Offaly minor footballers make changes for make or break showdown with Laois

OFFALY minor footballers have made changes for their make or break Leinster championship clash with Laois in Faithful Fields, Kilcormac this evening at 7.30pm.

It is a winners' take all tussle with the victors going into preliminary quarter-final and the losers heading into a second tier competition.

It is a very important game for Offaly football and a win is badly needed. Both senior and U20 footballers have exited the Leinster championship and the county could do with the minor footballers making the knockout stages.

Tullamore man Eoin Rouse has been named at midfield instead of Charlie Duffy. Rouse missed the defeat by Dublin with an injury but came on as a sub in Louth and made a positive impression, even though he was not running completely freely. His presence and footballing ability will be a definite asset out around the middle.

Patrick Duffy comes into the defence instead of Tomas Carroll while Tony Furey is selected in the attack instead of Cathal Weldon. It remains to be seen if there are any late changes – they may go with the team that is selected but Erin Rovers' man Tomas Carroll has to be very close as he played the full game in last week's traumatic defeat in Louth and had some very good spells.

Offaly have a big point to prove tonight. They entered the campaign with high hopes but it hasn't happened yet. They have had excellent spells in their defeats by Dublin and Louth and looked a really good side at times but have conceded way too much and now find themselves staring an early exit in the face.

They started off superbly against Dublin, scoring two quick fire goals but then conceded 5-5 in a dreadful fifteen minute spell as they lost by 5-10 to 3-7. They endured a similarly hard defeat by Louth in Ardee last Thursday evening, conceding 1-7 without reply at the start. They then played some thrilling football to get back into it and were well in the hunt when trailing by 1-13 to 0-11 at half time. It unravelled, however, in the second half as Louth doubled their tally in a 2-26 to 2-17 defeat – Louth's tally included six two pointers, which is a lot at minor level.

There will be no hiding place for Offaly in Faithful Fields and this is real knockout championship football. Offaly went very well in the Leinster League earlier in the season and had a good win over Laois in the final but it hasn't happened for them in the championship yet.

They will be under no illusions about the task facing them tonight as Laois were way closer to beating Dublin than they were, 1-9 to 1-7. They were also closer to Louth in a 1-15 to 0-12 defeat and Laois' championship form has been way better.

It makes Laois slight favourites for this one but this Offaly team still has a lot of potential. They are capable of playing some great exciting football while it is possible that anything up to five of them will go onto play county senior football in the future – Dylan Dunne and Cian McNamee have obvious potential, players such as Ruari Woods, Tadgh Kelly and Eoin Rouse could emerge and you never know who else will make the step up.

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At the moment, however, it is all about performing against Laois and Offaly need to produce their best performance of the campaign to survive. To do so, they will need to get their collective intensity and work ethic up to a higher level and they will have to tighten up defensively – that includes players up the field stopping players from raiding forward. If they can do that, they have players up front to really hurt Laois but they have to go and do it now.

OFFALY: Jack Ryan (Doon); Caden O'Beirne (Tullamore), Daniel Stoyanov (Clara), Cormac Farrell (Edenderry); Patrick Duffy (Tullamore), Tadgh Kelly (Kilclonfert), Stephen Byrne (Raheen); Eamon Maher (Ferbane), Eoin Rouse (Tullamore); Isaac Ryan (Clara), Dylan Dunne (Clara), Aaron Daly (Clonbullogue); Tony Furey (Edenderry), Ruari Woods (Belmont), Cian McNamee (Rhode). Subs – Max Kruger (Gracefield), Cathal Weldon (Bracknagh), Charlie Duffy (Edenderry), Cian Duffy (Doon), Darragh Stewart (Tullamore), Dylan Deehan-Kavanagh (Clara), Ruari Carroll (Edenderry), Tomas Carrroll (Erin Rovers), Finn Coleman (Shamrocks).