt about it that players and management should all have access to tickets to give to a family member or members, wives, partners etc. The very least they deserve for all of the effort and the slogging that they have put in.

Now there are plenty of regulars to Offaly games, those who travel the length and breadth of the country be it following the footballers and/or hurlers. It’s obviously a pity that there are no tickets to these games, but that’s the way things are now. That’s not the fault of the GAA, nor any part of it.

People getting tickets to these games when there was no tickets to be got is a very annoying thing. Especially when it’s outside of the family/partner pool of people.
Now I don’t do social media, nor do I intend to. It can be a hive of negativity and it’s just not for me. But I hear stories. And I talk to a lot of people.
I, along with many people would in normal times be a very regular match attendee in both codes. Given the current predicament with the pandemic and stringent measures on attendances, I don’t mind not going to games but people getting tickets because they start to whinge annoys me something shocking so it does. And I know it annoys many others too.

And I’m not blaming the County Board or anything. To be fair, they’ve done a stellar job given the circumstances over the last 20 or so months. Even without the circumstances, they’ve been very good.

I’ve no problem with family members or partners, etc, nor would anyone. It’s the very least that players deserve.

Anyway, apologies for that bit of a rant. Might’ve been a bit oxymoronic with a bit of negativity. My apologies anyhow.


In other news, definitely 2 changes to that team that’s named.
2 of our more high profile players start.

To finish on a bit more of a positive note, best of luck to all tomorrow and please God we’ll advance to face Kildare.

Beating a Mickey Harte managed team will be easier said than done!

Balance of named team looks off. Would expect a few changes to personnell and positions. I'd expect Niall Mc, Johnny Moloney and Eoin Carroll (barring injury) to start.

Also expect some movement of players. Would expect David Dempsey not to play left half back. Might play at 11 or maybe midfield with Hayes or Doyle moving across to LHB. Not sure Cunningham is suited to midfield and could swap out to wing forward possibly. May even happen that the 2 Carrolls play in midfield.

Obviously that possibly means one of Bernard Allen or Ruairi McNamee losing out for Niall and any two of 8 lads in middle third and James Lalor that could lose out for other 2 - no inside knowledge here and just going on how I see how Maughan views best team based on league selections to date. Good to see Jack Quinn make the bench. He is a right good player that has not got much chance with this team just yet. I think he might have more to offer this team than the chances he has been given to date.

Johnny Maloney in for Eoin Carroll. Johnny at 6 jordan Hayes to midfield with Peter cunningham. Niall mcnamee in for Panda. Carl Stewart starts at 11.

Please god a positive result best of luck lads!

Beat wishes to the team today.

You can do it!!!