PREVIEW: Offaly return to 'scene of the crime' for revenge mission against Tipperary
VERY painful memories will be circulating freely in Offaly in the coming as they prepare to face neighbours Tipperary in the All-Ireland U20 Hurling Championship final in Kilkenny's Nowlan Park on Saturday evening next.
Nowlan Park was the venue where Tipperary denied Offaly a richly deserved win in the 2022 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship final, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with a dramatic injury time winning goal.
It was a devastating defeat for Offaly who played well enough to take the victory on the day but just couldn't hold on. They will now have a chance of revenge in what promises to be another titanic clash with a capacity crowd of 26,000 people set to create a fantastic atmosphere on another magical hurling evening.
Offaly are desperate to win an All-Ireland title. They also lost to Cork in the All-Ireland U-20 hurling final last year and a third consecutive All-Ireland final defeat does not bear thinking about. Many of the 2022 minor sides will be back in action against each other, are very familiar with each other and it will be a high stakes, hugely intense shootout.
Tipperary have been the All-Ireland favourites from early in the play and it will take a huge performance by Offaly to take them out but they will be approaching the game in a very hopeful, focused frame of mind.
Offaly haven't fully clicked into their best form yet but have answered every question asked of them and there could be a very big display waiting to erupt from them.
They have done what has been required of them at every opportunity, once again turning up and performing in every game and you just have to admire the way this hugely exciting group of young players go about their business.
They have ignited a county and have had to manage the accompanying expectations, hype and excitement. There has been unprecedented interest in this Offaly hurling team – the county is crying out for success while the quality of this team, the flair they play with, has captured the imagination of people.
They have terrific skill but it is accompanied by a huge work rate. They are perhaps lacking a bit in the physical size and power that some counties have but it is compensated for with their desire and work ethic.
It has been an incredible few years for Offaly hurling and it is fantastic to have a team competing at this level.
They have ticked almost ever box to date. They have won back to back Leinster U-20 titles and have beaten every team along the way: Wexford, Dublin, Galway and Kilkenny have all lost to Offaly in the past two years and the enormity of that achievement should not be understated.
Leinster is a very competitive province, it is full of banana skins and to win successive Leinster titles is a huge achievement. They have shown they can perform under real pressure and they have big game players throughout the field.
Attacker Adam Screeney may be capturing the imagination of hurling lovers throughout the country but Offaly have way more strings in their bow. Screeney may be capable of getting scores that no one else on the Offaly team can but they have players standing up and counting throughout the field.
Goalkeeper Liam Hoare, Brecon Kavanagh and James Mahon have been outstanding in an excellent defence while two of the team's oldest players Colin Spain and Cathal King have been in great form in midfield. This is their last chance of an underage All-Ireland medal and they are so important to the Offaly team.
Shane Rigney and Dan Bourke have also been brilliant in the Offaly attack. You will not win games at this level without a few players hitting peak form but Offaly's success is very much built on the collective and what every player does. There is just so much to admire in the way every player goes about their business and their hunger for success.
The format for the Leinster championship gave Offaly in the room to ease into their campaign. Placed in Tier 1, they couldn't bow out in the group stages and this meant that they didn't have to hit knockout intensity. They still performed reasonably well in their group win over Dublin and draw with Galway. They could have beaten Dublin easier and should have beaten Galway but Offaly got exactly what they needed to out of these games – match practice, confidence and the knowledge that they once again had realistic title aspirations.
They were outstanding in their quarter-final demolition of Laois and their semi-final win over Kilkenny was very significant. It was Offaly's first win over their long time superiors since 2007 and it was a very important barrier to surmount. They had dodgy spells in the Leinster final against Dublin but played well enough to fully deserve the win and once they clicked into gear in the second quarter, it always looked like they would return to the All-Ireland.
They have qualified without one of their best players Dan Ravenhill, who is a long time absentee with a hamstring injury. There is a temptation to try and get Ravenhill ready for some action on Saturday but manager Leo O'Connor has confirmed that they won't be risking his long term well-being in this manner. Daniel Hand and Cillian Martin have also had injuries, though Hand was an unused sub for the Leinster final and Martin was on the extended panel.
Offaly will be under no illusions about the task that awaits them against Tipperary. They have been very good, very consistent the whole year. Tipp defeated Limerick by 3-18 to 1-17 in their first game, Waterford 1-21 to 0-15 and Cork 3-20 to 0-18 in the group stages while they lost 0-18 to 1-14 to Clare but their place in the final was assured.
They rode their luck a bit to beat Cork by 1-19 to 0-21 in the Munster final last Friday evening in Limerick. Cork had a good goal controversially not given and Tipp were relieved to win. They do look to be physically stronger and it is difficult to know how this will go.
In last year's All-Ireland final, Cork were clearly a better team than Offaly and we just don't know at the moment how close they are to Tipperary. It looks like they aren't far away and that they will be competitive but the evidence will really unveil itself around the three quarter way mark
You can be absolutely sure that Offaly will hit the ground running with a ferocious intensity. They did that against Cork last year but that can only be sustained for so long and it is in the second half when the game will be won. Tipp have a lot of quality throughout the field, a very accurate free taker in Darragh McCarthy, a scoring midfielder in Sam O'Farrell and deadly forwards in Ciaran Foley and Oisin O'Donoghue.
It is a big ask for Offaly but it is possible. While some will regard next year as their best chance of taking an All-Ireland U-20 title, there is absolutely no guarantee of getting back there and these chances don't come around too often.
There has been something very impressive in the way Offaly have gone about their business this year: their grit and composure, ability to get magical scores, hit purple patches almost exactly on cue. There may be a bit more in them but so far they have done what they needed to when they needed to and that is a very good sign of a very good side.
It argues well for their prospects and it could all happen for them. Some supporters have been giving out about the 7.15pm Saturday evening throw in but that is very much a first world issue -it is not a problem at all and when Offaly won their first All-Ireland title in the U-21 grade, the 1988 football, it was after 7pm on a Sunday evening. Many supporters didn't make the Longford venue until the second half because of huge traffic backlogs on the approach roads to Longford. That shouldn't happen anyone on this occasion and supporters will be departing Offaly from early afternoon on Saturday.
The time is neither here nor there and the only thing that matters is the game and performances. Offaly have never won an hurling title at the U21-20 grade and they have that opportunity now. Tipp are favourites but once again, anything is possible for Offaly and that is a great position to be in.