www.uibhfhaili.com

Offaly Senior Hurlers Review 2008 – Part 1
There are so many unanswered questions from Joe Dooleys first year in charge.
Has the team improved? Has the standard improved? Has the preparation improved?
Has the player’s mentality improved?
For me the answers to most of the above is no. Or in some cases there has been an improvement but very slight.

1. Captain
At the very start of last season I was very surprised when Joe appointed Kevin Brady as captain.
I felt that this was the wrong decision. A team struggling over the last few years needed a big player to take over the captaincy.
A player that would inspire those around him. Kevin Brady isn’t that type of person.
He is a quiet individual who gets on with his hurling.
With so many U/21’s on the team they needed an older guy on the team to look up to.
Once Joe Dooley decided Ger Oakley was going to be on his starting 15 then he should have been made captain.
Next choice for me would have been David Franks, but because he doesn’t play his club hurling in Offaly that doesn’t help his case.
I think the above will be proven correct this year because in his 2nd year I would be astonished if Joe appoints him captain again.
I found it embarrassing after the Kilkenny game when interviewed by RTE Brady wasn’t even capable of saying a few sentences.
This is no dig at him; he shouldn’t have been put in such an uncomfortable position in the first place.

I arrived just before Offaly took the field against Kilkenny and to my absolute shock I saw
Brian Mullins leading out the team. Now before any of you start I ain’t questioning his ability.
We all know how good a goal keeper he can be. But his attitude epitomises everything that
is wrong with Offaly hurling at the moment. He trains when he wants and down the years he
has let Offaly hurling down on so many occasions that it’s not funny. How he can be given such an honour?
All you had to do was see the body language of the players to see that we hadn’t a chance.
There wasn’t even a team huddle before or after the national anthem. Beaten before the throw in.
The role of the county captain should be to represent the county with pride, respect and leadership when
requested. The county captain has to be someone that players respect and a person that people can look
up to and can be inspired. For me Kevin Brady and definitely Brain Mullins do not fit this criteria.
Unless Joe Dooley makes the right decision this year from the start, then in my opinion we will fail.

Like we did last year.

*Ahem*
This may well boil down to a matter of opinions,but in my case I would absolutely say yes that our hulers have improved as a team,as individuals and certainly in their mentality.
Take the team as an example.
When drawn agin' the previous years' finalists nobody gave 'em a chance,so much so that 2 men and a dog travelled to watch them in what would turn out to be their finest hour...a true team performance that exemplifies an improvement on the previous campaign.
Now we'll take the mentality as an example.
The above occurrences in the Gaelic grounds could be cited also as evidence of improved mentality,but for me that was shown in a game that was lost,agin' the Deise.In Semple that day there was a real buzz among the Faithful,but that bubble was burst early on when a sizeable lead was given away.For me there was an obvious improvement in mentality in the team when the fightback ensued.Although it didn't result in an overall victory,it is evidence of a new belief and an improved mentality.They could have capitulated so easily that they,but they did not.Strong minds right there.
The issue of captaincy is an interesting one...and if I'm honest one that I never thought to be all that important.
There are leaders all over the pitch,that do not necessarily have to be captain.

I have read the website the last few months so I decided to register and join in the debates.
I believe from watching the hurlers in 2008 that they have improved.
Between 2005-07 the hurlers only won championship games against Laois, Antrim, Dublin so this year by beating a top 8 team in limerick one would have to say that there was an improvement. Alot of new hurlers have come into the team and at times hurled very well horan, currams, Mahon etc and a few like Kenny, Franks, Oakley, Murphy,Hannify, Carroll were consistent. The younger players just need a bit more experience and consistency will follow.
Choosing a captain is hard to do, but no matter who Dooley picks people will have an opinion on it. I would like to see an older member of the squad get it like hannify murphy or Oakley.
I would have to say that the hurlers are on the right road and hopefully in 2009 they will start beating the teams like Galway, Waterford, Clare Wexford in c'ship and begin closing the gap on Kilkenny

Like the last poster i to have decided to register to give my tupence worth. 2008 was most definetly a year of improvement, however it will count for nothing unless built upon. The hurlers have two targets to meet. 1 - win division two and return to topflight hurling on merit, and, 2- defeat wexford in the Leinster Q.F. If both are achieved confidence show be flowing through the veins of the team regardless of who they play after. No one is expecting them quite to get up to the Cats standard soon but a steady rate of progress is required to restore some lost pride in the years before 2008.
Finally best of luck to the boys in the year ahead, at least our players want to play for their county unlike a certain team in red. So if things aren't quite working out on the pitch dont give up on them, they are only human, trying their best and they need your support.

joe bloggs wrote:So if things aren't quite working out on the pitch dont give up on them, they are only human, trying their best and they need your support.

I don't think anyone would argue with that. Generally speaking it is a good and committed bunch of players and they'll do their utmost to hurl at their best for Offaly, so I'd expect that they will get well supported this year, albeit not overlo so in some of the less glamourous league matches.

Having said that, we shouldn't forget that Wexford ended 2008 on the up as well, and they have just as much reason as us to be positive. Basically I'd hate to see us putting all our eggs in the "beating Wexford" basket since it would be possible to still hurl reasonably well and get edged out by them at least once, if not twice.

There will be more than one chance to demonstrate real improvement in 2009 - let's hope that we see it at some stage.

Hurlers remain our best hope for 2009. In all games in last years championship they demonstrated great backbone (even in the KK game they kept trying hard). The footballers would do well to show that sort of fight. Young Dooley is one of the best forwards in the land and I hope he pushes on and continues to mature. If Bergin can get a bit of consitancy going we'd be a match for anyone. Shark is correct in saying we should not put all the eggs in one basket with the Wexford game but its hard to get away from the fact that it is a huge match and a win could be a step to great things.