uibh Fhaili - Tiobraid Arann

[AZOffaly]

Well lads, what are your thoughts re this qualifier next Saturday? Home advantage to Tipp should help them, but surely the saga with Limerick will have left them jaded. Also, will Babs Keating still have the players mentally willing to play for him? If there was tension beforehand, I can't imagine losing to Limerick and entering the Qualifiers will have done much for morale.

Having said all that, Tipperary are probably a bit further on in their development at the moment than Offaly, and would on paper be the better team by 5 or 6 points. Formlines generally go out the window with Offaly as they are so inconsistant, but Tipps close encounters with Limerick reflects better on them than Offaly's capitulation in the relegation play off.

This is a big game for Offaly, if they want to continue the mini-momentum that has been built up with a solid first half display against the Cats, followed by a victory over Kilkenny in the Under 21's a week and a bit later. There are at least 10 senior panellists on the Under21 team, so hopefully that win will reinforce their belief that there is nothing to fear at this level.

Again, we need to make sure Tipp don't rattle in 3 or 4 goals. They have scored goals in all the games against Limerick, and we have a penchant for conceding by the lorryload. We held the Cats to 1 goal, and were not cut open too often by the runs through the middle. John Carroll is fairly adept at those types of run, so he needs to be curtailed by Oakley, Kenny or Brady, who are all big lads themselves, although not as, emm, powerful.

Obviouslly Eoin Kelly will need to be curtailed, but that is easier said than done. It's generally a case of damage limitation with him, although David Franks might be able to do a job on him, if he gets some sort of support out the field in terms of limiting ball in.

If our backs perform in a similar fashion to the Kilkenny game, then we have a real chance, but only if our forwards lift their game significantly, which I expect them to do to be honest. The likes of Rory Hanniffy and Joe Bergin need to be a lot more involved than they were in Portlaoise. Joe Bergin is suffering from the fact that he is a great white hope in a county with a small pick, so the likes of Rory, Gary, Brian Carroll and Brendan Murphy need to take the pressure off him from a scoring perspective, and let him flourish with loose shoulders.

All in all, there are more unknowns about Tipperary than Offaly, especially about the external factors such as Tiredness, Camp Disharmony, etc etc but I still would have to make Tipperary marginal favourites. However, I will not be one bit surprised if Offaly beat them, which will make Offaly a live contender for a quarter final place.

[Onlooker]

 :)The fact that this game is in Thurles will be a major plus for Tipperary.  If the match had been in Birr, I would give Offaly every chance, but I ca'nt see them beating Tipp in Thurles. 

[AZOffaly]

I'd prefer to discuss the match than the venue to be honest, but you make a good point Onlooker. I think it's an advantage myself, and Birr or Tullamore would certainly have helped our cause, so what in God's name have Offaly done in the previous 5 years to be ranked higher than 2 of the other teams in this group? Dublin have 2 home games, as have Tipperary. (Both Division 1 teams). Cork have one home game (Against Offaly!) and Offaly have one home game. Where is the logic, or fairness in that?

[turk]

I think if offaly had to pick what time to play Tipp it would be now - you can't argue with after three matches which all went to extra time in the Munster championship.

You'd probably also argue that if Tipp were offered who they wanted to play first they might have picked Offaly too.

should be good.

[fearglasmor]

Given that Dublin footballers (supposedly a superfit team)  were so shattered having to play one week after a single replay (which was two weeks after the original game) then surely Offaly only have to take the field. The Tipp lads will hardly be able to lift a hurl.

I don't think so.  As you mentioned below AZ, Offaly's performances against Limerick this last two years are not good indicators.  But you never know.

[Onlooker]

I do'nt know why Tipp have 2 home games and Offaly only have 1.  I would have thought it would have been the other way round, but I still think that home advantage is a huge bonus for Tipp on Saturday.   I also feel that the game should have been played on Sunday to give Tipp an extra day from the Limerick game.

[AZOffaly]

True Onlooker. Why would they not just have it on Sunday? I know the Leinster Final would be a clash with it, but it's still fairly tough on Tipp. Actually, they should have had the second replay of the Limerick game on Saturday night as well.

[flairgun]

  As you mentioned below AZ, Offaly's performances against Limerick this last two years are not good indicators.  But you never know.

That's the big fear, that Offaly will just collapse again and send us back to square 1.
We need to start hard and fast to take advantage of any tiredness in the Tipp lads and don't let Tipp ease their way into the game.
Offaly forwards need to step it up from the last day and the half forward line needs to do better from our own puckouts.
I'm optimistic about this, could be a big game for these lads were they to win it.

I wouldn't be too worried about the venue, there should be a decent Offaly crowd there, hopefully, and Thurles is the kind of venue that can inspire a team.

[AZOffaly]

I wouldn't be too worried about the venue, there should be a decent Offaly crowd there, hopefully, and Thurles is the kind of venue that can inspire a team.

Except that the Offaly minors are in the Football semi final the same day in Portlaoise. Almost at the same time. Our county board are brutal for standing up for our teams when it comes to fixtures planning etc.

[An Laoch]

which of the following is true?

a) "Tipperary have been in action in each of the last few weeks and will be much fitter and ready to go than Offaly"

or

b) "Tipp are tired after playing so much, advantage Offaly"

Personally I think a week is plenty of recovery time for a fit athlete. Tipp have been in the white hot of battle three times now this campaign, while Offaly have been involved in two x one-sided affairs.

So it's 'a' for me. But what do the rest of you think?

[AZOffaly]

I think it depends on how the games goes Laoch. Tiredness at this level is as much mental as physical. If Offaly stay close, or get ahead, Tipp might not have the mental freshness for a fight like that.

If Tipp get well ahead, the mental stuff wil lbe easy.

[lemon125]

I willl know more when Tipp name their team. We need a few fresh faces in i think or else the three matchs (with extra time) will come against us, whether its this match or the next so we must freshen thins up around midfield and half forward. I havent seen Offaly in two years so dont know what to expect. All i knwo is teh Offaly have a serious chance, a few of the Tipp subs are pissed off for not getting a game, a few injuries adn coming off a bad bad loss (its only Limerick) is not good for the fight that left in Tipp. I think Offally wil put it up to Tipp for a while before dying off

[bottlethrower7]

Tipp should win handy. But, they also should have beaten Limerick handily.

I agree with Lemon, Offaly have every chance here. They certainly have nothing to fear in this current Tipp team, and with the amount of young lads they have I expect they won't be fearing them. It'll be a close-run thing. I wouldn't expect it to be top-class fare, and I'd reckon Tipp will end up scraping through.

[An Laoch]

I would have had big doubts about the character and 'fight' of the Tipp side during the Limerick games, and when I saw them 6 or 7 points behind in the first half of the last game I would have thought that was them dead in the water. However they pulled themselves right back in to it so I would give them some credit for mental strength there.

[Lecale2]

Any word of the Tipp team?