www.uibhfhaili.com

That's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle 'black. Though I suppose in fairness you've probably never read more than two sentences in the one sitting.

uibhfhaili wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:00 pm

Plain of the Herbs wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 5:12 pm Have you a link to the full piece, or did you just copy and paste this from Provoview, a discussion board for Tipp supremacists worldwide?

uibhfhaili wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 1:20 pmInteresting comments from "Westside" in The Nationalist ( local Tipp paper)

"The friendly featured mostly Tipperary players who didn’t see action against Clare and the talking point afterwards was the appalling state of Offaly hurling."

Copy and paste. Read it on Premeirview yourself, you lazy git.

Bord na Mona man wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:01 pm It's nearly worse to play 'possibles' instead of the 'probables' with a hurling county like Tipp with a large pool. The fringe players are itching to put up a big score and build their reputation. The first team wouldn't be half as bothered.

Fully agree with this sentiment. Every lad playing for Tipp was a young player who would be equally as talented as first teamer but with extra itch to perform and show themselves for the first team. The nos and quality in Tipp are so vast, their second team would walk the Joe McDonagh and I can assure you that within 5 or 6 years, plenty of the lads that played for Tipp last day will be household names with All Stars and maybe All Irelands.

The likes of Clare Wexford Dublin etc second team would not get close to Kilkenny Tipp or Galway second team and by all accounts the Offaly team that played was not a full Offaly team. In fact another Offaly team (again not full strength) supposedly really put it up to a Wexford second team a few days later which says a bit more of the progress being made.

Lets be honest, we have a long way to go but the current team seem to be really working for each other and have produced results in the league this year that are a lot better than they have been in the last 3 years at least.

Fully expect Offaly to win tomorrow to win comfortablely without leaving third gear?

No Brian Watkins or Shane Kinsella in the 26, are they still on the panel?

What are we as Offaly people looking to take from tomorrow's game?

A win. Win well. Should be handy enough.

What are we looking to take from the game? Interesting question.

I’m looking for Offaly to control the game tomorrow. By control, I mean that Offaly will dominate possession by monopolising their own and opposition’s restarts. That’s not a given, sadly. Even this year, Offaly have been satisfied to allow the opposition a decent share of possession. That includes allowing Sligo pick off 2-17 or thereabouts. That’s fine when Sligo is the opposition. But we saw what happened when they went all socialist against Down last year and allowed the Ards men back into the game.

I’m also looking for Offaly to play as a team. Pop the pass if it’s the thing to do. No ‘drive its’. I’m looking for movement in the forwards, no basic 3-3-2-3-3 stuff that’s easy for the opposition to defend.

So movement; and control. That’s not too much to ask, is it.?

Big expectant win. Wicklow are very poor. Should beat Derry by 15 or more.

That was good. But a few things grigged me, and I wouldn't be getting the open topped bus out just yet.

36 scores is great, but there were 23 misses (22 wides or thereabouts, and one save). Giving a conversion rate of something like 62%. That's all very well playing a Wicklow team who are low on belief, and O'Connor Park gets very tricky when there is an east wind about, but a conversion rate like that came back to bite them against Down last year.

There appears to be a disconnect between the full-forward line and the rest of the team. Offaly are very good at hurling through the lines, at this level anyway, but once they reach the attacking '65 it very often goes pear shaped. There were far too many high, lobbing, dropping balls delivered, balls which give a static corner forward little chance. Corner-forward is actually a difficult place to play given the reliance on the quality of the ball from without, but Offaly really need to make better use of the corners. Some day Offaly will create and utilise space in the corner-forward positions, but I won't be holding my breath.

Anyway, Croke Park awaits.

By the looks of it, tickets for Sunday in pods of 2, 3, 4 and 5 are now on sale via the link on GAA.ie. Yesterday only pods of 5 were on sale.

giving an exhibition of point scoring. a few goals would put the icing on it!!

Job done well done boys! Great exhibition of point scoring, few dodgy moments from our keeper but over all good performance. Enjoy the celebrations

Interesting to read 41 points could be record point scoring at Croke park

Probably is, but waiting for confirmation. Cork were the first team to score 40 points, that was only a few years ago and it was in Mullingar.

kingscounty wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 2:50 pm Interesting to read 41 points could be record point scoring at Croke park

Ireland beat England 43-13 at Croke Park in 2007, so I guess they got there first.

Plain of the Herbs wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:37 pm Probably is, but waiting for confirmation. Cork were the first team to score 40 points, that was only a few years ago and it was in Mullingar.

kingscounty wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 2:50 pm Interesting to read 41 points could be record point scoring at Croke park

Ireland beat England 43-13 at Croke Park in 2007, so I guess they got there first.

Doesn’t count, shorter pitch and game is 10 minutes longer

Overall a good season. Walked the christy Ring which was to be expected. If offaly had to spend another year in the competition, development would have been seriously affected. Things moving in the right direction. Next year will be very tough, in particular the league.