NFL Div 3 predictions 2023

[Fairplayalways]

look, regardless of how Cunningham is playing at no.6, if there is someone who "might" be able to replace him in at no.6, and move a player like Cunningham up the field to see if he can be as good up there as he is at no.6, these things need to be tried out, just because he has been very good at no.6 does not mean you say to yourself "right, hes good on the ball, good kicker and good distributor, if we could survive without him at no. 6 and move him upfield where he might add his ability to somewhere we might be struggling, ok this is a big match, its Division 3 of the league, when exactly might we then try out such a move, in the next game when might be even more of a crucial game or the one after that etc. etc..so the league while trying to get promoted/retain status, you have to try different things or you will never know...a challenge game 2 weeks before the championship is too late...

[Anonymous1]

Hahhahahahahaha hilarious post
Midfield is the issue quite obviously, I enjoyed this post though!!
Maher has been good all year without being outstanding .Joe is a real baller, strong in the air , good passer . I’d start him at 11
Cunnigham to midfield is a must. Cian Donoghue at 6 and keep it as it was from 2-7 apart from that. Peter will offer us more from there,
Dunne hasn’t played 5 games ya mad yoke hahaha, I’d say around the equivalent of 3 based on minutes on the field. I’m actually more convinced after last weekend that he HAS to start , offers so much more than scoring.I’d actually argue he has not played in ff line once?? Playing at wing as far as I could see from the games I was at and I only missed Antrim game.

I’m flabbergasted that you think midfield is not an issue,

My team for what it’s worth and to be fair we all have our own view on the team and players and it’s a good bit of craic and nice to debate etc

1. Ian Duffy
2. Ciaran Donnelly
3. Declan Hogan
4. David Dempsey
5. Rory Egan
Cian Donoghue
7. Lee Pearson
8. Peter Cunnigham
9. Conor Mcnamee/Jack Mcevoy
10.Dylan Hyland
11. Joe Maher
12. Anton Sullivan
13. Cian Johnson
14. Nigel Dunne
15. Cian Farrell

I’m actually not sure if Johnson is in there but I’d like that team . Only my opinion

I never said midfield wasn’t an issue, my point was if we move Cunningham for example into midfield then it leaves a gap at 6 and we don’t have anybody who’s nearly as good as him at 6 so you just shift the problem from midfield to 6. It upsets the apple cart too much ahead of what could be described as a must win game, we certainly can’t afford to lose it.

You always defend Maher on here but let’s be honest, he’s been very disappointing so far. “Good all year without being outstanding” is a bit of a ridiculous statement, I would say all forwards outside of Anton and Hyland have been poor.

Dunne has played a half vs Wicklow, 51 minutes vs Dublin, 48 minutes vs Antrim and 55 minutes vs Fermanagh and as I said has produced 0-02 from play. Panda nailed 0-05 from play in 25 minutes against Fermanagh just to show how poor 0-02 is.

[Anonymous1]

look, regardless of how Cunningham is playing at no.6, if there is someone who "might" be able to replace him in at no.6, and move a player like Cunningham up the field to see if he can be as good up there as he is at no.6, these things need to be tried out, just because he has been very good at no.6 does not mean you say to yourself "right, hes good on the ball, good kicker and good distributor, if we could survive without him at no. 6 and move him upfield where he might add his ability to somewhere we might be struggling, ok this is a big match, its Division 3 of the league, when exactly might we then try out such a move, in the next game when might be even more of a crucial game or the one after that etc. etc..so the league while trying to get promoted/retain status, you have to try different things or you will never know...a challenge game 2 weeks before the championship is too late...

This type of move would’ve been tried out in the O’Byrne Cup if the manager thought there was merit to it, if we can win on Sunday the pressure will be off for the last two games but I really don’t think we should go moving lads around this week.

[Tmacmahon]

Irrelevant.We don’t have anyone as good as him at 8 and that’s where we are loosing games? What is upsetting the apple cart is that Offaly don’t do this. How is six a priority over 8 when we are being cleaned consistently at 8/9?


Not even a debate to be had in relation to Dunne IMO and
Does that not equate to about 3 full games in terms of minutes. 3 from play and 3 frees in 3 games , by a half forward !!judging by my most recent ( there now ) research. Centre forward in the Wicklow Dublin games and wing forward against Fermanagh as far as I could see. Antrim I can’t comment.

