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Offaly’s most sensible football control is to adapt the right policy for the Tailteann Cup, at least giving young emerging players playing time and the opportunity to place their feet in the county’s senior football.
Offaly has exciting young talents to come and the Tailteann Cup represents the best vehicle to start attracting them.
Several members of the Offaly team that won the All-Ireland U-20 football championship last year will now move into senior county football. Seven of them played in the Tailteann Cup against Wicklow last Sunday: Lee Pearson, Rory Egan, Jack Bryant, Keith O’Neill, Morgan Tynan, Cathal Flynn and Kieran Dolan.
Pearson, Egan, O’Neill, Bryant, Flynn and Dolan all received playing time in the win over Wexford in recent weeks.
Kieran Dolan and Cathal Flynn in the Leinster Senior Football Championship loss to Wexford a few weeks ago and those matches will make all those young players smart globally.
The Tailteann Cup is conducive to finding its way. It doesn’t have the same tension as the top-level football championship, it’s the real check for any budding county player.
Still, the stakes are high. Offaly is thirsty to make a good impression in the points competition of the moment. After this bitterly disappointing defeat to Wexford, it was feared that Offaly would not make much effort for the Tailteann Cup. In fact, the fears were closer to an expectation, however, Offaly has shown his marksmanship in any of his matches to date.
Obviously, they are eager to impress and take their most productive shot and have played any of their games with an intensity similar to that of the league. Its functionality has not been perfect. They came very close to a momentary defeat to Wexford in the first round, surviving thanks to their intelligence and their number of errors too high that day. It’s frustrating to see Offaly the moment they arrived within fifty meters. of Wexford’s purpose and then spit out the property due to a failed move.
It may only be due to cobwebs and a few weeks after their devastating championship defeat at Wexford Park: manager John Maughan had given his players a few weeks off after that attack and they had only returned a few weeks before the Enniscorthy game.
It wasn’t a goal and Offaly did well to win the adjustment in a very tricky situation. The Tailteann Cup gives Offaly the chance to salvage something tangible from a season that may have ended very disappointingly: an early defeat of the Tailteann Cup plus a first-round championship exit and relegation from Division 2 of the National Football League would have been a very bad year.
Now they have a chance to win something. They are still favourites with New York in Tullamore on Saturday, a semi-final is close. There will be an open draw for the semi-finals to be held at Croke Park and getting to the seat provides a tempting carrot. Westmeath and Carlow will meet in the other quarter-finals of the south section.
In the northern section, Leitrim plays Sligo and Fermanagh meets Cavan. Cavan turns out to have the upper hand over those groups, once again, Offaly wants his chances of forming one of the remaining groups in the semi-finals and final. It would be wonderful to get there and a wonderful way to end the season.
For a county with many Senior All-Ireland and Leinster football titles, a Tailteann Cup win will occupy a modest position on their honour roll, however, that’s where Offaly stands now and has a purpose to fulfill.
The Tailteann Cup may also be the swan song for some of Offaly’s longest-serving footballers and is also very likely to be John Maughan’s farewell. with some enthusiasts and a taste for football playing, however, Maughan has been smart with Offaly. He took office after some traumatic years and replaced Kerry’s man, Stephen Wallace, after the end of a surely chaotic 2018. Although he talks about the cost of travelling from his home in Castlebar, he has stayed longer than expected and this is his 4th season.
Maughan is likely to disconnect the plug at the end of this season and that will be the right decision at this point. He stabilized the ship, raised the bar and tried to replace the culture of Offaly football. There wouldn’t be much logic:there is a fifth year left, from maughan and Offaly’s point of view, and the time will come to hand over the reins to the next man. A win in the Tailteann Cup can replace things and there may be a temptation to go to the final. Fifth year: If that happened and Maughan wanted to stay, it would be very difficult for The Offaly County Council to force a renewal, but in many ways it would be the best way for either party to ask for a day to get married.
Maughan would leave with his pride intact and restored after a messy end to his tenure as Roscommon director in 2008. He has the merit of finishing his in Offaly on his own terms and all the smart money is in Offaly having a new direction for 2023.
