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joe bloggs wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:19 pm

kingscounty wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 9:44 pm Just fell short again tonight against the dubs, we badly need to start winning silverware at underage. Great progress been made need to push on now and start winning

Very prophetic

Prayers answered

A couple of remarkable things about the game. Dublin scored their last point in the 12th minute. They got one score in the entire second half.

Like the games against Westmeath and Wexford, Offaly should have romped home but somehow didn't. However the team showed massive courage in making sure they didn't lose it either.

The fearlessness of the players was superb to watch. Continually driving forward with the ball, showing courage. Too many teams get possession and spend the day running back towards their own goal as that sense of adventure has been coached out of players. Dublin found it difficult to deal with the direct runners and regularly missed tackles or fouled.

In recent years Offaly have been quietly and gradually getting the house in order at underage and it's brilliant to see it starting to pay off.

Great interview with Cormac Egan as well. He looks like a Brian Dooher in the making.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1418300569995907084

Wonderful news.

Congrats!!!

Absolutely fantastic result and fully deserved.
well done all players and management

lets hope the drought is over.. we seem to be on an upward curve at last. i was talking to a young lad last night 21 or 22 yrs. he never seen an offaly man lift a leinster trophy til last night...its great!!

The Galway v Waterford game in Semple Stadium can now accommodate 4,000. Good chance of our Cork game being in thurles so hopefully we’ll have a similar crowd for the game.

Something noteworthy was the fitness and conditioning of the Offaly players.
Our assumption based on experience is that in the hot conditions Offaly players would wilt around the 3/4 mark and that Dublin would power home.
Especially with the serious running game that Offaly had unleashed.

This is again further evidence of the culture change in player development that has gone on.
The players emerging from a Covid lockdown in top condition shows that they've been immersed in a culture of proper preparation.
They are able to apply what they've learned and look after themselves when group training wasn't allowed.

Tactically as well. Offaly's counter attack strategy was excellent. In defence they were unpicked a couple of time for goals, but otherwise it was solid. The screening and cover was especially good.
Dublin tried to emulate their senior team by playing keep ball around the 45 until an opening appeared. However more often this ended up with an Offaly turnover or a bad wide.

Why this is worth mentioning. In the not so recent past you'd have plenty of sages in Offaly dismissing the value of S & C work.
Tactically as well, there are plenty of people still wanting old school man-to-man and catch and kick football.

Whether it's hurling or football, you still got a loud chorus within Offaly denouncing sweepers, systems and innovations and insisting that freestyle and off the cuff is the "right way"
That's where the value of development squads preparing in their own bubble comes in. Players buy into the science of preparation and they learn more advanced systems of play.
Go back to their clubs they are less likely to be put off by people badgering them to play it retro style.

The single biggest thing to happen in offaly gaa was the building of the faithful fields. Within that facility, coaches want to be there, players want to be there and with the work of clubs, a culture of excellence is slowly but surely coming about. There will be bumps along the way but if the culture is instilled at an early age, success will hopefully accompany that culture.

brilliant, great bucnh, improved with each outing, the more they play together the better they become, they could now win an all ireland, nothing to fear.

Our own county man who is well up the ladder of the Leinster GAA presenting the cup could have wilted abit and smiled being an Offaly man after all, the lord save us he looked more disapointed than anything...one of the ribbons came off and he looked as if he was going to devour the Offaly captain...I know he was being impartial but come on Offaly won, smile, if Dublin won he would have to look gracious...a great win for Offaly for sure, it was some game...3-03 wont win a game for you now adays...while Offaly were brilliant, Dublin seemed to stall or something and just thought they had to turn up maybe..I dont know....well done all concerned and Offaly Co. Board for all their workd behind the scenes...progress made in all codes this year, be it small in some, its progress...

Fairplayalways wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:40 pm Our own county man who is well up the ladder of the Leinster GAA presenting the cup could have wilted abit and smiled being an Offaly man after all, the lord save us he looked more disapointed than anything...one of the ribbons came off and he looked as if he was going to devour the Offaly captain...I know he was being impartial but come on Offaly won, smile, if Dublin won he would have to look gracious...a great win for Offaly for sure, it was some game...3-03 wont win a game for you now adays...while Offaly were brilliant, Dublin seemed to stall or something and just thought they had to turn up maybe..I dont know....well done all concerned and Offaly Co. Board for all their workd behind the scenes...progress made in all codes this year, be it small in some, its progress...

Did he not also say it was our first win at this grade since 1996??????

he did say 1996, Ide forgive him that maybe with nerves probably, and maybe his demeanour was just that, nerves. He has been presenting a few cups over the last couple of years though so was hardly nervous now if you are at that rung of the Leinster Council and GAA ladder....

We are 5 days from the fixture and the venue/ time is not confirmed yet. Surely it can’t be that hard to sort it As venue size will dictate crowd size etc.

Seen this on twitter:

"Regulations also issued for the two U20 football semifinals to be hosted in O'Moore Park (1400) and Kingspan Breffni (2000) but I suppose that doesn't preclude having a double header if circumstances require"