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Ummmmm!
Sweet victory tonight.
Did it really happen or was it a surreal out of body experience?

It has been 5 years since we've beaten a top 8 team in championship.
This one was long overdue. We've been to hell and back in the mean time.
Though we won't get carried away, it is some relief to finally perform near capabilities.

Such a strange feeling at the end, more disbelief than jubilation.
It felt like being at a funeral, with so few Offaly people there the ground full of Limerick folk down in the dumps.
I'd say there were no more than 20 Offaly people in the uncovered stand.
We've gotten so used to horrible defeats in recent times, that even with Offaly leading by 10 or 11, you still had to fear a Limerick comeback.

Well done to Gentleman Joe and all the players. It felt like Offaly hurling of the olden days.
Men became giants and did themselves and their county proud.

The taste of victory has a very pleasant opiate like quality to it tonight!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great performance that would make your heart swell with pride. We showed fantastic determination, fitness and no little skill. There was a great mix of the traditional Offaly hurling with the best of the modern running/posession game too.
Man for man we won every contest around the pitch and when Limerick threatened a fightback early in the 2nd half we never panicked and once we weathered that mini revival, the game was over.
Funny enough the highlight of the game for me was the 60 seconds or so that proceeded Mark foley's overcarry on his own end line - the hooking, blocking and putting of bodies on the line to prevent Limerick clearing the ball rolled back the years and Shane dooley's score from the resultant free must have sickened Limerick too.

Congratulations to the players but particularly to Joe Dooley and his selectors, overall a fantastic shot in the arm for Offaly and hopefully the result and performance will give the lads the belief and confidence to overcome Waterford or Galway next week.

P.S. Will the U-21 Final now be deferred? It would be very unfair on Offaly if it isn't pushed out as 3 hard championship games in 8 days will surely take its toll.
Also, is there any word on Horan? Was it a bad twist or what was the injury?

It will be called off. Kilkenny wouldnt want to play it anyway with Offaly out next weekend.
Common sense should prevail here.

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEE. I predicted on this site a few weeks ago that we would lose this game by 13 to 17 points. Let me be the first person to call myself a total muppet. What a night , what a performance, a throwback to the old days, everybody was so proud of the players and management and many congradulations to all. Jaysus I was so excited last night I thought my pacemaker was going to explode and there is a grin fixed on my face that won't go away since 8.30 last night. Now lets pray to god that there is not a clash with the two senior games next Saturday evening.

Anyone know the arrangement for the next hurling qualifiers? Is it nuetral venues or a draw out of the hat for home or away?
What's the chances of a double header in Tullamore if we get a home draw against Waterford or Galway? Jaysus that would be some occasion.. feck of all chance of I'd say though.

From memory the arrangements for the round 4 qualifiers are that the venues are to be decided by the commit-tee which is code for a double header in Thurles. See the official GAA site.

I haven't much to say only hats-off to the lads. I'd like to echo the points DD made in the earlier post. Nothing more to add at this stage .

DD wrote:Anyone know the arrangement for the next hurling qualifiers? Is it nuetral venues or a draw out of the hat for home or away?
What's the chances of a double header in Tullamore if we get a home draw against Waterford or Galway? Jaysus that would be some occasion.. feck of all chance of I'd say though.

just want to say to any of the players that might be on this site thanks for putting the pride back into offaly people again .every single one of ye wer brilliant .

Absolutely brilliant! What an amazing lift for the whole county!

A performance like this was coming but no-one expected anything like what the lads served us up last night. The next week now is going to be fairly hectic and hopefully we can come through it on the right side. Confidence has to be very high for the final against the cats Wednesday night and please God we will have some silverware to show for the hard work thats been put in. On to next week and I feel that Waterford were the better of the draws we could have got. A performance akin to yesterdays and we will definitely be in with a big chance. They are bound to have improved since Davy Fitz took over and are definitely going to be a step up on Limerick. Their full back line is not much stronger than Limericks and even with McGrath drafted in there, we could pop in for a couple of goals. At the other end of the field our own full back line is getting better and better with every game. The intensity of the tackling was immense and another strong referee is needed to allow for the backs to be as strong again. No idea yet about a venue but Portlaoise or Nowlan Park would not be a bad call at all.

Well done again to Joe and the lads for brightening up the county mood. It was badly needed.

Lots of clatter about dirty pulling at the end of the game over on anferrau.

Anybody get hurt (I hope not)?

I have just joined up, and what a time to join after Offaly's fabulous victory last night, just like the old days!!!. Like Black and Red exile I was expecting the worst, but am happy to be proved wrong. Fair play to the sporting Limerick supporters last night,they were gracious in defeat.
I wouldn't be optimistic about postponing Wednesday's match given the way Laois hurlers have been treated recently. It would be great if the U 21Players had an extra week. Suddenly we have a dilemma next weekend!

Fantastic win. Only negative was the disappointing lack of support there, hopefully the troops will rally for next weekend. Busy weekend ahead!

A great win for the lads. They were really up for it,first to nearly every ball,hurls in,blocking.. Kenny gave a masterful display at full back. The five points they hit in a row were reminiscent of '94. Hopefully Waterford will be on the end of the same treatment. On an aside surely the footballers can draw some inspiration from this performance.

I still can believe it!!
I was on hols and missed every feckin min of it. ( is that a sign I should stay away in future??)
I heard Kenny was a colossus at d back ( some man in fairness). This is a super win, it really makes ya start believin again after all d dark days we had in recent years. Kilkenny might be light years ahead but we aint that far behind d rest of the chasin pack. A win like dis should bring our boys on another bit, congrats to joe and d panel, they deserve this one.
So proud dis morning. damn feckin proud!

Allez les faithful

Brilliant performance from the lads saturday!! Some of the scores were first class and did not panic when Limerick got on top at the start of the second half. Kenny was immense at full back and Bergin and Shane Dooley led the forward line brilliantly. Still on cloud nine since Saturday night and cant wait for next Saturday when we will probably have to travel to Thurles?? and back to Tullamore for the footballers against Down.

Well done again and for restoring some pride to the jersey and county!!