Great chance for Offaly to book Joe McDonagh Cup final berth when Kerry come to Tullamore

THE impression remains that Offaly senior hurlers could still be caught at some stage with a flat, subdued performance but they will have a golden opportunity to relieve a lot of pressure when they welcome Kerry to Tullamore on Sunday next for round 4 of the Joe McDonagh Cup.

So far, Offaly have done everything that has been asked of them and are performing very well, showing a great degree of consistency. They have won their three games, beating Laois, Kildare and Down and now have a final berth within touching distance.

With Kerry at home this Sunday and Carlow away in their following game, Offaly are in the very happy position of having their fate in their own hand. They are on top of the table with six points, followed by Kerry on 5, Carlow 4, Laois 3 and Kildare and Down 0.

One win out of their remaining two games will put Offaly into the final and there is a golden opportunity to achieve that on Sunday and ensure that their visit to Carlow the following Saturday is a dead rubber for them.

It has been a very good season for Offaly so far. They have won promotion back to Division 1 of the National Hurling League and the real big target for the season is victory in the Joe McDonagh Cup and a place in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship next season.

Despite bad injuries to Oisin Kelly, Padraig Cantwell and Ross Ravenhill, Offaly have done really well so far. A huge win over Laois in their first game really set them up. This was followed by an easy 2-22 to to 3-11 win over Kildare and then a 1-26 to 1-15 success against Down.

The Down game two weeks ago was Offaly's least convincing display of the campaign and manager Johnny Kelly will be hoping that this is their flat performance out of their system. Whether it is or not remains to be seen and there is of course every chance that Offaly won't have a real off day.

They certainly have a terrific opportunity of promotion and they are now the favourites, the team to beat. Laois were the starters favourites but that defeat by Offaly and a draw against Carlow in their last game has left them on a tight rope, starting an early exit in the face.

Laois play Kildare at home and Kerry away in their last two games and two wins may not be enough to get them to the final, though it will give them a great chance – if results go as anticipated. Carlow will almost certainly move onto six points this week in Down, and Laois could be relying on Offaly to beat Kerry and Carlow to keep them alive.

Offaly, however, won't be worrying about such permutations or who they might or might not meet in the final. They can afford one defeat but they would love to go through the campaign unbeaten.

Offaly, however, are facing into two very tricky games, banana skins that could end up with them on their behinds very handy.

Kerry and Carlow command the utmost of respect. Kerry have ran Offaly down to the wire in recent games while Carlow put them out of the Joe McDonagh Cup last year. Offaly gave a very lifeless performance in that game in O'Connor Park and memories of that has supporters on high alert.

No one will be counting any chickens before they are hatched. Offaly do look to have improved since last year. Several players are in excellent form, Cillian Kiely is back on the panel and playing great stuff, Jason Sampson has settled in very well to a new role at centre half back; Ben Conneely is revelling in life at corner back; Ciaran Burke is developing into a real leader at full back and Eoghan Cahill's scoring in the attack continues to take the breath away.

There are plenty of others playing well but again, the impression remains that a bad day at the office is still possible.

Failure to get to the final would be a massive body blow. A place in the final also gives a game in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship preliminary quarter-finals against a Munster or Leinster team and a game of this nature would be great for Offaly.

With an outstanding generation of last year's minor team getting ready for senior county hurling, it is an exciting time for Offaly. Some of the current players will be gone when they come onto the scene over the next 2-3 years. A couple such as Shane Dooley and David King will have come to the natural end of their careers. There are a few others who simply won't make it when the new talent emerges but they all have a responsibility to leave Offaly in the best position possible.

The Down game was Offaly's seventh weekend out in a row and the week's break should have refreshed them. At this stage, it would be a disaster if Offaly don't reach the final. That can't be ruled out and Kerry and Carlow will relish taking them on. At the same time, they should be able to win at least one of them.

Kerry represents an ideal opportunity for them. The Munster side are capable of a big display but Offaly's performances have been better to date. Kerry defeated Down and Kildare, drew with Carlow. They are unbeaten but this is really a must win game for them and they will be treating it as knockout. Still, Offaly are certainly well capable of getting the win they desire and O'Connor Park is a big help to them. They should book their final place.