Heroic Offaly players delighted to be teachers and not students

GAA president Jarlath Burns provided another highlight on an evening of spectacular highs for Offaly people in his speech before presenting the James Nowlan Cup for the All-Ireland U-20 Hurling Championship to Dan Bourke after their terrific 2-20 to 2-14 victory over Tipperary on Saturday evening.

The Armagh man made a powerfully profound comment when he referred to Offaly's devastating loss to Tipperary at the same venue in the All-Ireland minor final two years ago. Offaly fell to a Tipp goal deep into injury time and Burns noted the difference: “At minor, you learn lessons. At U-20 you give lessons.”

With Tipp playing into the same goal in the second half, the more superstitious Offaly fans were certainly anxious as the second half wore on and a remarkably similar pattern to that minor decider emerged.

Like two years ago, Offaly played super hurling in the second half as they got on top and powered into a winning position. Like two years ago, Tipp kept fighting, battling and got themselves back into contention. A seven point lead became three with just three minutes remaining. Two years ago, Offaly wilted and Paddy McCormack got the last gasp Tipp goal after a controversially awarded free in.

This time, Offaly found another gear, a magnificent surge, scoring the final three points as well as missing a couple of chances. Adam Screeney's free put them four ahead with two minutes left, Tipp didn't score again and with more than a score separating them, it meant that Offaly supporters were not threatened with heart attacks in the three minutes of injury time.

Instead, they were unstoppable as Colin Spain and Ruairi Kelly fired over points and Tipp just couldn't live with them. The difference in two years ago was the same as night and day and as Jarlath Burns suggested, the students were now the teachers.

Two of the Offaly players who experienced that deeply traumatic defeat two years ago were flying wing forward Shane Rigney and rock steady corner back Ruairi Kelly.

45 minutes after the final whistle, both hadn't managed to find the sanctuary of the dressing rooms and didn't seem to be in any hurry to either.

Rigney smiled: “Just over the moon really. We left it behind us the last two years and it is great to get over the line. It is a great feeling. A weight off the shoulders.”

The St Rynagh's man felt they were a lot more mature than two years ago, much better equipped to cope with the questions that an All-Ireland final will ask.

“I thought we played the game better than we did in the minor. We controlled the game a lot better and we were a lot more clever. We were experienced. It was on the back of our mind. We all had it in our heads what happened here two years ago and wanted to put things right.”

Rigney also played in last year's All-Ireland U-20 final defeat by Cork but knew they were in a better place this year.

“I think Cork sort of bullied us for strength last year but we were well able to match Tipp for their strength today.”

Offaly looked like they would take the win once they turned on the style in the second quarter, outscoring Tipp by 0-9 to 0-2 to take a 0-12 to 1-5 half time lead. There was no standout moment when Rigney thought victory was imminent.

“There was no real moment until the final whistle went, it could have went anyway.”

Offaly fans have really got behind this team and he said:

“It is savage to see all the young lads out here, it is great to see hurling back strong in Offaly again. We will try and drive it on over the next two years.”

Rigney will be underage next year when they will have a great chance of retaining Leinster and All-Ireland crowns but all of that will only come on the agenda next Winter.

“Hopefully we will get back together in a few months and give it another rattle next year,” he said.

Rigney was one of Offaly's heroes on the way to the final. Blisteringly fast, his goals and points had been instrumental in some of the big wins earlier. On Saturday, he was tightly marked, signalled out for special attention. It meant that he didn't get on the same volume of ball, rarely managed to find open ground for him to show the Tipp defenders a clean pair of heels. Yet he was one of the Offaly heroes and in its own way, his display was as crucial as any en-route.

He worked savagely hard and his long ball in led to the crucial first goal. After the match, some people were unsure if his shot for point had went direct to the net. Barry Egan got the crucial touch to it but after the match, Rigney didn't know what happened himself, and didn't care, just happy that it ended up in the net. He knew that it was a different type of game for him than some of the earlier ones and he reflected:

“Any time you get on the ball, you have to try and to the best thing you can because you can get little ball in a match like that. It is great to get over the line.”

While players such as Adam Screeney, Dan Bourke, Shane Rigney and Brecon Kavanagh have grabbed the limelight and much of the public adulation through their brilliance, Offaly have had unsung heroes all over the field.

They could not have won the All-Ireland without them and one of those was corner back, Ruairi Kelly, a superbly tidy corner back who almost never put a foot wrong the whole year.

Kelly also played in that heartbreaking 2022 defeat to Tipp and he spoke about what this did to them as a group.

“We had a tough loss two years ago. We analysed it. We had the loss as well last year. That made us stronger this year. We put all the work in, all during the Winter months and we came out on top today.”

Kelly was certainly embracing the moment after victory, wearing a grin as wide as the Shannon that flows not too far from his Lusmagh home.

“It is unbelievable. There was near 20,000 Offaly supporters there today. It is mad. Even points going over the bar, lads getting tackles in and the crowd roaring. It is unbelievable. So good.”

Even as the victory post loomed into sight, Kelly and team mates never let their mind drift for one second.

“Not at all, you can't do that. We know what happened two years ago and last year as well. The next ball was all that mattered. In the last ten minutes, we were just trying to make sure we would get the win. Going for the next ball, next ball, next ball. That is all that was important.”

As a corner back, Kelly would not be in the scoring zone often and would not be known as a scorer. He put the icing on the cake with the final point deep in injury time, floating a beauty over and resisting the urge to pass to colleagues running off his shoulder.

“I've been waiting a while for that one but at least I got it in the All-Ireland final.”

He spoke about what the win meant.

“We were just trying to put the other two behind us. It was a new year and we were just going for the win this year. We got over the line today and that is all that matters.”