Heartbreak for Offaly as Tipp snatch victory in dramatic finish
Electric-Ireland All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Final
Tipperary 1-17 Offaly 1-16
Kevin Egan
Every emotion imaginable was laid bare on the pristine Nowlan Park playing surface yesterday afternoon once Shane Glynn sounded his final whistle at the end of an All-Ireland minor final that was both memorable and yet nothing short of heartbreaking for the Offaly players, management and supporters in attendance.
Chasing the county’s fourth ever All-Ireland minor hurling crown, and a first All-Ireland hurling crown at any grade since 1998, Leo O’Connor’s hurlers did pretty much everything right. Absolutely, there were mistakes and miscues, but everything was done with complete commitment and intensity, and over the course of 55 minutes they established what seemed like an unassailable position.
Offaly were 1-15 to 0-12 in front with Tipperary reduced to 14 men and the job was almost done – but in sport, least of all in hurling, such things can never be said with certainty.
If there was an occasion in the match where the age of the players involved showed, it was here. Despite having an extra man, Offaly retreated into a very defensive stance, while still playing the ball long instead of working it through the lines, thus coughing up possession.
With nothing to lose Tipperary stuck to their task manfully, chipping away at the lead one point at a time. With the four minutes of stoppage time expired and the gap down to two points, a free about 40 metres from the Offaly goal was floated in by Paddy Phelan, and corner-forward Paddy McCormack rose highest to flash his hurl and whip the sliotar past Liam Hoare for the game’s decisive score.
It was a conclusion that no-one could have seen coming. For 20 minutes, Offaly were marginally the better side, though they struggled to make it count on the scoreboard as they put eight of their first 15 shots wide of the target. Then, for the next 30, they took control. They scored 1-3 without reply in the coming up to half-time, leaving six between them at the interval.
And while Tipperary rallied with three on the spin after the interval, Offaly settled again, picking off some crucial points from distance and inspired by two superb saves from Liam Hoare. Yet for all that, they never did quite enough to shake off Tipperary, and while Tipp got a few key decisions from Shane Glynn in the closing stages – the Galway man’s decision not to give a free out for what looked like a trip on Niall Furlong in the lead up to the goal will certainly rankle for years to come – the resilience of the winners ensured that they were in a good position to take advantage.
These two sides came into the contest on the back of very different semi-final victories, with Offaly prevailing in a tense and tight battle with Clare, while Tipperary came through an epic shootout against Galway.
If this game was to be decided by who dictated the early terms of engagement, then the Leinster champions were the team that looked to be on course for victory. Both sides had an extra man at the defensive end of the field, and with little or no space for the inside forwards, just four of the first ten points of the contest were struck from play. Gradually Offaly began to get some traction close to goal, where corner-forwards Daniel Hand and Adam Screeney picked off superb scores, while Tipperary’s strength was in the middle third, with Adam Daly and Ciarán Foley both on the scoresheet from distance as the half progressed.
The role of forwards seemed to be as much about tackling and pressurising the opposition as much as it was about raising flags, and when three Tipp forwards combined to force a turnover and allow Daly to whip the ball over, that pushed the men in blue and gold ahead by 0-8 to 0-7.
The next five minutes seemed like it would define the contest. Leigh Kavanagh won a puckout and set up Conor Doyle; Screeney shot two more unbelievable points; then Daniel Hand split the uprights from the left touchline.
With stoppage time getting underway, a measured diagonal ball from Screeney played in Leigh Kavanagh, and after shaking off a tackle, he drilled a low shot to the bottom of the Tipp net.
Offaly might have added more, but Tadhg Sheehan recovered well to prevent Niall Furlong getting a goal shot away, and Screeney had another effort blocked down, in what later proved to be crucial interventions.
The reset suited the Munster county, who sprung out of the traps after half-time with points from Joe Egan, and Damien Corbett (two), though a close-range free should have reduced the gap to two, and instead Tipp tried to work a goal chance and had their effort repelled.
That reprieve energised Offaly and the next three points went their way, including highlight reel points from Donal Shirley and Shane Rigney, and that looked like it might be enough.
In hurling, nothing is guaranteed, however, as this Offaly team learned in the cruellest fashion imaginable.
Scorers - Tipperary: D Corbett 0-6 (4f, 0-1 65); P McCormack 1-1; A Daly and C Foley (1f) 0-2 each; J Egan, T Delaney, S O’Farrell, J O’Callaghan, A O’Halloran and D McCarthy (f) 0-1 each. Offaly: A Screeney 0-6 (3f); L Kavanagh 1-0; D Hand 0-3; S Rigney and D Ravenhill (2f) 0-2 each; C Doyle, D Shirley and C Robinson 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Eoin Horgan; Chris O'Donnell, Aaron O'Halloran, Jack Quinlan; Sam O'Farrell, Tadhg Sheehan, Jack O'Callaghan; Ciarán Foley, Adam Daly; Joe Egan, Conor Martin, Cathal English; Damien Corbett, Tom Delaney, Paddy McCormack. Subs: Darragh McCarthy for Martin (half-time), Senan Butler for Delaney (46 mins), Sam Rowan for Foley (54), Jamie Ormond for O’Callaghan (58), Paddy Phelan for Sheehan (58).
Offaly: Liam Hoare; Caelum Larkin, James Mahon, Ruairí Kelly; Ter Guinan, Brecon Kavanagh, Donal Shirley; Niall Furlong, Cillian Martin; Leigh Kavanagh, Dan Ravenhill, Conor Doyle; Daniel Hand, Shane Rigney, Adam Screeney. Subs: Cathal Robinson for Martin (43 mins), Mark Mulrooney for Shirley (58), Shane Connolly for Hand (60+2).
Referee: Shane Glynn (Galway).