Father and son dilemma adds great extra ingredient to Offaly SFC “B” final

WHEN Ballinagar played Tullamore in the group stages of the Offaly Senior “B” Football Championship several weeks ago, the first Ballinagar manager Benny O'Brien knew that his son Kevin was lining out for Tullamore was when he appeared on the field before the game and that says it all about the likely dynamic in the O'Brien household ahead of Saturday's renewal in the final.

It was Kevin's first start of the year and he said with a broad smile last week: “I didn't tell the auld lad I was going to be starting. I was away the previous week, I had a bit of an injury and I said I would keep it to myself before that game. I am sure he was surprised to see me.”

His sister Claire, a nutritionist with Ballinagar, had been messing with Benny before the game about Kevin starting but she didn't have any inside information and it was just banter, the Tullamore player revealed.

The presence of a father managing one team and a son playing for the other adds a tantalising extra ingredient into this final.

A native of Kiltoom in Roscommon, not far across the Westmeath border, work with Offaly County Council brought O'Brien into Tullamore over a couple of decades ago. An excellent forward, accurate and skilful, he played several years for Tullamore and was on the team that lost to Ferbane and Shannonbridge in the 1992 and 1996 Senior Football Championship finals - “Don't remind me,” he grimaced when asked about his own playing career with them last week.

Benny O'Brien has given great service to Tullamore, both as a player and a mentor. He managed their senior footballers briefly a few years ago and has been involved in several other teams there but he is quick to stress that he is not a “true blue”.

The same, however, can not be said about his son Kevin who grew up and went to school in the town, has played all his football with Tullamore and is absolutely devoted to his club.

You can read about Kevin's own battle with devastating hamstring injuries and how he got back in his interview but when he lined out against Ballinagar in that group game, it was something he didn't think he would see again – even though he had made a couple of fleeting intermediate appearances last year.

Yet he kept the news from his father and in separate chats with both men this week, it looks very like there will be even less football talk between them in the coming days.

Benny O'Brien grinned: “To be honest, Kevin is obviously involved in the background set up with Tullamore, he is doing the s and c (strength and conditioning) for the seniors and senior Bs. He got a bad injury a couple of years ago and I don't think he had ever planned to come back playing and then they were low on numbers on the senior “B”, Brian O'Reilly (Tullamore manager) asked him to play.

“He would be very much passionate about Tullamore. He went in, gave a dig out and came on in the first game and ended up playing the last number of games but it wouldn't be a big deal in the house. He is involved in GAA, I am involved in GAA. He will be going trying to do his job for Tullamore, do his best and get them over the line. I will be trying to do the exact same for Ballinagar because that is where I am committed to but after the game we will will shake hands and go about our way.”

While he may not be a “true blue”, Benny O'Brien is the epitome of a “townie”, he socialises in Tullamore, has great friends in Tullamore GAA Club and knows so many people very well. “It seems to be more entertaining for other people that I am managing against my own club. The fact is I am not from Tullamore. Kevin would find it very hard to manage another team in Offaly but I have worked with other clubs and I would have brought them in and played against Tullamore in challenge games and that. It is not something that bothers me. I can box it out quite easily in my own head.”

Kevin O'Brien has seen several Ballinagar games in recent years as he had a natural interest in following his father's team while he was a great help when doing video analysis work on opponents during their 2024 run to the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship semi-final.

Kevin O'Brien is enjoying the whole family twist to the final. “The family What's App group was fairly hopping after the semi-finals. It will be interesting. I would be lying if I said it won't cross my mind the week of the game but at the end of the day once the ball is thrown up, you just have to focus on the game itself. We will shake hands after it and whatever happens, happens.

“I get a lot of my competitiveness from him so he will want to win and we will want to win as well. We will see what happens.”

Kevin has followed the Ballinagar story “fairly closely, as you would over the last number of years”.

“I have watched a lot of their games, been to a lot of their games,” he smiled. He also got to know the Ballinagar players when he did video analysis on their opponents on their way to the All-Ireland junior semi-final in 2024-2025 and presented his findings to the squad.

He has also coached a couple of their players individually and has a lot of inside knowledge. “If they were playing anyone else, I would be in there supporting them but unfortunately they are playing us. It is interesting and it is unique. Once the ball is thrown in, we will be fully focused on the game and hopefully we can come out the right side of it”

There won't be much chat between the two men about football ahead of the final. “I will probably stay away,” grinned Kevin, adding: “We still chat about football a good bit but probably less talk about it over the next couple of weeks.”

I live in Dublin so I am not down the whole time anyway. I won't be home too much over the next couple of weeks, I might get the mother to find out some kick out tactics,” he joked.

“I played against him already in the group stages. Obviously there is a bit more at stake here now but it is a game of football at the end of the day and we are not going to get too hung up over it. We are in a final and we want to win. I have woken up on enough Monday mornings after winning finals and losing finals and I know which one I prefer.”

He does't expect that his knowledge of Ballinagar will have any influence. “Both teams know each other pretty well and at this level, it is a slight tactical tweak here or there that can make the difference. A lot of the lads went to school together. I don't think there is a huge amount I will be able to tell Brian, he will be doing his due diligence as well.”

He spoke about the influence Brian Darby has brought to the Ballinagar set up as coach. “I think they are favourites and rightly favourites. They were in the final last year and would have a bit more experience than we would have at this level. We have only just come up.”

He described Ballinagar's rise from junior to the verge of senior as “one of the great success stories in Offaly recently”.

“I would have watched them very closely the year they got to the All-Ireland semi-final and they were excellent. They do seem to be developing year on year as well. I would have had a lot of conversations with my dad at home. I'd be chatting about Tullamore and he'd be chatting about Ballinagar so I know the work they have put in over the last number of years. And they are serious athletes as well. They would be well able to compete at senior level, they would be right up there with a lot of teams at senior level at the moment.”

If the conflict won't knock much out of the two men, it might be a different story for the women in the house, Caroline, wife of Benny and mother of Kevin, Claire, daughter of Benny and sister of Kevin.

“I am afraid to ask,” Benny said with a burst of laughter when asked who his wife will be shouting for. “I have a bit of support in my family because Claire my daughter was very good to come on board with nutrition for the lads in Ballinagar this year. I don't know whether Caroline is sitting on the fence with this one.”

Kevin's answer to the same question was: “I don't know. I am trying to convince her that blood is thicker than water but I think she is kind of caught in the middle. I hope she is shouting for Tullamore but we will find out on Saturday. I can imagine it is a bit funny for her. Once you are involved in it, it is a bit different. If you are in the stand or whatever, it might be a little bit more difficult. It will be an interesting two weeks, that is for sure.”