Whelahan vows to be ready for championship fight

SIMON WHELAHAN has revealed that being cast as a potential super sub has upset all his championship plans.

The Offaly ace vowed to be ready for the fight if called upon by boss Mike McNamara against Wexford tomorrow.

But he’s not sure how much help he’ll be at the same time because he’s never been in this situation before.

Offaly face old rivals Wexford in the Leinster semi-final at Nowlan Park and Whelahan has been strategically placed on the subs bench.

It’s a Plan B situation because if the new look Offaly don’t come up with the goods, then Whelahan will be sprung from the bench as their trump card.

Whelahan said: “It’s the first time in five years that I’ve been in this situation so it’s all new to me.

“I can see what Mike is thinking about because with so many young players on the team he wants to bring in an experienced guy if things are going wrong.

“But my own fear is that I mightn’t have it in me, that I mightn’t be able to live up to the expectations. I’ve always psyched myself up to play from the start not for 20 or 30 minutes.”

The Whelahan clan, including Simon and elder brother Brian, were the heartbeat of the team back in 1998 when they last won the All-Ireland.

Simon sees parallels between this season and that in terms of their amazing fitness levels.

“Mike is known for his rigorous training and we can all see why now,” admitted the car salesman.

“During the league it was training four nights a week for two hours each night.

“We haven’t been this fit since 1998 when Johnny Murray was training us.”

But Whelahan admits it’ll be a tough task to give the Model Men the run around.

“They are the only team in Leinster that can put it up to Kilkenny,” he declared.

“Having said that we’ve been completely written off and I suppose that’s when Offaly teams have been at their best in the past.”