Jason O'Reilly (born 23 August 1976) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Belturbet club and was a member of the Cavan county team from 1996 to 2009. A prolific goalscorer, O'Reilly is perhaps best known for scoring the winning goal in the 1997 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Iasón Ó Raghallaigh | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Full forward | ||
| Born | 23 August 1976 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Nickname | Jayo | ||
| Occupation | Postman | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Belturbet | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1996–2009 | Cavan | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 1 | ||
Playing career edit
Jason played with Belturbet from youth level. He scored two goals in the 1995 Junior final win over Knockbride. He also scored the decisive goal as Belturbet claimed their first Intermediate title against Denn in 1996.[2]
After being overlooked at minor level, O'Reilly first represented Cavan at under-21 level in 1996. Cavan claimed the Ulster title, and O'Reilly scored a goal in the All-Ireland semi-final win over Meath.[3] On 8 September, Jason started the All-Ireland final against Kerry, scoring 1-1 as Kerry finished strong to win the title.[4]
O'Reilly joined the senior squad in 1996, quickly establishing himself on the team. Cavan faced Derry in the 1997 Ulster Final, and Jason started the game on the bench. As a second half substitute, O'Reilly scored the game's only goal, pulling his shirt over his head in a 'Ravanelli' celeration.[5][6] Cavan held on to claim their first Ulster championship in 28 years.[7]
In 2001, Cavan reached another Ulster final, where they faced Tyrone.[8] A first half goal from O'Reilly had Cavan leading at half time, but a strong finish from Tyrone meant they came out winners on a 1-13 to 1-11 scoreline.[9]
Cavan reached the final of the National Football League in 2002, with Jason scoring 1-2 in the semi-final win over Roscommon.[10] O'Reilly started the final against Tyrone, with Cavan falling to a nine-point loss.[11]
O'Reilly never retired from inter-county football, but his Cavan career came to an abrupt end in 2009, after he wasn't contacted by manager Tommy Carr.[12]
Management career edit
In 2012, O'Reilly was the manager of Lacken when they won the Cavan Intermediate Football Championship, defeating Cootehill after a replay.[13]
O'Reilly took over as manager of his home club Belturbet ahead of the 2014 season.[14]
O'Reilly was appointed as the manager of Cavan Gaels for the 2017 season.[15] He led the Gaels to the 2017 Cavan Senior Football Championship title with victory over Castlerahan.[16] The Gaels later reached the Ulster Club final, where they were defeated by Derry champions Slaughtneil.[17]
Ahead of the 2019 season, O'Reilly joined the Leitrim management team under manager Terry Hyland.[18]
Honours edit
Player edit
Cavan
- Ulster Senior Football Championship (1): 1997
- Ulster Under-21 Football Championship (1): 1996
Belturbet
- Cavan Intermediate Football Championship (1): 1996
- Cavan Junior Football Championship (1): 1995
References edit
- ^ "My Greatest Game: Cavan's 1997 goalscoring hero Jason O'Reilly". BBC Northern Ireland. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "'And Jason's still turning his man'". The Anglo-Celt. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "U21 build-up: 1988, 1996 and 2011 recalled". The Anglo-Celt. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Back in the day - September 9, 1996: Cavan's bid for All-Ireland U21 glory thwarted by Kingdom". The Irish News. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Soccer celebrations, carrying sandbags over hills, and ending a 28-year wait for Ulster glory". The42.ie. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "Jason O'Reilly – A Breff-taking career". Gaelic Life. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "Cavan end wilderness years". The Irish Times. 21 July 1997. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ "Cavan advance to Ulster decider". RTÉ. 24 June 2001.
- ^ "Tyrone triumph in thriller as battling Cavan falter at finish". Irish Independent. 9 July 2001. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Cavan charge into decider". The Irish Times. 15 April 2002. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Tyrone's superiority is total". The Irish Times. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "My GAA Life with Cavan's Jason Reilly". Gaelic Life. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "IFC final replay: McKiernan hat-trick buries Cootehill". Hogan Stand. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Jason O'Reilly takes over as Belturbet manager". Hogan Stand. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ "O'Reilly takes Cavan Gaels post". Hogan Stand. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ "More woe for Castlerahan as Cavan Gaels regain title". RTÉ. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ "Slaughtneil ease to Ulster title beating Cavan Gaels". RTÉ. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "2019 Leitrim Senior Team Management Members Announcement". Leitrim GAA. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2022.