16 August 1997 - Offaly vs. Meath
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 6:53 pm
16 August 1997 - Offaly vs. Meath in the Leinster final
10 years ago to the day. In fact it was it was after 6 in the evening when the final whistle went and Offaly football came back from a Siberian like exile.
The transformation from Division 4 make weights to Leinster champions was remarkable. Back when a Leinster title was valuable currency and before numpty counties managed to win it.
I was 19 at the time and so memories of glory days in Offaly football were virtually non-existent. We were a world away from the Meaths and Dublins by then.
Offaly footballers in the championship were days when we drew with the Wicklows, lost to the Wexfords and got tanked by Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Laois.
The memories of that great day will live long. I watched the video so many times in the days weeks and months afterwards. The tape is well banjaxed now and I haven't looked at it lately.
From memory this is how it unfolded.
Stream of consciousness warning. I couldn't do justice to it in prose anyway
Offaly storm out of the blocks and take an early lead.
David Reynolds opens the scoring, Quinn follows up with a point. Both with the left boot and both in off the post.
Peter Brady scores two lovely points too.
The madness starts when Roy Malone sticks home a shot from 20 yards out.
The scoreboard reads 1-4 to 0-0. Christ Almighty.
Meath the reigning All Ireland champions. Are Offaly mad are what!
Offaly lead by the exact same score 2 years previously in Navan and only scored one more point.
1-4 to 0-0 became 1-5 to 1-15!
Then Brendan Reilly starts to give Larry Carroll the runaround.
Meath tack over a couple of points and normal service resumes.
Or does it. Next thing Vinny Claffey is bearing down on goal and stitches it.
Bedlam in the stadium!
Ronan Mooney follows up with a fisted point.
Offaly 10 points in front. 2-6 to 0-2.
The terror I felt at that stage...if we manage to lose this game after that.
Spending 50 minutes being chased down by the Meath, like a tired hare evading the rabid hounds at a coursing meet.
The prospect of it. Holy shit, but we were better off letting them win from the start.
Meath find their rhythm and close out the half better. At half time the score in 2-6 to 0-7.
5 points is nothing. The weakness in my legs as I stood up to stretch them.
5 minutes into the second half and the gap is down to 3.
That sinking feeling. Lower the lifeboats.
Offaly still managed to get the odd breakout score to keep in front.
Peter Brady scores an over the shoulder point from out near the sideline.
The turning point came with Roy Malone's stunning "goal of the year".
Soloing half the length of the field before letting rip for goal as the Meath defence close on him.
He hardly expects to score from there, the mad hoor?
Christ, but the ball has sizzled into the bottom corner of the net.
The junkies around Croke Park have never felt THIS good!
Suddenly the trophy looks to be ours.
Hold out now and we can do it.
With 5 minutes to go Offaly lead by 7.
Jimmy McGuinness ghosts in behind the Offaly defence and suddenly Padraig Kelly is picking it out of the net.
The rockets go off in the Canal End from the Meath fans.
Meath the great escape artists are at it again.
They closed out with 6 in a row in previous All Ireland to draw with Mayo.
Twice they did the same to Kildare in the previous round.
Here they go again and I can't believe it.
The magic mullet from Doon begs to differ.
Vinny Claffey has waited 32 years for this day and will not allow something as insignificant as 15 Meath men deny him his destiny.
From the kick out, he seizes the ball from John Kenny, lances through the Meath defence and sticks it over the bar.
He sticks over 2 more in the last minute just to make sure. Quinn chips over his 4th point of the day and the cushion is 8.
Brian Gavin goes sprinting down the steps of Cusack towards the perimeter, he hasn't moved that fast before or since.
Jaysus but it's really happening.
In the frenzy as we head down towards the pitch, I get tangled in the flagpole and it takes an age to break free.
The whistle goes. The Faithful are back!
3-17 to 1-15
Leaving Croke Park almost in daze that evening. The Dubs coming out of their houses to goad Meath and salute Offaly.
The celebrations that night were something else. Watching the video down in the pub that night.
Seeing Chris Willis and the Clara lads going nuts in front of the TV cameras in footage that was used for many a GAA clip afterwards by RTE and TG4.
In the Mill House that night Barry Flynn struggled to spin the discs as the stage dives and moshing kept making his CD deck skip.
In the small hours of the morning and a couple of us are hanging around the square pondering the road home. A van pulls up and David Reynolds flops out. A quick consultation and we advise him which roads lead where as the square seems to resembles a maze.
