Offaly Senior Hurling Championship 2013

[Plain of the Herbs]

Broadsheet page interview with Johnny Pilkington in this week's 'Tribune'. On the ill-fated 2009 County Final in which he managed Kilcormac-Killoughey, he remarked "Kevin Martin had a big impact as well, not just on that game but the whole year year. As a player as well. We could and should have moved our full back, Damian Kilmartin."

Is that a stick of dynamite I see?

[townman]

best of luck to Johnny and the team for sundays final, if we hurl our best we could have Sean Robbins cup back home

[jimbob17]

KK were full value for the win and great achievement in retaining title after such a long year last year..... To score what they did (1-21) and not win would have been a travesty..... Birr had a few goal chances from 21's at the end and had they taken them it could have been different.... thought Conor Slevin had a great game except for one little blip in second half when he tried running out with ball and got caught.... The Healions as ever were rocks at the back and Brian Leonard showed why he should be given shot at county team..... The Geraghtys today were excellent and appear to have got much physically stronger from last year.... they can now win their own ball and with Currams and Mahon around them, there was always an option to lay the ball off to a scoring forward..... James Gorman did well too when he appeared and if he can be on his game, KK will take stopping in Leinster.... there will be a few weeks break now to next game which will suit KK as they have had a long year. They can enjoy the football now as the hurling job is done and they could win it too and be senior in that too next year.....

[townman]

agree with most there Jimbob17 best team won, but just one little thing i though Ger Heailion was way off the pace today and Paddy Mullins with 4 points and Simon whelehan with a goal and could have had two more off him.

the Geraghtys were outstanding and Dan Currams another great goal he never gets a bad one, Brian Leonard is a player i also think should be in with the county panel when you see who have been called in ahead of him you wonder, maybe the new manger will give him the call.

best for us today Sean Ryan, Watkins, Padddy Mullins, thats about it maybe Hayden in patches
i though Connor Egan was out of his depth today and should have went alot earlier than he did
was at fault for alot of scores in the second half and fouled alot during the game.

well you have to take the bad days with the good and we in Birr have had some great days
best of luck to K/K in the all ireland club and go on and win it this year after been robbed
of your top forward and a brutal ref display last paddys day.

[substandard]

KK were full value for their win today, although Birr got it back to 3 points after Simon Whelehan's goal, they kicked on and finished very strong. A fast full-forward line could put them in bother, but the manner in which they keep the scoreboard ticking over is hugely admirable. They have the perfect balance between power and pace, with Currams' touch in taking down or placing long ball to himself or a team-mate reminded me of Martin Comerford at his best. The Geraghtys were super, terrific skills and movement, and Slevin from frees again keeps the scoreboard moving on. KK worked the ball from defense to attack in a far more measured way, I thought Birr misplaced an amount of clearances, and created a huge amount of problems for themselves. Birr half forwards seemed to play very deep, and it would be interesting to count how many long range pot-shots either dropped short for easy KK counters or sailed wide. Early in the game, Birr looked like the inside line were winning everything in front of their men, but gradually the KK backs began to play in front and the supply seemed to dry up. I was a bit surprised Birr seemed to stop looking for the inside line in the 2nd half. Agree with all the lads Jimbob and Townman mentioned, Ger Healion improved as the game went on, but from where I was, seemed to be caught badly for the goal from a fairly routine long ball. Best of luck to KK on another All Ireland quest; if they stay injury-free, they'll take stopping. Another thing I was trying to imagine; having only seen Clare on television, I wonder how would the speed/fitness levels compare- I know it's not like with like, but definitely Clare has raised the bar for all teams.

[kinnittyman]

I have to say I really enjoyed today’s county final. While the final margin may have been 7 points it certainly wasn’t a true reflection on the game’s proceedings. In fact when the Birr management look back on the video of the game they will see they had a massive amount of chances during the game to add on scores. Colm Mulrooney’s wayword shooting in the second half will haunt Birr over the Winter, while Simon Whelehan’s decision to use his boot rather than his hurl when one on one with the K/K goalkeeper has to be questioned. Paddy Mullins give Ger Healion the runaround scoring 0-04 from play and only for poor option taking from Mullins at times the damage would have been more. Also Ger Healion was caught very poorly with the dropping for the Birr goal. I thought that Brian Mullins gave an exhibition of super puck-outs finding a spare Birr man over and over again.

