Wexford V Offaly

[awfulynice]

If this match has thought me anything about Offaly..its that Joe Dooley is not going to be the man to bring the good times back. He made progress last year in fairness, but he really doesnt have the head for watching the game and making the changes neccessary which is the reason we lost this game at the end of the day.

I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to share your assertion that we lost this game on the sideline - I do think we were very much second best on the sideline but we were second best on the field in a lot of areas too.

However regarding your point on Dooley not being up to it, I'm leaning towards that same viewpoint, while the worry now is that Dooley will be there for as long as he wants to be there. As a bona fide legend of hurling both inside the county and outside, he was always going to be untouchable to a certain degree and a solid first year followed by promotion in the second has cemented that status. That said, one setback does not undo all the positives that have gone before and he has improved matters on where they were. I don't know if he has the tactical awareness and I too was amazed at some of the lack of action (compare that with Sunday and the mental chess that was being played on the sideline!) but maybe the answer is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but to work on improving that area of the game? After all, if it's 50% right and 50% wrong, past experience has told us that a fresh start could end up with that ration going arseways so maybe we should just develop what we have.

Well it was definately a bad performance on the field. We have had the same forwards for years...who havent worked (or tried to work) for years....its like watching a horror movie over and over again every year

We need at least 1 - 2 more physically strong forwards...they dont have to be too acurate, the main thing is that they win possesion of the ball and then give low fast ball into our good forwards like Carroll / Dooley / Currams who are generally very accurate if they get a little bit of time and space. Too often we were bundled off the ball in the forwards...if we had some hard working physical forwards we could take some pressure off the backs who in fairness are fairly solid most days they go out.

How do you get an intercounty manager to improve on his tactical awareness??? Who would suggest that to Joe Dooley inside or outside of Offaly?? Im afraid you either have it or you dont, unless there is a change of selectors and they put someone beside him with a good head for tactics im afraid we can expect 2 - 4 years of the same before he is called ashore.

No matter what you say...Dooleys inaction cost us the game..i have no doubts in that assessment. Ger Oakley should have been moved to full back after the first goal, with Kenny going to centre back, hannify going to midfield and Brady going to wing back. Instead he let Banville destroy Kenny...then move out and destroy Rigney...then move back inside and destroy Kenny a second time...all the while Diarmuid Lyng was destroying Kevin Brady at midfield and Rory Hanniffy was unseen.

So when you consider that Banville got 2-2 and Lyng got 7 points albeit 4 from free's, could you see Banville getting 2-2 on Oakley? Or Lyng getting 7pts off Rory Hanniffy?? I couldnt.....

[EddieMerx]

The fire and brimstone that Hanamay and the Whelehans brought to it was missing on Saturday night. Offaly just seemed flat. I think div1 status was their primary aim this year. Wexford will be very strong when they get the likes of Rossiter fully fit.

Don't think Rossi will be back to be honest, he has been gone for over a year now and to get back to intercounty standard could be a few months away, Lambert is on his way back to fitness so that's a good thing.