Offaly manager Leo O’Connor heaped praise on his players on how they’ve developed over the last three years following yesterday’s All-Ireland U20HC final triumph.

The Faithful County produced the goods at Nowlan Park to see off Tipperary by 2-20 to 2-14 and banish their ghosts from last year, having been defeated by Cork on the same stage in Thurles.

Speaking to RTE Sport after his team’s victory, O’Connor praised county board chairman Michael Duignan for giving him the time to build his squad.

"I can’t speak highly enough of the man. The man gave me free rein to go and do what I could with Offaly hurling,” he said.

"You can’t beat that raw honesty, that integrity, to know that you’re trusted. That’s the most important thing. We have really created a family. There are more hurling clubs in half of Tipperary than there are in the whole of Offaly.

"It’s a credit to the clubs, a credit to the players, how they’ve developed over the last three years. We made one rule at half-time. We said we weren’t going home without it."

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