Mickey Harte ensured that he will face numerous reunions as Offaly boss next season after steering the county to an improbable Allianz League Division 3 win.
The former All-Ireland winning manager is set to come up against former sides Tyrone, Derry and Louth in Division 2 next year.
They will now enter this year’s Leinster Championship as Division 3 champions after beating Kildare 2-17 to 1-18.
The score of the game was the Faithful Counties' opener, Jack Bryant drilling a simply ridiculous goal in the top right corner from 21 yards out - a strong contender for the goal of the year winner on the TG4 Goal Awards show.
4 nóim #KILvOFF @KIldareGAA 0-01 @Offaly_GAA 1-00
A leithéid de cúl faighte ag Jack Bryant! Ar fheabhas ar fad!🤩
A fantastic finish from Offaly's full forward!
BEO/LIVETG4 AR @TG4TV 📺 @AllianzIreland #AllianzLeagues #GAABEO pic.twitter.com/H9x9dluZ1P— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) March 30, 2025
Man of the match, Keith O’Neill, is aware of all the social media trends, as he knew the goal would be all over TikTok in the coming hours.
It’s unreal,” O’Neill said
“No one really gave us a chance at the start of the league. We were seen everywhere as being lucky to stay up, but now we're in Division 2 and Division 3 champions to go along with it
"It gave us a bit of energy. Ah, Jesus, Jack’s goal is there will be some TikToks made out of that now, so there will be
"It’s a mixture of the new rules. You have to be versatile everywhere, I suppose. That’s why it suits Offaly this year. Cormac Egan was a corner forward in the under-20s, and now he's a wing-back for the seniors; it says it all about Offaly.”
#KILvOFF
'There'll be some amount of TikTok's made of that so there will be'!🗣️
Smaointe ó Laoch na hImeartha Keith O'Neill tar éis an chluiche.
BEO/LIVETG4 AR @TG4TV 📺 @Offaly_GAA@AllianzIreland #AllianzLeagues #GAABEO pic.twitter.com/lF9lj55eSc— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) March 30, 2025
For Kildare, after a promising start to the year, their end-of-league form will leave boss Brian Flanagan scratching his head, as they have only won one of their last four games, against relegated Antrim last weekend.
It is not ideal preparation as they play Westmeath in the Leinster quarter-final, while Offaly will play the winners of Meath and Carlow.
