Forde insists Galway will not underestimate Offaly
Galway hurling selector and coach Frannie Forde is no stranger to Offaly hurling – having coached their senior team in 2011 and subsequently guided St Rynagh’s of Banagher to their first county SHC title in 23 years in 2016. Overall, he has a fair handle on the state of the game in the county.
No doubt, Offaly hurling in recent times has been struggling to emulate the exploits of their senior teams in the 1980s and 1990s but, for all that, Forde will be advising the Galway players and management not to underestimate them when the two counties meet this Sunday. For whatever shortcomings Offaly may have in terms of ability and depth of playing resources at present, he notes they will lack nothing in passion.
"What I would say in relation to Offaly is that they are a resilient bunch. Going back to when I was there in 2011, we actually just came up short against Dublin and Cork that year by very narrow margins. I think it was four points against Dublin [2-21 to 1-20] and a point against Cork [2-17 to 2-16], and the Cork game was away from home.
“What struck me was that they are a really resilient bunch in that they take some bad results but they are really good to get on with it and look ahead to the next challenge. I suppose, the way the players look at it, it is not their fault that Offaly is where it is and they, like any bunch of players, want to get the best out of themselves.”
Indeed, the Turloughmore man has nothing but admiration for them, recognising that it is not always easy to give such a massive commitment when you can’t often see much light at the end of the tunnel – as has been the case for Offaly over the past decade.
“I would know a lot of these lads personally and they are a good bunch of lads and they want to get ahead. They want the best possible preparation for themselves and they want to try and match the top teams,” Forde says.
Having been on the Offaly championship circuit himself with St Rynagh’s in recent years, he believes the county would have 20 top quality players who could make an impact at the highest level. However, the biggest drawback for their senior inter-county team has been the small pool of playing resources. Injury and unavailability quickly take their toll.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.