Waterford V Offaly

[Bord na Mona man]

My feeling is that Offaly might find to hard to repeat the heroics of last Saturday. There is only 7 days to get the players refocused.

It was much better teed up to shock Limerick than it will be to do the same to Waterford.
Limerick were a team that had overachieved last year and most likely over confident. They aren't that skilful to start with, so need to play with a high intensity to win matches with their power game.

On Saturday, Offaly have no element of surprise. Waterford playing badly, would still be a fair bit better than Limerick playing badly.

The is some sources of hope for Offaly. Joe Bergin has scored heavily in the last 2 league meetings between the two sides which Offaly have won. Getting good supply to him could be a winner. If the Offaly backs can tie up Mullane, Kelly and Big Dan, then make the likes of Molumphy, Hurney and Brick Walsh would have to try and get the scores instead.

Waterford's indiscipline may also rear its head. If Offaly can frustrate Waterford by closing them down, blocking them and hooking them, then Waterford have several players capable of losing the rag and pulling strokes. Especially the townie hurlers like McGrath, Kelly and Mullane.
When the sides played in Birr 2 years ago, Offaly did exactly that on the narrow Birr pitch and eventually Eoin Kelly got sent off for pulling on Mick O'Hara who was on the ground and then kicking him.
If Ken McGrath is full back, and if Joe Bergin could manage to unsettle him, there is the potential for red mist too.

This is all predicated on Offaly managing to get off to good start and managing to impose their game on Waterford. Probably the most likely scenario is Waterford going in front early and staying in front.
I think Waterford have a point to prove after ousting Justin McCarthy, so there is little chance of catching Waterford sleeping.
I'd expect Scrappy Doo to have them fairly fired up...though maybe too much of this could help Offaly

While Offaly's win against Limerick may have helped turn the corner for Offaly hurling, it is hard to turn into a consistently good side after 5 or 6 years of under performing. One good performance doesn't mean you will keep playing well from here on in.
Waterford have been consistently in the top 3 teams in the country for 5 or 6 years. They have more experience of winning big games than Offaly have.

Perhaps Waterford are now over the hill, under prepared and taking Offaly for granted. I don't believe so, but an Offaly win would probably be attributed to one or all of these. Offaly need to play like they did against Limerick and most importantly manage to avoid setbacks. A couple of Waterford goals could very easily see Offaly revert to old bad habits.
My guess id that there is a 75% chance of Waterford winning this, but I still think there is plenty of reason for Offaly to hope.

[Bord na Mona man]

Heard Offaly's Daithi regan say that Davy Fitz will have waterford so fired up that it will interfere with thier fanatastic brand of hurling. I think Waterford would do well to take a leaf out of the Clares book, they might have won an allireland by now if they did. Hope Waterford stuff it down his neck.

It may come to pass.
Waterford have traditionally not always been disciplined in tight scenarios.
Justin McCarthy's secret may have been his calmness and scientific approach rather than the blood and thunder stuff.

Maybe Davy Fitz will bring the right amount of psyching up to the dressing room, but I wouldn't rule out him taking it too far.
Remember this was how it all it came crashing down for his old boss Gerlock in 1998.

[faithful7]

Bennis today in 'Da Paper' sounded very sore about how 'some Limerick players let him down'. Rumours of players visiting watering holes in the week before the Offaly game. Says he will not consider them for any team he might be in charge of in the future. No credit given to Offaly and I suppose Bennis has a good point.

Offaly will have to repeat the performance on Saturday if they are to be considered amongst the elite. Bennis says Limerick is now outside the top 8 after last Sat. performance.

Hope Offaly play with belief and confidence. Waterford may be very focused on Sat. next and could be over physical. Cool calm heads with determination and belief is called for from Offaly. Great hope that the can do it tomorrow. A win is a terrific tonic going into the next game.

Uibh Fhaighle Abú!

[Zulu]

I think Waterford will win this by 8-10 points, Kilikenny hammered Offaly so one good win over a poor and disinterested Limerick doesn't mean Offaly are any good.

[AZOffaly]

You could be right Zulu, but at least Offaly hurled with intensity, skill and application the last night. If they do the same again, at least it's a sign that there are grounds for optimism for the future. Offaly without heart are a team in trouble. Offaly with heart are a team with a future. And we've been a few years waiting, listening to insults and lads looking down their noses at us, especially in Munster. Not saying they were wrong, but it was nice to beat a Munster team last weekend, and this weekend I'm looking for another block to build on.

