Offaly Senior Hurlers 2023

[greenairfield]

I am sure there is plenty of North offaly people who would have the same mindset.
Everyone knows within clubs that young players need to work on S+C the problem is promoting the games and getting numbers up not the coaching.

[jimbob17]

Of course there are coaches who are bit behind times in North Offaly but to be fair on North Offaly clubs, just think higher volume of dual players exist in North Offaly and because S&C became considered central and important in terms of football prep at much earlier stage than in hurling, this is why North Offaly clubs in the main are a bit further on in this respect, generally speaking. There were football clubs in North Offaly doing gym work 20 years ago and every football club who are any use are doing gym work for last 15 years. Same is not true in hurling for other reasons.

[greenairfield]

Oh yes Jimbob because our Offaly senior footballers are so physical and strong? We are probaly the smallest intercounty team.

We are miles behind in football when it comes to it aswel you are completely deluded.

[frankthetank]

Of course there are coaches who are bit behind times in North Offaly but to be fair on North Offaly clubs, just think higher volume of dual players exist in North Offaly and because S&C became considered central and important in terms of football prep at much earlier stage than in hurling, this is why North Offaly clubs in the main are a bit further on in this respect, generally speaking. There were football clubs in North Offaly doing gym work 20 years ago and every football club who are any use are doing gym work for last 15 years. Same is not true in hurling for other reasons.

Higher volume of dual players in North Offaly? Ha Ha.

Hows the hurling going in:
Rhode
Ballyfore
Walsh Island
Bracknagh
Daingean
Kilclonfert
Cappincur
Ballycommon
Bracknagh
Clonmore Harps
Clonbollouge

[timber]

Lads my view is S&C is not the big problem. Offalys problem is that we dont have the quality player numbers. The impact of this is that with all due respect, lads who are decent hurlers walk onto an offaly county panel. The same players would not get near a county training squad in other counties. the overall average size of intercounty squads needs to be big, mobile, fast and can hurl. Offaly because we are low in number of players will have players who tick maybe 2 or 3 of the required attributes. If they are big and can hurl, then usually they cant run. We have seen a good few quality hurlers like that down through the years here. Then the other end, we have very speedy, lovely hurlers who put in gym work and are by no means slight, but they are well under 6 foot and struggle breaking through big teams. Other counties do not necessarily always have the 30 most skillful or tidy hurlers on their panels. They have the players that tick the physical size requirements and have a decent hurling skill set.

I hurled with and against lads from counties like Galway and Kilkenny when I was younger and some were excellent hurlers. Most of them could never get into county squads even though they were hitting 10 points in a club championship game regularly in these counties. The bigger counties have the luxury of a bigger base of players to carefully handpick from.

Things that do need addressing and management and players need to accept full responsibility for is lack of marking, tackling and tactically how they set up which is not working. In every game I have watched Offaly in both codes play over the last number of years we seem to have adopted zonal marking of some kind where nobody actually gets up close and tight. its very frustrating to see how easy opposition get shooting channces.

I have been saying for years that Offaly teams are conceding far too much against poor opposition in league and championship.

Kerry hit 2.28 against Offaly in 70 minutes last year. we won the game but it papered over the big problem.
Laois hit 1.22 against Offaly but we won so that stat is not looked at.
Conceding 19 scores against a poor Kildare team in League final and 18 scores against Down. These are all weak hurling counties. Carlow hit 30 scores also. Its as clear as day, that any decent hurling county would likely rack up a huge score.

[jimbob17]

Of course there are coaches who are bit behind times in North Offaly but to be fair on North Offaly clubs, just think higher volume of dual players exist in North Offaly and because S&C became considered central and important in terms of football prep at much earlier stage than in hurling, this is why North Offaly clubs in the main are a bit further on in this respect, generally speaking. There were football clubs in North Offaly doing gym work 20 years ago and every football club who are any use are doing gym work for last 15 years. Same is not true in hurling for other reasons.

Higher volume of dual players in North Offaly? Ha Ha.

Hows the hurling going in:
Rhode
Ballyfore
Walsh Island
Bracknagh
Daingean
Kilclonfert
Cappincur
Ballycommon
Bracknagh
Clonmore Harps
Clonbollouge

Hilarious. The point was football clubs were quicker to engage with S&C than hurling clubs, and as result, hurling there benefitted from this engagement. It was never about how hurling was going in North Offaly, which is not bad by all accounts. Good few co minor A champonship finals reached by following recently, Namely Clodiagh Gaels, Ballinamere, Tullamore, all of which many traditionalists would consider non hurling strongholds.

For the record, there would be lads from those St Vincent's clubs who hurl with Tullamore and some from Ballyfore hurl with Edenderry as they don't have teams of their own so maybe do a little more homework before making invalid points.

For the record, the following North Offaly clubs have dual codes

Tullamore
Clara
Shamrocks
Durrow play with Ballinamere
Clodiagh Gaels
Ballinagar and Raheen players play with Clodiagh Gaels
Ballycumber, Erin Rovers and Tubber play with Brosna Gaels.
Edenderry
Those that want to from Kilclonfert, Cappincur and Ballycommon hurl with Tullamore
Kilcormac Killoughey.
Maybe more I'm forgetting.

