U-20s step up as Offaly hurlers get ready for action

THE Offaly senior hurling panel will feature plenty of new faces this year with a number of U-20s stepping up.

New manager Johnny Kelly has a panel of 36 and they will get their first real taste of action when they travel to Callan to face Kilkenny in their Walsh Cup opener next Sunday.

Offaly did play Tipperary in a challenge match in December but with counties barred from playing games in that month, they got a rap on the knuckles with both counties fined €250.

Sunday's trip to Kilkenny will be followed with home games against Wexford (Birr) and Laois (Tullamore) and these will serve them very well as they build for their National Hurling League opener away to Down on February 5.

Kilcormac-Killoughey's Cillian Kiely has returned to the panel after opting out last year and he is joined by younger brother Cathal while other newcomes include Sam Bourke, Joe Hoctor, Charlie Mitchell, James Nally, Jack Clanch, Conor Hardiman and Oisin Murphy.

The squad has been hit with a bout of flu over the Christmas period and Kelly and management will wait until Thursday evening top select their team.

There have been no major withdrawals from last year's panel, though some players are gone and Kelly is happy with the way training has been going.

“Training has been going well and we are going to use the Walsh Cup to build further,” he said. “It is great to get games of this nature. Our aim is to get through January ready for the league on February 5th in the best health possible.

“We will use the Walsh Cup to build conditioning and settle the team down and our system of play. We want to be in the best condition we can be for the league. These games will tell us a lot more. They are high quality games. Three games in three weeks and it is about managing lads, especially the ones who will be playing in the Fitzgibbon Cup. It is the same for every county but we need to manage it well.”

Offaly are in Division 2A of the National Hurl;ing Leagye with games away to Down and Kerry (February 25) and at home to Derry (February 12), Carlow (March 11) and Kildare (March 19).

The three home games are in Tullamore. In other years, Offaly have played a home game in Birr and asked about this, the Portumna man said they had no input into the venue. “O'Connor Park is Offaly's county ground and that must be the reason. We had no call on it,” he stressed.