Promotion back to Leinster Senior Hurling Championship would serve Offaly very well

WHILE Offaly were thrilled to get promotion back to Division 1 in Sunday's National Hurling League Division 2 final against Kildare in Portlaoise, the Joe McDonagh Cup is the real target this year.

Sunday's game was a real test of endurance , a war of attrition for Offaly as they stood up to be counted all over the field. 1-4 tro 0-1 behind early on, they steadied the ship before half time, enjoyed a sensational third quarter and held on for a morale boosting 0-24 to 1-18 win.

Promotion to Division 1 of the National Hurling League may be a bit of a mixed blessing. Offaly were up there last year and were not able to compete. They did okay for patches of some games but shipped some very bad beatings and there is not much evidence to suggest that things would be any different next year.

The gap between Division 2A and Division 1 in hurling is just too big for counties in Offaly's boat. While there is merit in letting all the top teams fight it out together and finding their own standards, it does not help Offaly and counties of a similar standard in Antrim, Laois and Westmeath.

Counties who are very determined to better their lot in hurling and want to improve but are a long way off the power and physicality of the elite. While it is always educational to see how you fare against the Limerick's, Kilkenny's etc of this world, sustaining really heavy beatings just breaks morale.

Finding a league that gives those counties a break will be examined by the GAA but it that is a story for another day.

In the short term, getting back up to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship will serve Offaly much better than Division 1 hurling.

The Leinster championship includes Galway and Kilkenny and the result of playing either of these is unlikely to be pretty for Offaly but it will also include Dublin and Wexford and either Westmeath or Antrim.

The second tier counties such as Wexford and Dublin is the goal for Offalty. Counties who are not good enough to win an All-Ireland but are still well ahead of Offaly. They could be very well beaten by them in championship hurling but getting up to that level is the next aim for Offaly and where they need to be.

The Joe McDonagh Cup campaign is a tough, gruelling one and getting through it represents a huge test of stamina.

The games come thick and fast in it. Offaly open at home to Laois next Sunday and then play Kildare at home and Down away on successive weekends. They finally have a week break before resuming at home to Kerry, Carlow away on May 13-14 with the final a week later.

It is a lot of games in a very short period of time while Offaly have played league games the past few Sunday's. That is seven games in successive weeks and Offaly's panel is stretched.

Games are good but it is hard to recover from such a volume and a lot can go wrong in the coming weeks. Picking up injuries is one fear while the possibility of a flat, lifeless performance is ever present.

It happened last year when Offaly played Carlow in their final group game. They had come through a high scoring shootout with Kerry the previous weekend but went into empty against Carlow and a disspiriting defeat ended their ambitions of reaching the final.

It also ended Michael Fennelly's reign as manager with one of his coaches, Johnny Kelly appointed to replace him. The Portumna man has settled in well and the team went well for the most part in the league.

They won games and showed considerable desire. They clearly want to do well but a paid a price for a shocking poor third quarter against Kildare. It meant they could only draw, they had to go through the semi-final, playing very well in the second half to beat Kerry, and playing Kildare again in the final last Sunday.

They could really have done with the week off and there are plenty of pitfalls for Offaly in the second tier championship.

Injuries have not helped their cause. Oisin Kelly, just getting back from a cruciate injury, did one in his “good knee”, Ross Ravenhill broke an ankle in that drawn match with Kildare and Padraoig Cantwell is also out with a knee injury.

Any more injuries to big players will leave Offaly sitting ducks. As it is, they are second favourites behind Laois but a final berth is far from assured.

Johnny Kelly is now happy with Offaly's schedule of games. “It’s insane to be honest. We have seven games in seven weeks. These are amateur players. We are not going to lean on that excuse. As I said to the guys at training we will fight to the last man. You are in a competition that requires guts and determination and requires everyone to give everything until their last breath. We did that and during the week we have to get going again and get a good performance next Saturday.

“You try to develop a good spirit and there is a good spirit there. These lads are all from different clubs in Offaly but as one of them said last night this is our club right now. They are really putting their shoulder to the wheel so it’s great.”

The opener against Laois will tell a lot more. A win would really set Offaly up and put them within early touching distance of the final but a defeat will leave them on very slippy ground.

Unlike last year when they had to travel to Down, Antrim and Kerry, the draw has been good to them this year. Their away games are in Kildare and Carlow and the minimum requirement to make progress is a place in the final. That is far from a formality but every game is a pressure one and it is the very clear target for Johnny Kelly and players.