However the winning of the game for K/K was their ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over throughout the course of the game. Once again Thomas Geraghty was to the fore while Dan Currams easily got the better of his duel with Paul Cleary. Truth be told, Cleary had a day he’ll want to forget.

I have to disagree with people who believe Brian Leonard is county material. Colm Mulrooney was on a huge amount of ball in the second half and if his shooting boots were on could have easily had 0-4 from play. Leonard was marking him and at times was no where near him. In fact I felt Seán Ryan had a much better game for Birr at wing- back than Leonard did for K/K.

Anyways onwards for K/K now and a tricky assignment against Camross in Portlaoise. They definitely can’t afford to look past that.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Hmmm! I suppose whenever the next score was going to be vital it was K-K who got it. Like when Birr pulled it back to 3-all and K-K scored next. Like when Birr narrowed the gap to three points after Simon Whelahan's goal and K-K scored a 'settler'.

Birr's forwards had the legs on the K-K backs. The sides were more-or-less on level terms as regards scoring chances. Slevin made two smart saves. The Birr wides (particularly in the third quarter) killed them. On another day Birr's goal might have put them ahead.

Con Mahon, grand hurler and all as he is, doesn't look at home at corner-back. Peter Healion's positioning, and fetching, was admirable.

Birr needed Rory Hanniffy to be much more influential. Still, Conor Mahon only came into it during the final quarter. He did have a massive influence though.

James Gorman made a difference, as often happens when a chap is left off, then introduced. Such an influence has made impact subs out of many hurlers. I wonder going forward would he do better at full-forward, with Currams coming in from the right corner onto his favoured left side. Ditto Thomas Geraghty coming in from the left corner.

Thomas Geraghty. Vive la difference.

Damien Kilmartin shows incredible control with ball on hurl. Very difficult to dispossess.

Wagon wheel still on track.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Superb win for Shinrone who looked to be in trouble when they trailed something like 0-2 to 2-5 coming up to half-time.

They did well going up the wings in the second half, avoiding the centre. Fogarty and Cleary were brilliant at midfield. Some fine scored from distance. Shinrone's forwards forced several rushed clearances which generally found their way to centre-back Doughan. Jordan Quinn is a doughty full-back but Shinrone forced him to break the ball, then capitalised on the breaking ball.

[Toxicity234]

it was a good game today. but Kilcormac Killoughey were a good bit ahead of Birr.
But the Birr management didn't help their cause. taking off Brendan Murphy instead of Barry Whelahan was a strange decision. Whelahan was miles off the pace.
The Two Geraghtys were excellent today you can really see the physically improvement over the last 12 months but they are still very young and in 2 or 3 years it's scary just how good they could be. Paul Cleary at full back was under pressure but in fairness he got little protection from Hanniffy at centre back Hanniffy for a player that i think is one of the best skill wise ever produced. he was missing for a lot of the game today.

I have to say that i never felt like Birr were ever going to win. every time Birr scored Kilcormac Killoughey just put the foot down to put some space between them.
Colm Mulrooney did OK but Paddy Mullins was good at full forward.

Again I'll point this out, if you added Murphy, Mulrooney, Mullins and Con Mahon to the Offaly U-21 Panel this year we could had have being Lenister Champions this year.

i really enjoy the Minor Match as well and very happy to see Shirone win. well done to them and i thought Conor Doughan was outstanding in the last 20 mins.
Looking forward to seen Eoin Carroll, Daniel, Conor Doughan Adrian Cleary, Jordan Quinn, Dylan Murray and Harley Dalzell at senior level over the next few year.

[Plain of the Herbs]

With the second successive title wrapped up (always the most difficult, though Coolderry could point to K-K not having had to face Birr at their peak), K-K look set to dominate Offaly hurling for the remainder of the decade.

Ciarán Slevin (27) is their oldest forward (excluding Trevor Fletcher), the Geraghtys can only improve, the whole lot of them can only get physically stronger. The midfield paid are each 24. In defence, the Healions are 30 so there is a few more years of anchoring the defence and terrorising opposition forwards remaining. Enda Grogan and Jordan Quinn await in the wings.

