Offaly footballers to face Cavan in league opener as Cork clash awaits hurlers

Kieran Galvin Offaly will begin their 2011 National Football League Division 3 campaign with a home game against Cavan on Sunday, February 6. Cavan endured a disappointing 2010 season and Tom Carr has been replaced by a joint management team of Val Andrews and Terry Hyland. Offaly’s second match will also be at home, with fellow Leinster side Wexford the visitors to O’Connor Park on February 20. This will be followed by two away games against teams who reached provincial finals this year. Limerick will be the opposition in Offaly’s first away game, which will be followed by a trip to Louth, who were denied the 2010 Leinster title by a notorious error by the match officials in the final against Meath. The fifth round of games will see Offaly host Tipperary, and this will be followed by an away clash against Waterford, who Offaly defeated in the All-Ireland qualifiers earlier this year. Offaly’s final game will be a midlands derby with Westmeath, a match which will see Westmeath manager Pat Flanagan come up against his native county. This Sunday, Flanagan will lead his Clara side into battle against Rhode in the Offaly SFC final at O’Connor Park (3.30pm). In total, the Offaly footballers will have four away games out of their programme of seven matches in next year’s NFL. Meanwhile, the Offaly hurlers will open their National League Division 1 campaign with a trip to Leeside to take on Cork. This will be followed by a home match against Galway, who Offaly played in two memorable matches in this year’s Leinster championship, with the Tribesmen prevailing in the replay. The third round will see Offaly take on Leinster rivals Dublin, and this will be followed by a clash against All-Ireland champions Tipperary, who will be under new management after Liam Sheedy’s surprise decision to step down was announced yesterday (Thursday). In the fifth round, Joe Dooley’s side will host Wexford, a team they defeated in the 2009 NHL Division 2 final. Wexford earned promotion by defeating Clare in this year’s Division 2 decider. The penultimate round will see Offaly face Munster champions Waterford, who will again have Davy Fitzgerlad at the helm next year. Offaly’s final game will be away to 2010 All-Ireland finalists Kilkenny, who were denied their fifth Liam MacCarthy Cup in a row by Tipperary early last month. Offaly’s NFL Division 3 Fixtures Sunday 6 Feb (2.30pm): Offaly v Cavan Sun 20 Feb (2.30pm): Offaly v Wexford Sat 26 Feb (7.30pm): Limerick v Offaly Sun 13 March (2.30pm): Louth v Offaly Sunday 20 March (2.30pm): Offaly v Tipperary Sunday 3 April (2.30pm): Waterford v Offaly Sunday 10 April (2.30pm): Westmeath v Offaly Offaly’s NHL Division 1 Fixtures Sunday 13 Feb (2.30): Cork v Offaly Sunday 20 Feb (2.30) Offaly v Galway Sunday 6 March (2.30): Offaly v Dublin Sunday 13 March: (2.30pm): Tipperary v Offaly Sunday 27 March (2.30): Offaly v Wexford Sunday 3 April (2.30): Offaly v Waterford Sunday 17 April (2.30): Kilkenny v Offaly