Offaly's Cormac Egan says 'there is something coming' with football on an upward trajectory in the Faithful County

"It definitely feels like there's something coming," says Cormac Egan.

"This U20 success has brought a big lift to the county. A lot of people have a bit of hope back, they feel like maybe in a few years' time we can be back competing for Leinster titles, and hopefully All-Irelands.

"That's the main goal. It's going to take time. This isn't an overnight thing. We all know that in the county.

"But people are patient in Offaly. They have waited long enough for this success. They're willing to wait for us to get through.

"They're not expecting big things for us straight away. For us at a young age, you don't expect too much [immediately]."

Had an Offaly footballer talked about the prospect of the Faithful County winning the Sam Maguire Cup a few months ago, they may have been ridiculed.

But the manner in which this year's U20 outfit swept aside all in their path has forced the GAA world to sit up and take notice. Egan was to the fore as Offaly saw off Wexford, Westmeath, Dublin, Cork and Roscommon to seal a memorable triumph.

Add in the senior side's promotion to Division 2, the financial support of Shane Lowry and the addition of Tomás Ó Sé to John Maughan's backroom team, and it appears that Offaly football is well and truly on the rise.

"The goal for any young footballer is to win an All-Ireland with their county. We feel we have a good crop of players in Offaly coming through," Egan continues.

"But it's just about trying to get them into the senior grade. It's going to take a while. There's a bit of a mix of guys who were in their last year of U20 on that team, and the likes of a few of us who still have two more years. It's going to take a bit of time.

"When them boys are 27/28 and we're 24/25, we should be able to compete. It's about boys coming behind us as well. We need to be competing at minor level and U20 level next year and the year after as well. Keep the succession line coming. That's how you succeed in the long run.

"But I feel at senior level, we are taking steps in the right direction. We're up to Division 2, we have a good crop of players there at senior. We'll see how we get on in the league this year. And hopefully over the next few years we can steadily improve."

And the fact that big names are attaching themselves to the county is a real indication of progress.

"Maybe they see that we might be moving in the right direction. Tomás Ó Sé coming in is a massive addition and maybe if we didn't have that U20 success he mightn't have come in with us," Egan muses.

"We're just glad to have him, he's going to be a massive addition over the next few years, so if this U20 success can attract some people to Offaly GAA, that's what it's all about and that's how we're going to succeed in the future."

A man in demand

Dual star Egan has just started an economics and finance degree this week in UCD. Third level GAA will soon be added to an already-hectic schedule.

Over the last year, he has played minor for his county in both codes, the U20 footballers along with fulfilling a host of commitments for his club Tullamore.

After the victory over Roscommon, he togged out in five more matches over the following week and a half.

He knows that is not sustainable going forward.

"It's hectic enough. Trying to balance both sports. It's not an easy task," he outlines. "But it's all about communication, speaking with both coaches, making sure we're on the same page.

"That's the way it was with the minor hurling and football. [Football manager] Ken [Furling] and [hurling manager] Leo [O'Connor] were talking the whole time, making sure that we weren't getting burned out, having to go and play both minor teams.

"It comes down to communication at the end of the day. I have to let my coaches know if I'm feeling burned out. They have your best interests at heart at the end of the day.

"But they do want to succeed. They do want to try and get the best out of you for their team.

"If I wanted to, I'd go out and play every game. But I'd just break myself down doing that. So they kind of save me from myself at the end of the day. It's going to hurt me in the long run if I continue playing two or three games a week. So you have to be saving yourself."

And since the All-Ireland triumph, Egan has met with some county legends who are eager for this current young crop to kick on and realise that potential.

"Meeting boys like that, they're what my parents looked up to," he smiles. "They were the superstars of that time when they were growing up. We didn't have anything really to see in an Offaly jersey that was playing in Croke Park or succeeding, winning All-Irelands.

"Just to meet the likes of Martin [Furlong], the likes of Willie Bryan, boys like this, they've won All-Irelands, they've been there before, it is quite mind-blowing.

"You shake Martin Furlong's hand and you realise he has however many All-Irelands in the bag. John is obviously his grandson, playing with you so we look to them lads as someone you can get advice from.

"Just chatting to them there at the Paddy Fenning Walk, they were all telling us just to keep at it and that we've given them something, which is crazy when you think about it, that we've given them a bit of hope. They think now that maybe they can see something like what they did again."