Heroic Offaly survive on wits to crown sensational week by returning to top flight
FOR the second week in a row, the Offaly Rover blared out over the loudspeakers of an iconic venue following a huge hurling win for the county. This Saturday, the venue was Croke Park and the artists were the senior hurlers who crowned a sensational week by returning to the top flight with a dramatic three point win over Laois in the Joe McDonagh Cup final.
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Joe McDonagh Cup final
Offaly 2-23
Laois 0-26
In its own way, this win was as important as the All-Ireland U-20 hurling final as a week earlier. They didn't have the same volume of support getting behind them, there won't be the same jubilant homecoming in O'Connor Park on Sunday and it won't be celebrated with the same gusto but for the people at the coalface of Offaly hurling, this success after such a titanic struggle was every bit as sweet.
It was a real backs to the wall win for Offaly, heart attack stuff that threatened to wander into kamikaze territory at times in the second half but just when it seemed they were going to lose their second successive final, they somehow found the courage and reserves to win it.
When Laois fought back to get on level terms with four minutes left, 0-26 to 2-20, all the momentum was with them and they looked like the only possible winner. Offaly were living on their wits at this stage, packing their defence, leaving Charlie Mitchell isolated up front and as a unit, they were clearly gone into the empty.
As their error count increased, they just couldn't hold onto the ball and as it all drifted away from them, almost out of the blue, they found another gear, the character to power home. This was best illustrated by one of their younger players and a real hero on the day, Dan Bourke. A week earlier, he was man of the match and captain as Offaly won the All-Ireland U-20. Here he put in a sterling shift throughout, especially when moved out to shore up a midfield that was in the most serious of bother in the first half. He ran into empty in the last ten minutes and was clearly carrying a leg as he chased a ball down out near the Hogan Stand. He won it and off loaded it to Killian Sampson who fired over the lead point with a minute left.
Bourke was called ashore immediately, replaced by older brother Sam, but in that one moment of sheer perseverance, the whole game changed. Laois, relentessly brilliant as they hunted down a seven point deficit in the closing quarter, suddenly lost their composure. Their subs had won the first round clash a couple of months ago when they came back from the dead but on this occasion, they were the villains. Willie Dunphy and Stephen Maher had wides while John Lennon over carried as he tried to manufacture a shooting opportunity.
With four minutes of injury time to be played, Laois had to throw caution to the wind and Offaly exploited this. Charlie Mitchell, sensational in the second half, put Offaly two in front in the 73rd minute and sub Jack Clancy arrowed over their 23rd point seconds later. It meant Laois had to get a goal to force extra time and goalie Enda Rowland sent a '65' into the danger area but Offaly were able to clear their lines and moments later the final whistle went.
It was an epic end to an epic battle, full of twists and round abouts, the most wholesome of commitment and determination.
It wasn't Offaly's most polished performance ever, they were only at their best for brief periods, it was disjointed and they had plenty of spells when they were on the back foot. Their limited panel and options on the sideline was shown when things went wrong but they were able to get the win and that is the biggest tribute that can be paid to them. And that was all that mattered.
At half time, Offaly led by 1-13 to 0-15 and they were extremely happy to be in that position. Laois were arguably the better team in the first half, albeit very marginally and Offaly did very well to have their noses in front.
Offaly owed their first half lead to a great start. Cillian Kiely gave them the lead and straight from an errant Enda Rowland puckout, Brian Duignan got a fantastic second minute goal, riffling the ball to the net after Dan Bourke passed to him. Duignan had a terrific first half when he was Offaly's most dangerous forward, scoring 1-3 and his first point put them 1-3 to 0-1 ahead after five minutes.
After this Laois settled into it. They got five in a row to level it up at 0-6 to 1-3 after 13 minutes. The sides were level on five more occasions before Aaron Dunphy gave Laois the lead for the first time from a 23rd minute free. Points from Eoghan Cahill and Cillian Kiely got Offaly back in front, 1-11 to 0-13 after 29 minutes and Charlie Mitchell missed a great chance of a goal in the 30th minute, striking a bit high as Rowland made the save.
The sides were level twice more before Cahill's free gave Offaly that one point half time lead. The big issue for Offaly in the first half was that eight of Laois points came from midfielders, Aidan Corby and Patrick Purcell, four each. The duo ran riot and Offaly's pairing of Jason Sampson and Eimhin Kelly couldn't live with them. Eventually, Kelly was called ashore in the 29th minute with Oisin Kelly coming on and Dan Bourke moving out to pick up Corby.
The Offaly defence had done their job in the first half, with the Laois forwards scoring just three points from play, but eight points was way too much to concede from midfield and they did seem to be slow to make switches.
In the second half, Corby and Purcell were no where near as prominent as Offaly pulled players back to ensure they couldn't run into open ground if they did break tackles. Their midfielders only got one point in the second half, from Purcell, but both had wides and Offaly made things a lot tighter out there – the decision to move Purcell into the forward line in the second half was one of the strangest happenings on a crazy day.
Oisin Kelly provided a bit of a mixed bag when he came on but he won some fantastic ball and his goal just twenty seconds after the restart was absolutely crucial. The Belmont man raced onto a Dan Bourke pass and blasted to the net from cloe range. Cahill added a free and suddenly Offaly's lead was five, 2-14 to 0-15.
Crucially Laois couldn;t get a goal in the second half but they did have chances. Their two best fell to corner forward James Duggan just after Dunphy had reduced it to four with a 37th minute free. He hit the sidenetting with his first in the 39th minute and while he could have found the net, it was not a straightforward chance. However, he will harbour bigger regrets about the second a minute later, having a fresh air swipe at the ball when he had the time and space to catch the ball and pick his spot.
