The man behind the wire: Time for Offaly All-Ireland U-20 football heroes to make big transition

THE future of Offaly football will be determined to a large extent by the development or otherwise in the next year or so of members of the side that won the All-Ireland U-20 Football Championship in such sensational style in 2021.

Offaly stunned observers as they came from nowhere to win that All-Ireland but it went further than that. The quality of their football, the exuberance and freedom with which they played captured the hearts of football lovers everywhere and set their own county ablaze for a never to be forgotten few weeks that summer.

It was a win that had the potential to change so much for football in the county but the time is fast approaching for many of them to make their mark, to take the next step.

They deserve time and patience – and most are in college with the stresses of exams and finding your path in life. U-20 is not the same as than the old U-21 grade and that year makes a big difference that early in a young players' career. At U-20 level, they are still chaps but at U-21 you are really adult and the truly outstanding players will be making their senior county team at that stage.

So far only Lee Pearson and Rory Egan have established themselves on the Offaly senior football team. Both were outstanding for Offaly this year. Pearson hit the ground running almost immediately while Egan has settled into his own after an initial bedding in period. His performance in the first half of the Leinster Senior Football Championship win over Meath was sensational as he scored a goal and a point. Unfortunately he went off with a hamstring injury at half time and this ruled him out of the agonising semi-final loss against Louth.

Jack Bryant came on as a sub against Louth and it was a surprise that he wasn't thrown in against Meath, though the circumstances of that game and an injury to Bernard Allen, who had just come on ten minutes earlier, played a role in this. Aaron Brazil came on in extra time against Louth for his championship debut while Morgan Tynan was on the extended panel this year but didn't make the championship squad.

It is quite a small return out of that panel, even at this early stage. There are other factors at play. Really bad injuries hit some of them like a train. Kieran Dolan, John Furlong, Cormac Egan, Cathal Donoghue, Oisin Keenan Martin and Keith O'Neill have all had months out of action due to a variety of injuries.

It has been desperately unfortunate on those young players and it has delayed their development. There were others who have missed action for lesser injuries and the volume and severity of injuries to many of those players has raised plenty of questions.

Thankfully some of them have recovered or are well on the road. John Furlong and Cormac Egan both started for Offaly U-20 footballers this year while Keith O'Neill was able to come on as a sub.

This trio were invited into the senior football panel by Martin Murphy after the U-20s exited. O'Neill came in but is still working on his injury and wasn't on the panel for the Meath or Louth games. Furlong wanted time to give his groin injury a chance to recover further while Egan opted to join the Offaly U-20 hurling panel instead.

If a bit of time helps Furlong recover fully, it will have been a wise decision while Egan is still U-20 and entitled to play his own grade before he goes to a senior squad. Egan has a great passion for hurling, even it looks like he is a better footballer and his senior county future is in that code – he has done well for Offaly U-20 hurlers since joining that squad but it is telling that it is in football that UCD gave him a scholarship and they will be looking for him to play Sigerson Cup, not Fitzgibbon Cup.

This trio might well have got Offaly across the line had they been there against Louth but we don't know that. They are, however, three of the most exciting talents in Offaly with the potential for long inter-county careers and supporters would love to see them getting established next year.

Cormac Egan did play in the league last year while Cathal Flynn also played last year but decided against joining the panel this year.

Two of those U-20s, Rory Egan and Jack Bryant, along with Bill Carroll of Cappincur have opted out of the panel for the Tailteann Cup as they are travelling to America – they can't get playing sanctions until Offaly's championship campaign is over but they have told management that they are not available for the competition.

That is a pity. They are young players and going to America is a great opportunity for them. They are only young once and if they don't take those type of chances now, it is very hard if not impossible to do it later when they are in jobs, in long term relationships or getting married, and becoming a father.

They will rightly get the benefit of the doubt for doing it but at the same time, it never looks good when players go before the championship is over. The other big question is, would they still have went if Offaly were in the Leinster final and then heading into the All-Ireland qualifiers instead of the Tailteann Cup? You would presume and hope that wouldn't be the case.

