Michael Bond (hurling manager)
Encyclopedia
Michael Bond is a retired Ireland
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 manager
Manager (Gaelic games)
In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...

 and former player. He played hurling with his local club Ardrahan. Bond later served as manager of the Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...

 senior inter-county team on two occasions and guided the team to the senior All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

 title in 1998.

Offaly

Bond was first appointed to the position of Offaly Manager for the 1998 season following the removal of Michael 'Babs' Keating from the role after the 1997 season. In spite of defeat by Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...

 in the Leinster Final, Offaly came back to beat Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...

 in the All Ireland Quarter Final, before going on to have a controversial three game series against the previous years champions Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....

. In the second match, referee, Jimmy Cooney, clearly ended the game two minutes early with Clare three points up, 1-16 to 2-10. When the whistle blew there was disarray in Croke Park as the disgruntled Offaly supporters began a sit-down protest on the pitch as Clare had won the game. The decision was taken to replay the game in Semple Stadium
Semple Stadium
Semple Stadium, located in Thurles, North Tipperary, Ireland, is the home of hurling for Tipperary GAA and for the province of Munster. It is the second largest stadium in Ireland with a capacity of 53,500....

 the following weekend, and Offaly triumphed on a scoreline of 0-16 to 0-13. this set up a rematch with Kilkenny in the All-Ireland Final, which Offaly won 2-16 to 1-13.

In 1999, Offaly once again faced Kilkenny in the Leinster Final, and once again came off worse, being beaten 5-14 to 1-16. They beat Antrim comprehensively in the Quarter final, before being beaten by the year's eventual champions Cork in the semi final. Bond stepped down as manager at the end of this season.

He was reappointed to the position of manager for the 2001 season, however, this season did not live up to that of 1998, with Offaly being knocked out in the Leinster Semi Final by Kilkenny. Following this season, Bond once again stepped down from the position.

Teams

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