In one of the most thrilling matches, Offaly 2-20 outplayed Tipperary 2-14. The last whistle marked the arrival of a sea of Offaly fans who filled the field to celebrate their victory. Despite the stewards’ best efforts to control the crowd, this overwhelming wave of euphoria swept the Offaly team, revelling amidst the sea of elated supporters. It was a spectacle of pure, ecstatic delight.
Following their first All-Ireland hurling victory since 1998, it was an evening of triumph for Offaly. This win, a first for the U-20 side, also marked the rise of the team’s second golden generation, whose determined and unwavering performance won the day. The majority of these talented young players had previously faced defeat in their last two All-Ireland finals. A heartbreaking last-minute goal in the minor final two years ago, where they had outperformed Tipperary, had ended their dreams. However, all past disappointments were forgotten in the wave of this victorious night.
The atmosphere was electric, with 25,825 ecstatic supporters turning the stadium into a cauldron of noise and chants even before the first ball was thrown. Approximately 80% of the crowd were Offaly supporters, with this team’s success particularly resonating among the county’s youth. However, this victory is merely a stop along their journey, rather than its culmination.
The match’s climax came in the second half, with an intense three-goal sequence in just as many minutes. Two of these belonged to Offaly, a crucial factor in their win. The first goal, credited to Shane Rigney, was a long stratospheric delivery that descended amidst three Tipperary players, only to fall untouched into their net. However, the very next shot by Senan Butler for Tipperary found its mark mirroring Butler’s powerful run and spectacular finish. Before the spectators could process these, Dan Bourke, with an exceptional performance, made his mark. He pulled off an audacious shot, bypassing a seemingly easy point opportunity, and sent a swift, forceful kick to the left post, outsmarting Eoin Horgan.
The game concluded with Offaly in the lead, their score at 2-16 against Tipp’s 2-9, 13 minutes still remaining on the clock for the tides to turn. Tipp persevered, whittling down the gap to a mere three points but with only two minutes of standard playing time left. However, most of their points came from free kicks or long-range shots when they crucially needed an additional goal. Meanwhile, their count of wides in the second half went up to ten, proving to be impossible to sustain.
To their credit, Offaly were able to handle the final stages of the game effectively as they could have hoped for. Tipp managed to piece together three points that heightened the suspense of the game but Offaly countered with the last three scores, the final one being from Ruairi Kelly, their corner-back playing a brilliant defensive game, refusing to make a pass.
Reflecting on the game, Bourke, Offaly’s captain and the game’s best player stated, “We’ve talked about this, about pushing harder in the last 10 minutes of the game. We fumbled a few times before, but this time we really made a strong push. The roaring support of the crowd was our extra player. Frankly, we owe our victory to them. I can barely express how incredible this feels. It’s a childhood dream come true.”
Enter Adam Screeney, the wonderkid of the under-20 championship game, who yet again proved his worth. Even though his only point from play was scored early in the game against a tough angle, he took 17 attempts at the target, a majority of 12 shots being successful. Also, his impressive free kicks helped Offaly regain their footing in the game after a 10-minute scoreless period in the first half when Tipp had secured a three-point lead. However, Offaly dominated the second quarter, gaining key points, courtesy of Barry Egan. They managed to lead by four points by half-time, the score being 0-12 to 1-5.
Although Tipp started the second half strongly, cutting down Offaly’s lead to two points, the champions bounced back with four straight points. Yet, when the game witnessed some goals, Offaly controlled the situation to maintain their victory.
Until the match ended, every event was out of their hands.
The team from Offaly consisted of L Hoare, R Kelly who scored 0-1, B Miller, J Mahon, D Shirley, B Kavanagh, T Guinan, C Spain who scored 0-1, C King who also scored 0-1, S Rigney who scored a goal, D Bourke who scored 1-3, C Doyle, L Kavanagh, B Egan who scored 0-2, and A Screeney who scored 0-12, 0-8 of which were frees and 0-3 were 65s. The following substitutions were made: A Kavanagh replaced Egan after 50 minutes, E Burke replaced Doyle after 54 minutes, D Ravenhill came in for L Kavanagh after 63 minutes, and D Hand took over from Rigney also after 63 minutes.
On the other side, the team from Tipperary comprised of E Horgan, C O’Donnell, A O’Halloran, P O’Dwyer, M Cawley, B Currivan, J Collins, S O’Farrell (who scored 0-1), A Daly, C English who scored 0-1, C Martin who scored 0-2, C Foley who scored 0-3, D McCarthy who scored 1-5 with 1-0 from a penalty and 0-5 from frees, O O’Donoghue who scored 0-1, and S Butler who scored 1-1. Subs included J O’Callaghan who came on for Cawley after 48 minutes, J Egan who replaced Foley after 50 minutes, and S Rowan who entered the field for Daly after 60 minutes.
The game was moderated by Referee Sean Stack from Dublin.