Tailteann Cup opportunity beckons for Offaly but they must hit ground running
THERE will be a lot of pressure, a lot of interest on Offaly senior footballers as they begin their second tier Tailteann Cup campaign with a home game against Wicklow in Tullamore on Saturday afternoon.
Drawn in a group with Wicklow, Waterford and Laois, they are away to Waterford on May 17/18 and then play Laois at a neutral venue on May 31/June 1 – there is a possibility that the counties will toss for venue in this.
After a very good year to date, Offaly now have an opportunity of more progress but they have to want it and go for it.
Their dreadful record in second tier competitions is well known and last year in particular was horrific. They suffered shocking defeats at the hands of London and Limerick before wrapping up their campaign with a more acceptable loss against Down.
The memory of those London and Limerick performances won't leave anyone who was at them in a hurry. The sheer lack of interest Offaly showed on both days can't be forgotten and ensures that there is a big spotlight on them this year.
That is no bad thing and it will be very interesting to see what Offaly's response is. They have definitely improved significantly this year, surpassing expectations by winning promotion to Division 2 of the National Football League and capturing the Division 3 title. They were in a great position when leading by ten points at half time in the Leinster championship against Meath before floundering in the second half.
Meath subsequently ended Dublin's long run of dominance in Leinster and that is another positive for Offaly – we can't say that they would also have beaten Dublin and there are doubts if they would have had the power to do so but they would have been very competitive against them and are moving in the right direction.
They need to build on their good work now in the Tailteann Cup and treat it with the respect it deserves. On form, Offaly are capable of winning it and a success here would do a lot of good going forward. Their record, however, means that we just don't know if they will get up for it enough.
They have continued training hard since the loss to Meath and have beaten Cavan in two challenges. They look to be treating it seriously and working hard but we won't know until they play Wicklow on Saturday.
That will be the litmus test and supporters will be very unforgiving if the squad go belly up once again. There has been changes to the panel since the Meath game with Nigel Dunne retiring and Durrow duo Kevin McDermott and Jack O'Brien opting out. These departures are not indicative of an underlying apathy and Offaly look to be up for it.
Their preparations have been disrupted with the sudden death of Noel Bracken, a brother of full back, Aidan Bracken and that is a very tragic loss that will greatly affect a player who has been playing well and his many friends on the panel.
Diarmuid Egan and Cillian Bourke are back from injury and will strengthen the options available to management, who have been reluctant to use subs in recent games.
Having achieved promotion, the minimum requirement for Offaly is to qualify for the knockout stages and they need to get a winning start on Saturday.
Wicklow won't be simple and we can be more certain of them approaching this game in the right way than of Offaly. With Wicklow not getting promotion in Division 4 and Offaly gone to Division 2, this really should be a home win- Wicklow did acquit themselves very well in their championship defeat to Dublin and that will have Offaly on high alert.
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Despite that, anything other than a home win is a calamity for Offaly but they have to be right for it. They can't take anything for granted and a Wicklow win would not be a big surprise. Saturday's game will tell a lot about Offaly's true state of mind and it will be very interesting to see their performance.