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seany123 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:35 pm This was a Cork team operating in third gear, if they didn't think they were the Harlem Globetrotters at times, they would have crucified us altogether. Thank god the pitch cut up so bad, can you imagine playing them in Pairc Ui Chaoimh or Tullamore. Offaly were so tactically naive it was scary, playing a sweeper who never felt the weight of the ball, while the full forward line spent most of the game 45 yards out, allowing Cork go back to their keeper as much as they liked. The gulf between the big boys and the Inbetweeners which is where we stand is scary and hard to see it ever being closed. Even if we win Joe McDonagh which please god we will, Liam McCarthy will be a very unforgiving playground! We do though have a Co. Minor team this year who could go close to winning an All Ireland (thanks to great work having been done through the dev squads all the way up and clubs especially kilcormac killoughey), and that could be our greatest hope for 2022 and beyond.

3rd gear is being generous unfortunately. Watched the first 10 mins again and Cork really did what they liked - Won the long puckouts, waltzed through the middle with hand passes, or delivers one long ball for the 2nd goal that completely opened up the offaly defense. They definitely messed around with it at times, as if it was a training session where they had to pass the ball a certain amount of times before they could take a shot. If they wanted it could have been 10 goals.

I suppose playing these teams has some benefits but they are more like high profile challenge games than competitive matches. Where you try to set some goals and Measure yourself against those, as opposed to try to win the match. You’d also like a couple of games before championship where they can practice some other aspects of their play as it is hard to do anything other than just survive against the big boys.

Finally, thinking of some structure that would be better for hurling. Rather than a league would a ladder system work, where you can only play teams that are 3 ahead of you in the rankings. You win you move up, you lose you stay put or move down if you lost to a lower ranking team.
Either that or at least a weak group concept for the league. Top 8 are in 2 groups of 4. Next 4 teams are in Div 1
Group c. You win 1c you move up to 1b the next year. Makes it less of a step up with smaller steps between the grades and means teams are at the same level in each league for the most part.

A few thoughts on hurling in general in the county.
Good crowd at game yesterday. Any atmosphere was gone after two minutes with corks early start. Was hoping we'd keep it tight for first 15 mins or so and crowd get behind them. Wasn't to be, cork killed the game off early. I've no interest in the birr/Tullamore debate, we have bigger problems to fix going forward.
Don't mind a team trying short puckouts or possession game within a game, but try do it at pace. We're physically lighter than opposition so we have to commit runners and try create overlap. Instead, we jogged with a ball and got caught time after time.
We're one of few counties left tackling with the hurl rather than body. A lot of blatant frees given away yesterday and players bewildered said free was given.
Like one previous poster said, we're happy shadowing a lot of the time. Better hurlers will always punish that.
Numerous times heard the crowd shouting will ye drive it in. To who exactly.
Between football and hurling I'll ask this question. Where are the big men gone. Do we just not have any, or do they drift away at a young age. Even if they've not good enough when younger can we not try keep a few around on panels and try develop them.
We need to be playing these teams to improve. Bad beatings are inevitable but we need that exposure. If we start going back and forth to division two then its hard to keep players interested. Ultimately lads want to test themselves against the best. Yesterday proved how far we've to go.

It's a tricky one to develop players. Squad numbers for development squads are about 30 players going forward within offaly. Offaly used to carry two squads in hurling but that seems to be stopped for 2022. There is a cost element and also there is a lack of quality coaches within the county willing to take development squads, this is very apparent. Development squad
coaches get no expenses and its costly to give up your time and wear and tear on your car etc. What is been coached and how it is been coached is of the average to good standard. I don't know too many exceptional coaches within the county. For example I could name 10 in tipperary off the top my head. That's not saying that there isn't within the county but they are not making themselves available.

bracknagh boy there was 600 in OCP last week to watch Derry and offaly....3000 in birr get your own sport in order before ya start making inaccurate statements about a sport ya find unusual to understand.

greenairfield wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:01 pm bracknagh boy there was 600 in OCP last week to watch Derry and offaly....3000 in birr get your own sport in order before ya start making inaccurate statements about a sport ya find unusual to understand.

Yes and most were from Cork

greenairfield wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:01 pm bracknagh boy there was 600 in OCP last week to watch Derry and offaly....3000 in birr get your own sport in order before ya start making inaccurate statements about a sport ya find unusual to understand.

Ah lads when did I get the job of increasing attendances at Offaly games?
I was in OCP last week supporting the footballers and in Birr yesterday for the hurlers, there isn't much more I can do. I can't drag people at gunpoint down to the grounds can I? Actually maybe I could!

I don't have the official figure but if there were 3,000 there yesterday then thats great but we must acknowledge there was a large Cork contingent there......way more than I was expecting.
Like in 2017 for the Galway league game in OCP and also the Limerick league game in 2018 there were 5,000 and around 4,000 respectively at them but it was nothing to shout about as we knew the majority of them were away supporters.
If someone supports the teams they'll be there if they don't they won't it's that simple. It's not worth arguing over.
Surely Greenairfield even you and I can agree that the most important thing now is that people just get out and support the players regardless where it's played......I don't care I'll be there anyway.

Hard to look too much into any results so far, but i will make one thought known.

We do seem to be putting up decent scores against vastly superior opposition. Probably hard to put a factor on it but i do think we should be able to add another 30% or so on against joe mcdonagh opposition. May be a bit spurious but will take the positives where they’re found.

Despite the scorelines, performance and scores bode well for championship . Offaly will be far better off than that of their rivals by the end of the league. As long as morale stays high. The mgt expected these defeats so can deal with them appropriately.

private joker wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:38 pm Despite the scorelines, performance and scores bode well for championship . Offaly will be far better off than that of their rivals by the end of the league. As long as morale stays high. The mgt expected these defeats so can deal with them appropriately.

Have always been of the opinion that a league where we are in the middle of the pack and playing close competitive games is more useful for the development of the team and the spirit in the camp. Absolutely despise this elitist league structure. Hope, of course, that these games are as helpful in the long run as some believe. The structures aren’t changing tomorrow so we have to deal with it. May the experience make our boys tough as nails!

UP OFFALY!!!