It would have been great to see Maughan try a more offensive game in the Tailteann Cup, to allow players to show more of their herbal style, attack freely and see where it takes them. This has not been edited to date and is unlikely to do so now. how many enthusiasts need to see that.
Niall McNamee, Johnny Moloney and Niall Darby may also be in their final year as county players. These are among the three most experienced players in Offaly and it is also possible that this trio will retire. They have provided great services. McNamee was the brightest skill of his generation and his value was demonstrated in the way he played in the Tailteann Cup. Offaly would not have beaten Wexford without him and while they may have beaten Wicklow, he was right in the first half last Sunday. .
McNamee is the only existing player who would have been part of any Offaly team and would be a blast if he had to rededicate himself, especially under new management. That said, you never know with him. He announced his retirement for the 2018 season, but the appeal of cross-county football proved too strong and he returned with John Maughan. He has since stayed and played with some of the most productive footballers of a long career in the county that began in 2003. His experience, excellence and know-how are a wonderful example for all aspiring young footballers and it is wonderful that some of the Under-20s have had the chance to play alongside him.
Niall Darby owes nothing to anyone. Rhode’s guy is the best example of a county footballer, committed, kind in his technique and doing what he wants to do to develop his potential. As a striker, he reinvented himself as a defender and had very smart days in Faly’s shirt. .
Johnny Moloney has been a wonderful leader for Offaly and was brilliant in the centre half last Sunday. Moloney has a lot of dynamism and is very capable of spending another year, but now he is the father of a small child and lives and works in Galway. In a recent interview with me, he refused to pronounce his withdrawal, however, his words and frame language suggested very well that he was in the letters. It would be wonderful to see Moloney give him one more year because young players need this kind of leadership, fun and guidance, but if he makes the decision to pass, he has every right to it at this point in his life.
Young players will find their own way anyway and don’t want anyone to hold their hand. Oisin Keenan-Martin was a Tailteann Cup replacement against Wexford, but was injured. He was very close and is some other U-20 about to take the plunge. His teammates at the Tullamore club, John Furlong and Cormac Egan, have reportedly noticed a lot of action in the Tailteann Cup just because of injuries.
The volume of injuries for those U-20s is the only cloud on a bright horizon. Cormac Egan is recovering from a primary operation on the hamstring and it remains to be seen if he can fully recover. John Furlong had many disorders with a groin injury, Jack Bryant was out for a long time with a hamstring injury; Cathal Donoghue missed the championship and the Tailteann Cup due to a knee injury; and others have had disorders. Lee Pearson has had cramps in recent games and the volume of injuries, their magnitude in some cases, raises questions about the team’s readiness. These are answers that other unqualified people do not yet have the number of injuries for the U-20 is significant and it would be a tragedy if it ended or shortened the career of one of those young airmen.
Other marginal players also had their chance in the Tailteann Cup. It was wonderful to see Diarmuid Egan of Tullamore get a half-time against Wexford at Enniscorthy and although he was surely not up to date with the game, it was fair and they were given a sure purpose in the first half. Egan is a work in progress and it will take time for him to move into county soccer. It’s exclusive because it didn’t go through the county progression team formula. He basically played rugby in his youth, was on the fringes of the Leinster Rugby Academy formula and went to Maynooth University on a scholarship.
He soon turned to the GAA, playing very well as Tullamore earned an All-Ireland Colleges ‘B’ hurling name a few years ago, while it soon became clear that football was his most productive game. It took him a while to adjust after making his debut with the Tullamore senior footballers a few years ago. The older brother of Cormac, he progressed each year and was exceptional as a centre-forward when Tullamore won the senior football championship last year. His departmental career may follow a similar trajectory. Can’t say for sure that he’s going to be a success, however, a lot was given in his favor, a lot of raw ingredients and county training, as he develops his physique, conditioning and athleticism, he will add a lot. It’s a 3-year assignment for Egan. He didn’t play in the county minors or the U-20s and there will be very few successful players in the long run without being in the formula from an early age. He’s going to be bigger next year but he’s going to have to be in a position to take the hits of not being played or eliminated and it’s year 3 that’s going to have his long run and if he can relate it will be an absolute credit to him and the determination of the.
