King: 'I'd love to be in Division 1 and the Leinster championship, actually competing in games'

King, midfield on last year’s U20 team, started all bar one of Offaly’s five League outings in the topflight. In all bar two, they were competitive.

OFFALY'S KING: Offaly U20 hurler Cathal King in attendance at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny as oneills.com, leading online sportswear retailer, with the GAA are delighted to announce the third year of their U20 GAA All-Ireland Hurling Championship sponsorship deal. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

None of that rule-making and rule-changing regarding U20 hurlers and the number of days in a week that must pass before they are permitted to crossover to senior fare, and back again, applies to Offaly’s exciting and emerging crop.

You see, the U20 eligibility rule introduced at Congress last year, tweaked a couple of weeks later, and further tweaked at this year’s Congress does not apply to Tier 2 hurling counties.