I think if K-K do not advance beyond Leinster this year they may well win five in a row. By not winning Leinster they will avoid another winter where they train right through, and the rest obtained will pay dividends in the long run. Still, there is that gnawing sense of unfinished business.

I think Seir Kieran are the team best placed to challenge over the next few years. If they can avoid emigration (admittedly a very big ‘if’ nowadays) and Seán Coughlan returns to the defence, that will free up James Mulrooney to return to attack. A defence anchored by Coughlan and Éanna Murphy (who can each play at 3 or 6) with Dónal Coughlan, Brian Mulrooney, Dermot Mooney and Kevin Murray would be a formidable one. Eóin Coughlan is a reliable goalkeeper. There’s always joe Bergin (the championship’s second-highest scorer for the second year running) and if he can get assistance from Adrian Hynes, Tom Carroll and James Mulrooney the Clareen men have the strength to challenge K-K.

Injury stricken Coolderry were a big disappointment this year. Strength in depth turned out to be an issue, and if you recall they win that Leinster Club title operating from a meaningful panel of 16. They need Joe Brady fit and well and hurling at 6. If he does, it frees up Kevin Brady to operate at midfield, as Kevin seems the only alternative centre half-back they have. Andy Connolly and Declan Parlon were two decent additions to the attack but they need to rediscover the system where Barry Teehan roamed, two forwards stayed close to goal and they took early scores.

Birr will really only lose Barry and Simon Whelahan to retirement soon. At 31 Rory HAnniffy will be around for a while yet. Their forwards lack something, though playing Dylan Hayden at 11 (or at least in the half-forward line) would be a start. And they can’t fit each of Barry Harding, Seán Ryan, Rory Hanniffy and Brian Watkins into the one half-back line. One of those four will probably replace Barry Whelahan at midfield, which opens a vacancy for a couple of Dónal Coughlan type corner backs who don’t seem to be there.

St Rynagh’s flattered to deceive, though at least they have players in depth, something Coolderry can only dream of. Shinrone need to remember they are the seventh different club in as many years to win the U21 title, that of those seven only Coolderry and K-K have won Senior titles on the back of that U21 win and so are at the back of a long queue. Of the rest Kinnitty are going backwards, Tullamore are stagnant and could suffer if a new championship system comes into being. Belmont showed in the quarter-final that there is potential for improvement if a few more able-bodied men could commit to the hurling. Brosna Gaels could improve too if they could add ten yards to their striking, Drumcullen can’t cope with opposition playing modern stuff (while Nicky Lalor is a mahoosive loss) while Lusmagh have so many emigrants an airport for the parish is surely on the cards.

At this point in time it looks like K-K seem set to dominate the Senior county championship for the foreseeable future.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

An interesting game. The overall balance of play was actually surprisingly even between the two sides. Much of the seven point difference can be accounted for by Birr's unforgivable wide tally (16/17?) and the number of converted frees they conceded to K/K (12?), some deserved, others very dubious. Lengthy analysis is hardly warranted. They could play tomorrow and KK could win by 2 or Birr by 4 and so on and so forth. Not a huge amount between the sides and next year's championship remains a toss up between four clubs.

I would agree with much of what has been written before. I agree and thought too that Ger Healion given a good run around by Paddy Mullins. Mullins, for all his rawness, has a simply extraordinary touch/skill level. He's exactly the kind of player that could benefit hugely from high quality directed coaching at inter county county level and should not be allowed slip through the net. Chalk that down to the Geraghty's too.

[KillougheyGoBragh]

