Talented hurlers added to Offaly minor football squad for derby clash

TWO talented hurlers have been added to the Offaly minor football squad for their last group game against Westmeath in the Leinster championship in Kinnegad on Tuesday evening.

Shamrocks' Keith O'Rourke and Edenderry's Joe Furey will travel with the panel for the game which has a 7.30pm throw in and the fact that they have been added so quickly suggests that they may be used.

After a run away win against Longford in their last game, Offaly are assured of a preliminary quarter-final at least and depending on results, they could very well end up in a semi-final. They would have to beat Westmeath to achieve that and if Dublin beat Longford in their game, Offaly, Dublin and Westmeath would tie on four points with scoring difference in the games between those three counties determining positions.

Offaly lost to Dublin in their first game, giving a decent performance but not able to cope with the winners' outstanding performer, Cian Rafterty, who scored a decisive 1-9 from play. Offaly were 6-23 to 1-12 winners over Longford and while the standard of opposition was poor, it was still an excellent performance and will have done their confidence the world of good.

Westmeath, however, will provide a much more realistic assessment of their form. They have beaten Dublin and Longford and will be favourites on home turf but Offaly are playing well and should give it a real go.

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The addition of Furey and O'Rourke is a statement of intent by manager Adrian Farrell and selectors, even though it means other players have to lose out. The duo would have been expected to claim, or go very close to claiming, places on the team at the start of the season but both are very keen hurlers and opted to concentrate on that. Offaly, however, bowed out in the group stages of the Leinster Minor Hurling Championship with a decent Westmeath side eliminating them.

While they have a second tier competition to play, they responded positively to an invitation to join the minor football panel and trained with them last week. Furey and O'Rourke have probably been the best two players on the minor hurling panel this year and they both played in Saturday's easy 3-21 to 0-11 win over Meath in the Peadar Ó Liathain Cup.

Furey's movement and hurling ability is winning plenty of admirers and he scored five points from play while O'Rourke, a very effective ball, physically strong, ball winning full forward got a goal. Both are still minor next year and it will be hoped that they play both codes then– they were part of a promising Offaly U15 squad last year, Offaly should have good prospects at minor football level next year and the duo will be very important to these ambitions.

Furey's brother Tony was a key forward on the Offaly team that won the Leinster Minor Football Championship in sensational style in 2025 while O'Rourke's older brother David has played minor and U20 football for Offaly and has the potential to play county senior football.

There wasn't much expectation about the minor football squad at the start of the year but they are a good side and it will be very interesting to see how they perform from here on. After last year's minor run, they will believe that anything is possible and momentum is a powerful thing at this grade.

Two of the Offaly players did play both codes this year, Tullamore's Darragh Stewart and Patrick Duffy. They are pivotal to the minor football prospects and their strength and athleticism was needed by the hurlers – Duffy didn't play in Saturday's minor hurling game as he had the 'flu while Stewart came off early in the second half once it became clear that the game was won.

There was a strong case to be made for letting them concentrate on football once the hurlers exited the championship but if ever county dual players are going to be facilitated, it is at minor level. It has happened at U20 but is becoming increasingly difficult and rare – Duffy and Stewart do look to have better prospects of being county senior footballers and they both have that potential but they are also keen, good hurlers and want to play both games.

Apart from all of that, there is one positional change on the team for the Westmeath game. Edenderry's Sean Monahan is named at corner forward with James Slevin of St Rynagh's not named. Tullamore's Jamie Harvey is selected in Slevin's wing back position with Monahan named corner forward and his club mate Oliver Goulding going out to the half forward line.

This will be a good test of Offaly's credentials. They looked very good against Longford and they should be competitive in Kinnegad.

OFFALY: Ryan Casey (Tullamore); Cormac Staunton (Clodiagh Gaels), Oran Kenny (Ferbane), Jake Conlon (Tullamore); Stephen Murrihy (Tullamore), Cathal Carroll (Erin Rovers), Jamie Harvey (Tullamore); John Carroll (Clara), Patrick Duffy (Tullamore); Evan Daly (Ballycumber), Darragh Stewart (Tullamore), Oliver Goulding (Edenderry); Dara Waldron (Ferbane), Paddy Burns (Daingean), Sean Monahan (Edenderry). Subs – Oisin Egan (St Rynagh's), Robbie Minnock (Daingean), Oisin Pender (Edenderry), Keith O'Rourke (Shamrocks), Hugh Kelly (Kilclonfert), Sean O'Shea (Shannonbridge), Shane Lawless (Daingean), Donnacha Seery (Edenderry), Joe Furey (Edenderry).