Offaly can do the double as Laois go in cold

By Kevin Egan

For the Offaly footballers to go into last Sunday’s Allianz League opener against Sligo with so little fanfare was quite the achievement, all things considered.

The fixture in Tullamore was never going to rival Storm Éowyn or the new rules for headlines, but it was still the first competitive fixture that saw Mickey Harte as part of the management team. Despite this, the eyes of the nation were very much elsewhere. When it came to predictions, every national media outlet, and many of the local ones too, forecast a difficult afternoon for the home side, reasonably enough given the different journeys the two counties had travelled since their meeting last year.

We’re not about to suggest that a single home league win in Division 3 in January is cause for a parade around the streets of Tullamore, but what played out in Glenisk O’Connor Park was nonetheless hugely encouraging. Expect the hype train to build up very soon if the squad can build on this excellent start.

There were areas of concern. Not every team will go through the type of shooting yips that Sligo endured in the third quarter and kickout retention will be a concern too, given the relative lack of heft in the middle third of the field. But once again, it is January, and every team will have a lot of room for improvement, notwithstanding the adjustment that will be needed with regard to the new rules.

But it’s been quite a while since there has been this much cause for optimism at this time of year. Two years ago the league kicked off and Offaly opened up with consecutive wins over Antrim and Fermanagh, but anyone who attended those games saw John Maughan’s side hold their nerve in tight finishes, as opposed to grow into a game and surge across the finish line.

This Offaly team has a range of scoring threats. Cormac Egan and Cathal Flynn’s energy and running through the middle cause problems for opponents, and Paddy Dunican looks like a crucial addition to the group at a time when goalkeepers have never been more important to a team’s attacking play. At the risk of building expectation, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives quite comfortably.

Under normal circumstances, this Sunday’s trip to Portlaoise (4pm) would look like a very sticky test, and one that might see Offaly slip back to a mid-table position by Sunday evening. That may still happen, but given the absence of pre-season competitions and the new rules, getting games has never been more important. For Laois to have their first round trip to Leitrim cancelled is a huge setback for Justin McNulty and his panel.

Already, McNulty is operating with a depleted squad, particularly up front where Eoin Lowry, Paul Kingston and Evan O’Carroll are all absent from the starting forward unit that started the Leinster championship game between the two counties last April.

Neither is home advantage much of a factor here, any more than it would be if the game was taking place a half-hour north in Tullamore.

All things being equal, this would be a game that would be very tough to call – but all things aren’t equal, so with a spring in their step, Offaly should travel with conviction and return happy.

Hurlers in similar position

Likewise for Johnny Kelly and the hurlers, they too go to Portlaoise (throw-in 2pm) with a good competitive game behind them, plotting to take on a Laois team that didn’t get the chance to take to the field last weekend.

There have been changes to the Laois panel since last year too. The 26 that was named for the postponed fixture with Westmeath didn’t contain Ryan Mullaney, Paddy Delaney, Ross King or Stephen Maher, while Paddy Purcell was only named on the bench after coming back to the panel a little later than most.

Depth is not a huge problem for Laois, however, and while there were some eye-catching selections, such as the tenacious but relatively small Fiachra C Fennell at centre-back, and 19-year-old Jer Quinlan at centre-forward. However these are similar to the situation in Offaly, where there are big name absentees like Cillian Kiely and Ben Conneely, meaning U-20s like Dan Ravenhill and Donal Shirley have taken on key roles. It should be noted that Shirley was particularly impressive against Carlow, his performance was arguably the most pleasing aspect of the entire game.

There is clearly pressure on this fixture, as upcoming ties against Liam MacCarthy counties Antrim and Dublin will be extremely tricky. So of the two games that make up Sunday’s double header, this one looks more consequential and it should be that bit tougher to win too.

All that said, the value of having 70 minutes of good hurling done might make a difference in a tight finish, particularly if Offaly find a way to give a little bit more scoring support to Dan Bourke and Charlie Mitchell along the centre of the attack.

Ladies facing a tough spring

Losing a league opener in Enniscorthy against a strong Wexford team wasn’t a disaster for this new-look Offaly team, but losing by 16 points in a division where the other two games played were decided by two-point margins is deeply concerning.

Completing the trifecta, Greg Farrelly’s side also face an away trip on Sunday down the N80 to a team that didn’t get the chance to play a game in week one, that being Carlow (Netwatch Carlow Training Centre, 2pm). It seems ridiculous to say this in advance of a game on February 2, but if they don’t pick up a win here, it’s hard to see where one might come from, so this already looks like one of the most important fixtures of 2025 for the group.

Limerick look to have made progress, Louth fell narrowly short against a Cavan side that is young but quite talented, and teams like Laois and Down should be in the promotion mix, alongside Wexford.

Failing to score in the second half, particularly when Wexford had their work done and had no cause to push on, would indicate that the absence of experience and residual fitness that comes with playing several years of inter-county football is going to be an issue for the side. Addressing that might take more time than they have at their disposal.