I initially doubted joe but after seeing most games this year,I’d have Joe on the team at 11. Best 11 in Offaly. End of.

[jimbob17]

Seen as lads are throwing out teams, given what is currently on panel, I'd like to see team like following. Would consider others if they were on panel but they are not so no point even mentioning.

Duffy

C Donnelly / O'Brien - no clear favourite
D Hogan
L Pearson - better at 4

D Dempsey - has plenty of running ability
C Donohue - plays 6 with club
R Egan

P Cunningham - physical presence and attacking threat.
Bill Carroll - will grow to be good midfielder if given chance and has physical presence.

J McEvoy - play as midfielder without ball winning responsibility
J Maher - more natural at 11 and physical presence
Anton - very mobile and suits him best at WF I think.

D Hyland - play as roving forward.
N Dunne - not seen him inside this year. Needs to be inside.
Panda - deserves to start.

Leaves strong subs to come in in both McNamees, Cian Farrell (who id start once back fully fit) and couple more.
Alternately, I'd start Ruairi McNamee in roving role with Hyland replacing Nigel Dunne.

With team above though, would leave Dunne and Panda inside and let Hyland go into half forward line at times.

We have plenty of mobility and lads appear fit but our lack of physical presence at 8,9 and 11 up to now has been costing us.

[Fairplayalways]

Hahhahahahahaha hilarious post
Midfield is the issue quite obviously, I enjoyed this post though!!
Maher has been good all year without being outstanding .Joe is a real baller, strong in the air , good passer . I’d start him at 11
Cunnigham to midfield is a must. Cian Donoghue at 6 and keep it as it was from 2-7 apart from that. Peter will offer us more from there,
Dunne hasn’t played 5 games ya mad yoke hahaha, I’d say around the equivalent of 3 based on minutes on the field. I’m actually more convinced after last weekend that he HAS to start , offers so much more than scoring.I’d actually argue he has not played in ff line once?? Playing at wing as far as I could see from the games I was at and I only missed Antrim game.

I’m flabbergasted that you think midfield is not an issue,

My team for what it’s worth and to be fair we all have our own view on the team and players and it’s a good bit of craic and nice to debate etc

1. Ian Duffy
2. Ciaran Donnelly
3. Declan Hogan
4. David Dempsey
5. Rory Egan
Cian Donoghue
7. Lee Pearson
8. Peter Cunnigham
9. Conor Mcnamee/Jack Mcevoy
10.Dylan Hyland
11. Joe Maher
12. Anton Sullivan
13. Cian Johnson
14. Nigel Dunne
15. Cian Farrell

I’m actually not sure if Johnson is in there but I’d like that team . Only my opinion

I never said midfield wasn’t an issue, my point was if we move Cunningham for example into midfield then it leaves a gap at 6 and we don’t have anybody who’s nearly as good as him at 6 so you just shift the problem from midfield to 6. It upsets the apple cart too much ahead of what could be described as a must win game, we certainly can’t afford to lose it.

You always defend Maher on here but let’s be honest, he’s been very disappointing so far. “Good all year without being outstanding” is a bit of a ridiculous statement, I would say all forwards outside of Anton and Hyland have been poor.

Dunne has played a half vs Wicklow, 51 minutes vs Dublin, 48 minutes vs Antrim and 55 minutes vs Fermanagh and as I said has produced 0-02 from play. Panda nailed 0-05 from play in 25 minutes against Fermanagh just to show how poor 0-02 is.

not sure how to interpret the "hillarious" comment bu it happens in many teams where a player who is going well is moved a bit further up the field to add threat further up the field. We have seen in Offaly over the years, in both codes where a young talent in particular comes through underage and is "thee player" and when it comes to senior then is played in defence, yes players develop differently and do find their best postions at the other end of the field, but Offaly seem to do it a fair bit. Other counties have the squads to do that I suppose, an example of another county doing this is where Ollie Cannning of Galway became a legend of a defender despite his underage performances as a corner forward...If we are being cleaned in MF in games, then we need to take action there...

[Anonymous1]

Irrelevant.We don’t have anyone as good as him at 8 and that’s where we are loosing games? What is upsetting the apple cart is that Offaly don’t do this. How is six a priority over 8 when we are being cleaned consistently at 8/9?


