Antrim the big focus as Offaly bid to limit damage in Limerick

WHILE Offaly will harbour dreams of a sensational win over All-Ireland champions Limerick, the real focus for the conclusion of their National Hurling League Division 1 campaign is a relegation tussle with the bottom team in Division 1B, Antrim.

National Hurling League Division 1 preview

Offaly will complete their Division 1A campaign with a trip to Limerick on Sunday and while they have improved significantly in their last two games, it is impossible to envisage them getting anything here.

The campaign has went as expected so far as Offaly have found the jump from Division 2 to Division 1 too hot to handle and their presence at the foot of Division 1A is a surprise to no one, including themselves.

Offaly, however, will be taking plenty of positives from the campaign and they have displayed significant improvement in their last two games. They were not at the races as Galway and Cork blew them out of the water in the opening rounds but they have been much better in their defeats by Clare and Wexford in the last two games.

They competed well against Clare and Wexford for long periods. Offaly ended up well beaten, 4-20 to 0-16 against Clare but the final scoreline was hard on them. They were only a point behind, 1-13 to 0-15, with twelve minutes left but were ripped apart in the closing minutes.

They also took the game to Wexford in Wexford Park and were ahead by a point with 54 minutes gone. Wexford got on top then to win by 1-22 to 2-12 but it was still Offaly's best performance of the league.

Those two games will have done a lot for Offaly's morale. Defeats are defeats but they they were still steps in the right direction and the desire of Offaly's players to compete at the highest level is obvious to all.

They want it and they are working very hard for it. Sunday's game could be a rough one for Offaly. Limerick have had a turbulent campaign today, only picking up one point from a draw with Clare while they lost to Wexford, Galway and Cork. A defeat on Sunday would put Limerick in the relegation battle and keep Offaly up. They will have an escape chute against Antrim or Laois but Limerick will not want to be in that relegation play off.

It gives them a lot of incentive for Sunday and they won't be in the mood for messing or any half measures.

For Offaly, it will provide an interesting test. It will give an indication of how far they have come, and, more importantly, how far they have to go.

Michael Fennelly's targets have been straightforward this year – to stay up in Division 1 and to win the Joe McDonagh Cup. To do both, the players will have to progress from last year and there have been encouraging signs so far.

Offaly's skill levels and first touch has noticeably inproved under the Kilkenny man. A lot of the foostering that has blighted Offaly hurling for years seems to have disappeared. Instead, Offaly are generally able to get the ball into hand at the first time of asking and this represents a very welcome step in the right direction.

It is also not enough to compete at the highest level. Physicality, power and fitness are now as important as stickwork and skill with the elite counties and Offaly have trailed in their wake in this regard. Commitment, effort and honesty will only get you so far and Offaly have now seen at first hand how far they have to go.

The difference between Offaly and the marquee counties will not have come as a surprise to Michael Fennelly and his backroom team. Management and players are working very hard at their overall conditioning but it is no one or two year project and Offaly will take time.

Unfortunately, you don't get much time in Division 1 and Offaly simply couldn't sustain the type of beatings they received from Galway and Cork for any more than two seasons. The way they performed for over three quarters of the games against Clare and Wexford, however, does show some light at the end of the tunnel – it was always expected that Offaly would compete better against Wexford and Clare than Galway, Cork and Limerick.

You never know what will happen in sport but realistically, you can't make any coherent case for Offaly winning in Limerick. It really is a damage limitation exercise for them and all Offaly can do is give it their very best shot, compete as well as they possibly can and stay in the game as long as possible.

With the best will in the world, Offaly will have to keep their eye on the relegation shootout with Antrim – Antrim face Tipperary in their final Division 1B game while Laois are at home to Dublin. Even if Antrim win and Laois lose, Offaly will still face the northerners as Laois will survive under the head to head rule.

The relegation play off will take place on the weekend of March 26/27 and Offaly won't be risking any players carrying injuries against Limerick. They will want to do well against Limerick, to acquit themselves honourably but Antim is the real focus for Offaly in the next fortnight.