AFTER playing 70 minutes of Championship football on a Sunday in sweltering conditions, the last thing you would want is a gruelling training session the following Tuesday, with the replay looming on Saturday!
That’s exactly what happened in 2001 when our manager at the time, John Maughan, told us he was going to ‘blow the cobwebs off with a tough session’ after we had battled to a draw with Donegal, in May of that year.
I have become acquainted with John Maughan over the years since, and traveled in his company on a few occasions. He’s a tough character. He keeps himself in good physical condition and likes to ensure his team does the same by pushing them to the limit in his sessions.
In ‘01 with Fermanagh, we got used to his army style training and, truth be told, as a 19 year old, I was in my element.
There is no question that the Offaly players will be in peak physical condition but they may be found to be lacking in a bit of talent. Fermanagh have much better players all over the pitch and, from what I hear, have also been through a tough training regime.
Like Fermanagh, Offaly also beat their provincial champions. A big win over Tipperary and victories against Limerick and Wicklow left them unbeaten in the league. Bearing that in mind and the fact that the game is in Tullamore, they may come into the game as favourites.
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Posted: 5:42 pm June 11, 2021