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Winning Start Crucial As Offaly Aim For National Football League Promotion

Thursday, 3 February 2011

Stephen Lonergan is in contention for a place in the Offaly defence on Sunday.

IT is very early in the season to be talking about must win games but Offaly face an absolutely crucial one when they begin their National Football League Division 3 campaign at home to Cavan on Sunday.
Any team with ambitions of promotion must win their home games and it is vitally important that Tom Cribbin's charges make a winning start on Sunday next.
A defeat would leave them facing an uphill battle in a division that is not exactly brimful of quality but which will still provide a real challenge for Offaly - They also face games against Limerick, Louth, Westmeath, Wexford, Tipperary and Waterford.
Offaly displayed some mixed form in the O'Byrne Cup and Shield. They were well beaten by DCU in the O'Byrne Cup proper while in the shield, they recorded a good away win against Longford but were badly beaten by Dublin in Parnell Park.
Offaly, however, fielded a very experimental team in the O'Byrne Cup and they will definitely be putting their strongest hand forward on Sunday next.
Some of the new or younger players that featured in the O'Byrne Cup will not make it, though U-21s such as Noel Graham and Michael Brazil may be carried to give them the experience and newcomers such as Padraig Bracken and Nigel Dunne are likely to make the panel.
Cribbin will be under pressure from the County Board to cut the panel ahead of the league - New guidelines mean that there is only a panel of 26 for match days but Cribbin told the Tribune on Monday that he hopes to be allowed to retain 32 players, including some U-21s, both to give new players the benefit of a year's training as well as ensuring that training numbers are kept up.
Rhode's defeat by Kilmacud Crokes in the Leinster club football final means that their players are back on board and Niall McNamee, Brian Darby, Niall Darby, Anton Sullivan and Shane Sullivan were all expected at training last night (Tuesday).
Long serving midfielder, Alan McNamee has not been asked back after making a late season come back last year but the presence of Niall McNamee and the two Darby's and the two Sullivan's on the panel greatly strengthens Offaly's hand.
Encouragingly Clara's Thomas Deehan also returned to training last week - The Clara marksman did not come on board last year and there were fears that he would opt out again but these have now been dispelled. Deehan is in good shape but is unlikely to start on Sunday, though he may well feature at some stage.
Niall McNamee is a definite starter in his usual left corner forward position while Anton Sullivan is also likely to start in an attack that may include a debutant in Tubber's Bernard Allen.
The defence is likely to be backboned by Scott Brady at full back and Joe Quinn at centre back with Alan Mulhall, Eoin Brennan, Brian Darby, James Keane, Sean Pender, Stephen Lonergan, Niall Darby, Karol Slattery and Sean Ryan all in contention for places.
Brian Connor is carrying a hamstring injury at the minute but is expected to be okay and he will definitely start at midfield if he gets the all clear - Where he will be partnered by John Coughlan or Richie Dalton.
Graham Guilfoyle and Ciaran McManus are likely to start on the half forward line and Sean Ryan, Nigel Dunne and David Egan are also in contention for places in the attack.
Offaly are without Ross Brady who suffered a broken jaw in a challenge game defeat by Sligo last week while Niall Smith is suspended.
Cribbin confirmed to the Tribune on Monday that he would definitely be starting his strongest possible team.
'We will be putting our best foot forward for Sunday,' he said, adding that the O'Byrne Cup gave them an ideal platform to try out new players, even if some of them were 'thrown in at the deep end'.
He stressed that promotion was their target this season and he acknowledged that a winning start on Sunday was crucial.
Sunday's game should attract a reasonable crowd to O'Connor Park and it will be interesting to see how Offaly fare. They are definitely capable of winning but will have to produce a good performance to do so.

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