Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sports

Sliding doors: Brian Whelahan’s flu game for Offaly in 1998 All-Ireland

Analysing the butterfly effect of Michael Bond’s decision to move his ill wing-back into the forward line with devastating results

Offaly legend Brian Whelahan came down with a dose of the flu the night before the All-Ireland final in 1998, and his early switch from wing-back to full-forward may well have altered the flow of hurling history.

The Offaly Express left their readers in no doubt of his display with the following match rating for the number five:

“Hit by a bout of the flu 24 hours before the match it seemed as though Brian Whelahan wasn’t going to play a part in the final.

“However, it takes a lot to keep Sid down and he played a starring role especially after he moved to full forward. Didn’t look himself in defence and was given a horrid time by Brian McEvoy.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“Still he cleared a ball off the line during his so called bad spell. Whelahan’s deft skills, intelligent thinking, quick wrists and distribution left Kilkenny in turmoil.

“He finished the final with 1-6 to his credit, 1-3 from play, and that is a great return. Where will Whelahan get his All Star this year? At number 5 or 14? Or maybe as a goalie?

“Remember his penalty save from David Fitzgerald! A superb all rounder. The most complete player in hurling. Forget the first twenty minutes.

“This was an awesome display from a special player. The best of our generation, if not the greatest of all time. Rating – 10.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Shane Stapleton, Michael Verney and Fintan O’Toole cast their minds back to that fabled clash in 1998, and consider the butterfly effects of Brian Whelahan getting the flu and subsequently leading Offaly to glory.

Did the defeat for the Cats signal the end of Kevin Fennelly’s reign, and in turn pave the way for Brian Cody to be appointed just a few months later?

The latter dominated the hurling landscape for a decade and a half, and perhaps it may never have come without Offaly manager Michael Bond making this crucial switch.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

📮 Sign up to the OurGame newsletter — a daily email reminder of our latest videos, articles, quizzes and more.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the OurGame YouTube page for live streams and more.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to our newsletter

You May Also Like

Sports

Full show 👉🏼https://youtube.com/live/VR8pMemvYoY Visit https://ourstore.ie/ 🎓Coaching Clinic — see our latest events at the following link — https://bit.ly/OurGameEvents For more exclusive content, why not...

Analysis

Limerick v Kilkenny played out a second All-Ireland senior hurling final in a row and we've gone through each player's performance.

Hurling

Offaly boss Johnny Kelly chats with Shane Stapleton and Shane Brophy about the link between the Joe McDonagh Cup and the All-Ireland series

Hurling

Shane Stapleton reviews Tipperary's 32-point win over Offaly at O'Connor Park in the All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-final

Advertisement