Offaly forward hero ends memorably topsy-turvy season on spectacular high
IT took a real “league of nations” effort for Offaly to triumph in the All-Ireland U-20 Hurling Championship.
Saturday's tremendous 2-20 to 2-14 win over Tipperary completed a remarkable sweep for Offaly GAA. Along with Cork and Galway, they are the only counties with All-Ireland titles in Senior U-21-20 and Minor Football and Hurling Championship while they have an All-Star in every position in both codes.
It is a record that brings a grin of satisfaction to every Offaly supporter. Saturday's win was particularly sweet. Firstly, it was Offaly's first win in the All-Ireland U-20/21 grade and they succeeded where some of the county's greatest ever hurlers failed – Offaly won All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship titles in 1986, 1987 and 1989 but those brilliant hurlers couldn't win the ultimate at U-21, despite going so close.
What really distinguished this, however, was that it came after a two decade plus spell in the doldrums as the county experienced days most thought were gone forever.
This team deserve their day in the sun after an agonising loss to Tipperary in the All-Ireland minor hurling final two years ago and a loss to Cork in the U-20 shootout last year. It took terrific character to keep coming back and their win on Saturday shows how good this group of players are.
It was truly a county wide effort with equal contributions from the hurling strongholds in the south and the more football orientated areas in the north and west.
The 24 strong panel on Saturday featured eight from Kilcormac-Killoughey and it shows how powerful this club is that all of them saw action with six starting and Alex Kavanagh and Daniel Hand coming on.
There were three from Carrig-Riverstown, two from Birr and Coolderry, one from Lusmagh, St Rynagh's and Belmont on the panel. The sub goalie was Kieran Coonan from Clodiagh Gaels, a predominantly hurling club close to Tullamore while Offaly could not have won without the contribution of players from areas where football holds ascendancy.
The starting line-up featured a Tubber man, Donal Shirley, two Clara men, Conor Doyle and Barry Egan and a Durrow man Dan Bourke, who captained the team and led the line magnificently from centre half forward.
While Durrow has been an anomaly in recent years - they are a football only club with their players having permission to hurl with Ballinamere - as they have had several hurlers starring for Offaly at all grades and a rich hurling culture developed there thanks at least partly to the presence of former Offaly stars from the south moving into the area , the contribution of players from Tubber and Clara was an unexpected windfall.
Clara had a third man on the panel in Marcas Dalton – the hard running, very athletic Dalton joined the panel after Offaly's U-20 football campaign ended and came on as a sub against Laois and Kilkenny. Dalton's county future is most likely in football but hurling is very much the game of choice for Doyle and Egan.
It has been an amazing year for Barry Egan. He played very well in Offaly's group games against Dublin and Galway but his form nosedived a bit in the knockout stages. It meant that he was being taken off in games and his starting place was not secure but he ended the season on a quite spectacular high, scoring 1-2 against Tipperary and fighting so hard for everything before being replaced in the 49th minute as management got in fresh legs.
Early on, it looked like it could be one of those days for Egan, one of only a few players in his last year at U-20 level. It didn't quite happen for him, the ball didn't run for him early on but he turned it all around spectacularly. He got two brilliant first half points, one of them after a lovely pass in front of him from his club colleague Doyle – neither were simple and it showed great confidence to take them on.
He then got Offaly's first goal, getting his stick to a high ball in from Shane Rigney – he was exactly where a full forward needs to be, the edge of the square and pulling hard to make sure the goalkeeper or a defender didn't saunter out with a handy ball.
In the dressing room after the game, Egan spoke with great honesty about his year, acknowledging that he had lost his best form in the knockout stages.
“It is absolutely amazing. I am over the moon to get over the line. You just have to keep on plugging away. With Adam inside, you know the boys will put ball in. He is just unbelievable and I am in there to mullock and if I get a couple of scores, it is great.”
He was asked about the confidence it took to strike those two excellent first half points after a slow start – the points were not simple ones.
“No they weren't but I suppose the confidence was up. After the last couple of games, I probably wasn't myself. I was just happy they went over. I backed myself and thanks be to God, they were over. I am just blessed they went over.”
Egan wasn't certain but thought he got a touch to the ball for the first goal – footage later confirmed that he got a decisive touch on it.
“Jaysus, I pulled hard enough anyway. I think I did get a touch but shur look, the two of us can claim it.”
He talked with passion about hurling in Clara.
“There are so many great people in Clara, hurling men who are keeping the thing drove. It is not easy to do. We have a small group keeping it going but when it is going, it is going.”
He was on the edge of his seat on the sideline in the closing few minutes, saluting the subs.
“It was magical. I was hardly able to watch it. The subs were as strong as the starters. They are finishers, they are not subs at all. I had confidence in them to drive us over the line. I am delighted.”
The vast crowds supporting them has been a fantastic part of the story of this team.
“It is magic. The Offaly supporters are one of the best, you won't see better. They are absolutely unbelievable.”
He hadn't experienced any success himself as a young lad but grew up hearing stories about the glory days.
“The father does me telling me. He saw everything. We didn't see too much so when you get a win like this, you celebrate it.”
He will be an adult hurler next year but feels Offaly will have a great chance of retention next year.
“The boys will have a right good go at it next year. I am just delighted we got over the line. It was my last year so I am happy out.”
After losing All-Ireland minor and U-20 finals in 2022 and 2023, the pressure was considerable on Offaly on Saturday. While other players downplayed this, Egan felt every bit of it.
“It was massive pressure coming in. I felt it coming in, that if we didn't get over the line we would be called a bottler or whatever. It is just great, we broke that barrier. There is nothing stopping us now.”
A heavy duty mechanic apprentice, he was hopeful of getting a couple of days this week to bask in it all.
“I'll be chatting the boss. Hopefully he will give me a couple of days off,” he grinned.