Offaly learn Tailteann Cup fate as draw made for group stages

BITTERLY disappointed at losing to Louth in a Leinster Senior Football Championship extra time shootout to Louth in Croke Park on Sunday, Offaly will have a great chance of prolonging their season when they compete in the second tier Tailteann Cup.

Offaly have been drawn in group 1 alongside Cavan, Laois and London. Ranked as one of the second seeds, Offaly will start their campaign at home to London on May 13-14. They will be away to Laois a week later and will then have a week's break before meeting Cavan at a neutral venue on June 3-4.

The top two teams will definitely qualify from each of the four groups and the best three third placed teams will join New York in the preliminary quarter-finals.

The top team in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The four preliminary quarter-finals will consist of the second placed teams being at home against New York and the three “best placed” third place teams in each group subject to avoiding of repeat provincial final pairings and, where possible, repeat pairings from Round One.

The three “best placed” third-placed teams across the four groups shall be determined using the following criteria: (i) Total Number of Points; (ii) Score difference – subtracting the total Scores against from the Scores for; (iii) Highest Total Score For; (iv) Highest Total Goals For; (v) Lowest Total Goals Against.

The draw gives Offaly a good chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Cavan beat them well in the National Football League and will be expected to top the group. Offaly will be warm favourites against London, slight favourites against Laois, which will be a very tricky encounter in Portlaoise

With scores determining the three third placed teams, a big win over London in the first game will be crucial for Offaly and they will have to go for the jugular here. If Cavan prove to be as superior over Offaly as they were in the league when they won by 0-21 to 0-14, keeping the score down will be of paramount importance – it is a help that this is the last game when Offaly will know where they stand and at a neutral venue.

Offaly will have a few days to lick their wounds after Sunday's 0-27 to 2-15 defeat by Louth and will be back in training on Friday evening. While 27 points was a huge tally to concede, even with extra time, there is widespread satisfaction in Offaly at the way the team competed.

They almost snatched a famous victory in normal time with Cian Farrell sending a last gasp chance wide. With a number of key players either gone off or running on an empty tank, Offaly were never going to win the game in extra time and Louth were able to pull away.