Calls for return to Birr make no sense as Offaly face crunch game

The promise and possibility of the 2010 season seems like a distant memory now for the Offaly hurlers as the visit of Wexford looms ominously. Neither of the two Leinster counties are going well at the moment, however there is no more room for error or excuse as the loser of this game will almost certainly be playing division two hurling in 2012, a fate that will severely hamstring either county in their attempts to develop. Neither Offaly nor Wexford can have any complaints if they do make the drop to the second tier, as both counties have been way off the pace in this league campaign. Certainly injuries have taken a toll on Joe Dooley's panel, however injuries don't fully account for losing the last three games, two of which were at home, by a combined total of forty points. It's not as if there have been any near misses, where supporters walked away thinking that a result might have been secured if only James Rigney, Paul Cleary, Derek Molloy or any of the other walking wounded had been available. Offaly were demolished by all three opponents and the problems ran a lot deeper than simply absentees. With David Kenny, David Franks and hopefully Shane Dooley available for selection this week, this has the makings of one of the strongest Offaly sides all year and if that isn't good enough to overcome Wexford, who are enduring several difficulties of their own, then the only conclusion is that Offaly belong in division two. O'Connor Park should see a good crowd for this Sunday's match with every supporter knowing what's at stake. Mathematically Offaly could lose this game and survive if they beat Waterford and Kilkenny in the last two rounds and Wexford don't win another game. However, even the Offaly teams of the eighties and nineties didn't go to Nowlan Park and win, so realistically all the eggs are nestled in Sunday's basket. The importance of this fixture and of getting a big home crowd in to support the team in their efforts makes it all the more disappointing that once again the cries are going up for league fixtures to return to Birr, at the expense of O'Connor Park in Tullamore. The arguments in favour of returning to Birr tend to focus on two central points - that it is a much more central location for Offaly hurling supporters, and that Offaly enjoyed some great days in Birr in the past. To deal with the latter point first, Offaly did enjoy some great days in Birr in the past - however those Offaly teams of the past also enjoyed some great days away from Birr. Simply put, those great days were at a time when Offaly had a uniquely talented group of players who had the ability to play well against anybody anywhere. Birr was merely the setting, rather than the cause. Neither should it be forgotten that Offaly were a frequent visitor to lower division hurling even throughout their best years, so those who recall an era when Offaly were an unbeatable force within the confines of St Brendan's Park are possibly looking back through rose tinted glasses. There is no question either that there are a lot more of Offaly's hurling supporters living within a ten mile radius of Birr than there are living within a ten mile radius of Tullamore. However, this argument was not used to suggest that Offaly's league matches should be played in Crinkill or Kinnitty while St Brendan's Park was out of action and neither should it be used now. O'Connor Park is a facility that this county can be extremely proud of and one that can comfortably hold as many supporters as will ever attend a national league match in this county. St Brendan's Park is a nice hurling field - though as a surface it is no better than O'Connor Park - but it simply is not equipped on any level for the hosting of league games where big crowds are in attendance. Even more crucially than this, the signal that would be sent out is that hurling is for south Offaly people only, not something that north Offaly people should be worried about. If Offaly hurlers are badly supported in O'Connor Park, then the solution is to address why Offaly people, north and south, don't think it worthwhile spending the time to come to Tullamore. The comfort and ease with which people can enjoy a game in O'Connor Park is unparalleled, so it scarcely makes sense to revert to a venue of much less comfort and convenience for most people in the county. Even from a playing perspective, it hardly makes sense to get used to playing league games in Birr, only to have to revert to Tullamore for championship matches in any case due to capacity issues. Much of Offaly's difficulty is rooted in the fact that there is an imaginary line from Shannon Harbour to Killurin, and north of that line is perceived by many people to be hurling wasteland. This perception continues to exist despite the huge strides that have been made by Brosna Gaels, the continued prominence of Tullamore at the top level within the county and the constant work being done in places like Edenderry to keep the sport alive. It is no coincidence that of the top hurling counties in Ireland, not one of them ignores the major population centres in their catchment area. O'Loughlin Gaels, Dicksboro and James Stephens will all compete for the Kilkenny senior championship this year, while Ballygunner, De la Salle and Mount Sion remain dominant in Waterford. Many of Cork's most famous clubs such as Glen Rovers, St Finbarr's and Blackrock are within the city, while in Tipperary Thurles Sarsfields sit on top of the pile. The only counties where hurling has not penetrated the urban centres are Limerick, who continue to lurch from one crisis to another, and Galway to a lesser extent, who still struggle to bring the game past Castlegar. Within these counties there is such a strong divide between the two codes that separate hurling boards have been deemed necessary, with all the attendant in-fighting that one would expect such a move to create. These are hardly the counties that Offaly should be modelling themselves upon. Birr is a great place for a hurling match, but hurling needs to be a sport for all the county if it is to thrive, and if there is an argument for bringing a league match or two to Birr, there is just as much of an argument for bringing another match or two to Edenderry or Gracefield. When any of the old heroes of the game argue for that, then it might be time to sit up and take note.