Offaly hurlers aiming for big performance against Kilkenny
Three huge games in three weeks for hurlers
FIGHTING so hard to take the next step in their development, Offaly face another big test of character when they welcome Kilkenny to Tullamore on Sunday next for round 3 of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.
They are on the verge of taking another leap forward in this year's championship but there is a fairly big trapdoor between them and progress and Sunday's game will tell a lot about there they are.
Offaly hit the ground running with a very encouraging draw against Dublin in the first round. There may be a lingering sense of regret as they could have won it but they performed at a very high level, played really well and a draw was a good result.
It has set Offaly up for the campaign but they need another really big performance now. Offaly's defeat to Galway in round 2 was predictable. It could have been really bad but they dug deep to limit the damage and their attitude was good. As it was, a 2-26 to 1-18 defeat did not do any real damage to Offaly, it won't have had a big hit on their confidence and morale and they go into their last three games with their optimism levels still high.
There are two big possibilities on the table for Offaly as they face into a run of three games in three weeks, at home to Kilkenny and Wexford and then away to Kildare in their last one.
Two wins will put them in the mix for a third place finish and qualification for the All-Ireland series, while defeats to Kilkenny and Wexford would leave them playing Kildare in a relegation shootout for the Joe McDonagh Cup.
That possibility looms very large and it is one that Offaly are desperate to avoid. They would be favourites to beat Kildare but it would be a game fraught with danger and Offaly don't want to be in this position every year – they had to beat Antrim in their last game last year to stay up.
The draw with Dublin gives Offaly a chance of something special. Wexford is a huge target for them, a game that they will have a great chance of winning and one that they really need to win if they are to make real, tangible progress this year.
In the meantime, they have Kilkenny and Offaly's first focus here is on a performance, giving a good account of themselves and being as competitive as they can.
The gap between Offaly and Kilkenny has certainly narrowed. Offaly have progressed and Kilkenny are regressing. A sending off and a black card may have contributed to their first round defeat to Galway but the scale of that is new territory for Kilkenny and it is the first time they have experienced something like this in a long time.
They bounced back very impressively with an easy win over Wexford and they are warm favourites to beat Offaly. There is optimism among some in Offaly that they can take Kilkenny's scalp for the first time since the 1998 All-Ireland final. Such a win would be transformative but there will be small money on it. Kilkenny are still ahead of Offaly and it would be fairly sensational if the home side were to win.
Like the footballers, the hurlers have been hamstrung with injuries this season. They have been down key players the whole campaign with Donal Shirley doing his cruciate on the eve of championship. They lost more players in the first round with Brecon Kavanagh, Dan Ravenhill and Cathal King facing a few weeks on the sideline.
Offaly manager Johnny Kelly certainly won't be writing off this one and will be hopeful that they can go very close. They competed very well against Kilkenny in the league and they have the potential to give a really good display here.
Offaly's relegation from Division 1 of the National Hurling League does not need to be analysed. They were never likely to stay up and they gave some respectable displays. Having said that, Offaly prepare for Sunday's game with a record of six league defeats out of six, one championship draw and one defeat. The footballers have lost all eight of their games and it is not a record that sits well with people.
Offaly won't be rushing players back for this one. They will be hoping for a shock win and that is not impossible but the really big targets are the ones against Wexford and Kildare. In many ways, Wexford will define Offaly's season but they need to enter that game on the back of a good display on Sunday – even if that is not good enough for the win, it will serve Offaly very well for the big games ahead in the last two rounds.