Not even a debate to be had in relation to Dunne IMO and
Does that not equate to about 3 full games in terms of minutes. 3 from play and 3 frees in 3 games , by a half forward !!judging by my most recent ( there now ) research. Centre forward in the Wicklow Dublin games and wing forward against Fermanagh as far as I could see. Antrim I can’t comment.

I initially doubted joe but after seeing most games this year,I’d have Joe on the team at 11. Best 11 in Offaly. End of.

There wasn’t a mention of our midfield being a problem at halftime in the Westmeath game when we’d won 4/4 up to that point. We’ve been outplayed all over the pitch in the last three halves of football so I think it’s a bit harsh to place all the blame on the two midfielders.

Your argument is we don’t have anyone as good as Cunningham at 8 but we also don’t have anyone as good as him at 6 so I don’t understand how robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to help. I’d be more worried about leaving a gaping hole in the centre of our defence than losing the midfield battle again.

There’s no debate to be had in relation to Dunne’s place on the 26 but there’s absolutely a debate to be had about him starting and it’s a debate he’s currently losing because he’s been dropped for the last two games. He’s been playing corner forward in every game I’ve seen and as I’ve said 0-03 from play in 3 full games minutes wise is not gonna cut it in a team that has ambitions of being in division 2 again.

If you initially doubted Joe, I’m not sure how any of his performances this year have changed your mind. Your claim that he’s the best 11 in Offaly is honestly laughable, Ruairi Mac is head and shoulders above him. If you’d made such a claim after the 2019 club season I’d probably have agreed with you but since then he has not been at the same level.

Joe scored 0-07 from play in last year’s club championship in 5 games including 3 games against Cappincur, Shamrocks and Clara.

Ruairi scored 1-14 from play in 5 games, 3 of which were against Edenderry, Ferbane and Tullamore.

End of the debate.

[jimbob17]

Irrelevant.We don’t have anyone as good as him at 8 and that’s where we are loosing games? What is upsetting the apple cart is that Offaly don’t do this. How is six a priority over 8 when we are being cleaned consistently at 8/9?


Not even a debate to be had in relation to Dunne IMO and
Does that not equate to about 3 full games in terms of minutes. 3 from play and 3 frees in 3 games , by a half forward !!judging by my most recent ( there now ) research. Centre forward in the Wicklow Dublin games and wing forward against Fermanagh as far as I could see. Antrim I can’t comment.

I initially doubted joe but after seeing most games this year,I’d have Joe on the team at 11. Best 11 in Offaly. End of.

There wasn’t a mention of our midfield being a problem at halftime in the Westmeath game when we’d won 4/4 up to that point. We’ve been outplayed all over the pitch in the last three halves of football so I think it’s a bit harsh to place all the blame on the two midfielders.

Your argument is we don’t have anyone as good as Cunningham at 8 but we also don’t have anyone as good as him at 6 so I don’t understand how robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to help. I’d be more worried about leaving a gaping hole in the centre of our defence than losing the midfield battle again.

There’s no debate to be had in relation to Dunne’s place on the 26 but there’s absolutely a debate to be had about him starting and it’s a debate he’s currently losing because he’s been dropped for the last two games. He’s been playing corner forward in every game I’ve seen and as I’ve said 0-03 from play in 3 full games minutes wise is not gonna cut it in a team that has ambitions of being in division 2 again.

If you initially doubted Joe, I’m not sure how any of his performances this year have changed your mind. Your claim that he’s the best 11 in Offaly is honestly laughable, Ruairi Mac is head and shoulders above him. If you’d made such a claim after the 2019 club season I’d probably have agreed with you but since then he has not been at the same level.

Joe scored 0-07 from play in last year’s club championship in 5 games including 3 games against Cappincur, Shamrocks and Clara.

Ruairi scored 1-14 from play in 5 games, 3 of which were against Edenderry, Ferbane and Tullamore.

End of the debate.

Far from end of debate. You cant look at it in such simplistic terms. In fact you are probably contradicting yourself in a way. If you want to reason with club games, Nigel Dunne starts all day every day given what he scores in championship from play.

