Offaly hurlers make one change for big clash with Kildare this weekend
Offaly focused on fulfilling their end of the bargain
OFFALY have made one enforced change for Sunday's big Leinster Senior Hurling Championship clash with Kildare in Newbridge.
Colin Spain returns to the starting line-up in place of Dan Ravenhill who went off injured after 22 minutes of last Saturday's crucial win over Wexford.
Ravenhill has had his share of injury problems in the past couple of years and was one of the players who had started well early on as Offaly struggled to settle. However, his afternoon came to a quick end and it means that he is out for this closing group game.
Apart from that, Offaly have gone with the same players that finished powerfully to beat Wexford in the championship for the first time since 2012. It has been a year of real progress for Offaly who drew with Dublin and Kilkenny as well as losing to Galway.
Unfortunately, their reward for this rich vein of form is not as high as it might be. They need to beat Kildare on Sunday and hope that Dublin beat Kilkenny to qualify for an All-Ireland quarter-final. If Galway had held on to beat Dublin last Saturday, Offaly would be in a much stronger position but they have still taken huge strides forward this year and are now competing at provincial level.
Eimhin Kelly and Leigh Kavanagh have returned to the subs bench and Offaly need to be fully focused to avoid the year ending on a downer with a defeat to an already relegated Kildare. They won't be taking anything for granted and they could also play with a real sense of freedom with relegation pressure gone. There had been a fear that this game would be a relegation shootout with the losers going back to the Joe McDonagh Cup but Offaly's win over Wexford secured safety.
OFFALY: Liam Hoare (Carrig-Riverstown); Ciaran Burke (Durrow), Ben Conneely (St Rynagh's), Patrick Taaffe (Belmont); Ross Ravenhill (Durrow), Killian Sampson (Shinrone), Ter Guinan (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Cathal King (Carrig-Riverstown), Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Shane Rigney (St Rynagh's), Conor Doyle (Clara), Dan Bourke (Durrow); Eoghan Cahill (Birr), Brian Duignan (Durrow), Adam Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey). Subs – Mark Troy (Durrow), Oisin Kelly (Belmont), David Nally (Belmont), Luke Watkins (Shinrone), James Mahon (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Ruari Kelly (Lusmagh), Ciaran Cleary (Shinrone), Luke Nolan (Birr), Eoin Burke (Coolderry), Leigh Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Eimhin Kelly (Lusmagh).