Brilliant couple of games sadly Kilcormac-Killoughey lost the minor final but it was so close that its only a matter of time before those fine men will be getting winners medals of sorts! Well done Shinrone!
The senior final was a fair contest full of incidents that could have sent the result one way or the other and if Simon Whelehan was on the field for a longer spell we could have been looking at a hell of alot closer result, especially given the number of wides Birr converted.
Kilcormac-Killoughey were also guilty of missing some easy scores but the two sideline-cuts expertly executed by Peter Geraghty and Brian Leonard were out of the top drawer and in some way compensated for later wides.
Ciaran Slevin gave a master class in free-taking but even more impressive was his brother Conor in goals and despite his second half foray into midfield, without the ball, his saves were massive pointers as to why Kilcormac-Killoughey have conceded so few goals this campaign he really is the rock on which Kilcormac-Killoughey have built such a solid defence.
Birr had great movement in their forwards and combined with their short puck-outs their plan to feed the out-rushing forwards produced some good scores. Birrs goal came from a contested ball where 'experience' was crucial but I feel the conceders will have been taught a good couple of lessons for the future!
The Kilcormac-Killoughey goal was made by Currams, with a supporting role for Peter Geraghty, and executed by Currams.
Currams along with Connor Mahon really are warriors, within or without the possession of a sliotar and once they go to war for Kilcormac-Killoughey the whole forward line just go hunting down their prey as if their lives depended on it, and if the prey manages to escape the forwards it usually proves a futile act as the whole Kilcormac-Killoughey team have by this time become obsessed with gaining possession. It really is the most incredible aspect of Kilcormac-Killoughey's game-plan, a microcosm of our primeval hunter-gathering ancestors.
Tomas Geraghty has benefitted over the last twelve months or so from playing hurling at its highest level and the strength of character he showed in getting up after receiving a heavy tackle and accepting an intimated apology from his tackler really added to his already growing reputation and must have convince those who were about to bestowed a Colton Man-Of-The Match Award that he would prove a worthy recipient. Tomas's catching of the sliotar, early in the game, when he came between three of Birr's finest defenders looked reminiscent of the bravery and artistry shown by Clare's young Shane O'Donnell in this years All-Ireland Final replay.
Trevor Fletcher who scored two good points was replaced by James Gorman and Gorman's physical presence had an instant impact as he scored and then continued to harassed the Birr defence which proved instrumental in yielding Currams goal as their attention was now drawn elsewhere.
Kilmartin made some good solo runs he is highly industrious both defensively and offensively and if you get something out of the game when he's your opponent then you deserve it!
Killian Leonard had a good solid game but play was not in his midfield zone as Birr tried to target their forwards directly from their half-back line. He injured himself late on through his typical committed play.
Kevin Grogan was everywhere in the first fifteen minutes he makes defending look simple!
Brian Leonard has power in abundance and not too little skill either.
The Healions were confronted by a very mobile set of forwards and despite Paddy Mullins scoring four points the supporting role that Alan McConville offered last year when cornerback was pivotal in countering any threat that got past our fullback and it will take time for Con Mahon to learn his trade and how to augment his sentinel role in covering any such threats but Mahon picked his opponents pocket once or twice at crucial times during the game when the threat level was nearing red. Have faith!
Shane Guinan improved and was on his A-game in the second half when he was needed most.
Kevin Coyne was a substitute as was James Geraghty who came on late for an injured Killian Leaonard.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Watched it again. The initial challenge on Damien Kilmartin (the one when a late hit from Barry Whelahan saw the 'free' moved up 13 metres and into scoring range) was not an illegal one. Neither were the two tackles on Daniel Currams early in the second half when frees were awarded and scored at a time when Birr had momentum.

An interesting game. The overall balance of play was actually surprisingly even between the two sides. Much of the seven point difference can be accounted for by Birr's unforgivable wide tally (16/17?) and the number of converted frees they conceded to K/K (12?), some deserved, others very dubious. Lengthy analysis is hardly warranted. They could play tomorrow and KK could win by 2 or Birr by 4 and so on and so forth. Not a huge amount between the sides and next year's championship remains a toss up between four clubs.

I would agree with much of what has been written before. I agree and thought too that Ger Healion given a good run around by Paddy Mullins. Mullins, for all his rawness, has a simply extraordinary touch/skill level. He's exactly the kind of player that could benefit hugely from high quality directed coaching at inter county county level and should not be allowed slip through the net. Chalk that down to the Geraghty's too.

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

As a neutral,I thought Tony Carroll gave some quite soft frees to KK, prime example was an early one where Barry Whelehan tussled with Slevin, Slevin appeared to be holding Whelahan, but a simple free in to KK was given instead. All adds up.

[Toxicity234]

Intermediate Hurling final: Ballinamere are going up to Senior Ft: 2:19 to 1:14. We'll done Ballinamere