That is a total of 15 football clubs in North of county that have dual players, with many at senior or inter level in at least one code and many at senior A or B in both codes. And as such, had exposure to S&C culture at earlier stage than many hurling only clubs. Not insignificant I'd suggest compared to the standard of football that is played in Crinkle, C&R Gaels, Coolderry, Shinrone, Kinnity, Birr, Ballyskenagh and a couple more like them. So let's not turn this into petty argument. I made a valid point and backed it up. You should do yourself a favour and try do the same instead of sneering what someone else says.

[Superhans75]

To be honest it's the basics which Offaly are getting wrong
And we are being punished.
No clean catching ( even with no one pressurising them)
Positional play ( great forte of the Offaly teams of bygone era)
A lot of these skills you learn when in primary school
Etc playing with your pals etc .
Does anyone ever see a young lads hitting the ball to each other anymore?
25 years ago on a good summer evening you would have needed the patriot system to intercept the balls .!
And a good few broken windows.
S&C can only go so far

[faithfulfanatic]

Of course there are coaches who are bit behind times in North Offaly but to be fair on North Offaly clubs, just think higher volume of dual players exist in North Offaly and because S&C became considered central and important in terms of football prep at much earlier stage than in hurling, this is why North Offaly clubs in the main are a bit further on in this respect, generally speaking. There were football clubs in North Offaly doing gym work 20 years ago and every football club who are any use are doing gym work for last 15 years. Same is not true in hurling for other reasons.

Higher volume of dual players in North Offaly? Ha Ha.

Hows the hurling going in:
Rhode
Ballyfore
Walsh Island
Bracknagh
Daingean
Kilclonfert
Cappincur
Ballycommon
Bracknagh
Clonmore Harps
Clonbollouge

Hilarious. The point was football clubs were quicker to engage with S&C than hurling clubs, and as result, hurling there benefitted from this engagement. It was never about how hurling was going in North Offaly, which is not bad by all accounts. Good few co minor A champonship finals reached by following recently, Namely Clodiagh Gaels, Ballinamere, Tullamore, all of which many traditionalists would consider non hurling strongholds.

For the record, there would be lads from those St Vincent's clubs who hurl with Tullamore and some from Ballyfore hurl with Edenderry as they don't have teams of their own so maybe do a little more homework before making invalid points.

For the record, the following North Offaly clubs have dual codes

Tullamore
Clara
Shamrocks
Durrow play with Ballinamere
Clodiagh Gaels
Ballinagar and Raheen players play with Clodiagh Gaels
Ballycumber, Erin Rovers and Tubber play with Brosna Gaels.
Edenderry
Those that want to from Kilclonfert, Cappincur and Ballycommon hurl with Tullamore
Kilcormac Killoughey.
Maybe more I'm forgetting.

That is a total of 15 football clubs in North of county that have dual players, with many at senior or inter level in at least one code and many at senior A or B in both codes. And as such, had exposure to S&C culture at earlier stage than many hurling only clubs. Not insignificant I'd suggest compared to the standard of football that is played in Crinkle, C&R Gaels, Coolderry, Shinrone, Kinnity, Birr, Ballyskenagh and a couple more like them. So let's not turn this into petty argument. I made a valid point and backed it up. You should do yourself a favour and try do the same instead of sneering what someone else says.

For the record, the following South Offaly clubs have dual codes

Ferbane
Belmont
Rynaghs
Birr
Shannonbridge
Kinnitty
Lusmagh
Crinkill
Ballyskenach/Killavilla

I could make the point of 'those that want to can play with X, Y and Z' for players of any South Offaly club.

Did Rynaghs win a minor football or at least reach a final recently enough with players from Drumcullen, Ballyskenach, Lusmagh, Kinnitty, Shinrone and Birr?

[greenairfield]

All clubs listed above are permission clubs to play football with Birr at underage

[faithfulfanatic]

All clubs listed above are permission clubs to play football with Birr at underage

Thanks greenairfield.

By the way others are talking, every North Offaly club has an inter-county hurler when in reality this is players from Clodiagh Gaels, Durrow and Tullamore.
I'd imagine that similar number of footballers come from South Offaly than vice versa.
I know the conversation took place before, but nobody will convince me that Kilcormac is North Offaly

[private joker]

Add clara and brosna gaels who have county players

[Claffey]

All clubs listed above are permission clubs to play football with Birr at underage

Thanks greenairfield.

By the way others are talking, every North Offaly club has an inter-county hurler when in reality this is players from Clodiagh Gaels, Durrow and Tullamore.
I'd imagine that similar number of footballers come from South Offaly than vice versa.
I know the conversation took place before, but nobody will convince me that Kilcormac is North Offaly

And Belmont which is north of Kilcormac is in south Offaly apparently. Said many times on here, but this imagined North/South divide is not helpful in a small county.

[greenairfield]

Rumours of Emmet Nolan back for Birr has been in Dubai the last 6 years or so.

[faithfulfanatic]

Rumours of Emmet Nolan back for Birr has been in Dubai the last 6 years or so.

Is he back full time or just a few weeks?
I had heard it would just be for first 2-3 rounds, possibly 'to get some hurling into him', with a view to bringing him back for the latter stages if Birr are still there?

Would be a great boost to Birr.

[greenairfield]

Heard he was around for most of the summer I suppose depending how they go would depend if he would be around for knock out