Slow start but Offaly hurlers get the job done

By Kevin Egan

A three-point win over a Down side that had to play half an hour of the contest with 13 men doesn’t exactly leap off the page as a superb start to the 2023 Allianz Hurling League for Offaly.

But on a weekend when both Kerry and Kildare marked themselves out as serious contenders for this division with landslide wins over Derry and Carlow respectively, at least Offaly avoided dropping points at a venue where a lot of counties have had difficult afternoons in recent seasons.

There were bright sparks, most notably a strong defensive showing that held Down to 0-7 from play, and a good performance from Oisín Kelly on his first competitive start for the county since his long injury.

By some distance, however, the most notable outcome was that Offaly picked up the two points they needed and now will be able to build on that momentum this weekend against a Derry side that would have struggled to compete in Division 2A with every player available, but after losing swathes of last year’s panel, now looks like a nailed on certainty to be relegated.

Realistically, there isn’t a lot to be learned from Sunday’s game at Glenisk O’Connor Park (1pm), other than whether or not this group has the ruthlessness and concentration to put a much weaker side to the sword and kill off the game early, which hasn’t necessarily been a strong point for Offaly in recent years.

Already, it’s likely that the primary focus of the group has turned to the trip to Killarney to play Kerry on Saturday, February 25th, which should be a crucial contest in determining which counties contest promotion.

If competing for starting place for that one is what keeps Offaly on the straight and narrow this weekend, then that’s perfectly fine – up front at least, there appear to be more than a handful of starting jerseys that really haven’t been nailed down. How much store can be put into a big win over Derry remains to be seen, but it’s all Johnny Kelly and his selectors will have to go on before the visit to Fitzgerald Stadium.

Offaly senior hurling team (v Derry): Stephen Corcoran; Ben Conneely, Ciaran Burke, Oisin Murphy; Killian Sampson, Jason Sampson (captain), David King; Ross Ravenhill, Jack Clancy; Oisin Kelly, Cillian Kiely, Adrian Cleary; Paddy Clancy, Charlie Mitchell, David Kelly. Subs: Eamonn Cleary, Eoghan Cahill, Paddy Delaney, Jack Screeney, Brian Duignan, Cathal Kiely, Eimhin Kelly, John Murphy, Eoghan Parlon, Shane Dolley, Cathal O'Meara.

Historic victory for Offaly Schools hurlers

A strong St Kieran’s team pushed them a lot harder than anyone else had previously, but the combined Offaly Schools side still picked up a famous victory in Nowlan Park last Saturday afternoon, edging out the home side by 1-16 to 1-14 in a contest that was of the highest quality.

To some extent all the talk about the appropriateness of fielding one team that incorporated the entire county in this competition faded away around the final, as it could be argued that St Kieran’s have a longstanding tradition of attracting the best hurlers from all around the Marble County, and certainly the cream of the crop from within a 20km radius of the city.

Ten of the 12 clubs that will play senior in Kilkenny in 2023 would send some or all of their local boys to the school, and as a general rule, the ones that are handy with a hurl are even more likely to choose to try and pull on a black and white hooped jersey.

Whether the project will be extended into next year remains to be seen, but from a strictly Offaly perspective, this talented group got an opportunity to work and develop together over the winter, and since the 2023 U-20 championship is probably a big ask for them yet, this was the perfect stepping stone along their continued journey.

Of course for many of them, the journey will continue next Saturday, as Glenisk O’Connor Park has been chosen as the venue for the Leinster Schools 'B' final, which will be between St Brendan’s of Birr and Coláiste Naomh Cormac, following the latter’s win over Naas CBS on Tuesday night in Clonad. From a long way out, it was expected that these two – alongside Coláiste Choilm – would be strong contenders in this competition, and once St Brendan’s found their way past the Tullamore school, then it was always likely that their neighbours from Kilcormac would lie in wait in the final.

Given that the Offaly senior hurlers aren’t in action that weekend, expect quite a crowd to make their way to Tullamore for what should be a fascinating final featuring some incredibly talented players.