Hurlers prepare for Parnell Park return to Leinster Championship

Preview: Kevin Egan

The seven-year wait for Offaly to play Leinster championship hurling is one day from coming to an end, with the clock ticking towards Saturday’s trip to Parnell Park. The result between the two sides in the league will no doubt be a source of encouragement for Offaly, but equally the league final against Waterford was a reality check, and a lot of the same issues around depth and bench options apply here too, as we discussed above with the football panel.

Last Saturday’s U-20 game in Tullamore was a clear indicator that Adam Screeney still has a lot of hurling to do before he gets back anywhere close to his best, while Dan Ravenhill’s injury absence from that game is another concern.

Parnell Park will be a very different type of environment, particularly with the signs are that it will be a packed house in Donnycarney, and unlike Croke Park when it could be argued that Offaly were lucky to be within striking distance at half-time, there is no danger of the Dubs taking their eye off the ball at any stage here.

The cracks that were exposed in Páirc Uí Chaoimh must be repaired if Offaly are to be competitive here, since Dublin are a formidable force at home. The Leinster championship moved to this round robin structure all the way back in 2018 and since then only Kilkenny have beaten the boys in blue in this venue.

At some point in the next month, there will be a game or two that will be still competitive going into the last 15 minutes. Tomorrow might be that game, but it’s equally possible that it might not. For now, there might be a bit more learning to be done.