Offaly football for years was blighted for years with players taking off the minute they were out of the Leinster championship and missing the qualifiers. Players have freedom of choice but that freedom includes the option not to come onto a senior county panel. Others have availed of that option but if you choose to come in, it must be a fundamental requirement that you commit for the full season – and if any manager accepts anything less than that commitment, then he is not on the right track.

They are far from the from the first to do it and they won't be the last. It happens in many other counties but it is part of the things that has to change if Offaly are to reach the next level.

Offaly have done well this year. They retained their status in Division 3 of the National Football League and were in the promotion hunt. They beat Longford and Meath in the championship and were within one kick of the ball of beating Louth in the Leinster semi-final.

The year has been a success to date and the performances, work rate, commitment and hunger of the squad has delighted supporters. The departure of three of the best young players in the county undermines that quite a bit but this is only a bump on the road.

The real challenge now is for the best young players to establish themselves for Offaly in the next two years. Pearson and Egan should be in the defence for years and Jack Bryant has most of the attributes needed for a lead role in attack – a lovely natural footballer, he was so close to being a match winner against Louth and even though, it didn't happen for him, it will on other days and he showed a tantalising glimpse of his potential.

Hopefully Morgan Tynan will get his chance in the Tailteann Cup. Some people have wondered at his exclusion to date but it is easy to make judgements without seeing what a management sees each night at training. Tynan's ability, however, is considerable. You would not have been disappointed to see him with the ball in his hands late on against Louth and his height makes him a strong possibility for a midfield role – he has work to do with his athleticism to make it here but he has that potential.

John Furlong looks a cast iron certainty to make it while Keith O'Neill and Cormac Egan have immense potential. They were just out of minor in 2021 and their injuries have been dreadful but they are three genuinely exciting players and it is always a pleasure to watch them playing football.

Kieran Dolan and Cathal Donoghue will definitely want to play. They are still out of action and Dolan's injury was particularly bad but they are certainly senior county players in the making. Oisin Keenan-Martin is also battling back from that curse of the modern GAA player, a cruciate injury and he is another with the ability to make the leap to the next level, albeit with plenty of work to do.

The willingness of players to do that work, live the right lifestyle and make football a big priority in their lives will determine the level they reach and the length of their careers. Many of them have the ability, the talent and their progress will boil down to the very simple thing of how much they want it and what they are willing to do to achieve it.

There is a host of other players in the same boat from that squad. Cathal Flynn could be Offaly's playmaker for years and then there is a whole class of players with ability that will be determined by their desire. There are players who could very easily fall by the wayside and some will. They won't all choose football and some will have other priorities. That is perfectly fine – a senior intercounty career and all that entails is not for everyone.

In addition to the above mentioned there are a handful of others who could go either way: who might make the transition to establishing themselves as excellent county footballers or who might never wear an Offaly jersey again. Sean O'Toole, Ed Cullen, Aaron Kellaghan and Cormac Delaney are among those.

Next year's Offaly senior football manager, whether it is Martin Murphy, Declan Kelly or someone else, will have to ask all those U-20s a very simple but profound question: Do you want to play senior county football and what are you willing to do to be the best that you can be?

They are young men and time is on their side. Dylan Hyland has shown that it is possible to drift away and come back at a very high level – the Raheen man was an outstanding minor and U-21, drifted off the scene and went to Australia for a few years but has now come back and was one of Offaly's real stars this year. Declan Hogan is another terrific example of a player who started slowly but developed into an outstanding leader and defender through sheer hard work – his transformation over the past five years has been a joy to watch and shows young people what hard work can bring. David Dempsey is another who springs to mind in this regard, a player whose appetite and desire is so obvious and who is now ready for a real leadership role.

There are players who hit their prime later in their careers but as a general rule, your best football comes between from your early to late 20s. The football you play and the training you do in your early 20s determines where you go. County football may take up a huge part of your life but it is over and can be gone in the blink of an eye. There is no one size fits all – a couple of those U-20s may drift off and come back later like Dylan Hyland. Some will hit the ground running. Injuries may end the careers of some and others just may not be able to make the jump from an outstanding underage player into an outstanding senior.

There will be all sorts of outcome in their development but the next two years will reveal a lot for most and it will also determine where Offaly football goes.