Hard working Offaly eliminated by superior Westmeath

OFFALY can hold their heads up high and gave it what they had but it was not enough as Westmeath put them out of the Leinster Minor Hurling Championship in Birr on Saturday.

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship Phase 1 Round 4

Westmeath 3-18

Offaly 2-14

A strong wind blowing straight down the town end had a major influence on this game. Offaly had first use of it and were very fortunate to have a seven point lead at the break. Even though that lead gave them a chance in the second half, the writing was on the wall for them and Westmeath eventually wore them down, getting away for a fully deserved win.

It looked very bleak for Offaly for a lot of the first half as they struggled badly to take advantage of the strong wind and as a result, they were delighted to go in leading by 2-10 to 0-9 at the break.

A three or four point lead would have really stacked the odds against them and Westmeath deserved to be that close at the break.

It all meant that Offaly had a fighting chance in the second half and lady luck did smile on them to an extent in the first half. There was a remarkable display of sharp shooting in the first ten minutes with both sides scoring four points from four shots. The first wide, an Offaly one, in the 11^th minute came from a ruck rather than a shot and it was a few minutes later when Sean Devery had the first “legitimate” wide.

Westmeath deserved to be 0-5 to 0-4 up after 12 minutes and a big turning point came in the 15^th minute when Aaron Screeney was pushed by Cian Matthews and Jack Collins blasted the penalty to the net – from a Westmeath perspective, it was a very poor goal as Screeney had his back to goal and was going nowhere. They also gave away a sloppy ball moments later for the excellent Joe Furey to tap over.

The first half was a tale of goals scored and missed. Adam Martin made a sensational save for Offaly from Dean Kelly in the 18^th minute with Dara Geary just missing the rebound and Tom Shaw then sending wide. Offaly did improve as the half went on and were 1-10 to 0-9 ahead when Martin made another great save in the 28^th minute, again from Dean Kelly who really should have scored from close range.

Offaly swept down the field and Joe Furey got in for a crucial 29^th minute goal after a Screeney pass. Westmeath had a third goal chance before the break and Aidan Doyle was wide with his ground stroke, though this opportunity was not as clearcut as the first two.

Seven points was a nice half time lead, though there was sufficient evidence in the first half to suggest that it was insufficient and so it proved in the second half.

Offaly fought tenaciously against mounting odds and a major problem for them was that Westmeath over turned the lead too quickly. They scored 2-2 without reply in eight second half minutes for a 2-11 to 2-10 lead, Eoghan Beehan getting both goals – the first was a sensational strike from fifteen metres.

It was set up for Westmeath to saunter home from here and you had to admire the fighting spirit of Offaly, the way they knuckled down and held on as long as they could. As they emptied their bench in a desperate salvage bid, sub Liam Mulhare settled them down with a point and Screeney's free levelled it again in the 47^th minute after Conor Raleigh's free put Westmeath back ahead.

Joe Furey got a great point to put Offaly back in front in the 48^th minute and there was the possibility of a real against the odds win. However, by the time Aaron Screeney got the next and last point from a 61^st minute free, Offaly were three behind With their best players firing on all cylinders and a marked edge in physicality telling a tale on a difficult day for hurling, Westmeath scored four points on the trot. Screeney's free reduced it to three and the door was still open but Offaly's bolt was shot. Aidan Doyle's 62^nd minute goal clinched it with Conor Williams (free) and Dean Kelly adding points for a seven point win that did not reflect how tight it was and how close Offaly were.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Conor Williams (Westmeath): Conor Williams had a huge influence on the game at centre back and was Westmeath's best player by a distance. His strength and ability to mop up ball cut out a lot of Offaly attacks in the second half in particular while Eoghan Goldrick had a great first half for them in defence and MJ Long and Eoghan Beehan sprang to life in the second half.

Offaly gave it their best, particularly Joe Furey who was their best player and a close contender for man of the match. The Edenderry man scored 1-4 and was a constant thorn in Westmeath's side. Adam Martin's first half heroics in goals kept Offaly alive and he wasn't at fault for any of the second half goals. Fiachra Carroll had been playing well in defence when he went off injured early in the second half and he was a big loss as Beehan only really got going then. James Dooley did a lot of good work in midfield while Keith O'Rourke tried his best to stem the tide up front in the second half.

THE SCORERS

Westmeath: Conor Raleigh 0-6 (2f and one sideline), Eoghan Beehan 2-0, Aidan Doyle 1-1, Conor Williams 0-3 (2f and 1 '65'), Eoghan Goldrick, Dean Kelly, MJ Long and Dara Geary 0-2 each.

Offaly: Joe Furey 1-4, Aaron Screeney 0-4 (3f and 1 '65'), Jack Collins 1-1 (penalty and free), Keith O'Rourke 0-2, James Dooley, Patrick Duffy and Liam Mulhare 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Adam Martin (Tullamore); Darragh Carty (Birr), Peter Fanning (Gracefield), Philip Larkin (Coolderry); Barry Bennett (Birr), Fiachra Carroll (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Darragh Stewart (Tullamore); James Dooley (Drumcullen), Patrick Duffy (Tullamore); Edward Carty (Birr), Seran Devery (St Rynagh's), Jack Collins (Seir Kieran); Aaron Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Keith O'Rourke (Shamrocks), Joe Furey (Edenderry). Subs – Michael Kelly (Birr) for Stewart (29m), James Kirwan (Belmont) for Carroll, inj. (34m), Liam Mulhare (St Rynagh's) for Edward Carty (36m), Lorcan Owens (Birr) for Devery (43m), Harry O'Sullivan (Carrig-Riverstown) for Mulhare, inj. (51m).

WESTMEATH: Ryan McNamee; Cian Matthews, Cian McKeogh, Dylan Gaffney; Cillian Clarke, Conor Williams, Eoghan Goldrick; Conor Cleary, Dean Kelly; MJ Long, Eoghan Beehan, Aidan Doyle; Dara Geary, Conor Raleigh, Tom Shaw. Subs – Thomas Wrafter for Shaw (48m), Oisin Gavin for McKeogh, inj. (58m),

Referee – Colm McHale (Dublin).

REFEREE WATCH

Colm McHale had a good game, getting most things right, though there were some debatable calls.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Eoghan Beehan's first goal in the 38^th minute was a great score, reducing arrears to two points and bringing Westmeath back into it quicker than Offaly could afford. They hung on for a long time but were fighting an uphill battle from then on.

VENUE WATCH

St Brendan's Park was in great order with the pitch in good condition. Birr hosted the fixture well and went to the trouble of getting programmes printed off as quick as they could when there was a mix up over them with Offaly GAA receiving an electronic copy from Leinster Council late in the day.

WHAT'S NEXT

Westmeath go into a group phase in tier 1 while Offaly are in a subsidiary competition.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 5 (5 in first half); Westmeath – 9 (3 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 3 (Aaron Screeney, James Dooley, Harry O'Sullivan); Westmeath – 1 (Conor Williams).

Red cards: 0