Another All-Ireland final against Tipperary at Nowlan Park beckons for Offaly youngster Liam Hoare, but he’s on quite the journey since the last one. A few months after keeping goal in the 2022 All-Ireland minor final, Hoare’s life took a chilling turn when, at just 17, he was diagnosed with a form of Lymphoma, with intensive treatment soon following.
Read more: Tyrone look to recapture All-Ireland winning formula but stats underline alarming decline since lifting the Sam Maguire in 2021 By the end of June, he was given the all clear to return to hurling and featured for his club, Carrig and Riverstown, before the year was out. He naturally slotted back into the under-20 squad when they started training for the 2024 campaign and has been one of their standout players en route to another All-Ireland final, an eagerly anticipated clash with Tipperary tomorrow evening, with a capacity crowd expected.
But it’s all within the Birr parish and the club is affiliated with and plays in Offaly, though an attempt to align with the North Tipperary board in the ‘60s amounted to nothing, despite strong local support at the time.In Carrig and Riverstown, there have always been those who follow Tipperary and the club’s most famous player, former Offaly captain Ger Oakley, even supported the blue and gold as a child.