Rampant Offaly send Laois packing with thrilling champagne hurling

A FIRST half display of some breathtaking beauty followed by a more mundane but as impressive in its own way second half saw Offaly ease into the semi-finals of the Leinster U20 Hurling Championship in Tullamore on Wednesday evening. A draw on Thursday morning saw Offaly paired with Kilkenny in the Leinster semi-final and that game has been fixed for Glenisk O'Connor Park, Tullamore, on Wednesday next with a 7pm throw in.

Leinster U20 Hurling Championship quarter-final

Offaly 1-28

Laois 2-9

It was a much easier than expected win against a much poorer than anticipated Laois side but that in no way detracts from a truly excellent display by a genuinely exciting Offaly side.

The final scoreline of 1-28 to 2-9 says all that needs to be said about this game but only gives a flimsy indication of how well Offaly played here, how much they were in control from start to finish.

With Laois having competed well with many of these players before falling away late on in the 2022 Leinster minor final, Offaly supporters anticipated a tough evening but the reality was very different. Offaly played some champagne hurling for extended periods, the quality of their scoretaking and their work rate commanded complete admiration and while it wasn't flawless, it was as close to perfection as you will get.

It is certainly unusual for an Offaly team to go through a game without looking like losing for one second and that shows how well they played here.

Offaly's first half display was absolutely scintilating as they came flying out of the blocks. Laois barely had time to catch their breath as Offaly ruthlessly stuck the sword in them and then twisted it. Offaly scored six sensational points in the opening four minutes and Laois knew at that early stage that they were in for a long evening.

Everything Offaly touched turned to gold in that almost unbelievable start. Colin Spain and Shane Rigney had floated over points of beauty inside the first 52 seconds and Barry Egan, Spain again and Adam Screeney matched them with the next three before Screeney got a free.

Jer Quinlan, a highly rated player who struggled to make any headway against a superb Offaly defence, got Laois off the mark in their first attack in the fifth minute but it was damage limation for them the whole way in the first half.

It was 0-8 to 0-2 after 10 minutes, 0-9 to 0-4 after fifteen minutes. Briefly doubts emerged about Offaly and five points was not a big lead considering the hurling they had done, the quality they oozed in the first quarter. Offaly, however, simply stepped on the gas again. With Adam Screeney magical, he got four in a row from the 16^th to 20^th minutes, one from play, and would have got a fifth only for going for goal from a tap over free.

It was 0-16 to 0-4 when Cormac Byrne got in for a softish 27^th minute goal. Offaly's response was emphatic as Dan Bourke and Screeney (free) fired over points for a 0-18 to 1-4 half time lead.

It left Laois needing something approaching a miracle to surive and the gap was big enough to ensure that Offaly could afford the luxury of a complacent ten minutes on the restart. Cormac Byrne got his second goal in the 32^nd minute and Cormac Hogan added a point. Shane Rigney settled Offaly with another quality score while Hogan's second point left Laois trailing by 0-19 to 2-6 after 37 minutes.

Offaly were displaying feet of clay for the only time in the evening but seven points was still a very good lead. It was certainly too big to give Laois any scent of a comeback and once again Offaly showed what they are made of as they upped the tempo again. They got their work rate right again, cut down on the sloppy mistakes that had crept in for a few minutes and five points in a row from Screeney, one from play, gave Offaly a 0-24 to 2-6 lead after 49 minutes.

Laois looked shellshocked as Cormac Byrne's point was followed by 1-3 without reply from Offaly, the goal a great individual effort from Dan Bourke in the 52^nd minute. Tom Cuddy was sent off for a second yellow card in the 56^th minute as it dwindled out very tamely with Offaly running in subs and keeping complete control of every sector.

It was a great display by Offaly and the only caveat is that Laois were so poor. They missed chances from frees but in general found it hard to create a whole lot. They were slow and ponderous in comparison to Offaly and their error count was way too high. A lot of that may have been down to the excellence of Offaly but the one certainty is that Offaly will face way tougher tests from now on.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Adam Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey): It was a hugely impressive display by Offaly with man of the match contenders all over the field. It was a perfect evening for hurling with almost no wind and it suited Offaly down to the ground. The defence was magnificent with Ruari Kelly and Ter Guinan having great games while James Mahon never put a foot wrong, completely tying up Jer Quinlan in the all important opening quarter, and Donal Shirley oozed quality. There was a couple of mistakes here and there but that has to happen and it was close to a flawless defensive display.

Colin Spain started off brilliantly at midfield while you had to admire the way Cathal King played, the effective way he did the simple thing and nearly always took the right option along with his work rate.

