Disappointment in Wexford a sign of how far Offaly hurlers have come

By Kevin Egan

Given Offaly’s late lead and numerical advantage in the closing minutes, for Wexford to take a point out of last Saturday night’s game in Chadwicks Wexford Park felt like a letdown, and that was reflected in the post-match interviews with Cillian Kiely and Jason Sampson on TG4.

Both men made it clear that Offaly’s ambition was to win games like this, and like the natural competitors that they are, they knew that a golden opportunity to pick up two points had been passed up. So they weren’t looking at the draw (Wexford 0-20 Offaly 1-17) as a point gained against the head.

When we consider that Kilkenny, Cork and Clare are the teams that Offaly still have to play - and there is a reasonable case to be made for those three counties as the three most likely usurpers of Limerick in 2024 - it’s quite likely that Offaly won’t come as close to getting a win for the remainder of this league. But even if that’s the case, it’s only right to take a step back and acknowledge how far this group has come under Johnny Kelly’s supervision.

It's not just about the quality of the opposition; Kelly also had to oversee a continued evolution in the way that Offaly play the game. There is still a lot of work to be done, as evidenced by some poor choices on the ball when playing against a Wexford team that was one man short for the last 20-odd minutes. But there is a clear and identifiable plan in terms of how to work the ball into a scoring position, and the days of an Offaly hurler always seeming to need an extra touch of the ball with the hurl in order to take it into the hand appear to have passed.

Moreover, Kelly has used 22 players so far, giving inexperienced players chances, but only with more senior figures around them to give them the best chance at integration. It hasn’t been a case of chasing results, at the expense of the bigger picture.

A lot of questions remain to be answered. The goalkeeping jersey is clearly up for grabs (given the number of physically small forwards in the mix, the possibility of Eoghan Cahill being diverted back to this role can’t be ruled out either). It’s also impossible to predict with any accuracy who will be the frontline midfield by the time the Joe McDonagh Cup rolls around, and there remain real concerns about the group’s defensive solidity when faced with the type of slick running game that Waterford brought to Tullamore.

Moreover, Offaly will carry a level of pressure and expectation into this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup, something that wasn’t a factor when they secured that all-important first round win over Laois last year, and with a battle-hardened Westmeath side now in the pot as well, it looks like a competition that will be as testing as it ever has been at this level.

But relative to where Offaly senior hurling was, just a few seasons ago? These are optimistic times, and we shouldn’t forget it.