Offaly can now dare to dream

OFFALY 4-16 LONGFORD 1-12: A little context first. 

It’s 31 years since Offaly and Longford previously met at Croke Park and, on that occasion, in 1984, Offaly were inspired by the likes of Matt Connor, Martin Furlong and Brendan Lowry, all GAA icons.

Chances are those players wouldn’t have even stopped for a celebratory drink on the way home from a Division 4 final win. Still, these are different times and Lowry’s son, golfer Shane, summed it up well with a Tweet after Saturday’s win, referencing the ‘dark few years’ they’ve recently endured. There’s still some road to travel yet but Offaly at least have momentum on their side. After carving Longford apart with an incisive second-half performance, they have two destinations in their sights now; O’Connor Park and Croke Park.