Laois game will tell Offaly a lot about Joe McDonagh Cup ambitions

IT is too early to talk about must win games and there is a margin for error but Offaly senior hurlers will learn a lot more about their Joe McDonagh Cup ambitions when they welcome Laois to Tullamore for the opening round on Saturday next.

Having come down out of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship last year and competed in Division 1 of the National Hurling League this year, Laois are the favourites to win the Joe McDonagh Cup. However, it is a mantle that is resting very tenderly on their shoulders and there is a gilt edged opportunity there for Offaly this year.

The impression that Laois are slipping is unavoidable, even if they remain very strong opposition. They have been ahead of Offaly in recent years but the gap does appear to be very small at the moment. Time will tell on that and we will learn an awful lot more on Saturday.

Laois enter the Joe McDonagh Cup on the back of a poor National Hurling League campaign. It was no surprise that they would struggle in the top flight as Laois finished pointless with a -63 scoring difference.

Offaly had a similar experience there last year but the scale of the beatings Laois received won't have done anything for them. They shipped over 30 points in their defeats by Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny while Dublin were just one point short of that rubicon on 1-29.

They were beaten by Antrim, 3-18 to 1-18 in their other game and this result will have caused them most angst. This was the relegation battle and Laois will have been bitterly disappointed at their result here.

Offaly were desperately unlucky to lose to Antrim in their opening Joe McDonagh Cup game last year and all the indications are that their meeting with Laois is a 50-50 one.

While Offaly competed at a lower level, their confidence should be higher than Laois. They have performed well and were delighted to beat Kildare in the National Hurling League Division 2 final on Sunday. That puts them back into Division 1 but the real priority for Offaly this year is the championship.

The minimum requirement is to reach the final and that is no simple task. Offaly are down key men in Oisin Kelly, Ross Ravenhill and Padraig Cantwell and another long term injury to an important player could sabotage their chances.

Offaly will be playing seven weeks in a row. They have played the last four weekends in league and the Laois Joe McDonagh Cup game will be quickly followed by Kildare away and Down at home. There is a week's break before they resume with Kerry at home and Carlow away.

It is impossible to legislate for injuries, other than protecting players with niggles and managing their game load but the biggest fear is they will just run out of energy. This happened them last year when they were beaten by Carlow in their last group game and denied a place in the final.

It is part of what makes this opener so important. Offaly almost got a result in Antrim in their first game last year and ultimately, their failure to do so was as fatal as the Carlow malfunction. A win on Saturday will really set Offaly up. It will increase their margin for error and ease the pressure a bit. There are tough games ahead and apart from Saturday, the meetings with Kerry, Carlow and Kildare all have the potential to go wrong.

It would be a massive achievement to remain unbeaten and the likelihood is someone will catch Offaly in the group stage. A win against Laois could make them and it is well within their compass.