All pressure off as Offaly hurlers face into dead rubber in Waterford

THEY will be fiercely determined to give a good account of themselves but Offaly are in the very happy position of travelling to Walsh Park in Waterford next Saturday for what is a National Hurling League Division 1B dead rubber for them.

No one would have anticipated this at the start of the year but an emerging, exciting Offaly have performed brilliantly to secure promotion with a round to go.

It has been a super campaign for them and their single most important result was the dramatic last gasp win over Dublin in Croke Park.

It also means that they can relax for this game and Offaly will have a different team lining out. They have played several of their U20 hurlers throughout the campaign and with their defence of their All-Ireland and Leinster crowns looming in the first week of April, they will have to allow them the opportunity to prepare for this.

The bottom line for Offaly is that the next two games in the league don't really matter. They will compete in a league final a week later, most likely against Waterford, but there are much bigger fishes to fry later in the summer.

Staying up in the Leinster championship is now the season's big priority and the securing of promotion is a real bonus.

Sunday's game does give an opportunity for other players to stake their claim and impress and they need to grasp this if they are to feature later in the year.

Two years ago, Offaly were in a similar position when they travelled to Carlow for a closing Joe McDonagh Cup group game with a final place already in the bag. Offaly gave a very poor display that day and there weren't many fringe players who put their hand up for inclusion. Offaly then suffered a devastating defeat in the final but have turned things around very spectacularly since then.

They won the Joe McDonagh Cup last year to return to the top flight and the U-20s stunning All-Ireland success has enhanced the mood of optimism in the county. The performances in the league have added to this and with the footballers closing in on promotion as well, Offaly is enjoying a great Spring in both codes.

There are a lot of obstacles ahead but the hurlers are improving dramatically. The quality and potential that their bright young guns have is well known but there is an older core who have worked so hard to reach their full potential. The displays of players such as Ciaran Burke, Ross Ravenhill, Killian Samspon and Brian Duignan has been crucial to the younger players and the future certainly looks bright at the moment.

Waterford are hot favourites for Saturday's game. They have to win to be sure of promotion and a defeat would be a complete disaster for them. They have been an A level county for several years now, whereas Offaly are just working their way back up the tiers. Offaly won't be at full strength on Saturday but Waterford will be picking their strongest available team.

Expect Offaly to give a good account of themselves but Waterford to get away for the win in the second half.