Something major to prove

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship:Although the word was never actually uttered, former US president Jimmy Carter's most famous television broadcast while in office became commonly known as the "malaise speech". It was 1979 and the United States was deep in recession.

Carter called on his fellow Americans to pull their socks up, or as Tony Soprano occasionally yells at his capos: "Conserve."

Offaly hurlers find themselves entrenched in a similar depression. The last time Liam MacCarthy visited the Faithful County was 1998.

They enter the Leinster hurling championship this Sunday as a Division Two team for the second time in three years. Laois provide opposition and judging by both teams' recent outings against Limerick - which they both lost to ensure marginalisation from a restructured top flight in 2008 - the visitors to O'Connor Park in Tullamore appear better primed.

Offaly conceded six goals against Limerick. Laois lost by eight points but had already won the Division Two title by trouncing Wicklow.

"Yeah, we must be cautious as Laois put up a better showing against Limerick than we managed," agreed Offaly manager John McIntyre.

Can the Limerick beating merely be put down to a dog day afternoon? "No, you can't do that. It happened. They got a run on us and we eventually just collapsed but that is not a reflection on the guys' ability."

There is a flip-side to this Offaly story. Occasionally this season they have sparked to life, most memorably when beating the eventual league champions, Waterford, on their own patch.

"We beat Waterford fair and square that day. If we could produce that performance on a consistent basis this team could make quicker progress than people anticipate. But it must be remembered that they are a young group, honest, dedicated, and they play with as much pride in the jersey as those who don the Kilkenny or Cork colours.

"They are on the right road. They are going to slip up but we have taken the decision to invest heavily in youth. You must be pragmatic about that."

While Offaly remain slight favourites they do arrive into the championship under a dark cloud caused by their bleak short-term future. "We kept the relegation issue from the players. Kept them informed, yes, but their focus was on the championship.

"It still stings me as a manager that a majority (although not the required two-thirds) of Central Council were sympathetic to our situation but . . . there is no point being like a dog with a bone."

And yet, a sourness remains from the failure to overrule the hurling development committee plans for a nine-team Division One, which, given results, albeit some close calls, sees a traditional hurling county sink out of the elite bracket.

"Ultimately, relegation is very severe," continues McIntyre. "We were competitive in our five league games. We beat the eventual champions and were unlucky to lose to Clare. We paid the most penal of penalties because we didn't beat Down by as much as our rivals.

"There is an inherent problem within the GAA hierarchy in that they have to show solidarity with their sub-committees ahead of the well-being of hurling.

"A bad decision is still a bad decision even if it is rubber-stamped by three or four committees. The GAA had to be seen to be standing behind the HDC.

"If anything, it has given us a cause: to prove in the championship that we warrant inclusion in Division One."

Offaly enter the weekend knowing victory means a tangle with Kilkenny on June 10th. The definition of malaise? A feeling of discomfort or sickness.