Sendings offs add to sense of gloom as Offaly secure second place despite poor defeat

WHILE this was a dead rubber for Offaly with qualification assured, their appetite for the Tailteann Cup still looked very questionable as they went down to a very poor defeat by Cavan in Longford on Saturday afternoon – losing their discipline in the process as they finished with thirteen men after red cards for Jack McEvoy and Dylan Hyland for separate incidents in a crazy second half few seconds in the 54th minute.

Tailteann Cup Group 1 Round 3

Cavan 2-25

Offaly 2-9

With at least a preliminary quarter-final assured, the result was not particularly important here but the performance did and Offaly can't have been happy with the way they played while it came at a dear price as McEvoy and Hyland will now miss the next game unless they can get them rescinded.

The issues at stake here were never big enough to prompt either side to fire on all cyclinders but the vast gap between them was still very disappointing from an Offaly perspective. Cavan were much sharper but they also looked more hungry and seemed to want it more.

The league earlier in the year showed that there was a big gap between Offaly and Cavan. The Ulster men were clear masters that day and a pointless group game in the Tailteann Cup was never going to be the place where this would be bridged. At the same time, supporters would have liked a much better display, much more intensity.

There were spells of decent football by Offaly, they did up things considerably in the second half for a while but they never truly looked like salvaging it. A 1-11 to 1-4 half time deficit was always going to be beyond them and even though they asked more serious questions of Cavan in the second half, they were still turned over too softly, too often and it all drifted away from them very harmlessly.

Not only that but it all had a very unsatisfactory end as those red cards for Hyland and McEvoy ended their slim hopes. Ironically they came when Cavan were themselves down to fourteen men following a 46th minute black card for Conor Moynagh.

Even with a man down, Cavan had scored three points in a row to pull 1-17 to 1-8 clear and the game was up for Offaly. The loss of the two men was not the reason Offaly lost but it was an awful waste to lose two men for the next day. As the referee Jerome Henry talked to the umpires about an incident that left Oisin Brady spreadeagled on the ground, Dylan Hyland could be seen swinging as a brief melee erupted further out the field. Unsurprisingly Hyland saw red and then McEvoy joined him moments later – it is unclear whether McEvoy went for something he did in the row or the Brady incident.

Amazingly the defeat did not have a penalty for Offaly as London's draw with Laois means that they finish second and have a home game in the preliminary quarter-final against a third placed team next weekend. That was an award they just did not deserve and the sight of Cavan having kicking practice in the closing quarter really summed up this Offaly display.

Overall, it was a very poor Offaly performance and it was a collective failure rather than down to any individuals. Only a handful of players got up to where they needed to be and very few managed to do it for the whole game. Declan Hogan was one who deserves to be spared as he kept going the whole way and was really up for it from the start but it was very much a day to forget for Offaly.

It all leaves an air of despondency surrounding Offaly after a season that had plenty of positives but is threatening to leave a cloud over the game. The departure of two of the brighten young talents, Rory Egan and Jack Bryant from the panel after the championhip defeat by Louth sowed the first seeds of doubt about the desire and attitude of players and the performances in the Tailteann Cup have now added to this.

They have a major point to prove in the knockout stages and you would be hoping that the response will be the right one next weekend.

It was clear from an early stage that it could be a long afternoon for Offaly. Their energy levels did not look right, their work rate was not where it needed to be and Offaly made far too many mistakes.

  They did hold their own early on and a fourth minute Anton Sullivan goal gave them a 1-1 to 0-2 lead. Sullivan did well to finish after Cian Reilly completely lost him as a Nigel Dunne mark floated in - history almost repeated itself in the 32nd minute as Reilly again misjudged the ball, this time a Jack McEvoy delivery, but Sullivan blasted over the bar with his goal at his mercy. 

Jack McEvoy was very unlucky not to goal in the 11th minute as his shot rebouned off the post but apart from those brief flourishes, Offaly were in trouble. Cavan motored well and attacked at pace. They were 0-6 to 1-1 ahead when Brandon Boylan got in for a 24th minute goal after Cavan won an Ian Duffy kickout.

