Condron Concrete Coaching Corner
Compiled by Carina on behalf of Offaly GAA
If you would like to submit information (Player or Club) for this weekly underage promotion, please email administrator.offaly@gaa.ie.
National School & Development Squad Player Profiles
This week we feature:
Sixth Class Pupil Name: Orlaith O’Rourke
School: Killeigh N.S.
Club: St. Sinchills & Na Fianna
What do you play: Camogie & Football
What’s your favourite part of GAA: being part of a team
Who is your favourite player: Liam Hoare
What is your favourite meal: roast chicken dinner
What are your GAA ambitions: to be better than the last training
Give us a few words about your club and what you like and maybe even dislike:
I like the way the coaches and teammates respect one another.
Sixth Class Pupil Name: Conor Gleeson
School: Killeigh National School
Club: Na Fianna
What do you play: Hurling
What’s your favourite part of GAA: Winning
Who is your favourite player: Cian Lynch
What is your favourite meal: Chicken Curry
What are your GAA ambitions: Play for County
Give us a few words about your club and what you like and maybe even dislike: Love that we have a strong team and are very competitive. I love working with my coaches and team mates trying to make myself and our team better, so that we can be competitive with all the best teams in the county.
Sixth Class Pupil Name: Jessy Tshilumba
School: Ard Scoil Chiaráin
Club: Clara
What do you play? Football / Hurling
What’s your favourite part of GAA? My favourite part is making new friends from other clubs in Offaly.
Who is your favourite player? David Clifford
What is your favourite meal? Roast beef dinner
What are your GAA ambitions? To play for Offaly in Croke Park.
Give us a few words about your club and what you like and maybe even dislike. I love being involved with Offaly. You learn how to warm up and train properly, and while some sessions are hard, you feel good after them.
Pupil Name: Senan O’Meara
School: Colaiste Choilm
Club: Clara GAA Club
What do you play: Hurling and Football
What’s your favourite part of GAA: Playing games and winning matches.
Who is your favourite player: Tony Kelly (Clare)
What is your favourite meal: Pasta with Chicken
What are your GAA ambitions: To play senior hurling for my club Clara and Offaly
Give us a few words about your involvement with the Offaly Development Squads: I am a part of the under 14 hurling development squad and play full forward. I am learning loads off my coaches, training’s are tough and I get to play with the best under 14 hurlers in Offaly. I love the physical side of the game and getting to play with Offaly against other counties is great. I am learning all the time and developing new skills
Academies
A reminder to all players, the academies are always revieing, wok hard for you club and hopefully you will get your chance!!
All Academy squads trained on Saturday last, with no Academy games taking place over the weekend. Academies will know train each Thursday during the summer working on skills etc.
A few words from one of our Development Squad coaches, who has been involved in the system for a few years:
Jack Kilmurray – Offaly U15 Development Squad Coach
I have been involved with the Offaly Development Squads for the past three years and am currently working with the U15 squad. It is very enjoyable to work with the players and watch them develop, both at club and county level, since the Faithful Óg pathway began.
The pathway provides an introduction to what is required to play county football from U14 to minor level.
The most important element of the pathway is the opportunity for players to form friendships with other players from across the county while being exposed to different training methods and tactical techniques outside of their club environment. These experiences will, in time, benefit the player, their club, and the county into the future.
Games Programme
Our underage games programme is well underway.
Our U14 Championships are now underway, with some excellent games taking place on Monday evenings across the county.
The Minor Leagues each have one round remaining before clubs begin their Minor Hurling and Football Championships. The U16 Football Championships have already commenced, with the U16 Hurling Championships getting underway tonight.
Our U12 and U13 leagues are progressing well, with finals scheduled for August. All teams are continuing to work hard, and more importantly, all players are getting weekly hurling and football games outside of the main championship age groups.
Our Go Games programme continues every Saturday morning. The first two Saturdays of each month are dedicated to U8 and U10 hurling and football, while the last two Saturdays cater for U11 hurling and football.
Teams are divided into groups across the county based on the number of teams they can field, whether that is one team or two. This ensures that when teams meet their opposition, all players are given an opportunity to participate and enjoy meaningful game time.
A special word of thanks to the clubs who host these weekly Go Games activities. Your commitment and support are greatly appreciated and play a vital role in providing enjoyable playing opportunities for our young players throughout the county.
Get to Know Our Staff & Weekly Coaching Hints
Coaching the Basics: Why AgeSpecific Skill Development Still Matters – Adrian Clancy
In an era where both hurling and football look faster, more athletic, and more systemdriven than ever before, it’s easy to forget one simple truth: the fundamentals of our games have never changed. The pace may be higher, the conditioning sharper, and the tactics more complex, but the core skills that decide matches today are the very same ones that decided them twenty years ago.
And if you look at the great Offaly players — past and present — they all have one thing in common: they were brilliant at the basics.
From the iconic hurlers and footballers of the 70s, 80s and 90s to the modern county players carrying the jersey today, their success was built on simple, repeatable, reliable skills executed under pressure.
As Games Manager, I see this every day across our clubs ,schools and development squads. The players who thrive are not the ones who can run the fanciest patterns or recite the most detailed game plan. The players who thrive are the ones who can rise a ball under pressure, strike off both sides, catch cleanly, handpass accurately, and kick with confidence off left and right. Everything else is built on that foundation.
That’s why agespecific coaching is not just important — it’s essential. A tenyearold doesn’t need a defensive system. They need to learn how to pick the ball cleanly. A fourteenyearold doesn’t need a complex attacking structure. They need to be able to strike on the move, off both sides, without breaking stride. When we skip steps, we create players who can run patterns but can’t execute the skills required to make those patterns work.
My own coaching philosophy is simple:
FAST FEET & FAST HANDS.
Be brilliant at the basics, and everything else will fall into place.
Because games — real games, tight games, championship games — are won and lost on the basics. A missed rise in the middle third. A poor handpass under pressure. A brilliant catch at the edge of the square. These moments don’t come from systems. They come from skill.
If we want confident, creative, resilient players, we must give them the tools early. That means ageappropriate sessions, high touches, repetition without boredom, and a coaching environment where young players are encouraged to try, fail, and try again.
The modern game may evolve, but the heartbeat of hurling and football remains the same. Strike it well. Catch it clean. Move your feet. Use both sides. When we coach those basics with purpose, we don’t just develop better players — we develop players who love the game, trust their skills, and express themselves on the pitch.
And that is the real winner.
Underage Club Spotlight
Na Fianna Hurling
Na Fianna hurling and St Sinchills Camogie clubs provide hurling and camogie to boys and girls in the Killeigh parish from nursery (u6) all the way up to minor (u18) level. Both clubs take great pride in taking a player-centred approach that prioritizes long-term development, enjoyment, and learning. A highlight of our season is our Autumn Tournament which we will hold for the fifth year this September where over 300 children from Offaly and other counties participate in non-competitive hurling and camogie blitzes and matches on one fun and action packed day.
Our GPO Eimear Carroll is an important part of our team, promoting hurling, camogie and football in our primary schools and helping our coaches with planning and player development.
All new players or returning players are welcome to come down and give hurling and camogie a try!
By Offaly Secretary Mon 29th Jun
