Memorable Offaly GAA year ends as Tullamore loses out on All-Ireland minor final
THE curtain fell on a memorable Offaly GAA year when Cork had to work hard before recording a predictable win in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship preliminary quarter-final in Tullamore on Saturday last.
As expected Cork proved too strong, winning by 4-25 to 3-19, but Offaly battled the whole way, scoring two injury time goals and the defeat was as good and as positive as any realistic, logical supporter could have wished for.
The Cork game proved to be a fantastic occasion with over 16,000 supporters buying tickets for a very attractive double bill – it was preceded by a very entertaining All-Ireland Senior Football Championship group game where Tyrone got the better of Cork.
Cork had a considerable majority of the crowd in O'Connor Park, with some staying overnight on either the Friday or Saturday as well as giving Tullamore a big economic boost,
Unfortunately, hopes that Offaly GAA and the capital town was to get a second shot in the arm by hosting the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship final on June 29 have fallen by the wayside. O'Connor Park was pencilled in as the venue for the decider before the semi-finals were played last weekend but the two winners, Kilkenny and Tipperary agreed to toss for venue.
Kilkenny won the toss and part of the agreement is that the next meeting between them and Tipperary in an All-Ireland minor hurling final will be in Thurles.
With Kilkenny and Tipperary so close to each other, the decision to toss made perfect sense for both counties but it is still very disappointing for Offaly GAA and Tullamore town that they didn't get to host such a big game.
Meanwhile, county hurlers will be returning to their clubs this week to prepare for the start of the club championships in the second half of July.
It has been a great year for Offaly hurling as they achieved their two big goals, winning the All-Ireland U20 Hurling Championship and the Joe McDonagh Cup. They are back in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship next year and while consolidation will be the only realistic target then, it is an exciting time for Offaly hurling as such an outstanding generation of young hurler progresses onto the scene.
Unfortunately, two of those, Adam Screeney and Colin Spain opted out of Saturday's game against Cork as they flew out of the country on a pre-arranged holiday but they will be big parts of Johnny Kelly's plans next year along with other U-20s – three of them, Cathal King, Donal Shirley and Dan Bourke have established themselves on the team this year while Dan Ravenhill also played before getting injured. Others will come into the equation quickly, including Brecon Kavanagh, an outstanding defensive prospect, who was on the extended panel.
Senior and U-20 managers Johnny Kelly and Leo O'Connor managed the dual commitments of players very well this year but it will be a delicate balancing act again next year, perhaps even more so – Shirley, Bourke, Screeney, Ravenhill and Kavanagh are all U-20 next year. Offaly will have very realistic prospects of retaining their All-Ireland U-20 title and that would be a fantastic achievement, a massive boost for the game but staying up in the top flight in senior is also hugely important, a very big priority for the county.
Kelly and O'Connor will be back as the managers unless something extraordinary happens while Offaly GAA will be reviewing all county team managements in the coming weeks.
The senior football year ended with a real cloud following a complete collapse in the Tailteann Cup where shocking defeats by London and Limerick were followed by a way more respectable display in a loss to Down. That has led to some speculation about the future of manager Declan Kelly but he is likely to be given a second year, if he wants it.
While the hurling year has ended on a high, it has been a disappointing one for Offaly football. The seniors retained Division 3 status in the National Football League and beat Laois in the championship but it unravelled after that. The U-20 footballers didn't come out of their group while the minor footballers were well beaten by Wicklow in the preliminary quarter-final. Both U-20s and minors also made innocuous exits in subsidiary competitions and it has been a very bleak year for Offaly football.
No one should be pitting football against hurling or creating a tug of war between the codes and Offaly's dual heritage must be celebrated and embraced but some serious soul searching is required by those whose real passion is the large ball game. With hurling making inroads in “non traditional” areas and the U-20s rightly capturing the imagination of young people, football is at a cross-roads and needs to take steps forward very soon.