Donal Shirley urges Offaly GAA to ‘learn from experience and push on' after surviving relegation from Leinster SHC
OFFALY'S Donal Shirley was happy to keep on hurling during a hectic year.
The Tubber clubman had a dream week when he helped the Faithful to All-Ireland Under-20 glory against Tipperary on June 1.
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Donal Shirley is a rising star of Offaly hurling
Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
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Donal Shirley was POTM against Antrim
Credit: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
Shirley, Adam Screeney, Cathal King and Dan Bourke then featured for Johnny Kelly's seniors the following weekend in the Joe McDonagh Cup final win over
Shirley was eligible for the Under-20s again this year but
The defender has been instrumental to Offaly's
survival
in the provincial senior ranks though.
He fired 0-2 and was named man of the match in
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Having run Dublin close in the first round, shipped heavy beatings to Leinster finalists
Star
forward Screeney was sidelined with injury for the campaign but having retained their top-tier status, Shirley believes
The centre-back said: 'It was obviously going to be hard to top the heights of last year, but we put in a lot of effort when we started training.
'There were setbacks but I'd be happy with how the season went. To know that we'll have another Leinster
Championship
next
year, more big games in front of our fans . . . if we can learn from this year and use that experience, hopefully we can push on.
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'There was a lot of talk about burnout and all that this year and there's been a lot of
'They trusted us, they asked us all the time whether we were 100 per cent fit and ready to play each game, and we were.
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'We love playing, and to see the crowds in Tullamore, that just drives you on. You just want to play in big games all the time.
'I've been lucky to have played some massive games for Offaly at underage and senior and you're always going to want to be part of that.'
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Kelly's men were in control on Sunday when they raced into a six-point lead against 14-man Antrim.
But with the finish line in sight, they went 20 minutes without scoring.
Nerves took hold as Antrim got back to within a point thanks to James McNaughton's goal, but Killian Sampson replied in kind to see off the Saffrons.
Shirley reckons there were always going to be jitters with so much at stake, but he was thrilled to get the job done and
remain
at hurling's top table.
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He said: 'We didn't perform for two
weekends
in a row and we got punished for that. It left us needing to put our heads down. We knew if things didn't go our way, we'd be down in Joe McDonagh again.
'So we had to
work
hard for the last week. You're just so focused on the game, that's all you're thinking about.
'We were disappointed to get nothing out of the Dublin game in the first round and obviously the Wexford game, we felt we should have got something out of it, but that's just the nature of the Leinster Championship.
'We made very hard work of it, but we are delighted to get over the line.'
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