Of course, he wasn't aware of that but it was a big let off for Offaly who played some of their best hurling in the next few minutes. They were 2-16 to 0-16 ahead after 41 minutes, 2-17 to 0-16 clear two minutes later after Killian Sampson's first point. Briefly, Laois were on the ropes, looking very mediocre and another point or two might have killed them off. Instead they hung in there grimly. Dunphy got a badly needed point for them just after Samspon's point
Offaly got three in a row, one each from Mitchell, Cahill (free) and Killian Samspon to put the gap out to seven, 2-17 to 0-16 by the 43rd minute. They led by seven twice more, 2-18 to 0-17 and 2-19 to 0-18 after 49 minutes and then it all came apart at the seams for them.
Laois got back into it with five on the trot from the 52nd to 57th minutes to make it a two point game, 2-19 to 0-23 and Offaly were out on their feet all over the field, crying out for fresh legs that weren't introduced until Bourke cramped up late on – Colin Spain had come on for Adam Screeney in the 54th minute and he worked hard, getting on some good ball.
A sensational Charlie Mitchell point from out on the right wing settled Offaly's nerves, giving them a three point lead in the 60th minute. Dan Bourke probably should have took his point when he got possession in an advanced position in the 62nd minute – he went for goal but with three Laois defenders between him and the goalkeeper, he was predictably crowded out.
Laois got another run of three without reply to level it up with four minutes left. They had outscored Offaly by eight points to one from the 52nd to 66th minutes and all the money was on Laois to close it out.
Instead, Offaly dug deep, fought with every inch of their fibre and amazingly, they found another gear where none seemed to exist to win the day.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Cillian Kiely (Offaly): Charlie Mitchell got the official man of the match award and he did have a huge influence on Offaly's win. He had a magnificent second half, asked to plough a lone furrow up front and answering magically with four crucial points, winning a lot of the ball that came to him. It was a fantastic turnaround by Mitchell, who didn't get going in the first half when it looked like it could be one of those days.
Brian Duignan had been very much the main forward threat in the first half, scoring 1-3 and he was as good and important then as Mitchell was in the second half. While Duignan got one second half point, both forwards did the bulk of their work in one half rather than consistently over the 70 minutes.
My choice for man of the match is Cillian Kiely. He was equally as influential in both halves. He won a huge volume of ball, sweeping in behind the besieged midfield in the first half and then going back to the full back line in the second half. He made several great blocks and interceptions, simple hooks and flicks that matter so much. He was immense throughout and the quality of his distribution commanded respect.
Dan Bourke also deserves a mention as he worked tirelessly, inspiring all around him before his body said he had enough late on.
While they conceded 26 points, 11 of those came from midfielders and defenders and the Offaly defence were so disciplined in the way they worked and tackled, not conceding soft frees. Some players were below their very best but their work ethic, their desire to do the right thing, was considerable as a unit.
THE SCORERS
Offaly: Brian Duignan 1-4, Eoghan Cahill 0-7 (5f), Charlie Mitchell 0-4, Oisin Kelly 1-0, Cillian Kiely and Killian Samspon 0-2 each, Cathal King, Dan Bourke, Jack Clancy, Adam Screeney 0-1 each.
Laois: Aaron Dunphy 0-11 (6f and 2 '65's), Patrick Purcell 0-5, Aidan Corby 0-4, Ian Shanahan, Liam O'Connell, Fiachra C. Fennell, James Duggan, Tomas Keyes, Ross King 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
OFFALY: Mark Troy (Durrow); Ben Conneely (St Rynagh's), Ciaran Burke (Durrow), Cathal King (Carrig-Riverstown); David King (Coolderry), Cillian Kiely (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Donal Shirley (Tubber); Jason Samspon (Shinrone), Eimhin Kelly (Lusmagh); Killian Samspon (Shinrone), Brian Duignan (Durrow), Eoghan Cahill (Birr); Dan Bourke (Durrow), Charlie Mitchell (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Adam Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey). Subs – Oisin Kelly (Belmont) for Eimhin Kelly (29m), Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey) for Screeney (54m), Jack Clancy (Belmont) for Cahill (66m), Sam Bourke for Dan Bourke (70m),
LAOIS: Enda Rowland; Ian Shanahan, Ryan Mullaney, Diarmuid Conway; Liam O'Connell, Padraig Delaney, Tom Cuddy; Aidan Corby, Patrick Purcell; Fiachra C Fennell, Aaron Dunsphy, David Dooley; James Duggan, Jer Quinlan, Tomas Keyes. Subs – Stephen Maher for Fennell (41m), Donnchadh Hartnett for O'Connell (44m), Ross King for Duggan (45m), Willie Dunphy for Keyes (60m), John Lennon for Purcell (70m),
Referee – Colm McDonald (Antrim).
REFEREE WATCH
Overall Colm McDonald did okay. There were a few debatable decisions here and there but they balanced out and neither side could say that he was against them.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Killian Sampson's 69th minute point, set up by Dan Bourke was crucial. It gave Offaly the lead at a very crucial stage, was against the run of play and was the single most important score they got.
VENUE WATCH
The Croke Park pitch was in pristine condition and while the Offaly and Laois support was lost there, they had decent numbers in attendance and they created a good atmosphere before the game.
WHAT'S NEXt
Offaly host Cork in the All-Ireland championship preliminary quarter-final while Laois are at home to Wexford.
STATISTICS
Wides: Offaly - 11 (5 in first half); Laois - 18 (8 in first half).
Yellow cards: Offaly – 0; Laois – 2 (Aidan Corby and Tomas Keyes).
Black cards: 0.
Red cards: 0.