If Offaly hurl to their best, I don't think 8-10 points will be reached, it'll be close enough, although I'd still think Waterford might shade it by 4-6. If Offaly slacken off from last week, it could be worse than you predict.

[orangeman]

Waterford by 6 - Cork by 2

[orangeman]

Great game - Offaly could have taken it but they had nobody to contain Eoin Kelly who simply had a field day.

[Treasurer]

Well done to Waterford, Eoin Kelly superb. Six points probably not a fair reflection. Gutted and news coming from Tullamore not helping!

[orangeman]

Waterford by 6 - Cork by 2

Sorry lads, I can't help this but what odds would you have got on my EXACT prediction ? 

[Bord na Mona man]

I must say it was another fine day to be an Offaly follower. The players played out of their skins in a scorcher of a game.

For 7 or 8 years now I have yearned for Offaly hurling teams to go out and play with fire, pride and commitment,
Offaly's last two games have been a joy to behold. At last we are playing the sort of high tempo, do or die hurling that the big counties have been playing in the 00s.

There is still a way back, but Offaly look to be on the right track.
Well done to Joe Dooley again, for putting the heart and spirit back into Offaly hurling.

The day itself started of badly and got worse and worse for a while.
Firstly the news that David Kenny's cousin was killed in car accident in Doon this morning. the question of whether he would play and if he did, would he really be in the right frame of mind to do so. Kenny has been our star this year and perhaps the most likely All Star nominee. He did play in the end but I have no doubt it was a tough call.

Then the news Diarmuid Horan couldn't line out at wing back. Another pillar that the team is built on crumbles.

Worse still, the stadium announcement "the referee for today's game is Michael Haverty of Galway".
Christ, anyone but him! Shovel another 3 or 4 points onto Waterford's balance sheet once Haverty does his customary hatchet job in Offaly - He didn't disappoint. I am sick of him and dread him refereeing Offaly matches.

The ball is in, and after 16 seconds Waterford are on the board.
Five minutes later they are 1-4 to 2 wides ahead. Waterford slicing the Offaly defence apart with precise balls and the Offaly full back line looks in tatters. This was a big step up from Limerick last week. This was real championship.

However the next few minutes hurling were superb from Offaly.
Offaly hurling as we have always remembered her. Closing down every Waterford player in possession, blocking them down, forcing the mistakes. Making mugs of some of the big names.
The points start going over and Offaly started to believe.

Ken McGrath at full back looked to be in bother. He was dragging out of Joe Bergin and giving him a fair skelping. He picked up an early yellow and looked to be on the verge of checking himself out of the game. Another foul earned him and black card (too much to expect a second yellow).
Another ball drops in the square and Declan Prendergast batters the back of Shane Dooley's helmet, luckily for him the ref never spotted it, nor did his umpire feel the need to report it.
The signs were that Waterford were seriously rattled and starting to yield.

Waterford's 2nd goal was a body blow to Offaly who were leading by 2 points by this stage. Still, going in at half time in arrears, Offaly had put in a half to be proud of.

The second half and Offaly keep the throttle at full. Waterford have a slight breeze, but Offaly press on. Crucially though, every time Offaly nosed in front Waterford managed to respond with a point.
An example being David Franks super solo run from corner back and point was immediately cancelled out by a Waterford pointed free. The Herculean score and the tap over free are both exactly equal on the scoreboard.

Up front Offaly were winning less and less ball. The Waterford full back line had been on top for most of the game and then their half back line started gobbling up everything. Viable Offaly targets for puckouts got less. More mistakes were made when fatigue set in. Waterford started to pull away. 6 points is the final tally. Perhaps not a fair reflection of the game, but in a way I'm glad it wasn't only a point or two in it. The regrets over key incidents, or the performance of the poxy ref would have been worse.

Offaly still couldn't stop Eoin Kelly. As talented as he is dislikeable, he tormented Offaly all day. The 18 other Waterford players who featured managed 5 points between them. Big Bad Dan barely got a puck of the ball all day. After the first 10 minutes John Mullane was blocked so often he probably thought was playing Cubed hurling.

For the first time in years, there are genuine signs of an Offaly hurling revival.
Waterford have a few years of big match experience behind them. It was always a big ask for relatively new Offaly side to try and outfox them at such an early stage of their development. Waterford are a big step up from Limerick last week. Limerick have been the 7th best team in Ireland for the last few years and were overhyped recently, Waterford have been hovering between 2nd and 3rd best in the country.

