The man behind the wire: Old fashioned Offaly spirit raising the bar for county teams

THE typical GAA supporter can be a very strange animal at times. When his or her's team win, it tends to be painted as coming from a herculean, almost abnormal level of effort and commitment from their players; when they lose, there is clear, almost unforgivable deficiencies in these attributes.

The truth of both is generally somewhere in the middle and the result always dictates the mood afterwards and the perception of what occurred. The reality is often very different – some times a team and players can perform much better in a one point defeat than a one point win but the reactions of supporters are in different worlds. Victory raises spirits, instills an urge to celebrate and just makes people feel better about themselves and where they are from; defeats are the polar opposite, depressing and annoying people and bringing up a very human urge to lash out.

Notwithstanding all that, there has been a marked return of traditional old Offaly characteristics in the past couple of years and it is serving the county very well. It is a never say die spirit, a willingness to fight for every ball, to go that extra yard, to hurt, to put bodies on the line.

It is easy to overplay those qualities and claim them as something unique to Offaly. They are of course nothing of the sort. Several counties have those qualities in abundance; a ferocious desire that gets them out of tight corners when the chips are down.

They have seen Offaly win their share of matches over the years with heroic comebacks, late scores that have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat but in many instances they were won for the very simple reason that they had the best players, magical performers who could conjure something special in the white heat of battle; leaders down the spine who would halt a raiding player in his track. They didn't win because of some unique, unfathomable desire or spirit. Most opponents will have the right will to win but with only rare exceptions, the best team nearly always wins matches.

Yet there has been a seachange in the Offaly GAA world in the past few years. The tide is rising for both codes and Offaly are beginning to compete again.

Three years ago, it was impossible to envisage Offaly winning another All-Ireland title. I certainly didn't think I would see it in my lifetime but since then they have won an All-Ireland U-20 Football Championship, playing some sensational football, and were within a hair's breath of taking the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship.

Those wins and performances won't mean much unless they are built on. Offaly are still in the second tier in hurling, the third tier in football. They are there on merit and no one is saying Offaly will win an All-Ireland in either code in the next few years.

Yet you never know when the wheel will turn. The U-20 football win and near miss by the minors has taught us an invaluable lesson: you just never know what will happen and at least Offaly supporters can dream again.

Once again supporters can watch teams with pride and optimism. There is an honesty and commitment there that is refreshing to see.

It is not that players of the past didn't want to succeed. They were there to win but Offaly have suffered some woeful beatings in hurling and football. Some of those were against eminently superior opposition but the questions about commitment and fighting spirit on at least some of these occasions were valid and had to be asked.

Bad days can still happen. Offaly raised the spirits of the county with a tremendous win over Meath in the Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final last Sunday but that only came a few weeks after a very bad league defeat by Down. They were the same players and there may have been extenuating circumstances as it came in the aftermath of Liam Kearns' very sad passing but Offaly's second half performance was just not good enough.

Bad days are part of the human condition but as long as they are very much the exception, they are okay.

It has been an incredibly busy few weeks for Offaly inter-county teams, the senior, U-20 and minor footballers and hurlers. With round robin systems in minor and U-20, County Board officers and team managements have been ran off their feet.

There may be no silverware on the table at the end of the year, though it will be very disappointing if Offaly can't win the Joe McDonagh Cup in hurling – that is far from certain but the senior hurlers are moving in the right direction and one win from their last two games at home to Kerry and away to Carlow will put them in the final.

So far only, the U-20 footballers and minor hurlers have bit the dust. The demise of the U-20 footballers is the big disappointment of the year. That group had ran eventual All-Ireland champions Meath very close in the Leinster minor final three years ago and there were hopes that they could mount a real challenge for provincial honours.

It didn't happen with injuries playing a factor as they drew with Louth and lost to Wicklow and Dublin. It was a pity they didn't scrape out of the group and you never know what would have happened if they had done so. Two years ago, Offaly just barely survived Wexford in the first round and Westmeath in the semi-final but they ignited after that and ended up as All-Ireland champions.

