Offaly footballer Nicole Buckley inspired by U20s hurlers

Ahead of her side's TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship clash with Clare at Cusack Park, Ennis tomorrow (throw-in 1pm), Nicole Buckley has spoken in glowing terms about the impact the Offaly Under-20s hurlers have had on those within the Faithful County.

Thanks to a superb final victory over Tipperary last Saturday, Offaly made history by claiming a maiden All-Ireland U 20 Hurling Championship crown.

Aside from the quality of their performances throughout the competition, a notable feature of this memorable march to underage glory was how people came out in their droves to see Leo O’Connor’s men in action.

Having beaten Dublin in front of 15,215 spectators at Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise in an enthralling Leinster final on 22 May, the Offaly Under-20s subsequently added a national title to their list of honours on a day when 25,825 patrons passed through the turnstiles of Nowlan Park.

Their 2-20 to 2-14 victory against Tipp was a major topic of discussion when the Offaly ladies footballers assembled for a training session the following day and Buckley is hopeful it can be a springboard for many teams within the county.

"It really just shows us and shows everyone in the county basically where we stand. It shows how big of a buzz and how much hype is in the county after winning such a big final. It really drives everyone on and encourages people to keep going training and pushing it hard," Buckley acknowledged.

"We had training after that on the Sunday morning and even at our training, there was such a good buzz. Everyone talking about the lads and stuff like that as well. It really drove us on in our session as well. I feel like it really will drive the county on now with other levels and other age