You cant go on club games for one lad and then ignore that argument for another lad. The very point of having this forum is to have some debate. The argument for Maher or McNamee is a ridiculous debate as they are different types of players. Id argue Maher is a bigger physical presence at 11 which we are missing. I'd also argue McNamee is a more creative player - so it depends on the type of 11 you want to play. McNamee as a roving corner forward would be a good call. As a traditional 11 in a small light team, im not so sure. Now if he had physical, dynamic wing forwards like Christy Toye for example, it may be different but he doesnt. In a team that lacks size and physicality, you need to have some sort of physicality somewhere id argue. So comparing 1-14 v 7pts at club is ridiculous. Firstly, Joe Maher would have done some time at midfield or in withdrawn role for club in a Ferbane team that was somewhat struggling to click. Rhode with better forwards walked into semi final so comparing what lads scored at club is ridiculous.

You can only compare what is happening at training and what type of team you want to put out to get the shape and style you want. McNamee in a certain style works, and in a different style, Maher may fit better. You could also play both with McNamee as withdrawn corner forward as a roving corner forward which he could do excellently and it would suit him more I believe. I just dont like tone of pitting one against another. These lads are on the same team and play together so it is unfair.

The Dunne argument to be fair to him is bit different. While ive not seen much this year, reports suggest when Dunne did play, it was as a withdrawn inside player, centre forward and wing forward. These spots would not be his best positions, particularly wing forward which is kind of ludicrous.

Dont like the polarising way the argument is headed to be fair to lads. Surely we can have some debate that allows guys to say things in a way that is not offensive to any player, wherever they are from. We shouldnt be just plucking for our own as it is more a bad reflection on us than the ability of the player that is being knocked.

[Anonymous1]

Irrelevant.We don’t have anyone as good as him at 8 and that’s where we are loosing games? What is upsetting the apple cart is that Offaly don’t do this. How is six a priority over 8 when we are being cleaned consistently at 8/9?


Not even a debate to be had in relation to Dunne IMO and
Does that not equate to about 3 full games in terms of minutes. 3 from play and 3 frees in 3 games , by a half forward !!judging by my most recent ( there now ) research. Centre forward in the Wicklow Dublin games and wing forward against Fermanagh as far as I could see. Antrim I can’t comment.

I initially doubted joe but after seeing most games this year,I’d have Joe on the team at 11. Best 11 in Offaly. End of.

There wasn’t a mention of our midfield being a problem at halftime in the Westmeath game when we’d won 4/4 up to that point. We’ve been outplayed all over the pitch in the last three halves of football so I think it’s a bit harsh to place all the blame on the two midfielders.

Your argument is we don’t have anyone as good as Cunningham at 8 but we also don’t have anyone as good as him at 6 so I don’t understand how robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to help. I’d be more worried about leaving a gaping hole in the centre of our defence than losing the midfield battle again.

There’s no debate to be had in relation to Dunne’s place on the 26 but there’s absolutely a debate to be had about him starting and it’s a debate he’s currently losing because he’s been dropped for the last two games. He’s been playing corner forward in every game I’ve seen and as I’ve said 0-03 from play in 3 full games minutes wise is not gonna cut it in a team that has ambitions of being in division 2 again.

If you initially doubted Joe, I’m not sure how any of his performances this year have changed your mind. Your claim that he’s the best 11 in Offaly is honestly laughable, Ruairi Mac is head and shoulders above him. If you’d made such a claim after the 2019 club season I’d probably have agreed with you but since then he has not been at the same level.

Joe scored 0-07 from play in last year’s club championship in 5 games including 3 games against Cappincur, Shamrocks and Clara.

Ruairi scored 1-14 from play in 5 games, 3 of which were against Edenderry, Ferbane and Tullamore.

End of the debate.

Far from end of debate. You cant look at it in such simplistic terms. In fact you are probably contradicting yourself in a way. If you want to reason with club games, Nigel Dunne starts all day every day given what he scores in championship from play.

You cant go on club games for one lad and then ignore that argument for another lad. The very point of having this forum is to have some debate. The argument for Maher or McNamee is a ridiculous debate as they are different types of players. Id argue Maher is a bigger physical presence at 11 which we are missing. I'd also argue McNamee is a more creative player - so it depends on the type of 11 you want to play. McNamee as a roving corner forward would be a good call. As a traditional 11 in a small light team, im not so sure. Now if he had physical, dynamic wing forwards like Christy Toye for example, it may be different but he doesnt. In a team that lacks size and physicality, you need to have some sort of physicality somewhere id argue. So comparing 1-14 v 7pts at club is ridiculous. Firstly, Joe Maher would have done some time at midfield or in withdrawn role for club in a Ferbane team that was somewhat struggling to click. Rhode with better forwards walked into semi final so comparing what lads scored at club is ridiculous.

