Offaly hurlers face champions with both sides in drop danger
- Kevin Egan
Had someone suggested six weeks ago that Offaly’s visit to Limerick would be perhaps the most consequential game in Division One of the Allianz Hurling League up to that point, it’s hard to know what would have seemed more fanciful – that Offaly would be in the shake up for a league semi-final place, or that Limerick would be without a win and battling relegation.
Sadly, it’s the latter of the two options, and that means Offaly will get the full force of the Treaty County at the TUS Gaelic Grounds this Sunday afternoon (1.45). Even a reserve strength Limerick team would have been a formidable opponent, but now there is the very real prospect of multiple All-Star hurlers going out there needing a strong performance to secure their place in John Kiely’s starting team for the first round of the Munster championship against Cork on Easter weekend.
Now, more than ever, Offaly need to keep their eyes on the journey taken by Westmeath last year. The league was a tough, treacherous journey for Offaly’s northern neighbours but the fruits of that endeavour were harvested in the summer, when the team turned a corner in the Joe McDonagh Cup and eventually ended their season with a championship win in Croke Park.
A relegation play-off will almost certainly have to be negotiated in between now and then, and for that reason, Offaly need to come through this contest with something positive to hold onto, whether that’s keeping up with Limerick for a certain periods, or perhaps breaking even or better in certain sections of the pitch, and most of all, avoiding a heavy defeat if possible.
Roscommon visit represents a free hit
Following last Saturday night’s momentous win over Down, the Offaly footballers are in the relatively happy position of knowing that one win from either of their last two home games will almost certainly result in preserving the county’s place in the second tier of the Allianz Football League.
If that win arrives against Cork, then survival is assured. If it comes against Roscommon this Sunday in Tullamore (2pm), then results elsewhere could go against the group, though equally, surviving with just three points on the board is not impossible either, albeit unlikely.
Logically speaking, Roscommon might just be a little bit too advanced for this Offaly group just yet. There isn’t much to call between the sides in terms of raw ability, but this is a very mature, experienced, physically powerful Roscommon unit. Last Sunday’s contest against Derry incredibly cynical and niggly, and the Rossies were well able to hold their own in that type of contest.
To put it another way, there wasn’t much between the Offaly and Roscommon U-20 sides last year – but Offaly will almost certainly call four or five players from that wonderful August afternoon into action on Sunday, while it’s entirely possible that Roscommon won’t use any – not even players like Colin Walsh, the team captain and full-back from that group.
Even the areas that were perceived as weak spots for the county last year have been addressed, particularly at midfield, and in the corner-back slots. Conversely, players that are usually blue-chip performers – established stars like Conor Cox, Niall Daly and the Murtagh brothers, Diarmuid and Ciaráin - are out of form. Goalscoring is also a weak spot, as the last time Roscommon scored more than a single goal in a league or championship game was back in 2020, and they’re averaging one every two games since then.
Roscommon aren’t set up to win this game by plenty, and given that, Offaly have a chance of an upset – but an upset is still what it would be. Keep the positive mindset and attitude going, stay competitive and don’t do too much damage to the scoring difference, and that could be good enough to keep the team in the right mindset before Cork come to town.