2024 review: McDonagh Cup success was mission of atonement
By Kevin Egan
Ask any of the Offaly players to contrast the emotions that they felt when the final whistle sounded on the 2024 Joe McDonagh Cup final against Laois, and the pain that would have reverberated deep in the pits of their stomachs 12 months previously at the end of a memorable but heartbreaking final against Carlow, and they would say that it was like two completely different worlds.
That’s how sport works. Tiny margins make a world of difference, and all the cruel luck that befell the Faithful County against Carlow, whether it was Paddy Boland’s contentious goal, Dara Maher’s harsh red card, 26 wides, or David Nally’s injury, none of that was in evidence as Offaly just about saw off a late Laois comeback that, frankly, never should have been allowed to gather steam like it did.
In hurling terms, it would be hard to make the case that Offaly were a better team in 2024 as opposed to 12 months previously. Absentees such as Adrian Cleary and Paddy Clancy were replaced by U-20 hurlers, and incredibly talented young players that they might be, the adult game is a different game, more than it ever was before.
Laois are not the force that they were a couple of years ago and by all accounts their decline is likely to continue into 2025, with a host of big name hurlers set to step aside due to age and injury. Kerry were also a shadow of the team they were, and even Westmeath, though threatening, carried one or two weak links into their game in Tullamore at the end of April, particularly up front.
On a day when the losing side was likely to be in huge trouble after both teams lost their first round games, the Lake County were guilty of throwing away a huge advantage when Darragh Egerton needlessly picked up black and yellow cards in the first half, cancelling out the upper hand they enjoyed when Jason Sampson got red carded for his actions at the opening throw-in.
As McDonagh Cup runs go, Offaly had it as easy as they could hope for, but that was still no guarantee of a big performance in the final. And while it would be a stretch to say that the final brought out the best in the group, they did enough, showing immense mental strength to pull through in the face of Laois’ late surge.
This resolve and resilience in the face of real pressure, pressure that was magnified by the historical context of the dismal decade of decline that preceded the recent upturn, was the primary reason to feel good about this campaign. An All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Cork, even if it was a Cork side that weren’t as tuned in as they would be for their big games against Limerick and Clare that were to follow, will also be a source of plenty of encouragement in advance of what will be a momentous year for Offaly hurling, the county’s first tilt at the Bob O’Keeffe Cup for seven years.
Add another year of adult hurling and another league campaign into the legs of the U-20 ‘graduates’ like Colin Spain, Cathal King and Dan Bourke, and there is good reason to believe that the team will be improved for 2025, as they will need to be. Moreover, there was clear evidence of maturity and growth among the group of players that will need to show new levels of on-field leadership over the coming months.
In interviews in advance of Ballinamere’s county final clash with Kilcormac-Killoughey, Brian Duignan acknowledged that due to injuries and other factors, his form in the last couple of years hadn’t been where it needed to be, and he was conscious of that in advance of the 2024 season. Moments like the penalty against Westmeath, his goal against Laois in the final, and the way he recovered from missing a penalty for Ballinamere that might have cost them their semi-final win over St Rynagh’s, will stand to him.
The axis of Cillian Kiely and Ciaran Burke along the centre of the Offaly defence looks as good as anything that any team will bring to the fray in Leinster this year. Mark Troy, perhaps conscious of the talent coming up behind him in the shape of Liam Hoare, also looks like he’s pushing his game on, particularly when it comes to his distribution, which was never a weak spot but is now a valuable ingredient in the team’s play.
Then there’s Charlie Mitchell, whose selection as Joe McDonagh Hurler of the Year is testament to how he has very quickly developed from being a promising young hurler to being one of the leaders in the group, and a player that can be relied upon to come up with big plays when they are most needed.
Adding depth will be an issue, and that lays down a gauntlet to anything from a dozen to 20 hurlers who will feel that they have the ability to contribute, even if they haven’t nailed down consistent starting places in the team just yet. Nothing can be taken for granted, but it would be infinitely preferable if players like Donal Shirley, Adam Screeney, Dan Ravenhill and Brecon Kavanagh aren’t being asked to play over 200 minutes of Leinster senior championship hurling, given that there is another Leinster U-20 title there to be won, at the very least.
On the sideline too, while no team makes consistent forward progress and wins their championship without having solid guidance, there is room for improvement as well. Sideline inertia in the face of Laois rallying in both McDonagh Cup games, particularly the final but also the round robin clash in Portlaoise, was almost inexplicable. Trying changes that don’t work is one thing, but allowing the momentum of a game to shift dramatically without any attempt to shake things up, particularly when some younger players were visibly out on their feet at the time, didn’t make things any easier.
That’s not an argument to throw out bathwater, tub, baby and everything, but at the end of a year where the primary goals were achieved but where there still exists a huge gap that will need to be bridged very quickly, it can’t be as simple as saying that the players need to train on and get better. Every source of improvement must be found, as there is no-one set to stand still.
Niall Ó Ceallacháin has been central to Na Fianna’s emergence as a hurling force and there’s no doubt that he will bring a lot of that energy to his new role as Dublin manager, while Keith Rossiter’s devotion to Wexford is unquestioned, and in 2025 he’ll be a lot less green when it comes to what the management role entails. Micheál O’Donoghue knows what it takes to bring Galway to the top, and Davy Fitzgerald has generally got his best results in the first couple of years at the helm of any team, so expect Antrim to be greatly improved next year as well. As for Kilkenny? Well, they’ll just keep on being Kilkenny.
Reacclimatising to life in that company is likely to be a bumpy journey, with a few setbacks along the way. But it’s great to be back, it’s great to be relevant again, and while nobody will remember the 2024 Joe McDonagh campaign as one of the more exciting or memorable senior hurling seasons, it was one in which the players did what they had to do, avoiding pitfalls and drawing a line under six painful seasons away from the county’s natural home in the Leinster senior hurling championship.
It might not have been a case of kicking in the door and having all eyes in the room turn Offaly’s way as they defiantly announced their return, but they’ve earned their way back all the same.