We must get our house in order
“We’re going to have to really look at if for the future or there will be no future for Offaly hurling,” he said.
“We’re light years behind in terms of development at the moment, the facilities we’re working with are not good enough. That can be seen as a crutch too, that doesn’t affect the senior team that’s there at the moment, doesn’t affect our performance today.
“We want to get back up with the best, competing with Kilkenny in the Leinster but Offaly are going to have to take a serious look at themselves, put some serious money into development.
“There’s a serious sore debate about the stand in Tullamore and the future of Offaly hurling, whether we should be based in Tullamore or Birr — that’s missing the picture.
“We need to put the money into the underage structures, do some serious coaching and not just pay it lip service. We have to look at the templates from some of the other counties. We beat Kilkenny in minor in 2000 and there was an absolute upheaval in Kilkenny over it. They won nine Leinster titles in a row, we beat them one time and they changed everything. They’re bearing the fruits of that now.
“Look at the work gone into Clare and to a lesser extent in Laois. They’ve really turned themselves around and that’s due to the Setanta programme. You’ve got to admire what other counties are doing, look to them for the future.
“It’s going to take a big performance, going to take a lot to turn this around and we’re going to have to work very hard in the next few weeks to try to do that. A lot of guys will have to do a lot of serious soul-searching, look deep inside ourselves, because we are better than that, I have no doubt about that, but we certainly didn’t show it on the field and that’s where it counts.”
Carroll believes the current problem is not because there is a lack of quality players in Offay because they continue to do well in the Leinster club championship.
“I think the players are there but we’re a bit naive at the moment, we really need to look at our style of hurling,” he said.
“Kilkenny were dominant for a long time, Clare have brought it to a new level. Their use of the ball is fantastic, gives great hopes to the likes of me, a smaller man. Clare have a lot of small men but by God they’re using that ball so well. Again it comes down to movement but Kilkenny have adapted their tactics to that, evident in this game — their movement was fantastic.
“Obviously they still have a lot of powerhouse players in Jackie Tyrrell, Brian Hogan came on, big strong physical men dotted around the place but their movement is excellent.”
Offaly too have their physically powerful players and weren’t bullied in that sense. It was Kilkenny’s superior hurling, their innate sense of where they should be, how they support each other, how they defend and attack in coordinated waves rather than as individuals.
“Look, there’s no difference as far as I’m concerned about ability. Maybe we were naive as a county in terms of tactics.
” People like to think Kilkenny have no tactics — absolute codswallop. They’re well ahead of everyone else, prepare so professionally. I know some of them very well, they’re one of the most professional outfits out there or they wouldn’t be at the top for so long. This is something we’re going to have to look at.”
And for himself, one of the longest-serving members of the panel and still a standout, any consolation in the fact he finished with 1-10 from 1-18?
“No, not at all. It’s 13 years on the trot now and I’ve played in only one Leinster final. It’s getting harder and harder to go to the well, I won’t lie.”
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