Offaly captain Jason Sampson says the Faithful men will need “a big performance” this weekend to overcome Carlow in the Joe McDonagh Cup final.

The two sides clash on Saturday at Croke Park (4.45pm) and, speaking to GAA.ie ahead of the decider this week, Sampson expects a stern challenge from the Barrowsiders at headquarters.

“We know exactly what Carlow are about,” he said. “They're physical, fast, well able to hurl, really good forwards, they're really compact in their backline as well. They don't leave a whole pile of space.

“We played them in Tullamore last year in our home field and, no point in lying, they came down and took over a bit really. They were physical and they got loads of scores and they out-hurled us all over and fully deserved their win that day.

“Our performance just wasn't good enough. They were by far the better team. They out-hurled us all over the field that day. 

“I wouldn't say we'll be out for revenge or anything like that. It's a new year and there are some new lads on both teams. A new management team for us as well. We're just hoping for a big performance on Saturday.”

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