Unbeaten records on the line as Offaly hurlers make the long trip to Killarney

TWO of the teams with 100% records in Division 2A of the Allianz National Hurling League will come face to face when Offaly make the long journey to Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney on Saturday next at 2pm.

The first two rounds of league games have seen Offaly, Kerry and Kildare all collect full points while Down, Carlow and Derry are all on zero points and almost out of the running for promotion, knowing that one more defeat leaves them looking over their shoulders at a relegation battle.

It's the opposite story for Offaly and Kerry next Saturday as each will be well aware that one more win should be enough to put them in the knock out places of the league. This year the top team in the group goes directly into the Division 2A final and the teams finishing second and third meet in a semi-final with the one promotion place going to the winner of the divisional final.

So there is a lot at stake on Saturday as the winner will be in a prime position to go on and take that top place finish and a guaranteed place in the league final. Nothing will be guaranteed as there are still two rounds of games to play, and either team could slip up, while Kildare will also have a big say as they have made a very strong start to the campaign and still have to face both Offaly and Kerry.

Another huge advantage of finishing in top spot is is will give that team a weekend off prior to the final. With the Joe McDonagh Cup beginning the week after the league final, one of the teams involved in the semi-final will end up playing on seven consecutive weekends taking in the final two rounds of the league, the semi-final and final and first three rounds of the McDonagh Cup, which will seriously test teams, so getting a weekend off in that sequence could be hugely important.

Offaly and Kerry have had some tough battles in recent times and they haven't always gone Offaly's way, particularly away games in Kerry. The sides did meet in the McDonagh Cup last year where Offaly scraped home with a one point win. They held a handsome 10 point lead at one point in the middle of the second half but Kerry gradually ate into the lead before drawing level late on, only for David Nally to come up with a last gasp winning point for Offaly on a 4-23 to 2-28 scoreline.

So Offaly will be well aware of the task that is facing them when they travel south on Saturday. They will have to perform for 70 minutes or Kerry are likely to punish them as they have learned from experience in the past.

Performing for 70 minutes isn't something they have managed thus far, despite sitting top of the group with two wins. They travelled to Ballycran for the opening round and played reasonably well in the first half to lead by three points at half time. Down had two players red carded either side of half time giving Offaly a two man advantage for almost the entire second half but they couldn't shake off the home side. They held a precarious two point advantage on a couple of occasions before eventually securing a three point win, 0-21 to 0-18 but they certainly made it hard for themselves.

They hosted Derry in round two and again got off to a good start and had a five point lead on a couple of occasions in the first quarter but then proceeded to shoot a string of bad wides and six minutes before half time Derry took the lead. That seemed to shake Offaly and with Eoghan Cahill introduced as a sub they hit six points in a row before conceding a late goal to go in with a two point lead at half time. Offaly were better in the second half and gradually pulled away with a string of points and the 15 point winning margin, 0-33 to 1-15, probably doesn't give a full picture of the story of the game.

Kerry began their campaign by making the very long trek to Derry but they made it count as they recorded a 2-22 to 0-14 victory to get their campaign off on the right footing. They hosted a Carlow side in Round 2, which had suffered a 14 point defeat to Kildare in the opening round. There was little evidence of that in the first half as Carlow took the game to Kerry and held a narrow lead at half time. Carlow lost two players to red cards in the second half but just as Offaly had struggled with two extra men against Down in their opening game, Kerry found it difficult to make their numerical advantage count against Carlow. They gradually eased ahead but had to survive a late scare when Carlow grabbed a goal before winning by a two point margin, 0-18 to 1-13.

It is a big game for both sides but Offaly will be looking to build on that second half display against Derry. Thirty three points in any game is an impressive tally and 24 of them came from play from 10 different players, so that has to be encouraging.

They haven't managed to find the net in either of their games so far, so that is something they will be hoping to put right on Saturday and if they can manage to do that and continue to pick off points with regularity, it will be a big step towards a win.

Kerry will be keen to improve on their performance against Carlow, particularly on home soil. Players like Shane Conway will always cause problems and they know they have beaten Offaly before, so won't have any fears facing them.

It is a game that will provide a true test for both sides and whoever comes out on top will be looking to drive on in their remaining games to claim that place in the league final.