Super times.
10 years ago to the day. In fact it was it was after 6 in the evening when the final whistle went and Offaly football came back from a Siberian like exile.
The transformation from Division 4 make weights to Leinster champions was remarkable. Back when a Leinster title was valuable currency and before numpty counties managed to win it.
I was 19 at the time and so memories of glory days in Offaly football were virtually non-existent. We were a world away from the Meaths and Dublins by then.
Offaly footballers in the championship were days when we drew with the Wicklows, lost to the Wexfords and got tanked by Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Laois.
The memories of that great day will live long. I watched the video so many times in the days weeks and months afterwards. The tape is well banjaxed now and I haven't looked at it lately.
From memory this is how it unfolded.
Stream of consciousness warning. I couldn't do justice to it in prose anyway
Offaly storm out of the blocks and take an early lead.
David Reynolds opens the scoring, Quinn follows up with a point. Both with the left boot and both in off the post.
Peter Brady scores two lovely points too.
The madness starts when Roy Malone sticks home a shot from 20 yards out.
The scoreboard reads 1-4 to 0-0. Christ Almighty.
Meath the reigning All Ireland champions. Are Offaly mad are what!
Offaly lead by the exact same score 2 years previously in Navan and only scored one more point.
1-4 to 0-0 became 1-5 to 1-15!
Then Brendan Reilly starts to give Larry Carroll the runaround.
Meath tack over a couple of points and normal service resumes.
Or does it. Next thing Vinny Claffey is bearing down on goal and stitches it.
Bedlam in the stadium!
Ronan Mooney follows up with a fisted point.
Offaly 10 points in front. 2-6 to 0-2.
The terror I felt at that stage...if we manage to lose this game after that.
Spending 50 minutes being chased down by the Meath, like a tired hare evading the rabid hounds at a coursing meet.
The prospect of it. Holy shit, but we were better off letting them win from the start.
Meath find their rhythm and close out the half better. At half time the score in 2-6 to 0-7.
5 points is nothing. The weakness in my legs as I stood up to stretch them.
5 minutes into the second half and the gap is down to 3.
That sinking feeling. Lower the lifeboats.
Offaly still managed to get the odd breakout score to keep in front.
Peter Brady scores an over the shoulder point from out near the sideline.
The turning point came with Roy Malone's stunning "goal of the year".
Soloing half the length of the field before letting rip for goal as the Meath defence close on him.
He hardly expects to score from there, the mad hoor?
Christ, but the ball has sizzled into the bottom corner of the net.
The junkies around Croke Park have never felt THIS good!
Suddenly the trophy looks to be ours.
Hold out now and we can do it.
With 5 minutes to go Offaly lead by 7.
Jimmy McGuinness ghosts in behind the Offaly defence and suddenly Padraig Kelly is picking it out of the net.
The rockets go off in the Canal End from the Meath fans.
Meath the great escape artists are at it again.
They closed out with 6 in a row in previous All Ireland to draw with Mayo.
Twice they did the same to Kildare in the previous round.
Here they go again and I can't believe it.
The magic mullet from Doon begs to differ.
Vinny Claffey has waited 32 years for this day and will not allow something as insignificant as 15 Meath men deny him his destiny.
From the kick out, he seizes the ball from John Kenny, lances through the Meath defence and sticks it over the bar.
He sticks over 2 more in the last minute just to make sure. Quinn chips over his 4th point of the day and the cushion is 8.
Brian Gavin goes sprinting down the steps of Cusack towards the perimeter, he hasn't moved that fast before or since.
Jaysus but it's really happening.
In the frenzy as we head down towards the pitch, I get tangled in the flagpole and it takes an age to break free.
The whistle goes. The Faithful are back!
3-17 to 1-15
Leaving Croke Park almost in daze that evening. The Dubs coming out of their houses to goad Meath and salute Offaly.
The celebrations that night were something else. Watching the video down in the pub that night.
Seeing Chris Willis and the Clara lads going nuts in front of the TV cameras in footage that was used for many a GAA clip afterwards by RTE and TG4.
In the Mill House that night Barry Flynn struggled to spin the discs as the stage dives and moshing kept making his CD deck skip.
In the small hours of the morning and a couple of us are hanging around the square pondering the road home. A van pulls up and David Reynolds flops out. A quick consultation and we advise him which roads lead where as the square seems to resembles a maze.
Super times.