Rebuilding work starts here

Hurling/Leinster and Munster SH semi-finals: Ian O'Riordan talks to Gary Hanniffy about the long road that lies ahead for the Offaly hurlers

On Sunday afternoon, Offaly will begin another Leinster hurling championship campaign with a slightly different mindset to recent years.

To move forward again, the county has had to take a step back, accepting that it's time to try to start something new, rather than finish something off.

Ever since the great peak of 1994, each new season was tempered with only running repairs, mostly by switching players about or simply calling in a new manager, and the team was sustained more than regenerated.

Now, the talk in Offaly is not of the games ahead, but the years ahead. Central to that new hurling philosophy has been the appointment of Mike McNamara as manager.

The former Clare and Galway trainer was given a three-year term for the sole purpose of rebuilding, and, while Sunday's game with Wexford brings the usual pressures and expectations of championship hurling, it's clear too that he is adopting a longer-term strategy.

McNamara's imprint is evident on the team selected for Sunday with Brian Mullins named in goal instead of Stephen Byrne, Barry Whelahan getting the right half back position in preference to his brother Brian and Niall Claffey, and a new midfield pairing in Michael Cordial and dual player Neville Coughlan, who played for the footballers against Laois last Monday.

Brendan Murphy was not considered as he is sitting examinations. A vacancy has been left at right corner forward with Stephen Browne and Simon Whelahan in contention.

For Gary Hanniffy, this year's Offaly captain who has been selected at right half forward, the arrival of McNamara has already been significant in helping develop a team for the future.

Previous management teams had been far too transient, highlighted by the fact that McNamara had replaced Fr Tom Fogarty, who had been the third Offaly manager in as many years and the eighth appointment or reappointment in a decade.

"It was like musical chairs with the Offaly managers for the last few years," says Hanniffy. "And it was a little bit ridiculous, especially with the younger players trying to fit it.

"But I think the county board have moved to end that, and brought in a new manager for three years with the idea that we would all get some time to settle."

Yet, it wasn't merely a matter of a longer-term appointment. The attitude and approach had to be right, especially for a team without the greatest reputation for arduous training.

"In Hanniffy's opinion, McNamara's approach has been well received, although it hasn't brought the massive increase in training that some people suggested it would.

"Well, Mike is a very strong character, and it was important with the young sort of team that we have to get that kind of character, and someone of his calibre.

"Obviously, he's got great respect for what he did with Clare during the 1990s and that was important too. He also has a lot of belief in what he was doing. He's naturally a confident sort of man, and has that sheer belief in his methods. And that rubs off on the players too.

"There was his reputation for hard training as well, and I have to say that when the players heard he got the job we were beginning to wonder.

"But I can guarantee you that we're not training any harder than Tipperary or Kilkenny or any of those teams. In fact, nearly all inter-county teams are doing very similar training these days, and are out for the same number of sessions.

"And I wouldn't say it has been particularly harder than anything we've done before."

McNamara's task of uncovering new talent was partly enforced during the league campaign by the fact that Hanniffy and the rest of the Birr hurlers were off capturing another All-Ireland club title. If anything, though, that has eased his introduction to the team.

"During the winter months," says Hanniffy, "when a lot of us were away with Birr, he was working with those younger guys and settled in fine. And when we came back after winning the All-Ireland it was just a matter of getting to know us. But we've certainly all trained together often enough now to know each other."

Brian Whelahan's decision to stay at least another season also helped settle the panel ahead of the championship, and while the team and management are now well familiarised, uncertainties do remain about Offaly's current form, and how close they can come to winning back the Leinster title after eight years.

"You only have to look at our results during the league," says Hanniffy. "We lost to Dublin and Waterford, and barely got over Laois. So, ideally, you would want the form to be a little better going into a Leinster championship match against the likes of Wexford.

"We have had some awful beatings from Kilkenny over the last couple of years. That would suggest we are still quite a bit away in Leinster.

"But we're hoping over the next three years we can build up a stronger. This is a young side, and we're not expecting any miracles, but over the next few seasons we can rebuild a team that can win Leinster again. But you don't form a team like 1994 overnight. It will always take a few years."

OFFALY (SH v Wexford): B Mullins; M O'Hara, G Oakley, D Franks; Barry Whelahan, J Brady, C Cassidy; M Cordial, N Coughlan; G Hanniffy, R Hanniffy, B Carroll; AN Other, J Errity, D Murray, Subs: S Byrne, B Teehan, S Whelahan, N Claffey, S Browne, S Weir, A Hanrahan, JP O'Meara, K Brady, Brian Whelahan, C Gath, N Murphy, D Tanner, M Corcoran.