You can only compare what is happening at training and what type of team you want to put out to get the shape and style you want. McNamee in a certain style works, and in a different style, Maher may fit better. You could also play both with McNamee as withdrawn corner forward as a roving corner forward which he could do excellently and it would suit him more I believe. I just dont like tone of pitting one against another. These lads are on the same team and play together so it is unfair.

The Dunne argument to be fair to him is bit different. While ive not seen much this year, reports suggest when Dunne did play, it was as a withdrawn inside player, centre forward and wing forward. These spots would not be his best positions, particularly wing forward which is kind of ludicrous.

Dont like the polarising way the argument is headed to be fair to lads. Surely we can have some debate that allows guys to say things in a way that is not offensive to any player, wherever they are from. We shouldnt be just plucking for our own as it is more a bad reflection on us than the ability of the player that is being knocked.

I don’t want to reason with club games to be honest but a claim was made that Maher is the best 11 in Offaly and because he hasn’t been on Offaly panels for a few years, the only way to measure him vs who I perceive to be Offaly’s best 11 is based on the club championship.

I agree with you that it’s somewhat of a ridiculous debate because they’re different types of 11’s but if the debate is which one is the best then you’ve got to differentiate between them. I’m not exactly sure where Ruairi would fit in the full forward line with Panda, Anton, Hyland etc but it might be worth a go. I also would slightly disagree with your assertion that Ruairi isn’t a physical 11, he may lack size but he’s still relatively physical imo. Maher didn’t play as a midfielder or in a withdrawn role for Ferbane last year so you can chalk that one off as an excuse. I agree Ferbane were struggling a bit to click but Rhode only scraped over Edenderry by a point in the group and weren’t fantastic against either Clara or Durrow. I’d also argue that there’s not a massive difference between the quality of Rhode’s forwards and the quality of Ferbane’s and that was proved in the semi final.

You’ve ironically nailed the crux of the debate by saying “Mcnamee in a certain style works, and in a different style, Maher may fit better” We know one has worked and continues to work well at 11 but we’re not sure if the other will work so why make that swap before a crucial local derby? It’s the nature of debating who should and shouldn’t start that makes it impossible not to pit one against another, it’s nothing personal against anyone.

From what I’ve seen, Dunne has been playing for the most part as a corner forward but I’m open to correction on that. Beggars can’t be choosers though and I’m sure a couple of lads would have the same argument that they’re not being played in their preferred position but you’ve got to take it in your stride and do what’s best for the team as a whole.

While I agree we don’t want to be offensive to anyone, we also have to be able to have robust debate and discuss the merits of one player vs another. If you’re attempting to walk on eggshells all the time, you’d never say what you actually think. I certainly don’t pluck for my own, I pluck for Offaly to win as many games as possible…

[jimbob17]

There wasn’t a mention of our midfield being a problem at halftime in the Westmeath game when we’d won 4/4 up to that point. We’ve been outplayed all over the pitch in the last three halves of football so I think it’s a bit harsh to place all the blame on the two midfielders.

Your argument is we don’t have anyone as good as Cunningham at 8 but we also don’t have anyone as good as him at 6 so I don’t understand how robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to help. I’d be more worried about leaving a gaping hole in the centre of our defence than losing the midfield battle again.

There’s no debate to be had in relation to Dunne’s place on the 26 but there’s absolutely a debate to be had about him starting and it’s a debate he’s currently losing because he’s been dropped for the last two games. He’s been playing corner forward in every game I’ve seen and as I’ve said 0-03 from play in 3 full games minutes wise is not gonna cut it in a team that has ambitions of being in division 2 again.

If you initially doubted Joe, I’m not sure how any of his performances this year have changed your mind. Your claim that he’s the best 11 in Offaly is honestly laughable, Ruairi Mac is head and shoulders above him. If you’d made such a claim after the 2019 club season I’d probably have agreed with you but since then he has not been at the same level.

Joe scored 0-07 from play in last year’s club championship in 5 games including 3 games against Cappincur, Shamrocks and Clara.

Ruairi scored 1-14 from play in 5 games, 3 of which were against Edenderry, Ferbane and Tullamore.

End of the debate.

