Joe McDonagh Cup finalist Offaly's Cillian Kiely during a Joe McDonagh, Christy Ring, Nickey Rackard, Lory Meagher Cup Final media day at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
By John Harrington
By Cillian Kiely’s own admission, he’s “been around the block” by now, and he’s learned a thing or two along the way.
The Kilcormac Killoughey clubman has excelled for Offaly at centre-back so far this year in what’s his second coming as an inter-county hurler.
He made his championship debut back in 2015 but by the end of the 2020 season felt like he had no more to give and withdrew from the panel after a combination of burn-out, injuries, and other commitments took their toll.
He eventually returned to the fold last year feeling reinvigorated, but his own experience means he’s well qualified to offer advice on how Offaly can best nurture the generation of players who won the All-Ireland U20 championship last weekend, some of whom will also play a big part in Saturday’s Joe McDonagh Cup Final against Laois.
Kiely hopes too much isn’t expected too soon from them, because he knows himself you can fall out of love with the game if that happens.
“When you are in school, hurling is everything,” says Kiely. “When I was in school, I brought the hurl everywhere with me. When I left school, the hurl got thrown in the corner. Between working, going up and down to college, being introduced to the night-life. Things change.
“This U20’s group are really special. They are all gelling together. They are never out of the field. I hope they don’t get too much too early. That’s the only thing I would be afraid of.
“I went into the Offaly senior squad at 17. I was making the team. At 21, I wasn’t. You can get too much too early. I hope it doesn’t happen to these lads.
“There are a lot of good heads around Offaly hurling at the minute – Michael Duignan, Johnny Kelly, Leo (O’Connor). They have been around the block. They have the experience.
“The way they are training and using the lads is important. They are aware that they don’t want to burn them out too early.”
Cillian Kiely, Offaly, in action against Walter Walsh, Kilkenny. during the 2016 Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Quarter-Final.
It’s a delicate balancing act because some of these Offaly U20 hurlers are so good that you it’s next to impossible to hold them back.
Adam Screeney, the star of last weekend’s All-Ireland U-20 Final win over Tipperary, is the obvious stand-out in this regard.
One of the most talented young hurlers we’ve seen emerge in recent years, the skillful attacker will have a big role to play in Saturday’s Joe McDonagh Cup Final with the seniors.
“Adam is a cousin of mine,” says Kiely. “He was always a wizard with the hurl. I could never say that this was coming for him. He has put himself out there.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on getting bigger and more physical. That’s something I totally disagree with. What he is doing is unbelievable. Very few players have his footwork.
“He is one of the best tacklers in our forward line. He is so tigerish. The club saw that in the Leinster series this year. Himself and Charlie Mitchell are young lads but they’d show up the older lads on how to tackle.
“Adam throws himself in there. He’s a serious talent. I’m just hoping he doesn’t get too much too early. He is going to be a big part of our club for the next few years.
“He is a really good lad. A really good lad around the dressing-room. He’s great craic and he mingles with everyone. That’s important.”
Rising Offaly hurling star, Adam Screeney.
Kiely believes the next few years will be crucial to the development of these Offaly U20s.
He knows from his own experience that being dragged in a few different directions by education, work, commuting, and other life commitments can make the demands of inter-county hurling difficult to sustain.
“The biggest thing for me was that I did an apprenticeship when I left school. It was in Littleton, deep in the heart of Tipperary. The commute was one hour, fifty minutes each day. That was a struggle in itself.
“Then I went to college in Waterford. That was a commute of two hours. Two nights a week, I was getting to bed at 12.45am. It made it harder.
"All it takes is for a small thing to happen along the way for you to say it’s not worth it.
“A big part of management is managing the college players. The players who are commuting. Is there the need to bring them in training every night?
“This is a big thing in inter-county at the minute. It’s a big ask for players. If you can manage that aspect, you can keep everyone focused.
“I took two years out. A couple of things kicked in. I had a couple of niggly injuries that I couldn’t get rid of. I finally got rid of them. The hip injury got sorted this year.
“Work as well. Commuting. Offaly weren’t going well at the time. There were a whole lot of things.
“Myself and Claire had our first child in the middle of it all too. Hurling was parked a small bit. Family came first.
“My own performance dropped. I never had issues before when I was really struggling on the field, fitness-wise. My performance wasn’t there. I wasn’t getting my place when I felt I should have been. I took the decision to step away.
“Michael Fennelly was over us. In fairness to Michael, I had a good chat with him. He did say to me that hurling was such a big part of my life and that I mightn’t get the chance to play for Offaly again.
“Walking away that day, I knew that maybe he was right. But the decision worked for me. I came back a lot hungrier. I got myself in better shape.
“Not fully where I would have liked to be, but I was there or there-abouts. It’s going alright at the minute and Offaly is picking up. And I’m making it work.”
Cillian Kiely of Offaly is tackled by Mikey Carey of Kilkenny during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group A match between Kilkenny and Offaly at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile.
Kiely made his name as a forward with Offaly but has excelled this year at the heart of their defence.
It’s not quite a complete reinvention, though, because in his youth the number six jersey was always his favourite to wear.
“I have had a mixed bag of positions, from corner-forward to full-back,” he says. “I have hurled in all the positions. I grew up playing centre half-back. That’s my favourite position, to be honest.
“Shane Hand, the Kilcormac manager, came to me last year. After the Joe Mac final. I did my AC joint in the semi-final and I was still recovering from that. I was getting injections. I took four weeks out and I had a good chat with Shane.
“He said we are thinking of putting you back at centre half-back, how do you feel? I told him I was just happy to have a jersey, but it has worked. I got my place back again, and I have been enjoying hurling a lot more.”
Offaly beaten after extra-time in last year’s epic Joe McDonagh Cup Final by Carlow, but perhaps they would have won the game had Kiely not been forced off with that shoulder injury he was nursing after 58 minutes.
He’d scored four points from play before he was subbed and Offaly sorely missed him after his departure.
He hopes to make amends on Saturday and believes the experience of last year’s defeat will stand to the Faithful County this time around against Laois.
“Last year was a huge learning curve,” he says. “I thought that we prepped well for the game. We started very strongly. The red card was a bit harsh. It changed the whole game for us. Our game plan went out the window.
“I thought we adapted well. We did what we could. We brought it to extra-time. Carlow just seemed to be getting their scores a little bit easier. They utilised the space way more and they moved the ball around a bit better than we did. They won the game. We learned from that.
“The experience of playing here last year will help a lot of the panel this year. Lads won’t be as uptight about playing in Croke Park. It’s nice to get that off the shoulder.
“I’m really looking forward to it. We have a couple of players with long-term injuries that won’t be part of the day. But we have a good panel, a lot of lads training, a lot more lads fit. It should be a great game.”