Offaly Senior Football 2026

[Snotser123]

Were roo MC and keelaghan dropped or left of their own accord ?

[Snotser123]

Bill Carroll barely kicked a ball for cappincur last year, literally barely kicked a ball...iv no problem with anton but to keep going back to him says everything about your lack of names you can bring to the table ......I'm with you on sawyer an Murphy absolutely ....I absolutely am with you....neither should have been picked over lads from Offaly.....cian farrell choose not to come in and play after being subbed in a game .....this after how many below level performances....I think the jersey deserves more respect than that but as iv stated before on here maybe he apologized for it to the group and management and if he did he should have been asked back in ...I don't know nor never know to claim the facts on any of that ....but I do know he refused to turn up for a match because he was subbed in the previous game....and we haven't seen him since ....

[Lone Shark]

The problem with this debate is that each case is individual, and it's not fair to get into the reasons when some of us might be very well-informed in SOME instances, but unless you're going to have management and players alike go on the record, there's going to be an element of speculation involved.

What we can say is that nothing is black and white, when you're dealing with humans, there's always a sliding scale. So rather than go into individual names, let's instead put them into groups, and stay factual while we're doing it. In each case, I'm only referring to players who, on raw ability, are in the top 40 or so footballers in Offaly and so would be in the conversation for selection.

GROUP ONE: PLAYERS WHO MANAGEMENT DOES NOT WANT

Just to be clear, nobody is suggesting that a player being talented enough to play for Offaly should be the only criterion that matters. Of course someone has to have the right attitude, they have to have a positive effect on the dressing room, they have to be a net benefit to the squad. And it goes without saying that if there is a player who has no interest in getting themselves physically and mentally right to play intercounty football, you can't have that.

The issue that's out there is that in a Cork/Galway/Tipp hurling or a Kerry/Dublin/Mayo football scenario, you can have an "only perfection will do" attitude, because there is ludicrous depth, and there will always be an alternative who is pretty decent.

If you are an Offaly football (or hurling) manager, you have to accept that we live in a different world. You have to be selective here, but ideally you are trying to maintain some sort of consistency all the same. In the example cited of a player not showing up for a game, of course that's a red card offence and you couldn't leave someone on the panel after it, but you also have to appreciate that these are fiercely driven, competitive athletes - they won't always act rationally. Ask Tommy Lyons and his management team about trying to control Ciarán McManus in his early days as an Offaly footballer - it wasn't simple. But they did, and Offaly got a great career out of (in my opinion) the best footballer we've had since Matt Connor.

Let's not ignore here either that there are other key players on the panel currently, who have stepped out of line in the past too.

In a nutshell, I think each new year should be a new start, within reason. And if management has a list of three or four good players they won't consider, then that's fine. If the list is double that or longer, then maybe, in an Offaly context, that's a bit much.

GROUP TWO: PLAYERS WHO ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO COMMIT

This is a simple one - I'm referring here to the likes of Cillian Bourke who is playing AFL, David Nally who is playing for the Offaly hurlers, anyone who has gone abroad to find work etc.. This will happen, and there's nothing anyone can do about. This is the one instance where things are black and white.

GROUP THREE: PLAYERS WHO DO NOT WANT TO PLAY FOR THIS MANAGEMENT

I think this is the one that causes the biggest issue, and it's one where again, one or two names in this category is fine, but significantly more than that, and it's time for a little bit of reflection. Conservatively, there are around four or five names in this bracket, and I'm not including potential intercounty footballers who chose hurling here.

This is where you have to live in the real world, rather than the ideal one. GAA clubs are small, tight-knit units and if as a county manager, if you knock over one domino, you have to think about what other ones might fall as well. And as with all these things, it's a risk/reward situation with no clearcut right and wrong answer, but this is the piece that Mickey Harte was supposed to fix, and it hasn't really happened.