At least, it wasn't effort or commitment that led to Offaly's downfall. They tried so hard in all the games but they just didn't play as well as they could and that is why they are gone. People can give out, express opinions but once players are honest, on and off the field, they will be cut the slack they deserve.

The minor hurlers have showcased the type of fighting spirit that is once again becoming a hallmark of Offaly teams. It ended with a 2-15 to 0-14 defeat by Kilkenny on Sunday but every Offaly supporter in Faithful Fields walked out feeling proud. A defeat is always a defeat but the manner in which Offaly fought for everything and put it up to their opponents was heartwarming.

Kilkenny were the better team but Offaly were not far away and were still in with a shout of a famous win inside the last ten minutes. A lot of supporters travelled to Kilcormac fearing the worse and there was very little expectation surrounding this team.

The prospects of last year's team were known before a ball was hurled but it was a different story this year. They were a limited side compared to last year, yet they have performed as well as could be hoped for, coming out of their group, beating Westmeath in the preliminary quarter-final and then giving Kilkenny a run for their money.

The concession of two softish first half goals ultimately did Offaly while Kilkenny won for one very primary reason: they had three or so hurlers who were better than anyone on the Offaly team and their quality shone through.

The work rate of the Offaly team, however, was incredible. It was comparable to the minor hurlers last year but with the absence of magical performers like Dan Ravenhill and Adam Screeney.

The senior footballers then brought those attributes to the table in a fantastic 1-11 to 0-10 win over Meath on Sunday. The quality of football they played in the first half was beyond people's wildest dreams as they stormed into a 1-8 to 0-2 half time lead. The sight of players chasing, tackling, harrying, blocking, diving in the second half when they were out on their feet was the most pleasing aspect of the afternoon and ensured that Meath didn't get close enough to generate true anxiety – one of Offaly's most natural forwards, Ruari McNamee back deep in his defence late on, out on his feet but diving full length to get his hand to a ball showed this collective fight.

The senior hurlers have done that in the Joe McDonagh Cup and league. Some of their tackling and blocking in the closing minutes of the National Hurling League game against Kildare had to be seen to be believed. Kildare may have got a late goal to draw it that day but that work rate and desire always makes a difference. Every flick, every hand in, every heavy hit, every man shadowed, space closed down, has an impact in a tight game but it is deeper than that.

It sends out the right message to the young children and teenagers watching in the stand. It shows them what is required, what they need to do to get to that level and many of those young boys have those dreams.

The excitement with them after Sunday's win over Meath was just great to see. It was shared by older generations of course, people with Offaly GAA seeping through their blood, but the young people are the future and everything that has a positive impact on them is a very good thing.

The minor footballers and U-20 hurlers also have these attributes of work rate, commitment and, at its most basic, a desire to win. The minor footballers are also competing better than expected and a win over Laois has them on the cusp of qualification, with a home game against Longford to come on Thursday evening.

The U-20 hurlers have arguably the best side in Offaly and they have played as well as they have needed to so far, qualifying for the quarter-finals with a minimun of fuss. Galway in Tullamore on Saturday will represent the real business but there is optimism about their chances and it is a game all in Offaly are looking forward to.

The work in development squads and clubs is hugely important. It is here where players develop their skills, their athleticism, their physicality and these will determine how successful Offaly become. It is intertwined with the less tangible qualities of spirit and will to win and Offaly teams are very much a work in progress.

There is also signs of a bit of old fashioned Offaly “madness” returning. Not “madness” in a “mad sense” but things happening that may be out of the box and questionable, yet very beneficial to a team and players; a confrontation in the warm up area before Sunday's win over Meath; a manager getting involved in a heated confrontation on the sideline; players rushing in to protect him when he was outnumbered. There are lines that can't be crossed and if they are, they have to be dealt with; suspensions are a disaster and fines for County Boards a waste of money but it is another thing that sends out the right message: that Offaly people won't stand back and will go through that wall if it means winning.

There will probably be dark days before the year is out. Some Offaly team may have their ass handed to them and supporters will give out. However, it has been a decent season to date and the work rate of all Offaly teams is the most pleasing feature and provides a very good foundation.