Offaly Under 20s hurling 2024

[G91]

Jesus lads , I wasn't aware that we didn't belong in hurling knockouts

Lads having an absolute meltdown over on the kk forum throwing mangers players everyone under the bus

One poster went as far as calling offaly an average team

One poster the very last comment spoke the truth offaly won and deservedly so

[Doon Exile]

Well, that was just magical. In terms of the game itself, I don't have anything to add over and above what's been posted already (particularly yet another excellent contribution from Glendassaun), so I'll just say that I feel blessed to have been there, and to everyone involved, thank you.


I do want to touch on a couple of things that have come up in this thread. One is the idea floated above that last night's crowd had a lot of "fair weather" supporters on board, and that these people owe it to the county to turn out religiously for all teams. I would have been a bit like this in my younger days, but it's amazing the perspective that life brings, and moreover, the GAA landscape is different now.

Firstly, there are a lot of ways you can be involved in Offaly GAA that don't involve going to the big county games, and secondly, people have a lot of stuff going on in their lives, and if you wanted to be a "hardcore" fan of Offaly hurling and football now, you'd have had to be at around 30 games over the last few months. That's not even remotely do-able, either in terms of time or money.

Secondly, I understand the need from a players' perspective to move away from straight knockout. It's like the split season debate - it's a clash between the needs of players and the needs of armchair supporters, and for me, that's no debate at all. However the fact remains that last night's game meant everything, and of course that will draw people out. You have a team that's a joy to watch, that you know will absolutely empty themselves for the cause every time they pull on a jersey, you have an opponent that would be a real scalp, and you know that it's a simple equation: lose and you're gone, win and you're one hour away from a provincial title, and two hours away from an All-Ireland. It's not fair to blame people for wanting to be part of that.

Following on from that, but in a similar vein, there's a theme in this thread about how U-20 is a development competition, and that it's clearly of secondary importance to the seniors in the Joe McDonagh. Now on paper, that makes an element of sense, but if you're like me, and a lot of posters on this board, you can talk all you like about logic, but there's something about this team that goes beyond logic. I can't put words on it, but I feel it every time I go watch them. Of course getting the Leinster SHC is important, but even if we got there, would we ever have evenings like last night? Like Carlow last year? Like Portlaoise in 2022? Those stick with you in a way that Joe McDonagh Cup games - even last year's final in Croke Park - never would. And the proof is there in the scenes on the pitch at the end.

Absolutely, Offaly getting to the Leinster championship would be of great promotional and developmental value, but is it more than the value of thousands of kids going absolutely bananas watching Screeney and co make them feel like they're part of something special? I can't help but feeling that these nights will pay a far bigger dividend in the long run than getting the Leinster SHC a year or two earlier.

That's not me arguing for a second that the U20s should be left out of Sunday's game against Kerry. I think Johnny Kelly needs to pick his best team, win the game as quick as he can, then whip them off. I made a different argument prior to the Meath game and I stand by that, because we would have beaten Meath anyway. This is different, Kerry are a real threat.

HOWEVER the idea that the senior should be the primary consideration for Screeney/King/Bourke/Shirley etc? No, not having that. And I don't see how anyone that was in Tullamore last night could feel like that.

Great post there LS. Hit the nail on the absolute head.

Nothing more to be said that hasn’t been said already other than how proud I was to be from Offaly yesterday evening.

Second half probably took a year or two off my life but who cares. Have one game left of the minor/u20 Leinster season ticket so roll on next Wednesday.

[Glendassaun]

Ordinarily in sport when a player is deemed good enough they're elevated to Senior status immediately, irrespective of the consequences for their underage teams. However, I would argue that given the age profile of this team, combined with our physical development, that the focus should be on doing everything we can to retain our Leinster U20 title. Winning is a brilliant habit, and gaining confidence by beating the likes of Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford, Dublin, Clare etc since 2022 (which includes our run to the minor All Ireland final) has undoubtedly bolstered the confidence of this team and indeed, a new generation of Offaly players. Did beating St Kieran's in the 2023 Leinster Colleges Final provide this group with confidence? I would argue that it did.