This is one where Offaly GAA are in a tricky situation, because in the current context, one or two guys from this subset could be utterly transformative to the current group, and if Tom Parlon and company look at this through the prism of what is right/wrong, and what is best for Offaly football, they won't necessarily come up with the same answers.

[Cma154]

Jesus Snotser123 you really seem to have a problem with Cian Farrell as you keep stating that he refused to turn up to a game without knowing the facts. I can tell you for a FACT that wasnt true. Not being named in the matchday 26 is a reason for missing games and that was the league game against Down after he was taken off in the previous game aginst Clare when Offaly were 6 points up and ended up losing with a last gasp goal. Words were had as he was taken off and it doesnt look like DK has let it go from that day. He was seen after that as he came on against Laois, started againt London and came on against Limerick in the Tailteann Cup FACT. So can you stop saying about players not turning up without knowing the FACTS as there was other players who refused to turn up to games during DK reign as manager. Under any other management I'm certain RU MC, Aaron Kellaghan, Bill Carroll and Cian Farrell would be involved with Offaly at this moment so you can take what you want from that and it has alot to do with man management which can go a long way.

[Snotser123]

Every management will have players who won't fancy them ....even in a junior club certain lads will love the manager who maybe cut them slack training wise and always played them or hate the manager who didn't take any guff and dropped them for a big game for drinking the week before ....bottom line not all 35 lads knocking about a county panel ....the actual fact is a lot are gonna despise him for not putting them in a match day panel .....you don't think right now with cork hurlers and Kerry footballers there isn't serious bitterness and sourness with lads from clubs over there player giving everything in with a county panel but not making match day squad ever over a lad they don't rate as much ......and the line as old as time is all he got was a 5 second phone call......as if the management team was gonna take him and his family out for dinner just to break his heart and drop him ....im sure players like gakpo love slot because he keeps playing him through bad form and people like robertson will hate him and blame him for the club not offering him a new contract ....every sport at every level will have some players who love the manager and some who hate him ...m.i still can't think of one Offaly player who was a nailed on starter who left this Offaly panel because the training was so bad , because the management was so toxic or all these other claims we here ....it would have been so easy to walk away from this panel after how many losses in a row but every one who gets there game kept going ....

[Anon444]

Snotser, you keep asking ‘what players left that were getting gametime’ but I don’t think that’s a fair question. But to answer it, Nigel Dunne retired and Ruairi McNamee left at the end of the season.

The reason why I say it’s not fair is due to the age profile of the squad. When Declan Kelly first came in, he went with a lot of younger players and chopped a lot of the older lads. Fair enough, that was his call. But the point I’m making is that a lot of the younger lads will put up and shut up and get on with whatever is going on. They generally won’t leave the panel, irrespective of whether they are getting gametime or not. On the bench, the oldest player was Aidan Bracken who I imagine is around 25/26. Everyone is younger. It’s all hypothetical and your question isn’t as black and white as you are making it out to be.

That might come across as a shot at management but it isn’t intended that way. The fact is, as long as the players and management are doing well, I will be a happy Offaly supporter. Long may it continue.

[Snotser123]

I hear you but there's definitely a narrative that the only unhappy players are players that aren't getting game time and that's the same across the world in every sport let alone one you aren't paid to play.....if the hurlers had struggled in leinster would we have heard rumours about why Sampson walked away you can be sure we would have and we would have been told king and Sampson should have been kept around ....king like roo MC is at age where if you aren't getting game time it's hard to hang around ....

[jimbob17]

To best of my knowledge, it wasn't lack of game time in Ruairi McNamee leaving. He got good bit of game time under DK regime years - maybe not as much as he would have liked but he got game time. The bigger picture is why are lads who were involved in 2024 year not making themselves available in 2025 or 25 into 26.

Another question is why are there only 17 or 18 players being used when there are clearly lads outside the panel that would be stronger than plenty of panelists. Do they not have confidence in the panel they selected or what? In the 3rd year, youd think that a bit of depth to panel wouldve been created.