Far from end of debate. You cant look at it in such simplistic terms. In fact you are probably contradicting yourself in a way. If you want to reason with club games, Nigel Dunne starts all day every day given what he scores in championship from play.

You cant go on club games for one lad and then ignore that argument for another lad. The very point of having this forum is to have some debate. The argument for Maher or McNamee is a ridiculous debate as they are different types of players. Id argue Maher is a bigger physical presence at 11 which we are missing. I'd also argue McNamee is a more creative player - so it depends on the type of 11 you want to play. McNamee as a roving corner forward would be a good call. As a traditional 11 in a small light team, im not so sure. Now if he had physical, dynamic wing forwards like Christy Toye for example, it may be different but he doesnt. In a team that lacks size and physicality, you need to have some sort of physicality somewhere id argue. So comparing 1-14 v 7pts at club is ridiculous. Firstly, Joe Maher would have done some time at midfield or in withdrawn role for club in a Ferbane team that was somewhat struggling to click. Rhode with better forwards walked into semi final so comparing what lads scored at club is ridiculous.

You can only compare what is happening at training and what type of team you want to put out to get the shape and style you want. McNamee in a certain style works, and in a different style, Maher may fit better. You could also play both with McNamee as withdrawn corner forward as a roving corner forward which he could do excellently and it would suit him more I believe. I just dont like tone of pitting one against another. These lads are on the same team and play together so it is unfair.

The Dunne argument to be fair to him is bit different. While ive not seen much this year, reports suggest when Dunne did play, it was as a withdrawn inside player, centre forward and wing forward. These spots would not be his best positions, particularly wing forward which is kind of ludicrous.

Dont like the polarising way the argument is headed to be fair to lads. Surely we can have some debate that allows guys to say things in a way that is not offensive to any player, wherever they are from. We shouldnt be just plucking for our own as it is more a bad reflection on us than the ability of the player that is being knocked.

I don’t want to reason with club games to be honest but a claim was made that Maher is the best 11 in Offaly and because he hasn’t been on Offaly panels for a few years, the only way to measure him vs who I perceive to be Offaly’s best 11 is based on the club championship.

I agree with you that it’s somewhat of a ridiculous debate because they’re different types of 11’s but if the debate is which one is the best then you’ve got to differentiate between them. I’m not exactly sure where Ruairi would fit in the full forward line with Panda, Anton, Hyland etc but it might be worth a go. I also would slightly disagree with your assertion that Ruairi isn’t a physical 11, he may lack size but he’s still relatively physical imo. Maher didn’t play as a midfielder or in a withdrawn role for Ferbane last year so you can chalk that one off as an excuse. I agree Ferbane were struggling a bit to click but Rhode only scraped over Edenderry by a point in the group and weren’t fantastic against either Clara or Durrow. I’d also argue that there’s not a massive difference between the quality of Rhode’s forwards and the quality of Ferbane’s and that was proved in the semi final.

You’ve ironically nailed the crux of the debate by saying “Mcnamee in a certain style works, and in a different style, Maher may fit better” We know one has worked and continues to work well at 11 but we’re not sure if the other will work so why make that swap before a crucial local derby? It’s the nature of debating who should and shouldn’t start that makes it impossible not to pit one against another, it’s nothing personal against anyone.

From what I’ve seen, Dunne has been playing for the most part as a corner forward but I’m open to correction on that. Beggars can’t be choosers though and I’m sure a couple of lads would have the same argument that they’re not being played in their preferred position but you’ve got to take it in your stride and do what’s best for the team as a whole.

While I agree we don’t want to be offensive to anyone, we also have to be able to have robust debate and discuss the merits of one player vs another. If you’re attempting to walk on eggshells all the time, you’d never say what you actually think. I certainly don’t pluck for my own, I pluck for Offaly to win as many games as possible…

Point accepted. Wouldn't agree re Ruairi Mc re physicality at County level but it's neither here nor there. When I'm talking about physicality, I'm more talking about dynamism and ability to put their 6 on back foot with strong running ability.

If you think about centre forwards, we have had previously in likes of Ciaran McManus, Mark Daly, Kevin Kilmurray and more recently Peter Cunningham, David Dempsey last year etc, could you say Ruairi Mc is a physical threat at co level? I certainly couldn't.