When a county has a tradition of being successful at Senior level and currently compete at the highest level then it's understandable that your best eligible younger players are promoted to the senior ranks, irrespective of the implications for the U20's. But that hasn't always been the case. If we look back to last years All Ireland U20 final Cork faced a similar dilemma with Eoin Downey and the Cork Seniors, but ultimately they held him in reserve for the All Ireland Final. They prioritised the possibility of marginal gains today for the very real possibility of a greater return from their now decorated underage players tomorrow. Similarly, when Donegal made the breakthrough in 2011 with Jim Mc Guinness, it was only because of the success he had with the Donegal U21's the year previously, reaching an All Ireland Final v Dublin and winning Ulster that they could make that leap forward.

This group of players, including those who were U20 last season, are a special bunch of young men. Since making the breakthrough in 2022 on another night in Portlaoise, which I hope we can repeat on Wednesday, they have captured the imagination of the Offaly public. I've often wondered just why does this team resonate so much with Offaly supporters, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Offaly people have a long tradition of punching above our weight, both in sport and society. The British tried to tame us with the plantations of the 1550's but Offaly remained bandit country and a thorn in the side of an empire, with the plantations regarded as a failure due to our persistence. Each parish is littered with stories and legends of bravery, heroism, and survival against all odds. We're a county that prides honest hard work, with no regard for reputation or authority. Our sporting past is the envy of any small county, but we thrive on overturning the odds.

An entire county identifies with this team because they touch upon the values, whether we consciously hold that in our minds or not, that set us apart as people. A team built on the premise of honesty and hard work, combined with tremendous skill and style, are the foundations upon which our culture as a county is built. Our physical size as a county is reciprocated with the physical size of our team, but that doesn't stop us from putting it up to and overcoming each Goliath we've slayed since the breakthrough in 2022. Each year supporting this team has been a journey, a saga of sorts. As supporters we've grown attached to the main characters, the protagonists and we've become invested in their journey which we deeply identify with. That's what inspires children to take up sport. That's why we've half time puc arounds with hundreds, if not thousands of children, why the stands and terraces are sold out for our underage games. Some teams transcend sport and bridge over into our contemporary lives, and this team is one such example.

I sincerely hope that we beat Kerry at the weekend, and that we subsequently set up a replay with Laois in the Joe Mc Donagh Cup Final in a few weeks time. Winning and getting back into the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship is of great significance for the future development of Offaly hurling and for this upcoming group of talented hurlers. But why would we wish to fast forward through some of the possible best scenes in this box set of classics? Why would we want to jeopardise nights like that in Dr Cullen Park, Ter's interception, Screeney's points from the 14 yard line, traffic jams in Templemore as the county migrated to Thurles, a sea of green, white and gold and the roar when Offaly took to the field vs Cork in last years All Ireland Final, Rigney's two goals on Wednesday and the joy of the full time whistle, a county basking beneath the blue hue of the May sunshine. Why would we not want the best chance of repeating these scenes next Wednesday and potentially on to another All Ireland Final?

Our time for senior success will come. But first, lets enjoy the present. Onwards to Portlaoise.

[Bord na Mona man]

Jesus lads , I wasn't aware that we didn't belong in hurling knockouts

Lads having an absolute meltdown over on the kk forum throwing mangers players everyone under the bus

One poster went as far as calling offaly an average team

One poster the very last comment spoke the truth offaly won and deservedly so

I had a look there on boards.ie

It's easy blame management for all that went wrong. But 40 minutes in Kilkenny were in the driving seat, and management can only do so much at that point of a game.
If it was Offaly we'd be fuming that the game wasn't closed out.

Everyone is an expert afterwards. I'm sure it seemed obvious beforehand that a team of big units would horse Offaly out of it. A day later, Kilkenny had too many big men.

Some of them seem to think that going route one was the right thing to do, but when they got 2 scores in 20+ minutes of lorrying it onto the big men, it's hard to support that view.

Calling Offaly average is ott and maybe a minority view there. But let's not got carried away.
It's an exceptional team by Offaly standards, but nationally there's other teams of similar ability.

