Dublin first up as Offaly get set for gruelling Leinster SHC campaign

IT is way too early to talk about season defining clashes but the importance of Offaly's Leinster Senior Hurling Championship opener against Dublin in Parnell Park on Saturday can't be understated.

It is a huge one for Offaly, a match where they will be targeting a win but where they are definite underdogs – despite a superb victory over the Dubs in the National Hurling League in Croke Park a few weeks ago.

That win was absolutely instrumental in Offaly gaining promotion to Division 1A. A huge last gasp free from Dan Ravenhill gave Offaly a dramatic one point win and they went on to secure promotion.

They had a terrific league campaign and getting back into the top flight in both league and championship is a massive achievement for them – it has been a serious journey to get there from the third tier just less than a handful of years ago and Offaly are continuing to make strides forward.

At the same time, they are far from the finished article and they shipped a comprehensive beating from Waterford in the Division 1B final a couple of weeks ago. Despite the optimism of some supporters who feel that Offaly are ready to challenge for honours, that result showed how far they still have to travel but they are very much on the right road.

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There were extenuating circumstances against Waterford as the Leinster U-20 Hurling Championship was around the corner and once promotion had been secured, Offaly's focus was very much on this. A league final win would have been a bonus but would be quickly forgotten if Offaly were relegated out of the championship back into the Joe McDonagh Cup.

You never know and Offaly are in the process of turning a corner but talk of them winning a Leinster title is both premature and unrealistic. They will of course be setting the bar high but Offaly's main focus now is on staying in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship for 2026.

That will not be easy to achieve and is no certainty. The Leinster Senior Hurling Championship is a fairly brutal campaign with a heavy schedule of games and no hiding place for anyone.

With the six teams in the one group and playing each other, it is relentless. Saturday's opener is followed a week later with a home game against Galway on April 26. They then have their only week off before travelling to Kilkenny and Wexford on May 10 and 17 and winding up the group phase with Antrim in Tullamore on May 25.

It is a really tough, congested calendar and it will ask serious questions of the squad. Each game will be a huge, energy sapping one with Offaly trying to reach all consuming levels of intensity. It will be physically demanding, mentally tough and there will be injuries along the way.

And then you have the Leinster U20 Hurling Championship complicating the mix. James Mahon, Donal Shirley, Dan Ravenhill and Adam Screeney are pivotal to the U20s chances of retaining their Leinster and All-Ireland titles but Johnny Kelly and the seniors also need them. Screeney is just back from a long term groin injury and not running fully freely yet – he probably won't start against Dublin but his value to the seniors is considerable and he will be very much in their plans.

It is, however, exactly where Offaly want to be and while the load on those younger players is severe, it is a good problem for them to have and shows the quality they possess.

It could very well happen but the one thing Offaly would love to avoid is them and Antrim clashing in the last game in Tullamore with the winner staying up and loser going down. Offaly had a very comprehensive win over the northerners in the league but they were well short of where they needed to be at that stage and will be a very different proposition in the championship.

Antrim represents a safety net of sorts and Offaly would be favourites to win on home turf but this clash will be fraught with danger. The odds are on it coming down to that game – even if Offaly do pick up a win along the way, the head to head between them and Antrim could very well end up deciding the outcome. There is a lot of potential permutations and there will be twists in the tail along the way. Antrim are also capable of getting a surprise win and the only approach Offaly and any team can take is one game at a time.

The campaign will test every inch of their fibre. There may be disappointments along the way and the possibility of shipping at least one bad beating is always present. If that happens, they will have to take it on the chin and immediately get back on the horse.

It won't be simple but Offaly have done very well so far. The quality of the emerging young talent has been replicated by the older brigade who have done serious work to get themselves into the shape that is required. You just have to take your hat off to them and without the performances of them, their physicality, experience and leadership, the younger players just could not prosper.

It is an exciting time for Offaly hurling but patience is also required. Saturday's game will give an indication of where Offaly are for top flight championship hurling. Dublin is a game that Offaly will have long targeted for a win. Antrim is a really big one but Dublin and Wexford are two possibilities of surprise, season changing wins. No one will be expecting them to get anything out of Kilkenny in Nowlan Park and while some people are talking up Offaly's chances against Galway and the jury may be out on them, a win there is a long shot chance.

It is a pity that both Dublin and Wexford are away but Offaly have performed really well away to both recently. They almost beat Wexford there in the league last year and their disappointment at a draw is a sign of how well they performed that night.

And their win over Dublin in the league a couple of months ago gives great hope for their prospects here. It also provided some grounds for alarm. Dublin were the better side by a distance in the first half, spread-eagling Offaly with the quality of their passing game and they stayed in contention on their wits, before rallying powerfully in the second half.

That showed what Dublin are capable of and you would expect them to rise their intensity levels further on Saturday. There is also a difference between Croke Park and Parnell Park and the Dublin county grounds represents a very different challenge. It is a tight, almost claustrophobic ground and there will be a raucous atmosphere there.

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Dublin are favourites and you would expect them to win but Offaly have a very good chance. The first key is to get their intensity levels right and you would take that as a given. It is important to give a performance and to be competitive. If that isn't good enough, so be it but they need to be in contention heading into the final quarter and see where that takes them.

It will be very interesting to see how it will all unfold but it is a great place for Offaly to be: back in the top tier and able to travel to a venue such as Parnell Park with realistic hopes of an upset.