Whelahan says Faithful will respond to detractors

Allianz Hurling League Division 1B: Laois 0-23 Offaly 1-24: Offaly manager Brian Whelahan sent out a defiant message to his team’s detractors after their win over Laois in O’Moore Park on Saturday night.

After a miserable 2014, the pressure was on the Faithful county, but they battled to a four-point win in a barnstormer of a game to avenge their loss to Laois at this stage last year.

Whelahan felt the victory was a timely reply to those who have been doubting the set-up: “Everyone has been knocking this Offaly team, and maybe the management as well, but the work-rate that has gone in this year has been fantastic. We’ve lads out there that want to hurl with Offaly. We’ve always said to them that we believe there are good hurlers in our squad, and I think we answered a lot of critics tonight.”