Teehan’s brilliance aids Offaly All-Ireland success

By Kevin Egan

“It wasn’t vintage by our own standard,” admitted Offaly manager David Sullivan following an arm-wrestle of a final in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Championship decider at Croke Park on Sunday against Kerry, with Moneygall’s Grace Teehan clinching silverware for the Midlanders and Player of the Match honours.

Two years ago, Lorrha native Sullivan was Tipperary manager when a similarly tight junior final went Clare’s way. Perhaps that experience was central to the message that he drummed home since first taking charge of Offaly in late 2023.

“We asked them to put a bit of pride back in the jersey, that wearing the jersey isn’t taken for granted and that hard work is instilled back in that jersey,” he said.

Offaly took more chances, but they also created many more again, racking up thirteen wides and five shots dropped short.

Though they never trailed in the 0-14 to 0-11 victory, that left Kerry still close to land a sucker punch. Jackie Horgan and Amy O’Sullivan had the opportunity to deliver that blow midway through the second half, but on a day for defences, it was Offaly’s last line of defence that saved the day.

With the pressure building, the contest was in the melting pot with Offaly 0-11 to 0-10 in front after 55 minutes. Enter Grace Teehan, who had been the leading attacking light throughout. She scored two points to bring her tally to five, in between earning a free that Clodagh Leahy converted. That forced Kerry to chase another goal, a score they never looked like getting.

“Grace is a Soaring Star for a reason, she’s been carrying the can there for the last two years,” Sullivan added.

“She comes up with some unreal scores, she had 0-18 got before today, that’s three or four points per game which is massive for us, knowing that you have someone that’s as good as that.”

Leahy finished the game with 0-7, though just two of those were from play while the accuracy she showed to nail three points from the sidelines in the opening minutes wasn’t replicated throughout the game.

Kerry sharpshooters Patrice Diggin and Jackie Horgan, as well as Offaly’s Mairéad Teehan, also struggled to make the kind of attacking impact that would usually be expected.

Offaly’s celebrations began in earnest in Birr on Sunday night – Sullivan said that “it’ll be a big night, and a big week!” – but the Lorrha native also acknowledged that for Offaly, there are other rungs on the ladder that will have to be climbed before the Faithful County can think about trying to be competitive against the very top sides, including his native Tipperary.

“It’s a daunting task and it has to be done cleverly as well,” he said looking to the future.

“There is a gap in senior between the top five teams and the rest, we now must look at the next level above us – Wexford, Dublin, Clare, Limerick – and we need to go after them, to close the gap on them and get a couple of wins over them next year.

“There’s no point going up senior and then yo-yo-ing up and down and winning more intermediate All-Irelands.

“We’ve had our day in the sun now; it’s about consistency and staying up in senior level.

“We’ve a lot of younger players, I think we’ve only two or three over the age of 25, there’s been a lot of work at underage.”

He added: “There’s great work being done in Offaly camogie and it’s about staying senior and progressing the girls through all the time, keeping the panel as the best panel you possibly can.

“Hopefully today will entice a few more that should be playing back as well and give them that encouragement that Offaly camogie is going in the right direction and that there is something worth playing for”.