Tipp trimming shouldn’t overshadow Offaly hurlers' season

By Kevin Egan

Midway through the second half of last Saturday’s All-Ireland preliminary hurling quarter-final, there was a very real prospect that referee Johnny Murphy might decide that the game would have to be abandoned because the thunderstorms overhead were just too close for comfort.

On the one hand, this would have been a welcome development, as Offaly’s unwanted place in the history books as the side that conceded the largest total in the history of inter-county championship hurling might have been averted. On the other, it was plainly clear that this was not a fixture that offered any value to the home side, and having to go through the mill a second time would have only extended the period of torture.

Offaly didn’t need to play a game like this to learn that they have a long way to go to compete against the elite powers in the game, of which Tipperary are definitely one right now. Absolutely, the path to improvement has to involve a couple of grim, difficult fixtures of this nature as players who have spent most of their careers hurling in the second tier get familiar with life at a higher altitude, but at least let there be an even playing field. Tipperary are All-Ireland contenders right now, and they know it.

For someone like Jason Forde, returning to the side after his injury in their Munster championship fixture against Cork, this was a chance to get form and confidence back. For others, it was a chance to nail down a starting place in a team that has a bright future, but where there were openings as a result of their poor showing against Waterford.

Meanwhile, on the Offaly side, this was a fixture that had to be fulfilled, even though there was no genuine appetite to do so, notwithstanding the local businesses that would have been quite happy to see around 8,000 Tipperary supporters land in town. Replay the game where both counties are competitive and working towards their primary goal for the season, and Tipperary would still win by plenty, but not by a margin of over 30 points.

Consequently, when it comes to reviewing the 2023 season, the games that matter are the games that were played in the Allianz League, and in the Joe McDonagh Cup. On that front, while the year ended in a disappointing fashion, there is no doubt that Offaly are in a better position than they were 12 months ago.

A return to Division One league hurling is very welcome, and while that may lead to a tough spring in terms of results, these are games where Offaly can try and bridge the gap, taking on the elite counties at a time when they are trying to work out their best team and developing strategies.

For the country as a whole, the fact that the top teams are nowhere near their best in the spring is less than ideal, as the Allianz Hurling League is a much less enjoyable competition to watch than its football counterpart. For Offaly, it’s ideal. The old Division 1A/1B format may have been preferable, but right now, every county hurls like it doesn’t matter too much.

Over the course of the Joe McDonagh Cup, Offaly found a competitive streak and they won a lot of tight games, and they came away from the final knowing that there are a lot of areas where they can realistically target and deliver improvement over the coming inter-county off-season.

Undoubtedly, added depth is going to be vital. Eimhin Kelly and Paddy Clancy hurled well off the bench against Carlow in Croke Park, but that was an anomaly, as for the majority of the season, Johnny Kelly didn’t get game-changing contributions from the sideline.

This year’s U-20 panel will go a long way towards bridging that gap in time, but 2024 will still be a year too soon for a lot of them. Carlow’s dominance in the air and in the physical stakes generally was another clear sign of where Offaly have work to do, and it may be the case that while playing Leinster championship hurling as soon as possible would be preferable, it’s not a crisis, as long as Offaly can win the Joe McDonagh next year.

With Westmeath and Laois in the mix, that’s far from certain. Westmeath showed plenty of ability in Leinster this year in their games against Dublin and Wexford, and like Carlow, they won’t lack for physical strength. The likely return of Killian Doyle instantly makes them four or five points better, and it’s likely that Aonghus Clarke will comes back in too, adding more quality.

Laois, for their part, will expect to be a lot better in 2024 as well, while Kerry will always be competitive. It might not get the air time afforded to the Tailteann Cup, but the 2024 Joe McDonagh Cup looks like a very good competition, and possibly the right competition for where the Offaly hurlers are right now, even though we all wish it was otherwise.