Excitement mounts as Offaly prepare for another date with destiny
EXCITEMENT is reaching fever pitch as Offaly and Wexford countdown to Wednesday's Leinster U-20 Hurling Championship final in Carlow.
There has been mixed news for Offaly in the build up to the final. Adam Screeney and Brecon Kavanagh have been passed fit to play but full back Ben Miller is definitely out with a hamstring injury while forward Shane Rigney is a big doubt with a hurt knee. Dan Ravenhill is fully fit, after coming on at half time of the semi-final win over Dublin, while Alex Kavanagh is back in contention for a place on the panel after missing the last game with a thumb ligament injury,
It is a great pairing and it will be a great occasion with near 10,000 supporters expected to make the trip to Dr Cullen Park. With an attendance of between 11,000 and 12,000, the Carlow GAA headquarters will be bursting at the seams - 8,500 tickets were sold by Monday evening and many more will go before throw in.
The approach roads will be throbbing with traffic and the advice to supporters is to leave with plenty of time to spare – parking is at a premium around Dr Cullen Park and it should be one of those great tribal, magical GAA occasions.
There will be a tremendous atmosphere inside the ground. The stand was sold out within a couple of hours of tickets going on sale last week and there were over 8,500 tickets sold by Monday evening. This will creep higher as throw in time approaches and the fact that both counties will fancy their chances equally is adding to this.
It is also an All-Ireland semi-final with the winners going through to the All-Ireland final against the Munster champions, Cork. That is adding to the sense of occasion, the interest among supporters and there is a huge opportunity there for Offaly and Wexford.
By virtue of their semi-final victory over Kilkenny, Wexford will be the starter's favourites but it is in the very tenuous category.
Anything is possible for this Offaly team. They could suffer the bitter pill of disappointment on Wednesday evening but they could also end up as All-Ireland champions in a couple of weeks time. Irrespective of what happens, that is a very healthy place to be in and it is great for Offaly people to be able to harbour such lofty dreams again.
Wexford have not won this title since 2015, when it was U-21 while Offaly have to go much further back, to 2000. Both counties are coming from similar places and are desperate for success.
Wexford's tradition may be a more ancient one than Offaly's but both are working so hard to bring the glory days back. Before last year's stunning Leinster minor triumph, Offaly's last title in this grade was also in 2000. Wexford won in 2019 and their previous one before that was 1985.
This final pairing is a breath of fresh air to hurling in the province. The smart money would have been on Galway and Kilkenny clashing here. Galway had won the All-Ireland minor three years ago while Kilkenny were the Leinster champions. Offaly, however, sent Galway packing in the quarter-final, producing a real coming of age display while Wexford had a fantastic win over Kilkenny in the semi-final.
Offaly came out of the weaker tier 2. Their classification here was surprising as they had been in the Leinster minor final three years ago and they had won that grade last year but it worked very well for them. It gave them a chance to win games without being fully extended for the most part and it allowed them to settle on their best team.
They beat Westmeath by 2-22 to 1-17 in the first round, Meath, 2-17 to 0-9 in round 2, Antrim, 2-17 to 0-8 in round 3 and Kildare, 2-20 to 1-10 in the fourth round. That earned them a quarter-final tilt at Galway and they produced a sensational display in a 3-20 to 2-17 win.
The win did come at a cost as Adam Screeney and Brecon Kavanagh went off after sustaining head injuries. They were ruled out of the semi-final on medical advice and their absence made their 1-19 to 2-12 semi-final win over Dublin particularly significant.
Screeney may be in his first year out of minor but he is the side's star forward, a deadly accurate free taker, capable of turning a game with a moment of magic and of scoring freak points from all sorts of angles and situations. He has physical developing to do but he is as exciting a talent as Offaly has ever produced.
Kavanagh, also a minor last year, is a rock solid defender, the epitomy of consistency and he rarely puts a foot wrong. To win without two such key players was a great achievement and reflects very well on the squad of players.