May be different at club, but I've rarely seen him drop the shoulder and drive at a centre back the way in which likes of Anton Sullivan does. Ruairi Mc is different type of player at 11 who I think could thrive in a corner forward coming out and creating stuff sort of role. It would allow him do what he is very good at, with very good skills and then also allow us have a more robust and dynamic traditional no 11 to run at the opposition no 6.

Hyland is playing inside often at moment but I think he is a lad who could play in a 10 or 12 spot, opening up space inside for others. If we could afford Anton inside, I'd like it, but currently, I think we need his dynamic running ability in half forward line.

Similarly, at 8 and 9, we are really missing what likes of Eoin Carroll was giving us for number of years. Could Cathal Donoghue fill that void or is he injured or where is he. I know he is transferred to Galway club but is he on Offaly panel?

If we could find a way of getting Cunningham further out field, he would pose more problems and ask more questions of opposition than we are currently doing. Our lack of physicality in forwards is not helpful with regards to us creating or scoring goals, which we will need if we have any chance of getting out of Div 3 in next few years

[Superhans75]

I was taught by the great tactical man James (Jim) Ryan
The bloke who helped Alex Ferguson massively .
Play to the Strength of your abilities not to someone else's .
Wise words for our management and our fans

[SearingDrive]

A one point win today. Longford put it up to Offaly today, as they needed a win. Mids 103 commented that Offaly lost their way a bit when 4 points up. Did not travel today.

6 points for Offaly, but important wins for Cavan and Westmeath, while Fermanagh won again. It looks like promotion is between those teams, who have a superior score difference to Offaly.
Tipperary away and Down in Tullamore conclude the league.

[dubbiff]

We went 4 up with about 8 or 9 mins to go and then Longford threw the kitchen sink at us. 4 mins added time meant a prolonged assault but we held them to 3 points. The winning of the game was due to our discipline. Longford forced to shoot under pressure and although they shot narrowly wide with 2 goal chances we didn't concede frees within scoring distance.

[Doon Exile]

Club was playing league game today so couldn’t travel to Longford. It seems a hard fought but deserved win from the reports.

It would seem highly unlikely that even with two wins in the last two games that we’ll be involved in the promotion spots but it would be great for the teams confidence to get wins going into the championship.

[Tmacmahon]

A hard fought win which we were probably lucky in the end to come away with.
We gifted them a goal but they should have had two goals late in the second half when one of Offaly defenders leg saved a goal bound shot and just after it they blazed wide from 6 yards after some quick interchanges.
Offaly looked really sharp when they attacked and surprisingly open when the foot was on the other shoe. Offaly started with a more attack minded forward 6. Cian Donoghue played at wing back Lee Pearson went back to corner and Donnelly out of the 15. The Longford forwards were buzzing early doors and looked to take on men and shoot at every opportunity and it payed dividends.
Duffy kickouts were good apart from the one where they got the goal, has had a really good year is savage shot stopper.
Pearson , hogan had shaky starts but both recovered well.
Dempsey won his dual, both have been excellent all year, love watching them in full flight .
Rory Egan was always willing an was involved in a lot of what Offaly did well our second goals he did brilliantly,
Peter Cunnigham had a few sloppy moments in first half but overall played well and contributed to scoreboard , he’s might be out most important player when it’s all laid out. Versatility and sheer ability.
Cian Donoghue is very fit and covers a lot of ground, works hard and is reliable,
Jack McEvoy and Conor Mcnamee, these two tried really hard and at times showed what they can do, as a pair played in spurts, win more primary possession that in first 4 games,
Dylan Hyland played at 10 offalys player of the year was ever willing, got through an amount of work,
Jamie Evans was at 11 and this caught a lot of supporters but he did well, has plenty of pace, got a score and was a worthwhile thing to do,
Anton Sullivan was energetic and carried ball, scored, drew frees and worked hard, had a really good game, having another good year is Sullivan.
Bernard Allen kicked 1-3 and was a constant threat, took the goal well.
Nigel Dunne kicked 3pts 2 from play and won an amount of primary possession .
Ruari Mcnamee worked his socks off all day long and composed on the ball.

Joe Maher came on and was busy and threw himself around was an option for lockouts as well
Jack Bryant finished his goal lovely
Cian Farrell came on a got a score

Overall offaly we’re lucky to get the win but that’s relegation off the cards. Promotion will probably be a step too far but in saying that it’s not off the table completely.

Tipp in two weeks Saturday evening in semple stadium