On this occasion, however, Offaly scored 1-28 with just four wides, two in each half. That is a remarkable conversion rate and it would be wrong not to acknowledge that by giving man of the match to a forward. They only scored one goal but there is little doubt that they could have ran in more if they really went at it. They didn't need to as the points flowed over almost every second minute and the quality of their shooting was memorable.

It boils down to a choice between Adam Screeney and Shane Rigney while Dan Bourke was also brilliant when he settled into the game, scoring 1-3 and showing great pace on the ball. Rigney was excellent with four points as well as winning frees and setting up scores. There is a temptation to go with the Banagher man but once again, Adam Screeney was sensational. Four of his fifteen points came from play, he was hacked down for a few frees and won a lot of ball, despite being covered by a sweeper, Cormac Hogan. Screeney and man of the match awards is a bit like taxes and it is nice to spread them around, especially when you have viable contenders like Shane Rigney and Ruari Kelly, but not to acknowledge him here would be for the wrong reasons. You just had to admire the way he went about his business. He took heavy hits, was tightly marked but took it all in his stride. He took the wrong option with a couple of frees within range, going for goal with one and a misplaced ball with another but that type of flair and willingness to try the unexpected is to be celebrated and not criticised and once again, he was a joy to watch.

THE SCORERS

Offaly: Adam Screeney 0-15 (11f), Dan Bourke 1-3, Shane Rigney 0-4, Colin Spain 0-3 (one sideline), Alex Kavanagh 0-2, Barry Egan 0-1.

Laois: Cormac Byrne 2-1, Cormac Hogan and Cody Comerford 0-2 each, Jer Quinlan, Colin Byrne, Tommy Brennan and James Cuddy (1f) 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Liam Hoare (Carrig-Riverstown); Ruari Kelly (Lusmagh), Ben Miller (Birr), James Mahon (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Donal Shirley (Tubber), Brecon Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Ter Guinan (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Cathal King (Carrig-Riverstown); Shane Rigney (St Rynagh's), Dan Bourke (Durrow), Conor Doyle (Clara); Leigh Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Barry Egan (Clara), Adam Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey). Subs – Marcas Dalton (Clara) for Doyle (42m), Alex Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey) for Leigh Kavanagh (44m), Eoin Burke (Coolderry) for Spain (53m), Patrick Taaffe (Belmont) for Mahon (55m), Caelem Larkin (Carrig-Riverstown) for Egan (57m),

LAOIS: Brochan O'Reilly; Diarmuid Dooley, Cathal Cuddy, Ciaran Flynn; Cormac Hogan, Eoghan Cuddy, Tom Cuddy; Cody Comerford, Conor Fitzpatrick; Ben Deegan, Jer Quinlan, Tommy Brennan; Jack Breen, Colin Byrne, Cormac Byrne. Subs – Aaron Phelan for Deegan (HT), Justin Duggan for Fitzpatrick (37m), James Cuddy for Breen (44m), Joseph Pearson for Cathal Cuddy (47m), Jimmy Hyland for Colin Byrne (61m),

Referee – Matthew Redmond (Kildare).

REFEREE WATCH

Matthew Redmond is a very good emerging referee and he handled this well. He probably should have given Laois full back Cathal Cuddy a yellow for a very heavy first half hit on Adam Screeney but overall, he was conistent and fair with no major issues. He gave the Laois manager, Damien Carter a red card for words he directed at him in the second half and was right to deal with that as he contested a free. Tom Cuddy was sent off for a second yellow five minutes from time though it could very easily have been a straight red for a slap on Shane Rigney – Laois were a beaten docket at that stage and maybe the referee was right to give him the benefit of the doubt, though Cuddy couldn't have complained if it was a straight red.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

In such a one sided game, there was no defining moment as such. Offaly's start laid the foundation and engulfed Laois in self doubt. Shane Rigney's superb 36^th minute point was an important score. Laois had scored 1-1 without reply at the start of the second half to bring the gap back down to seven and a third goal may have brought them back into it. Instead, Offaly got motoring again after Rigney's point and their win was never in the remotest of doubts from here on.

VENUE WATCH

O'Connor Park was in mighty shape and there were no issues with the fixture.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly will play Kilkenny in the semi-final with that game being played in Glenisk O'Connor Park on Wednesday next at 7pm. Dublin will be playing Galway in the other semi-final.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 4 (2 in first half); Laois - (6 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly -0; Laois – 2 (Tom Cuddy 2).

Black cards: 0

Red cards: Offaly – 0; Laois – 2 (Tom Cuddy 2 yellows).