Rhode look ready to overcome Royal test and reach Leinster final

Rhode's quest to finally put a Leinster title on the club's roll of honour takes them to Navan this Sunday where they will face Meath champions Skryne in order to secure their place in the provincial final. The prevailing view on this championship is that Rhode are the only team with the potential to prevent Kilmacud Crokes from extending their season into 2011. However, both Skryne and Garrycastle are worthy of respect in this competition and it's far from certain that the expected final will materialise. The national media will undoubtedly focus on Niall McNamee as the likely difference between the two sides. However that somewhat simplistic, if potentially correct, analysis is illustrative of Rhode's biggest issue in 2010 – their excessive dependence on their captain for scores. It would be easy for someone to claim that there is no need to fix something that's not broken, but against Clara in the county final and again in Dr Cullen Park against Old Leighlin, it was McNamee who came to the rescue of an otherwise stuttering Rhode team and, at some stage, that lack of balance is likely to result in defeat. This problem must be highly perplexing for Tom Coffey, given the spread of talent that the club possesses in the forward division. Niall Darby has chipped in with some scores but, despite this, his production has been inconsistent, while equally talented players like Paschal Kelleghan and Anton Sullivan have been peripheral rather than central in Rhode games so far. It would be foolish to suggest to the Rhode midfield and half-back division to stop playing so much ball into McNamee, given his ability to win primary possession and take scores. However ,Skryne will almost certainly look to drop an extra man back in front of him and Rhode have to find a way to use that space, something that they've failed to do on other occasions this year. At the other end of the field, Skryne have no such concerns. Many Offaly supporters will read the programme on Sunday and the only names on the Skryne side that will ring a bell will be former All-Star Trevor Giles, intercounty keeper (but wing-forward for Skryne) Paddy O'Rourke and manager Liam Harnan. However, this Skryne attacking unit is full of players who are able to score three or four points per game given the opportunity, despite their lack of reputation. Freetaker Ian Davis is a constant source of points, Mark Battersby and Kevin Mulvaney in the corner positions are strong finishers who rarely end a game empty handed while full-forward Brian Byrne brings a physical presence to the team that will undoubtedly cause some concern to Tom Coffey, given Rhode's vulnerability to long high balls into the full-forward line all year. Skryne aren't known for goalscoring, but they rarely go long spells without chipping over a point or two and Rhode will have to play at a very high tempo to establish and maintain a lead. Skryne captain Aidan Tuite will line out at midfield and presumably he will be picked up by new recruit Mark Dunne. Dunne has been a useful addition to the Rhode set-up without putting in any stellar displays as of yet. The Laois man showed signs of settling into the side in Carlow and this is a great opportunity for him to play a huge part in extending Rhode's season. Alongside Tuite, Dave McGoldrick is the more energetic midfielder and Alan McNamee will be charged with preventing the Meathman from making too many breaks into the forward line and adding his weight to the Skryne attack. If Kilmacud or even Garrycastle were in opposition this week, then there would be a case for suggesting that Rhode would have their work cut out for them to advance. As it is, they will have to put in a solid hour of football, but based on their performances so far, they are entitled to slight favouritism and should advance if they play to form. A goal or two will be needed, but at the risk of sounding too much like a national journalist who only looks at the county players on either side, Niall McNamee can be the difference between the two clubs. Rhode just have to get their other forwards to pose a consistent threat on goal and thus prevent Skryne from sending too much defensive and numerical strength into Niall's corner. Changed times for clubs For Rhode, this time of year is all about extending their season that bit longer, however for every other club in Offaly (with the honourable exception of the Drumcullen hurlers) preparations for next year are already underway and various committees have been installed all across the county to put in place management teams for the 2011 championships. As any student of evolutionary science will tell you, the most successful animals are those that adapt best to the changing circumstances around them, and GAA clubs are no different in that regard. Where previously the main challenges for a club manager involved getting players to devote enough time and energy to their football or hurling, invariably competing with work opportunities, travelling and other distractions, now the focus has shifted. Now as a rule, clubs are working with much smaller budgets, and working with players who have very different concerns and complications. Before, it was all about finding the time to go to the gym. Now, it's about having the money to pay the gym subscription. Players are less likely to be absent from training or league matches due to stag weekends in Prague or Newcastle, but the chances of players having left permanently to find work in Auckland or Sydney have hugely increased. It's simply a fact of life that clubs will lose key players, players will be unable to spend money on their Gaelic games and clubs themselves will have greatly restricted budgets, in many cases due to overspending during the boom. Unlike the Irish state which can depend on the good Samaritan Angela Merkel, there is no realistic prospect of any bailout for profligate GAA clubs, so managing expectations is a must. The days of €200 a night for training sessions are behind us and clubs simply must adapt to this new reality, or else face serious problems in the future. Maybe not in 2011, but the clubs who will thrive in 2015 and beyond are the ones that adapt to the new environment best over the coming few months.