Hurlers tick the box as camógs kick off league campaign

By Kevin Egan

The Allianz Hurling League contest in Tullamore last Sunday was every bit as one-sided as people might have expected if we go by the final result, though Derry caused Offaly plenty of problems in the first half, and until Eoghan Cahill came onto the field to steady things up, Offaly were leaving a much poorer team in contention.

Not a lot needs to be said about 11 first-half wides (19 in all), except that it’s better to be talking about creating a plethora of chances and missing far too many of them, than to be concerned that the team is simply making no impression up front.

Already, this league has been reduced to a three-horse race. Carlow might have a little bit more about them than their first round hammering against Kildare might have suggested, but the fact remains that they’ve lost two games now, one by a landslide margin, and even if they bounce back from that to win their last three, it’s still unlikely that they’ll squeeze into a league final.

Realistically, Offaly’s two remaining road trips will determine their fate in this Division, with one win probably enough to reach a promotion shootout, though given what lies ahead in the summer, it

would be nice to see Johnny Kelly’s side sweep the boards and march back into Division One with a little bit of authority.

Meanwhile, Noelle Kennedy’s tenure as county senior camogie manager gets underway on Saturday afternoon, with Waterford travelling to Birr for the first round of this year’s league. Kennedy is on the record as saying that she would have preferred for this year’s league to have kept the old format (as per the hurling league) where the best teams are mixed with the rest in a Division 1A/1B fashion, but instead the Kilkennys, Corks and Galways of this world are quarantined away in their own elite league, with Offaly in amongst the second tier.

Realistically, given where the county is coming from in recent years, it’s hard to see this as a bad thing. Finishing in mid-table in this company, particularly given that three of the five games (against

Down, Wexford and Limerick) are away from home, would be no small achievement.

As has been the case for some time, a handful of players who would be capable of making a significant contribution are unavailable for selection, though that’s likely to be the case across the board when it comes to counties outside the All-Ireland contender bracket. With a fair amount of youth in the group, these fixtures – including the game against Waterford – seem ideal preparation for what will be a tough summer ahead, following Offaly’s reprieve from relegation in the championship.

*Schools final sure to draw a large crowd

For many hurling supporters, the absence of any National League fixture this week will be more than compensated for by the chance to see a host of the brightest future prospects in the county in Leinster final action at Glenisk O’Connor Park tomorrow (Saturday).

The three Offaly schools in this competition – Coláiste Choilm, Coláiste Naomh Cormac and St Brendan’s Community School – looked like strong contenders for this Leinster Senior 'B' title right from the start, and once St. Brendan’s edged out the Tullamore side, a showdown against Coláiste Naomh Cormac looked inevitable.

Coláiste Naomh Cormac beating Naas CBS in the semi-final was no surprise, but beating them in the manner in which they did, spoke volumes about how effortlessly they have slipped back into their own school group, following on from their exploits in the 'A' championship with the Offaly Schools side. By virtue of their superior scoring power, they look like the slightest of favourites for the final, albeit not by any significant margin.