There were a number of Laois links with the Offaly U-20 hurling team that claimed All Ireland glory on Saturday evening.
Offaly were 2-20 to 2-14 winners over Tipperary in front of a full house in Nowlan Park in Kilkenny for what was their first ever win at the grade.
Offaly selector Martin Cashen is a former championship winner with Portlaoise as well as an All Ireland winner with Offaly in the 1980s.
And full-back Ben Miller, who gave a powerful performance against Tipperary’s dangerous full-forward line, also has Laois links. His grandfather, Charlie, is originally from Vicarstown and won a senior football championship with Annanough in 1956.
Charlie moved to live in Offaly and his family played with the Coolderry club. His son John, Ben’s dad, played for the Offaly hurlers from 1986 to 1995. Ben hurls for Birr and is one of just a handful of the Offaly players that aren’t underage again next year.
Saturday’s win means that Offaly now join Cork and Galway as the only counties to have won All Ireland senior, U-20/21 and minor in both hurling and football.
This particular group of players have enjoyed huge success in recent years, winning a first Leinster minor title in 22 years in 2022 and then following it up with a first Leinster U-20/21 in 23 years in 2023.
On both of those occasions, they were later beaten in the All Ireland final – by Tipperary in the 2022 minor decider and by Cork in last year’s U-20.
There have been massive celebrations in Offaly since Saturday’s win and they’ll travel to Croke Park in high spirits on Saturday to take on Laois in the Joe McDonagh Cup final.
Laois and Offaly meet at 3.30pm in Croke Park in what is a curtain raiser to the Leinster final between Dublin and Kilkenny.
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