[JimBwobb]

Ordinarily in sport when a player is deemed good enough they're elevated to Senior status immediately, irrespective of the consequences for their underage teams. However, I would argue that given the age profile of this team, combined with our physical development, that the focus should be on doing everything we can to retain our Leinster U20 title. Winning is a brilliant habit, and gaining confidence by beating the likes of Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford, Dublin, Clare etc since 2022 (which includes our run to the minor All Ireland final) has undoubtedly bolstered the confidence of this team and indeed, a new generation of Offaly players. Did beating St Kieran's in the 2023 Leinster Colleges Final provide this group with confidence? I would argue that it did.

When a county has a tradition of being successful at Senior level and currently compete at the highest level then it's understandable that your best eligible younger players are promoted to the senior ranks, irrespective of the implications for the U20's. But that hasn't always been the case. If we look back to last years All Ireland U20 final Cork faced a similar dilemma with Eoin Downey and the Cork Seniors, but ultimately they held him in reserve for the All Ireland Final. They prioritised the possibility of marginal gains today for the very real possibility of a greater return from their now decorated underage players tomorrow. Similarly, when Donegal made the breakthrough in 2011 with Jim Mc Guinness, it was only because of the success he had with the Donegal U21's the year previously, reaching an All Ireland Final v Dublin and winning Ulster that they could make that leap forward.

This group of players, including those who were U20 last season, are a special bunch of young men. Since making the breakthrough in 2022 on another night in Portlaoise, which I hope we can repeat on Wednesday, they have captured the imagination of the Offaly public. I've often wondered just why does this team resonate so much with Offaly supporters, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Offaly people have a long tradition of punching above our weight, both in sport and society. The British tried to tame us with the plantations of the 1550's but Offaly remained bandit country and a thorn in the side of an empire, with the plantations regarded as a failure due to our persistence. Each parish is littered with stories and legends of bravery, heroism, and survival against all odds. We're a county that prides honest hard work, with no regard for reputation or authority. Our sporting past is the envy of any small county, but we thrive on overturning the odds.

An entire county identifies with this team because they touch upon the values, whether we consciously hold that in our minds or not, that set us apart as people. A team built on the premise of honesty and hard work, combined with tremendous skill and style, are the foundations upon which our culture as a county is built. Our physical size as a county is reciprocated with the physical size of our team, but that doesn't stop us from putting it up to and overcoming each Goliath we've slayed since the breakthrough in 2022. Each year supporting this team has been a journey, a saga of sorts. As supporters we've grown attached to the main characters, the protagonists and we've become invested in their journey which we deeply identify with. That's what inspires children to take up sport. That's why we've half time puc arounds with hundreds, if not thousands of children, why the stands and terraces are sold out for our underage games. Some teams transcend sport and bridge over into our contemporary lives, and this team is one such example.

I sincerely hope that we beat Kerry at the weekend, and that we subsequently set up a replay with Laois in the Joe Mc Donagh Cup Final in a few weeks time. Winning and getting back into the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship is of great significance for the future development of Offaly hurling and for this upcoming group of talented hurlers. But why would we wish to fast forward through some of the possible best scenes in this box set of classics? Why would we want to jeopardise nights like that in Dr Cullen Park, Ter's interception, Screeney's points from the 14 yard line, traffic jams in Templemore as the county migrated to Thurles, a sea of green, white and gold and the roar when Offaly took to the field vs Cork in last years All Ireland Final, Rigney's two goals on Wednesday and the joy of the full time whistle, a county basking beneath the blue hue of the May sunshine. Why would we not want the best chance of repeating these scenes next Wednesday and potentially on to another All Ireland Final?

Our time for senior success will come. But first, lets enjoy the present. Onwards to Portlaoise.

Couldn't agree more, very well written!!

[Bord na Mona man]

Brilliantly put Glen. I wouldn’t have the time or ability to do better.

Great point on Downey being prioritised by Cork for U20 btw.
We should avoid ‘cargo cult’ thinking in Offaly. Trying to second guess that Kilkenny, or Cork or Tipp see U20s as some sort of Tony Forristal for 19 year olds and therefore we have to show a disdain for it.

And believe me, come December the knives will be out in Kilkenny for the officials who messed up the Killian Doyle eligibility.

Of course Senior, Joe Mc and Liam MacCarthy is the biggest show in town in the grander scheme. Before the usual suspects dive in to point this out.

