Offaly Hurling 2026

[faithfulfanatic]

Cork will definitely go for early blood.
Their problem may also our problem. They're well able to run up a massive score - if they have the edge on a team.
So we want to avoid an avalanche of goals anyway.

Are we going to see a repeat on the timber fest from the early exchanges in the 2023 U20 final?
I believe it would do Cork no good.
Back then, the match was essentially an U20 team vs an U18 team. As All Irelands go, it was a tap in for Cork, given the quality they had.
Had they picked up a red card (and they should have, by rights), it could have derailed them,

However, there is a well established notion in Cork that they've been badly served by playing fair and their lack of success is partially down to them being too pure at hurling and being bullied.
That game in 2023 helped boost Ben O'Connor's candidacy in some quarters down there. They won, but also won with a bit of hatchetery thrown in as well.

The same went on with Ben in an u20 challenge match in the faithful fields at the start of 2025.
A small enough row broke out just before half time and he immediately started roaring GET IN GET IN at the rest of his cork team

[Glendassaun]

Cork’s biggest problem in the long run is Ben O’Connor. Personally I think he’ll do more harm to Cork’s chances than good. He’s arrogant, perhaps a typical Cork trait, but more typically it’s only a quality when you’ve something to be arrogant about. Until they go and win an All Ireland, they’d be better served to let their games do the talking.

Irrespective of Cork’s panel they will be weakened by the absences of T.O’M, T.O’C, Ciaran Joyce, and were unsure yet as to whether they’ll start Darragh Fitzgibbon. Losing your full back, two midfielders, and perhaps your best player (along with Brian Hayes) will weaken Cork. They also have less time to prepare, but perhaps psychologically is where the challenge lies for them.

No matter how much they focus in on Offaly, say the right words in the media, or collectively speak as a group, subconsciously they’ll expect to win and win comfortably at that. Much also depends on the players true opinion of Ben O’Connor and his habit of coming across as being sour at best, unsporting at worst, and just how that sits with the Cork players.

On our side, we know we’re in bonus territory, but don’t for one second tell me that our lads won’t believe they can cause an upset and they’ll fully believe they’ll know how to cause Cork problems. We have key players who can and will cause Cork’s lads some issues. Hurling wise we can match them, athletically we can match them, perhaps physically is where we will struggle (as you’d expect with the youngest team in the competition).

I fully expect us to put it up to Cork and turn some heads in the process, just as we did in the U20 final of 23. Where Cork could fall will be in the possible fragility of their mindset if they fail to give us the credit we’ve earned, if they lose one more key player (Hayes or Robert Downey), or if Ben’s tactic of trying to bully sides backfires and they pick up a red card (not beyond the realms of possibility).

We’ll give it a rattle, and we’ll see where that takes us… As if we’d want it any other way!

[faithfulfanatic]

Offaly as a small, dual country with a recent history of little success tends to have small support.
I’d hope for an improved Offaly crowd on recent offerings but, given the above, and that Cork will be heavy heavy favourites, I think we’ll be outnumbered 6/7 to 1 easily.

So if Cork bring 35k, you’d expect 5k from Offaly?

It will be more like 30k to 10-12k

Unfortunately not a hope of Offaly bringing close to 10k. I’d say we’ll do well to bring 5k. If they didn’t got to tullamore for any of thr 3 games, I can’t see them going to thurles.

Looks to be about 50 stand tickets left and after that it’s the terrace, unless Ticketmaster have more held at this late stage.

Should be 10k from Offaly there

[Kevin]

Best of luck to them all!

Hon OFFALY!!!!!

[faithfulfanatic]

Kevin Corrigan has the Offaly team tweeted in 4 separate articles, 1 on his own page, 1 for Tullamore Tribune, 1 for Midland Tribune and 1 for Offaly Express.
Dan Ravenhill in for Spain is the only change.

Team isn’t up on Offaly GAA Twitter or the Offaly GAA app yet - I’d imagine Kevin jumped the gun on when he was allowed release it?

I’d be worried about our half forward line, no real ball winners from our puckouts.
Cork will play like Galway and keep the wing backs wide to stop us creating space for a puckout to drop into.

[greenairfield]

Kevin Corrigan the wish version of a journalist!

Great to have Ravenhill back.

[A Faithful Follower]

3 seated tickets beside each each other in o coinneain stand - face value if anyone looking for tickets.

C’mon the faithful!!

[SearingDrive]

3 seated tickets beside each each other in o coinneain stand - face value if anyone looking for tickets.

C’mon the faithful!!

Bad day in Thurles. Cork just look a different class today.

[Alloutbarthegoalie]

Am I the only one who thinks Marty Morrissey is a complete stomach churner?

[private joker]

I'd be more concerned with the scoreline than the commentary

[Superhans75]

I'm in the stands
Clueless
Good team
But doesn't hide the back line
Simple

[pigeon house biffo]

I'm in the stands
Clueless
Good team
But doesn't hide the back line
Simple

It is what it is and wouldn’t make a difference to the final score but not sure how Conor Doyle is considered a better forward than Oisin Kelly

[Offaly Hero]

Hard to be too critical. Cork just way way ahead of us in every facet of the game. I really think they’ll win the all-ireland.

A tough lesson for this young group. The work for next year has to start tomorrow.

Very proud nonetheless. Thanks to them all for a fantastic year. The leinster campaign will live long in the memory.

[private joker]

I'm in the stands
Clueless
Good team
But doesn't hide the back line
Simple

It is what it is and wouldn’t make a difference to the final score but not sure how Conor Doyle is considered a better forward than Oisin Kelly

Conor Doyle is a better forward than oisin. Oisin basic skill level under pressure is not great. Was fairly average vs wexford.
No point in taking today into account as cork had essentially stopped playing for offaly s two goals.

[Bord na Mona man]

A baptism of fire for Offaly. Not wholly unexpected, as Cork are a team who go hunting for goals to a massive degree.

In Leinster Offaly don't face this kind of onslaught.

Still, Offaly have made huge progress in 2026.
Every Offaly player will realise the parts of their own games that was not up to standard today.
More aggression, more power, more speed needed in most cases.

Cork have been on a much longer journey and have had their own soul searching to do at various points.