Offaly can certainly do what's needed to avoid the drop

By Kevin Egan

Not that you’d know it when you put your boot down on any of the wet pitches all across the county, still crying out for a bit of drying after an incredibly wet spring, but championship is almost around the corner.

The Offaly minor hurlers, U-20 footballers and minor footballers will all make their championship starts over the next seven days, with every other representative team also getting a lot closer to their first big game of the year.

However before that can be considered, there is the minor matter of a relegation showdown against Limerick to be dealt with for the senior footballers.

From a position of real peril a few short weeks ago, a dominant win over Wicklow and a good away point against Sligo have really changed the arithmetic. Add in Wicklow’s one-point win over Limerick last week in Aughrim, and the outlook for the group is a lot more positive.

The return of a handful of senior players has strengthened the team, as has the remarkable form of Dylan Hyland, who is fast becoming a leading attacking weapon and someone that will be earmarked by Laois as the main threat on the Offaly side when the two counties meet on April 13.

On paper, Sunday’s game (throw-in 2pm) should be a simple exercise. Limerick are relegated, regardless of what happens in Tullamore, and while that will take some of the pressure off and allow the visitors to play with the type of freedom that you don’t usually see in relegation showdowns, Offaly should be a lot more confident and comfortable in what they’re doing. Declan Kelly’s troops have everything to play for, and that usually means a lot in games like this.

There is a safety net in place, in that even if Offaly lose this game, a home win or draw in Antrim’s contest against Wicklow will keep the Faithful County up, but there is no good reason why it should come to that.

Limerick are averaging just 11 points per game, and in just one match out of six did they raise more than ten flags. Offaly’s last four tallies are 1-12, 2-14, 5-15 and 1-10. It’s not exactly shooting the lights out, but it is the second-best scoring record in the division, and a respectable ninth overall, across all 32 Allianz Football League teams.

With Jack Bryant and Keith O’Neill getting closer to form, Nigel Dunne making his minutes on the field count to great effect and Hyland leading the charge, Offaly can and should win this with something to spare, and keep the feelgood factor going into the championship opener.