Offaly were also without forward, Alex Kavanagh with a thumb ligament injury against Dublin and he is always capable of making an impact off the bench. Offaly manager Leo O'Connor has confirmed that Screeney and Brecon and Alex Kavanagh have been passed fit for Wednesday though Ben Miller is out and Shane Rigney is a doubt.
It means that the Offaly management will have big decisions to make. Miller's absence at full back solves one headache, even though he has been playing very well and is a big loss. James Mahon is likely to go across to the position he held with such excellence for the minors last year with Brecon Kavanagh coming back onto the team at corner back and Ter Guinan retaining his place on the half back line.
Dan Ravenhill is back after missing a few games and he was superb when introduced at half time against Dublin. Offaly management will have a tough call to make on whether to start their best team or keep players in reserve.
Everything else being equal, Adam Screeney, Brecon Kavanagh and Dan Ravenhill would be one of the early names marked down on the Offaly team list and if they go with their best team, players will lose out and that will be hard on them. That, however, is sport and the wise decision is generally to play your best fifteen – though there is merit in having strong options on the bench. If Rigney doesn't make it, the obvious thing will be to put Screeney in at corner forward and then decide whether to start Ravenhill or keep him in reserve. If Rigney is fit, he has done more than enough to hold his place and then management have a dilemma – whatever about keeping one of Ravenhill or Screeney back, it would be a big risk to leave the two of them off and you generally should start your strongest team.
Offaly will be under no illusions about the challenge Wexford will present. They have physically strong players but are well able to hurl. They have been in good form in this year's championship. They really set up their season with a 2-17 to 0-20 win over Kilkenny in the first round in tier 1. They followed that up with a 1-20 to 0-15 defeat by Dublin and a 1-20 to 1-17 loss to Galway.
They beat Westmeath by 3-17 to 3-12 in the quarter-final and last Wednesday's 1-18 to 2-13 semi-final win over Kilkenny was a season defining one for them.
Part of the challenge facing Leo O'Connor and selectors is to keep the players grounded, to keep them insulated from the mounting public optimism that they not only can win but should win. It is great to see such belief in an Offaly hurling team again but that creates its own pitfalls. Considering what the management have done in the last two years, that shouldn't be a problem for them.
The management and most of the squad were in Carlow on Saturday for the Joe McDonagh Cup game where a second string Offaly were trounced. They got an opportunity to walk the pitch, sample the grounds, to get a feel for the place. Carlow is a fine provincial venue but the dressing rooms are somewhat dated while the management are unlikely to have been overly impressed with the pitch.
It will all lend to a charm of its own, however, it is the same for both teams and it all boils down to who performs on the day.
Offaly were desperately unlucky to lose to Tipperary in the All-Ireland minor hurling final last year. This U-20 grade should be a bit early for that side but there is now a great opportunity for them to stage a snatch and grab raid.
There is a good mix of last year's minors and older players. From last year's minor team, James Mahon, Ter Guinan, Conor Doyle and Shane Rigney started against Dublin while Dan Ravenhill came on at half time and Adam Screeney and Brecon Kavanagh would have started only for injuries. If Rigney is fit and management opt to start their best team, those seven minors will start.
Charlie Mitchell is a huge player for Offaly. He established himself on the Offaly senior team this year and really stepped up against Dublin when Screeney was out.
It's hard to know what way this game will go. Wexford might be favourites but there is a case for giving this tag to Offaly. They have beaten two teams Wexford lost to, Galway and Dublin, and their confidence is soaring. However, Offaly are young and Wexford may have an edge in physical strength – as Galway showed, an eighteen year old getting a heavy hit from a 20 year old can be an uneven contest.
It's a 50-50 game but supporters are entitled to have huge faith in this Offaly team. You can be fairly sure that they will turn up, perform and work their socks off. They have huge pace and skill levels but have a work ethic to match this. It doesn't mean they will win but it means they should be very competitive and they have a definite chance. Wednesday has the potential to be another rare evening of celebration for Offaly supporters.