Improved second half puts Offaly on brink of qualification

A MUCH improved second half display saw Offaly coast to an easy victory over Kerry in the Leinster Minor Hurling Championship in Glenisk O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship Tier 1 Group 1 Round 2

Offaly 1-15

Kerry 0-6

The win will almost certainly secure qualification out of the first phase – three qualify out of the group and while Offaly have a game to go against Wexford, its impossible to envisage a very mediocre Kerry getting anything out of Dublin.

Desperately unlucky to lose to Tipperary in the All-Ireland minor hurling final last year, no one was expecting this team to be as good as them and this performance certainly didn't raise expectation levels.

They were honest and they worked hard but they lacked true magical performers, players like Dan Ravenhill and Adam Screeney who could grab a hold of a game.

Offaly played with a very strong wind in the first half. They led by 1-5 to 0-1 at half time but it wasn't a good first half display. They produced flashes of good hurling and moved the ball well at times but it was all somewhat disjointed.

Offaly were much better in the second half. They were more efficient on the ball, cut out a lot of the slopiness and mistakes and never gave Kerry a sniff of it. Offaly weren't perfect in the second half and missed a few chances but they completely controlled the game.

The management were also unhappy with the first half display. They had three subs introduced by the start of the second half and some of them made a dfference with Liam O'Riordan and James O'Sullivan getting two points apiece.

Offaly's half time lead may not have been enough against any good team but it was always going to be sufficient here as Kerry couldn't make use of ample possession. Offaly killed the game off early in the second half. After Ivan Conway had pointed a Kerry free, Offaly got four in a row in play from Dylan Hollywood, Rob Carney, Mark Mulrooney and Cillian Bourke to lead by 1-9 to 0-2.

They won pulling up from here, leading by 1-13 to 0-4 after 52 minutes and it was the 54th minute before Kerry got their first point from play, a Ivan Conway strike.

While there was nothing to suggest that this Offaly team can repeat the heroics of last year's, it was a reasonable performance and satisfactory win in the wind up.

Cillian Bourke and Ajay Cleary were superb for the winners while Mark Mulrooney, the very lively Dylan Hollywood and Rob Carney also caught the eye.

A well taken ninth minute goal from Rob Kearney after a clever pass from Darragh Scully gave Offaly a 1-2 to no score lead in the first half. Scoring, however, was a problem for them. They had six wides in the opening fifteen minutes, eight in the half and with such a strong wind, many of these could have been points.

Kerry didn't offer a whole lot in the first half but they did have a few promising attacks and missed a couple of chances. It took 27 minutes, however, before they registered a score and that was from a Darragh Corridon free.

Offaly's seven point half time lead would have been very fragile against any decent opposition but Kerry had done little in the first half to suggest that they could overhaul it and so it proved.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Cillian Bourke (Offaly): A choice between Ajay Cleary and Cillian Bourke. Cleary was immense at the heart of the Offaly defence, cutting out a lot of ball and using it well. Bourke's credentials can't be ignored. He got five points from play, missed a couple of chances and looked dangerous all afternoon.

THE SCORERS

Offaly: Cillian Bourke 0-5, Rob Carney 1-1, Mark Mulrooney, Dylan Hollywood, Liam O'Riordan and James O'Sullivan 0-2 each, James Morkan 0-1 (f).

Kerry: Darragh Corridon 0-3 (3f), Ivan Conway 0-2 (1f), Callum Carey Sheedy 0-1.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Killian Spain (Drumcullen); Caelum Larkin (Carrig-Riverstown), Richard Bracken (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Daire Daly (St Rynagh's); Luke Bracken (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Ajay Cleary (Coolderry), Mark Mulrooney (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Gearoid Maher (Shinrone), Harry Sweeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Cillian Bourke (Tullamore), Niall Kelly (Ballinamere), Dylan Hollywood (Drumcullen); James Morkan (Shinrone), Rob Kearney (Ballyskenach-Killavilla), Darragh Scully (St Rynagh's). Subs – Andrew Hogan (Coolderry) for Kelly (24m), James O'Sullivan (Shinrone) for Maher (HT), Liam O'Riordan (Ballyskenach-Killavilla) for Scully (HT), James Hennessy (Drumcullen) for Hollywood (61m), Killian Wynne (Tullamore) for Morkan (61m).

KERRY: Jack Moriarty; Aidan O'Mahoney, Tom Flaherty, Hugh Lenihan; Eoin O'Flaherty, Liam O'Sullivan, Rory O'Halloran; Ruari O'Hainifein, Adam Lynch; Ivan Conway, Keelan Best, Evan O'Sullivan; Billy Doyle, Darragh Corridon, Maurice Lenihan. Subs – Art O'Sullivan for Lynch (49m), Callum Carey Sheedy for Best (50m).

Referee – Brian Kearney.

REFEREE WATCH

Brian Kearney operated a policy of letting play run and frees were not softly given. There were a few times in the first half when he was hard on Offaly, not giving them frees when they were clearly fouled and then penalising them for overcarrying. He also didn't give Dylan Hollywood a free early in the second half when his jersey was clearly pulled. He seemed a bit harder on Offaly, not that it mattered, while he was quick to flash yellow cards for any wayward strokes, though Kerry did get away with a couple.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Rob Carney's ninth minute goal was important as it gave Offaly a foothold at a stage when they were finding it hard to get motoring.

VENUE WATCH

O'Connor Park is getting plenty of games lately but the pitch looked good and the game was well hosted.

TALKING POINT

Tullamore's Cillian Bourke is a key player on both minor hurling and football panels. He has a busy schedule with the minor footballers out on Wednesday night in Kildare, the hurlers playing Wexford on Friday. It is always nice to see players reach this level in both codes and Bourke was excellent here but the fixtures schedule doesn't allow players to truly prosper at the highest level in the two games.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly play Wexford in Birr on Friday.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 13 (8 in first half); Kerry – 5 (4 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 3 (Daire Daly, Cillian Bourke, James O'Sullivan); Kerry – 3 (Ivan Conway, Keelan Best, Maurice Lenihan).

Red cards: 0.