[Tmacmahon]

Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte will be over Offaly in 2027 but I stand over what I said previously we need more of an Offaly influx in the management team

[Behindthegoal]

All the talk of discontent in the camp... this year clearly demonstrates that the opposite is true and we have the panel of players who are there, who want to be there and who are working together for their team mates and their management.. bear in mind this is our championship and all games to this point and all preparation should have been for this. Im so sick of this shite talk about lads "who should be in there" its quite clear that the right lads are in there.. as for Cian Jonson his team mates hand him the ball at club level and he scores and does little or no other work, or even win any of his own ball, hes simply not good enough or fit enough for county level, if he was and he was bothered he'd be playing. What we've seen over the last 3 years in a nut shell is a tidy up and progression of Offaly football.. in kellys first year he started getting rid of the older lads and the rot (the ones that had achieved little or nothing and wanted to control the dressin room) and he blooded new and younger players .. that bore fruit the following year when harte came in and got rid of others aswell or didnt invite lads back.. we won division 3 and beat kildare twice in the process and we actually competed in the tailteann cup, something we rarely bothered with. This year we were in division 2 and simply had no chance with the number of injuries we had but management didnt panic and resisted the urge to recall the older lads and the rot back into the panel.. the team and management stuck together and prepared as best they could for the tailteann cup and we got some guys back from injury and credit to all involved.. and still shite talk about team selection, we beat clare the first day and now Down who beat Donegal a few weeks ago so i would say the team selection was fine.. id say there are lads on here who hate to see us win and be proved wrong.. get behind the team and management and forget about anton, nigel, panda, the cians, bill caroll and mcnamee and whatever other lads ye do be shiting on about.. if they were good enough and wanted, they would be there.

Ru mc was a great servant to offaly gave 10 years by all accounts a great fella and brilliant for the dressing room and has openly said he would come back if Kelly was gone so that tells you what went on there kelly has a grudge with Rhode as a club thats obvious and shouldnt be happening as county manager…


“They hand him the ball and he scores" you say that as if its easy is that not what Kerry do with Clifford or any team with their best shooter? if it was that simple everyone would be doing it he was top scorer in club championship by 10 points last year and you are trying to tell me some lads on the bench are better than him? Would be extremely surprised if we don’t see him on the bench the next day

[biffinbanner]

a fully fit cian johnson would be a huge asset to offaly going forward. anyone that cant see that mustnt have seen much of him over the last 7/8 years?

[Faithfully]

a fully fit cian johnson would be a huge asset to offaly going forward. anyone that cant see that mustnt have seen much of him over the last 7/8 years?

Hopefully, but the reality is that he is 27 this year and has played zero minutes of senior inter county championship football in his career. A few league starts, the last of which was in 2020.

If he makes it, great, but we shouldn't be depending on it.

[G91]

Id have to agree here , he had one magnificent county final v rhode got Injured then and took him a short while to get back to his best

He's a fantastic club player, plenty ability but I couldn't see him making an impact at senior championship id love to be proven wrong.

But as seen in last year's final Ferbane and tullamore he can be managed very well and have little impact on the game.

Darragh Flynn was better In that forward line so seems to be a decision between the 2 who was to be called in Darragh got the nod and Cian got brought in the extended panel with the view he could make improvements and make an impression that would get him onto the panel

This is probably all load nonsense who knows

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Have to agree on the situation with Cian Johnson. A forward has to be able to stop kick outs and defenders getting out easily. Of course as an attacker he is a threat, but he needs to be able to do that aspect of the game too.
Without that you get over run the other end. are all the rest of our forwards good at that, no, and are they better than him, I don't know. But that is an area of the game that is crucial. And he has also been well marked over the years to at club level.
A pity though and hopefully the year involved with Offaly can bring that aspect of his game on and he has been working on it in training which he may not have been asked to do that with Ferbane.