They were 1-8 to 1-2 ahead on the half hour mark and Offaly's first point from play only came in the 31st minue, a fine Nigel Bracken score. A 1-8 to 1-4 deficit was not too bad considering how superior Cavan were but the score had a more realistic look at half time a Cavan got the last three points for a deserved 1-11 to 1-4 lead.

Offaly tried hard for a while in the second half. They were 1-13 to 1-5 behind when a run of three points without reply from Nigel Dunne ('45'), Ruari McNamee and Cian Farrell brought the gap back to five. Brandon Boylan opened up a six point gap again but with Moynagh seeing black, the door was still open for Offaly.

Instead they imploded as Cavan fired over three quick points and those red cards shut the door. It all dwindled out very harmlessly from here. Cavan's second goal came from Brandon Boylan in the 69th minute while Joe Maher got an injury time consolation for Offaly who then had London to thank for letting them off the hook.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Brandon Boylan (Cavan): Brandon Boylan had a super game for Cavan, oozing class on the ball and scoring a decisive 2-2.

THE SCORERS

Cavan: Brandon Boylan 2-2, Paddy Lynch (2f and 1m) and Gearoid McKiernan (2f) 0-4 each, Raymond Galligan 0-3 (2f and 1 '45'), Oisin Kiernan, Oisin Brady and Conor Brady 0-2 each, Padraig Faulkner, Ciaran Brady, Killian Clarke, Jonathan McCabe, Conor Moynagh, Caamhan McGovern 0-1 each.

Offaly: Anton Sullivan 1-1, Joe Maher 1-0, Nigel Dunne 0-3 (2f and 1 '45'), Cian Farrell 0-2 (1f), Cian Donohue, Nigel Bracken and Ruari McNamee 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Ian Duffy (Walsh Island); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), Declan Hogan (Tullamore), David Dempsey (Ballycommon); Cian Donohue (St Brigid's), Peter Cunningham (Bracknagh), Ciaran Donnelly (Bracknagh); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Aaron Leavy (Tullamore); Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Ruari McNamee (Rhode), Conor McNamee (Rhode); Anton Sullivan (Rhode), Nigel Dunne (Shamrocks), Nigel Bracken (Tullamore). Subs – Jordan Hayes (Edenderry) for Donnelly (HT), Cian Farrell (Edenderry) for Bracken (HT), Bernard Allen (Tubber) for Dunne (59m), Joe Maher (Ferbane) for Ruari McNamee (59m), Morgan Tynan (Ballinagar) for Leavy (63m),

CAVAN: Raymond Galligan; Cian Reilly, Padraig Faulkner, Niall Carolan; Ciaran Brady, Oisin Kiernan, Cian Madden; Killian Clarke, Conor Brady; Jonathan McCabe, Gearoid McKiernan, Tiarnan Madden; Brandon Boylan, Paddy Lynch, Oisin Brady. Subs – Conor Moynagh for Carolan, inj. (22m), Dara McVeety for McCabe (42m), Conor Rehill for Ciaran Brady (47m), Caoimhan McGovern for Lynch (59m), Tristan Noack Hoffman for Madden (63m),

Referee – Jerome Henry (Mayo).

REFEREE WATCH

Jerome Henry gave a few questionable decisions in the first half in particular but ultimately, he had no bearing on the result. It doesn't look like Offaly have a hard luck story with the sending offs and they were very much the architect of their own misfortune. The referee did consult well with his officials and was clearly trying to do the right thing.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Brandon Boylan's first goal in the 24th minute put Cavan 1-6 to 1-1 ahead and that lead was a more accurate measure of their superiority at that stage.

VENUE WATCH

With splendid sunshine bearing down on Pearse Park, Longford was in great condition. There was a small crowd but Longford hosted the fixture to perfection. Traffic jams at Rathowen and near Longford did cause delays for some Offaly supporters and some were late for the throw in.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly qualify in second place and have a home game against a third placed team next weekend.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 4 (1 in first half); Cavan – 8 (6 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 2 (Lee Pearson and Peter Cunningham); Cavan – 1 (Ciaran Brady).

Black cards: Offaly – 0; Cavan – 1 (Conor Moynagh).

Red cards: Offaly – 2 (Jack McEvoy and Dylan Hyland); Cavan – 0.