But - Offaly could win Joe McD this year, and there is the possibility we could be back playing Joe McDonagh again in 2 years time. That’s the reality of it. With only 6 teams allowed into Leinster, usually the McDonagh team yo-yos every year. Until something happens, like Dublin getting relegated and they change Leinster to 8 teams, the trapdoor down is a real and permanent hazard.

Ordinarily in sport when a player is deemed good enough they're elevated to Senior status immediately, irrespective of the consequences for their underage teams. However, I would argue that given the age profile of this team, combined with our physical development, that the focus should be on doing everything we can to retain our Leinster U20 title. Winning is a brilliant habit, and gaining confidence by beating the likes of Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford, Dublin, Clare etc since 2022 (which includes our run to the minor All Ireland final) has undoubtedly bolstered the confidence of this team and indeed, a new generation of Offaly players. Did beating St Kieran's in the 2023 Leinster Colleges Final provide this group with confidence? I would argue that it did.

When a county has a tradition of being successful at Senior level and currently compete at the highest level then it's understandable that your best eligible younger players are promoted to the senior ranks, irrespective of the implications for the U20's. But that hasn't always been the case. If we look back to last years All Ireland U20 final Cork faced a similar dilemma with Eoin Downey and the Cork Seniors, but ultimately they held him in reserve for the All Ireland Final. They prioritised the possibility of marginal gains today for the very real possibility of a greater return from their now decorated underage players tomorrow. Similarly, when Donegal made the breakthrough in 2011 with Jim Mc Guinness, it was only because of the success he had with the Donegal U21's the year previously, reaching an All Ireland Final v Dublin and winning Ulster that they could make that leap forward.

This group of players, including those who were U20 last season, are a special bunch of young men. Since making the breakthrough in 2022 on another night in Portlaoise, which I hope we can repeat on Wednesday, they have captured the imagination of the Offaly public. I've often wondered just why does this team resonate so much with Offaly supporters, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Offaly people have a long tradition of punching above our weight, both in sport and society. The British tried to tame us with the plantations of the 1550's but Offaly remained bandit country and a thorn in the side of an empire, with the plantations regarded as a failure due to our persistence. Each parish is littered with stories and legends of bravery, heroism, and survival against all odds. We're a county that prides honest hard work, with no regard for reputation or authority. Our sporting past is the envy of any small county, but we thrive on overturning the odds.

An entire county identifies with this team because they touch upon the values, whether we consciously hold that in our minds or not, that set us apart as people. A team built on the premise of honesty and hard work, combined with tremendous skill and style, are the foundations upon which our culture as a county is built. Our physical size as a county is reciprocated with the physical size of our team, but that doesn't stop us from putting it up to and overcoming each Goliath we've slayed since the breakthrough in 2022. Each year supporting this team has been a journey, a saga of sorts. As supporters we've grown attached to the main characters, the protagonists and we've become invested in their journey which we deeply identify with. That's what inspires children to take up sport. That's why we've half time puc arounds with hundreds, if not thousands of children, why the stands and terraces are sold out for our underage games. Some teams transcend sport and bridge over into our contemporary lives, and this team is one such example.

I sincerely hope that we beat Kerry at the weekend, and that we subsequently set up a replay with Laois in the Joe Mc Donagh Cup Final in a few weeks time. Winning and getting back into the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship is of great significance for the future development of Offaly hurling and for this upcoming group of talented hurlers. But why would we wish to fast forward through some of the possible best scenes in this box set of classics? Why would we want to jeopardise nights like that in Dr Cullen Park, Ter's interception, Screeney's points from the 14 yard line, traffic jams in Templemore as the county migrated to Thurles, a sea of green, white and gold and the roar when Offaly took to the field vs Cork in last years All Ireland Final, Rigney's two goals on Wednesday and the joy of the full time whistle, a county basking beneath the blue hue of the May sunshine. Why would we not want the best chance of repeating these scenes next Wednesday and potentially on to another All Ireland Final?

Our time for senior success will come. But first, lets enjoy the present. Onwards to Portlaoise.

[allstar2010]

Brilliant by Glendassaun!! A lovely read, thank you. As for Joey, please take a break.

[theoneandonly]

Only have come down from the high of Wednesday night - sort of!

Its not often we beat KK in Championship hurling at any grade (2007 U21 was the last time AFAIK) so to be there Wednesday was special. Its not often we see a sizeable crowd like that outnumber the opposition supporters, and it was surreal to see.