Egan was probably disappointed not to have entered last Sunday and perhaps deserved that opportunity after starting at Wexford, but it’s to satisfy everyone. they are disappointed when they retire or don’t play. In fact, as Johnny Moloney said in this recent interview, he would seriously question any player in the county who was content not to play.
Dylan Hyland was also disappointed. Raheen’s boy showed good form in the league and started the championship against Wexford. He arrived against Wexford in the Trailteann Cup but did not arrive last Sunday and will no doubt wonder why. He is left-handed and gives any other cosa. al team. In fact, he has played the role in some matches this year, but like Diarmuid Egan, he has to be patient. Unlike Egan, he played minor and under-21 football for Offaly and it was an exciting prospect at the moment, however he went to Australia for a few years and is now back in the football scheme. He is older than Egan, but he will have to give himself time to fully identify himself and it is also a three-year assignment, if not. your brand then and the control has not made the resolution for you, you will have the right to call you one day then.
The user who makes the crudest deal of all is Bernard Allen. It was an unused submarine in any of the Tailteann Cup matches and you might be wondering. Allen began to oppose Wexford in the league and that didn’t happen for him as it was given to him. a point in a free. However, it would be a mistake to scapegoat for what was a collective and overall failure, while Offaly was injured that day – key forwards like Niall and Ruari McNamee and Jack Bryant were also injured longer. full-term injuries, adding Cian Farrel.
The Tubber boy has been a wonderful servant to Offaly football, but this year he has fallen down the pecking order. He made his debut in 2011 and he is now within contact distance of a hundred competitive appearances – he has 91 so far. There are similarities between him and Niall Darthrough. Two incredibly committed players who do just about everything right, have such a preference for being county footballers and living the right lifestyle. They are an example to others and Allen’s absence from the Tailteann Cup was detected through the supporters. He is not a superstar footballer, he has had his percentage of mediocre days and some of his most productive football has come in the league at the beginning of the year instead of the league in the summer. However, he also played in the Championship, had wonderful days and his accuracy, especially with his trusted left foot, has been a genuine asset to Offaly over the years. He believes he would have thrived against warring matches like Wexford and Wicklow in the Tailteann Cup and it would be attractive to see if he gets a chance against New York on Saturday.
From the outside they deserve it, but it is a call to leadership and only they and those inside know what is going on and why decisions are made.
Ironically, Allen can provide a true example and leadership to young players on the sideline. He is necessarily upset, but you just have to appreciate the way he received those blows on the chin, stood firm and did not leave the panel. It’s too simple for players to leave now if they don’t get what they need or think they’re owed. They put their own interests before general intelligence and the ability to settle for rejection is an essential component of sport, not to mention life. It is sad to see a player walk away, unless it is in the rare conditions where relations between a player and control have been completely damaged and he finds himself in the midst of a total denial of justice. Allen’s omission is certainly very questionable, but it possibly wouldn’t be. Involve Amnesty International and it’s wonderful to see him keep his shoulder behind the wheel. Players have to do that. They can only start fifteen, only five can enter, and there will be another six unused players, not to mention the others who will not take part on the 26th.
It is vital that players do not forget that they are betting on their county, their jersey, their supporters, their other people and not on a coach who will be just a passenger passing by at night. Offaly has a lot of exciting young emerging footballers, while Cian Farrell will hopefully return next year. Cian Johnson is back with Ferbane and may return to the race. Peter Cunninham will likely return after his military excursion to Syria. I hope he will be there to make this century of appearances in the next two years. The putting festival will be hot and young and old players will have to be able to make decisions about the chin.
There will be instances like this in the departmental panels, in which control is positioned over certain players and it is inevitable that there will be disgruntled players. It’s general for the territory and the really important thing here is that the players stick to it. and Offaly attempts the Tailteann Cup.
A win in the Tailteann Cup wouldn’t replace anything and wouldn’t mean much, but it will help. This will help young players and help build confidence in Offaly football. This will help the transition from the county to the organization of counties the true top point and is the only immediate goal achievable.
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