13.
13 – Dylan Hyland - On a day when his influence was less than some games, you had to admire Dylan Hyland's work ethic and the way he kept trying. He doesn't have the same pace as some of the younger players but his importance to Offaly is still huge. He got two points, one from play, and gave a lot of simple passes while his discipline has also been very good this year. Rating – 7.
14.
14 – Jack Bryant - Absolutely no one could argue with TG4's selection of Keith O'Neill as man of the match but Jack Bryant was my choice for one big reason: his confidence had been damaged in earlier rounds as he searched desperately for his best form and he had been dropped for one game before winning his place back. There had been a couple of games where he almost played very well but fell just short of that and it took a lot of work for him to turn things around. The Shamrocks' man improved against Clare and turned a major corner here. He was brilliant in the first half – his third minute strike was an early contender for goal of the year and he meant every bit of it. He added three points in the first half and the big key to Bryant finding his form was to be a bit more selfish in front of goals, to go for his own scores as finishing is his single greatest attribute. Kildare tightened up on him in the second half and he tired late on but he continued to show for ball and used it very well. Rating – 9.
15.
15 – Shane Tierney - Shane Tierney's emergence into a genuine intercounty footballer has been a great bonus this year. He has been there before but never played like this or with such consistency. The Daingean man is still a work in progress but he must be a dream to play with as he shows every time a player raids forward. He is very unselfish and will make those runs even when he knows he is unlikely to get the ball – this drags defenders away and helps create the gaps for Cormac Egan, Keith O'Neill, Cathal Flynn to race into. He brought all those attributes to the table here and his second half two pointer was one of the most important scores of the afternoon – it was particularly noteworthy as he has fisted more points than kicked ones this year. Rating – 8.
16.
Subs: Ruari McNamee and Aaron Leavy - Offaly were slow about introducing subs and a few players were gone into the red before Ruari McNamee and Aaron Leavy were thrown in with just over two minutes left. They weren't on long enough to rate but McNamee's experience and recovery from a hamstring injury is a big help to Offaly while Leavy was excellent when he came on in the first win over Kildare and his strength is a big asset in the midfield zone. BIG PICTURE SPECIAL: Amazing scenes in Croke Park as Offaly beat Kildare in League Final READ NEXT: How strong is Lee? Handle comes off trophy as Offaly captain lifts if high READ NEXT: Offaly football management thrilled as All-Ireland U-20 heroes come of age