Lets hope Offaly keep building and improving. Next Thursday night's U21 final is anotehr test. Record a 2nd consecutive win over Kilkenny and perhaps the headlock Kilkenny have Offaly in starts to loosen.

[AZOffaly]

I'm like a schizo this morning. It was surreal to be on the terrace on Sunday, watching an Offaly team, a young, spirited Offaly team give us real hope for the future by backing up their display in Limerick with another similar one in Thurles. The surrealness came from 7 onwards when a bunch of lads wearing the exact same colours capitulated without raising a gallop in Tullamore, and the news filtered through to us in Thurles. The difference in the two weeks Hurling being that Waterford are not Limerick. It's hard to properly analyse a match when you are looking at it in such a partisan way, so I'll leave the referee comments to others, although I watched it again last night on telly, and there were some dodgy calls. In fairness though, Offaly also did give away a few silly frees towards the end, and they were frees.

As to my impression of the game, it began very worryingly, and when Waterford raced into a seven point lead, I was fearful that our lads would ship a beating which would negate all the good work in Limerick. However, I should have trusted this bunch of young lads more. They again displayed a potentially potent cocktail of desire, teamwork, intelligence and hooked, blocked, fought and scored  great points to haul themselves back into a game they looked like losing badly. They also had Waterford badly rattled, especially between the 40s. Our half back line, midfield and half forwards had Waterford in a lot of trouble in that period, and when Brian Carroll put Offaly in front, it was no more than they deserved.

That all made the silly concession of Eoin Kelly (who was absolutely excellent)'s goal to make it 2-04 to 0-08 all the more sickening. Especially the circumstances. Offaly had once again battled for a great ball inside our own half back line, but Ger Oakley's pass to Michael Verney caught him unawares, and Kelly made the most of it. It was a pity because that sort of passing out of trouble is a feature that Offaly have incorporated successfully this summer, and it was unfortunate that they paid such a price for getting one wrong.

Yet again though, we bounced back, and from then until the 55th minute or so, it was point for point, with the scores level 5 or 6 times. I thought Offaly's withdrawal of Verney was a bit premature, because Conor Hernon is a lot 'looser' and Eoin Kelly made hay on him. Hernon is a fine stickman himself, but when your marking a dangerman like Kelly you have to be tighter than that, and Verney would probably have been a better bet, even though he had started poorly enough. Having said that Joe was justified in making the call, it just didn't work out.

Other than that huge factor, Offaly were probably the better team for most of the game, but Waterford  stayed in touch because of two factors. 1) We never looked like threatening for a goal, and Waterford's full back line was on top. 2) Every time we scored, we gave away a stupid free afterwards, or Eoin Kelly hit a wonder point. It was very tough, and you could sense that Offaly would start to tire, because all their hurling was not being repaid with a lead. Fair play to Waterford then in the last 15 minutes or so. They got on top around the half back line, and Eoin Kelly finished his tour de force.

All in all, Waterford were deserving winners, and their fans were dead sound. I hope they go on and win an All IReland, but I have my doubts about them. Robbing Peter (The half back line) to pay Paul (The full back line) of Ken McGrath is too high a price for taking a great hurler out of centre back, I feel. As I said, he'd be a great hurler anywhere, but full back doesn't suit him, and they are taking away a lad that can dominate from number 6. Also, Dan Shanahan needs to get the lead out. He was like a lost sheep there on Saturday, and rarely felt the weight of the ball. Mullane is lively, but David Franks got on top of him eventually, and Kelly was immense, but you can't depend on 2-13 every day from one lad. Especially if he comes up against a dedicated man marker. In fact, in hindsight, maybe David Franks should have switched onto Kelly, and let Mullane score 6 or 7 points, while keeping Kelly a lot quieter.

For Offaly, we can face the future with hope again. We are still very much a work in progress, and made some silly mistakes and errors, especially in terms of fouling, which ultimately cost us the game. We also were very subdued in the full forward line, and need some of our forwards to mature. They will though, and when they do we will be a seriously decent team again. At last. It would be great if the under 21s could lift themselves and take Kilkenny on Thursday night. I think the future is brighter now anyway, but were that to happen, it would seriously give them a boost heading into next year.

So well done to Waterford, but Uibh Fhailí Abú i 2009.