County Offaly hurling and football star Neville Coughlan bravely tackled two knife-wielding robbers after they held up a Gala convenience store in Geashill, Offaly.

The two men entered the store shrouded in balaclavas. They then threatened two female staff members and attempted to make off with about the equivalent of $1300. They may well have managed to do so but did not bank on the added presence of Neville who met the thugs at the door of the store.

“I was acting on adrenalin,” said Neville, “I tackled him and wrestled him to the ground. Another man got out of his car and helped me pin him down.

“We thought we had him but he tried to pull a knife on us. That’s when I buried my knee into his back and took him back down,” the Sun reports.

One of the robbers did manage to flee the scene in a car but was intercepted and arrested near Portarlington.

A source from the Sun later said: “If you were looking to rob a shop, you wouldn’t want a tough GAA star blocking your exit. The raiders came across the wrong two locals during this robbery.”