Offaly hurler Cillian Kiely pictured during the Poc Fada launch at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
By Paul Keane
It wasn't the third M Donnelly All-Ireland Poc Fada title he was hoping for but Cillian Kiely still left Annaverna Mountain with a little something for his sideboard.
The Offaly centre-back, who won Poc Fada titles in 2018 and 2019, claimed the Paul Ward memorial trophy for the longest opening puck of the 12 participants.
The award is presented in recognition of the late Paul Ward who was heavily involved with the organisation of the event.
In the overall tournament, Kiely finished third, over two pucks behind winner Fionan Mackessy but just eight metres off Limerick's Colin Ryan who finished second.
All in all, a productive afternoon for the powerful Kilcormac-Killoughey man who made his return to the Cooley Peninsula following a shoulder injury.
"I'm happy enough," said Kiely. "Conditions were really tough and I thought I was going very well, I was leading after the first turning point. But Fionan really ate it up going across the top of the mountain. I struggled going across it myself to be honest with the weather.
"The fog and the rain just didn't suit and I hit a couple of bad shots. They had to call off the third section of the course so it was a reduced course and it was always going to be very hard to catch him. But he's a serious striker of the ball and he was always going to be very hard to beat so fair play to him.
"I think there were only six or eight metres between myself and Colin Ryan for second and third position so it just goes to show, after 40 odd shots, it still came down to a very small margin in the end so every shot counts."
Fionán Mackessy of Kerry during the 2024 M. Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals at Annaverna Mountain in the Cooley Peninsula, Ravensdale, Louth. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.
Wind and rain battered the north-eastern mountain and left participants and spectators soaked but still smiling. In the circumstances, Kiely could only doff his hat in appreciation of Mackessy's stunning efforts.
"A very impressive performance, that would be very hard to beat on any day," said Kiely of Mackessy's 40 pucks and 73.4m finishing score. "We were just saying it afterwards, if he had been one shot ahead of the next man, but two, that's crazy shooting. He's just a massive striker of the ball, a very powerful man. The top of the mountain suited him and I have a feeling that he's going to be around for a few years yet."
Kiely, who won the Offaly and Leinster titles to qualify for the national final, still hopes to feature again at the top of the leaderboard in the future.
"I hope to come back on a good day, when the weather is better," he said.
The positive showing came after a strong inter-county season for Kiely and Offaly. The Faithful beat Laois on Joe McDonagh Cup final day to secure their place in next year's race for the MacCarthy Cup.
"Very happy with the year the way it finished out," said Kiely, who previously won U-16 Poc Fada titles in 2011 and 2012. "Last year we were on a bit of a downer being pipped by Carlow in the Joe McDonagh final so it was great to get the win. It's back to the club now and the club is going well so we'll keep pushing on. It's easy to keep going back to the well when things are going well."