Offaly hurlers travel to Wexford in first real test of their mettle

KEVIN EGAN looks ahead to Offaly"s first real test against a quality side in this year"s Allianz National Hurling League, as Joe Dooley"s side prepare to take on Wexford. As Lent draws ever closer to a close, it"s quite appropriate that Offaly hurling supporters finally get to end their compulsory 'fast' this weekend and once more partake of some competitive inter-county hurling. The county"s leading lights have been in action throughout the spring and five wins from five games is a perfectly healthy record regardless of the standards of opposition. However, there"s nothing quite like the satisfying anticipation and consumption of an important tie where winning and losing is right in the balance, and that looks to be very much on the menu this Sunday in Wexford Park. A series of comfortable wins for Offaly allied to Wexford experiencing one or two wobbles means that there is considerable optimism in advance of this weekend"s clash regarding the Faithful County"s chances of recording a victory, both at home and across the country. The feel-good factor from last Summer appears to have carried on into this season, while Joe Dooley"s deepening knowledge of his players has ensured that it will be a balanced and settled Offaly team that goes into battle on Sunday afternoon. Colm Bonnar has none of these advantages on his side and appears to be experiencing some teething problems in imposing his authority on a panel of players who have been known to display skilful hurling and wilful stubbornness in equal measure. He took the brave step of dropping both Diarmuid Lyng and Eoin Quigley for disciplinary reasons in advance of the Westmeath tie, though he was forced to pull back and call on both players as the result remained in the balance while the fat lady cleared her throat. He also left them out of his starting fifteen as it was named for the Down game but backtracked in this instance also and started Lyng at left half-forward (incidentally, Quigley looks set to miss the rest of the season after recently sustaining a cruciate ligament injury at training). Wexford certainly come into 2009 with plenty to prove as they made no secret of their wish to have John Meyler removed last Autumn so the issue of whether their disgruntlement with management has been resolved is still very much up in the air. Despite all this apparent conflict and unrest in the Wexford camp, they still enter this game as slight favourites with the bookmakers and that favouritism is no doubt influenced heavily by both the venue and by Offaly"s lack of serious match preparation in advance of this game. While on the one hand Wexford"s loss in Antrim and their narrow escape against Westmeath illustrates some weakness, it also means that Bonnar has a lot more to go on in terms of which of his players step up in difficult circumstances and which players might let him down. Offaly have yet to come under any pressure in this year"s league campaign and while Joe Dooley has been given ample proof of how Offaly can hurl well against meagre opposition, he has yet to see how his 2009 line-up performs when the heat is on. With this in mind, Dooley will no doubt be glad of the safety net that is in place for his players this weekend. A win keeps the pressure on Wexford, lays down a huge marker for the championship meeting later this year and opens the door for Antrim to snatch second spot in the division, while defeat will still leave Offaly with their division two fate in their own hands, with victory over Antrim in the last round guaranteeing a slot in the division two decider no matter what happens in Wexford Park. On an individual level, several players have a real chance to prove that they can operate at a higher level this weekend when they come up against some of the best hurlers in Leinster. Shane Dooley, Cathal Parlon and Daniel Currams are three young players who have each performed promisingly so far in this league campaign. However, a Wexford back line with Malachy Travers, Doc O"Connor, Stephen Nolan, Mick Jacob and Darren Stamp all restored to their preferred positions will test any young forward and they collectively proved their worth last week when they kept Down to only two points in the first half, albeit with the Ulstermen facing a stiff breeze. Jacob was being tried in midfield in the early stages of this league campaign but Colm Bonnar last week restored him to right wing-back where he performed extremely well in 2008 and he"ll be just one of several Wexford defenders keen to prove a point next week. At the other end of the field, Offaly"s half-back line will be faced with a variety of threats and will get a real test of their championship credentials. The two wing slots are likely to be filled by Paul Carley and Diarmuid Lyng, two men who will be expected to carry the bulk of Wexford"s scoring workload between them. Carley is an extremely accurate marksman who will take opportunities from frees or from play if given the opportunity, while Lyng is very much the heartbeat of this Wexford team, covering acres of ground and popping up with countless crucial scores. His craft and wrist-work is excellent and even when he"s not scoring heavily himself, he tends to create a lot of chances, either by drawing fouls or by bringing his fellow attackers into play. A combination of tight and disciplined marking is required to curtail his influence this Sunday. However, it is the likely deployment of teenager Andrew Shore at centre-forward that will be of particular interest to those wondering if the Model County have perhaps found one of hurling"s future stars. The physically imposing graduate from last year"s minor ranks was handed the opportunity to stake a claim in Wexford"s last two outings and has seized his chance with both hands, scoring 1-3 while catching the eye with the stylish nature of some of his points. If Shore succeeds in offering a third scoring outlet in the Wexford half forward line, then Offaly"s backs could find themselves struggling to raise their game from previous weeks, where the standard of opposition meant that they faced one or two decent forwards at most. Offaly"s sojourns in division two have meant that local hurling followers have endured quite the fast this past Lenten period. The spell of abstinence comes to an end in the south east this Sunday and with the return of competitive hurling, supporters will also get the first real indication of whether the positive momentum from 2008 can in fact be carried on into Joe Dooley"s sophomore season. The sunny south east may be as bright as the name implies or it may be overcast and dark, such has been our weather this year, but either way, it looks set to be enlightening.