Offaly's remarkable hurling renaissance as big step up at their finger tips

IT may still be very much a work in progress with plenty of road to travel, hills to surmount but the significance of what Offaly have achieved in the past few years, the relevance of their National Hurling League Division 1B win over Dublin last Saturday can't be understated.

With Covid restrictions still in force, the fear in people almost tangible, Offaly suffered a soul destroying penalty shootout to Down in the 2020 Christy Ring Cup semi-final.

Relegation to the third tier Christy Ring Cup from the Joe McDonagh Cup a year earlier was a dreadful body blow to the county. People had become accustomed to mediocrity as Offaly hurling had gradually fell off a cliff in the previous two decades but going back to the third tier came as a dreadful shock to the system.

Failure to come out of the Christy Ring Cup was an even bigger kick in the teeth and it looked like the point of no return had been reached for Offaly hurling. The initial relegation was one of the big factors in the Michael Duignan led takeover of the County Board in 2019 – he was at the helm when that devastating 2020 loss left everyone reeling that November.

A few months later, the extent of Offaly's fall from grace was shown when the Christy Ring Cup comprised of Offaly, Derry, Sligo, Wicklow and Roscommon. Offaly and Sligo were the only teams in group B and Offaly's display in a 2-39 to 2-17 defeat was ragged, unconvincing. Things were different after this as they beat Wicklow by 6-30 to 0-11 in the semi-final and destroyed Derry by 0-41 to 2-14 in the final at Croke Park.

Now Offaly are back in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and Saturday's sensational win over Dublin means that a win against Westmeath in Tullamore on Sunday next will most likely put them back in Division 1A of the National Hurling League and finding out where they stand against Limerick, Cork, Tipperary et-al.

Offaly would want to thread warily on Sunday. They have been badly bitten by Westmeath before and any premature triumphalism would be lethal. Whatever about supporters enjoying what is going on at the moment, it is safe to presume that Johnny Kelly and his extensive backroom team will have no problem in keeping this at bay and minds focused. However, it is reasonable to reflect on where Offaly hurling has come from in just five years. It has been some journey and the hard work that it has gone into it by players and management is phenomenal.

In some ways, it is mind blowing stuff. Underage success as Offaly lost All-Ireland minor and U20 finals before winning U20 last year has been a major help in raising the tide but it has much deeper roots than that. There is a group of players there who experienced no meaningful success at underage level, who knew what it was like to have their spirits broken and the work they did has been as important, if not more so, than the golden generation that has followed on their footsteps.

There has been a changing of the guard since that 2020 defeat in Newry but a hardcore of players are still there, contributing powerfully. Of the current panel, Ciaran Burke, Ben Conneely, Cillian Kiely, David King, David Nally, Jason Sampson, Eoghan Cahill, Oisin Kelly started that day while Brian Duignan came on as a sub.

Conneely and Cahill are currently injured while the others all featured against Dublin in Croke Park. Offaly would not be where they are now without the younger contingent, the brilliance of James Mahon, Donal Shirley, Dan Bourke, Cathal King, Dan Ravenhill and so many others but they wouldn't be there either without the elder statesmen and they have earned a very special bow.

The work that they have put into improving themselves and Offaly hurling has been remarkable. The hours that Brian Duignan had to put in to get his fitness and stamina right has been replicated by others; Ciaran Burke is on his way to becoming one of the best full backs in the country; Killian Sampson has developed into a seriously good hurler and his older brother Jason is a great example of a man doing things right and fulfilling his potential. David King has stayed around to provide leadership and inspiration to younger players. He would have been entitled to retire at any stage in the past three years but remains a tremendous asset, a role model to all.

And then there is Oisin Kelly who has fought his way back from two dreadful cruciate injuries that could have broken him. The lonely hours that he had to put into rebuilding must have felt very worthwhile as his powerful running, his superb score taking in a five point haul was instrumental in Dublin falling on their sword late on.

That win on Saturday showed how far Offaly have come. They were off the boil in the first half, not able to cope with a very slick, fast moving Dublin outfit. The only silver lining was that they worked sufficiently hard to hang in there, to give themselves a chance in the second half. A four point half time deficit could have been a lot worse. It could very easily have been out to ten but it wasn't and when they scented blood late in the second half, it was reminiscent of the great Offaly teams of the past.

They were relentless as they chased down everything, took some spectacular points and snatched victory with the last three in injury time. The cards did fall right for them and the dismissal of midfielder Conor Burke for a dig into Donal Shirley with six minutes left had a huge bearing on the outcome but it was still a very serious win for Offaly.

A win over Dublin does not signify anything really and there were times on Saturday, when the intensity levels were well below what will come in championship. It raises spirits and morale but it will take much bigger markers before we can say with certainty that “Offaly are back”. What it does, however, is it gives Offaly a huge chance of promotion and that is a big stepping stone towards every other goal.

They are currently top of the table on seven points from four games. Dublin have four from three, Carlow three from two,Waterford two from two, Laois and Antrim two from three and Westmeath are pointless after three games.

If Offaly beat Westmeath and lose to Waterford, there are still combinations of results that could deprive them. Dublin Waterford and Carlow are all still in it but a win on Sunday would almost certainly secure promotion.

That is a very good place for Offaly to be in and the key on Sunday is to tune in from the start, hit the ground running and allow absolutely no complacency to set in. Things have changed since for both counties but Westmeath's 2-22 to 1-11 mauling of Offaly in Mullingar in 2016 is still a very painful memory. Ben Conneely, Cillian Kiely and David King are the survivors of that very bleak day, which shows that it is not that long ago. Westmeath also gave Offaly a bad beating in the 2019 Joe McDonagh Cup and must be treated with absolute respect.

At the same time, Offaly look to be on an upwards trajectory, Westmeath going in the wrong direction. Offaly have three wins and a draw, a scoring difference of +25 points, Westmeath have lost their three games and have a negative difference of -24 points. It all suggests that Offaly will win but they have to go out and do it and a defeat would certainly undermine a lot of the good work that has taken place this year.