Its a long time since we have had a special bunch like these lads represent Offaly in Hurling. Everyone of them died in their boots on Wednesday night. Would make you be extra proud to be an Offaly person - not that we were never proud in the first place.

From Hoare in goals, all the way up to the 2 subs that came on, everyone of them worked like dogs. The tackling, blocking, hooking, catching, touch, scoring were all top class.

Everyone saying KK didnt play well and that we were lucky to get a win etc. How many times have we been on the other end down through the years? It's about time we got the rub of the green, and like the saying goes, you make your own luck. The pass for Rigneys second goal shows that these guys are not afraid to try things, and look how it worked out. That goal lit a spark in the Offaly team and seemed to drive them on, as KK seemed to be left wanting.

I know there was poster here mentioning the Offaly supporters being on the bandwagon? I dont find anything wrong with that. Every successful team have bandwagons, its not like Offaly invented it? I am from a Football area in the county where a hurl is as common as a cricket bat, but the amount of young lads that are out playing hurling and going to matches now because of this team. They are all aspiring to be like Screeney and Co, and for that reason alone, I am all for the bandwagon.

Just to add, I would prioritise winning an U20 All Ireland over Joe Mc this year if a gun was put to my head. Like it has been already mentioned, we could be back in Joe Mc in 2 years time. A successful year of winning a Leinster and potential All Ireland U20 can do a lot more for lads confidence than losing next Wednesday, winning Joe Mc but getting hammered next year in Leinster, and then back to Joe Mc.

Roll on Wednesday!

[ah lethimoutwithit]

Well done to the players and the management. Great result and huge workrate in the second half. I think KK thought they had the hard work done at half time, tamed the big crowd , working the ball well and fought back from 5 down to only 1 down at halftime, add to that the fact that they scored 8 in a row to lead 15 to 1-09, its easy to see where they became complacent to a degree. We needed a goal to give the spark playing into the breeze, and by God it was a beauty.

After that we fought for everything. Yes KK missed good chances, but so did we. They were spooked and reverted to complete route one which coould have worked for them but working the ball around a few times would have given us plenty to think about also and they would have space out the field to puck scores with the wind on their backs.

We do need more composure, when you look back on it , a number of aimless balls were hit into our forward line with no pressure on the striker. Also as was pointed out, they were clever on the sidelines and we know Dublin will bring that to the table. We will need to track the runners all day with Dublin. But we may get space to work the ball into shooting areas around midfield and with composure we can add more of a threat from this area.

I am delighted with the win. Great crowd, huge for the kids and promotion of the game.

But for the love of God, why does it have to be one or the other? We can beat Kerry. We should be good enough to beat Kerry. So here's a thought, the game is in Tullamore, if even half the crowd turns up it would be great. It's not like our Seniors are Linfield??? Bring the wife for a bag of chips after and a pint and relive the old days of going to matches regularly.
And think back to the Westmeath game, we had a man sent off in the first minute, playing a team who hurled Liam McCarthy last year, yes it wasn'[t perfect, but noone could fault the effort from our guys. So get out there and get supporting the team is the only thing that any of us can do.
But "arrrraagh, sure I'll go Wed evening" , leaves a desserted OCP, no atmosphere and you have a battle where there is no choice but to load in the U20s and similar next week.

Finally lads are talking through their hoop, "Johnny Kelly only cares about the Joe Mc", "Leo same for 20's", wakey wakey, you have feckin U12 managers with the same thing, (wrongly so for U12s). But something isn't right about us hammering Laois and leaving Screeney and Dan Bourke on for full game, should have been gone after 50 mins that day. Both need to take a long look at themselves in relation to Dan Ravenhill.

[offaly]

Hi all,
The tone of discussion has gotten out of hand, so I've cleared out a lot of posts from here that added more heat than light to the debate.
Please be more respectful. If there is no improvement, we will have to start handing out suspensions.

