New manager lined up for Offaly U20 hurlers
Offaly management teams will be finalised in coming weeks
A NEW manager has been lined up for Offaly U20 hurlers. An official announcement has not been made yet by the Offaly GAA County Board but it is understood that Kilcormac-Killoughey club man, Shane Hand will be proposed for ratification at their next meeting.
Hand will replace Limerick man Leo O'Connor who has enjoyed great success in Offaly in recent years – O'Connor guided them to a Leinster minor hurling title in 2022 when they were desperately unlucky to lose to Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. He immediately stepped up to the U20s, leading Offaly to Leinster titles in 2023 and 2024. They were beaten by Cork in the 2023 All-Ireland U20 final but finally achieved their dreams when capturing All-Ireland honours a year later.
It had been expected that he would step down after 2025 but he stayed on for this year with Offaly bowing out early.
The County Board have been searching for a successor for some months and have now secured their man in Hand. A former Offaly U20 hurling selector when Gary Cahill was the manager pre-Leo O'Connor, Hand has had a terrific run at club level in recent years.
He led Ballinamere to Intermediate and Senior “B” Hurling Championship titles at the end of the 2010s and took over his own club, Kilcormac-Killoughey in 2022. He managed them to three Offaly senior hurling finals in a row – they were beaten by Shinrone in 2022 but won back to back championships in 2023 and 2024. The club's decision to replace him at the end of the 2024 campaign was controversial with Tipperary man Declan Laffan appointed.
Hand went immediately to Tullamore and has made steady progress there. Their initial target was to stay up in 2025 and they did that while they were better this year, beating Shinrone in the first round and they were very unlucky not to make the quarter-finals – they lost out on scoring difference with the concession of two late goals in their win over Shinrone coming back to haunt them.
His achievements on the Offaly club scene have earned him the respect of the Offaly hurling public and it will be Hand's first time to manage a county team. He will be able to combine managing Offaly U20s with staying on as Tullamore manager if he wishes.
His backroom team is not known yet and should be in place by the next County Board meeting. It means that managers have now been secured for all Offaly county teams for 2027.
Johnny Kelly is back as senior hurling manager with Mayo man Mike Solan replacing Declan Kelly as senior football manager. Roger Ryan, Brian Carroll and Adrian Farrell have all been reappointed for another year as u20 football, minor hurling and minor football managers.
There will be new faces on Johnny Kelly's management team and there will be another local man working with Mike Solan – Shamrocks' manager Nigel Dunne is a coach with the senior footballers. There may be another addition to the minor football management and all back room teams will be finalised in the coming weeks.