Offaly can make winning start in Belfast
By Kevin Egan
In Division 3 of the Allianz Football League, where the Offaly footballers will go into every contest with some measure of optimism and trepidation, the outcome of this Sunday’s fixture in Belfast (2pm) is likely to have a considerable influence on the mood of the panel over the coming weeks and months.
On the basis of last season’s Tailteann Cup, Cavan and Westmeath will start as the clear favourites for promotion, with Down and Longford marked out as the most likely contenders to disrupt that expectation. Having just come down from Division Two, not to mention having come agonisingly close to staying up (as anyone who was in Tullamore for last year’s Cork game will testify), Offaly might have been included in that bracket, but the number of significant absentees from the panel will temper expectations somewhat.
Also in the division are Antrim, who haven’t played well but who have made a brave and interesting managerial choice in the form of Andy McEntee; a depleted Tipperary side now that Robbie Kiely, Michael Quinlivan, Bill Maher and Jason Lonergan have left the group; and a Fermanagh team where the vibes coming out of the county aren’t particularly good.
There appear to be four obvious promotion contenders, albeit this column wouldn’t be that optimistic regarding Westmeath, since Jack Cooney was arguably the most under-rated manager in the game over the past few years, and an untested Dessie Dolan will have to do exceptionally well to come close to operating at the same level.
With Antrim, Tipperary, Fermanagh likely to be relegation battlers, Offaly are somewhere in the middle. Capable of picking up 10 or 11 points and getting into the promotion mix absolutely, but on the other hand, one slip up over the next two weeks would be a setback. Anything less than two points would push Offaly right into the relegation mix.
If Antrim were coming to Tullamore this weekend, then this would be set up for a comfortable start for Liam Kearns’ men. The logistics of a trip of that nature make it much trickier, but the idea that Corrigan Park is some sort of fortress doesn’t hold water either. Limerick and Westmeath both picked up wins there last year, while the “Corrigan or nowhere” saga in the Ulster championship didn’t end well for the Saffrons either, as they were duly hammered by Cavan at the Belfast venue.
Offaly have operated at a decent level over the past couple of seasons and unless standards drop considerably, that’s at least four or five points ahead of how Antrim have performed. Even allowing for a bounce from McEntee’s appointment, and home advantage, the needle is pointing ever so slightly towards the optimistic end of the scale this weekend.
*Ladies set to take on Louth
The Offaly ladies footballers started their league campaign with a devilishly tricky tie away to Wexford (2022 Intermediate championship finalists) and, despite an excellent start, succumbed to a nine-point defeat.
That was always likely to be a bridge too far, but the story is very different this Sunday, when Louth come to Bretland Park in Clara. This is exactly the type of group that this team needs to be able to beat to solidify their future in this division, and while the Wee County will travel in confidence too after beating Longford in week one, Offaly badly need to make home advantage count this week.
It’s a 2pm throw-in on Sunday in Clara, so if you’re not in Belfast, there’s still an Offaly team that would appreciate your support, so get out there!