[Kevin]

Ordinarily in sport when a player is deemed good enough they're elevated to Senior status immediately, irrespective of the consequences for their underage teams. However, I would argue that given the age profile of this team, combined with our physical development, that the focus should be on doing everything we can to retain our Leinster U20 title. Winning is a brilliant habit, and gaining confidence by beating the likes of Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford, Dublin, Clare etc since 2022 (which includes our run to the minor All Ireland final) has undoubtedly bolstered the confidence of this team and indeed, a new generation of Offaly players. Did beating St Kieran's in the 2023 Leinster Colleges Final provide this group with confidence? I would argue that it did.

When a county has a tradition of being successful at Senior level and currently compete at the highest level then it's understandable that your best eligible younger players are promoted to the senior ranks, irrespective of the implications for the U20's. But that hasn't always been the case. If we look back to last years All Ireland U20 final Cork faced a similar dilemma with Eoin Downey and the Cork Seniors, but ultimately they held him in reserve for the All Ireland Final. They prioritised the possibility of marginal gains today for the very real possibility of a greater return from their now decorated underage players tomorrow. Similarly, when Donegal made the breakthrough in 2011 with Jim Mc Guinness, it was only because of the success he had with the Donegal U21's the year previously, reaching an All Ireland Final v Dublin and winning Ulster that they could make that leap forward.

This group of players, including those who were U20 last season, are a special bunch of young men. Since making the breakthrough in 2022 on another night in Portlaoise, which I hope we can repeat on Wednesday, they have captured the imagination of the Offaly public. I've often wondered just why does this team resonate so much with Offaly supporters, and when you think about it, it makes sense. Offaly people have a long tradition of punching above our weight, both in sport and society. The British tried to tame us with the plantations of the 1550's but Offaly remained bandit country and a thorn in the side of an empire, with the plantations regarded as a failure due to our persistence. Each parish is littered with stories and legends of bravery, heroism, and survival against all odds. We're a county that prides honest hard work, with no regard for reputation or authority. Our sporting past is the envy of any small county, but we thrive on overturning the odds.

An entire county identifies with this team because they touch upon the values, whether we consciously hold that in our minds or not, that set us apart as people. A team built on the premise of honesty and hard work, combined with tremendous skill and style, are the foundations upon which our culture as a county is built. Our physical size as a county is reciprocated with the physical size of our team, but that doesn't stop us from putting it up to and overcoming each Goliath we've slayed since the breakthrough in 2022. Each year supporting this team has been a journey, a saga of sorts. As supporters we've grown attached to the main characters, the protagonists and we've become invested in their journey which we deeply identify with. That's what inspires children to take up sport. That's why we've half time puc arounds with hundreds, if not thousands of children, why the stands and terraces are sold out for our underage games. Some teams transcend sport and bridge over into our contemporary lives, and this team is one such example.

I sincerely hope that we beat Kerry at the weekend, and that we subsequently set up a replay with Laois in the Joe Mc Donagh Cup Final in a few weeks time. Winning and getting back into the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship is of great significance for the future development of Offaly hurling and for this upcoming group of talented hurlers. But why would we wish to fast forward through some of the possible best scenes in this box set of classics? Why would we want to jeopardise nights like that in Dr Cullen Park, Ter's interception, Screeney's points from the 14 yard line, traffic jams in Templemore as the county migrated to Thurles, a sea of green, white and gold and the roar when Offaly took to the field vs Cork in last years All Ireland Final, Rigney's two goals on Wednesday and the joy of the full time whistle, a county basking beneath the blue hue of the May sunshine. Why would we not want the best chance of repeating these scenes next Wednesday and potentially on to another All Ireland Final?

Our time for senior success will come. But first, lets enjoy the present. Onwards to Portlaoise.

THIS is required reading.

[G91]

Tipp v Cork in the Munster final

[private joker]

Think all ireland champions will come from munster again. Seem to be physically bigger and well able to hurl

[Anonymous1]

Think all ireland champions will come from munster again. Seem to be physically bigger and well able to hurl

Tipp will be favourites to beat Cork, they weren’t overly big in the 2022 minor final so in a way I’m hoping it’s them and not Cork.

Either way, if we do our job next Wednesday then we’re either headed for a rematch of the 2023 U20 final or a rematch of the 2022 minor final.

[JohnnyBoy24]

Clare left that behind in the last few minutes, caught the end of it on tg4 YouTube. But as ye say we have a job to do Wednesday and can worry about Munster champions IF we get over the line.