Carlow through to final as 'second string' Offaly put to the sword

THE impression that Offaly were not one bit worried about the result in their final group game in the Joe McDonagh Cup game was enhanced when they named a very experimental team for their trip to Carlow and confirmed when the selected team did not particularly extend themselves.

Joe McDonagh Cup Round 5

Carlow 1-27

Offaly 0-14

That is not to say they didn't try. They did but with Offaly in the final, there was a complete anti-climatical feeling around this game for the visitors to Dr Cullen Park.

It couldn't be any other way for Offaly and they owed nothing to Kerry and Laois who were battling it out in Tralee and needed a Faithful win. This was Offaly's 9th game in 10 weeks and they were entitled to avail of the opportunity they had earned by virtue of their good work earlier on.

The stakes were huge for Carlow with a win putting them in the final and this showed in the intensity levels of both sides. It was a knockout championship game for Carlow, nothing of the sort for Offaly and the home side had one foot in the final with a ten point half time lead.

The second half was a complete non event with a 43rd minute goal from Conor Kehoe making it 1-19 to 0-8 and the game was over – not that there was any chance of Offaly rescuing it anyway.

The selected Offaly team was a talking point in the build up to the final. With a Joe McDonagh Cup final place secured, Offaly management opted to do what they felt was right for the squad – starting just four players who were there for the throw in against Kerry the previous weekend: Ben Conneely, Killian Sampson, Dara Maher and Paddy Delaney.

The team included a number of players geting their first chance in the Joe McDonagh cup. Conor Hardiman, Eoghan Parlon, Conor Langton and Cathal O'Meara – the first Clara man to start a senior hurling championship game for Offaly since Ollie Minnock over 40 years ago – all played their first game and others had only featured occasionally.

Management were perfectly entitled to rest up players after a gruelling schedule of games over the last two months and have absolutely no apologies to make to anyone for that.

The stakes were simple here: A Carlow win would put them in the final while if Offaly won, the pathway was then open for the winners of Kerry and Laois in Tralee.

The changes did give a window of opportunity for players close to the lineup to get into the equation and more fringe players to move up the pecking order a bit. No one, however, stepped up to present management with a serious dilemma.

Their best player was an established one, Ben Conneely who defended magnificently throughout and the scale of defeat would have been heavier but for his excellence. Apart from that, a few players had their moments and Dara Maher went well in the first half, scoring two points but Carlow were on top in every sector.

Manager Johnny Kelly won't be judging players on this game but a couple probably did rule themselves out of contention. A few of this team won't be featuring in the final while no one who wasn't making the side did enough to win a starting place – John Murphy did show up well on limited ball and could make an impact as a sub while Shane Dooley did finish well with a couple of points from play and took his frees well but is likely to be a sub against Carlow in two weeks time.

Management will have availed of the opportunity to have a close look at Carlow. They will have learnt a lot and will fully respect them but they didn't see anything to cause sleepless nights. They won't be taking anything for granted and Carlow eliminated them from the Joe McDonagh Cup last year. Management won't be saying this and they will be keeping this talk out of their camp but supporters certainly won't be disappointed at meeting Carlow rather than Laois in the final.

Carlow played very well on the day and a 1-29 score is an excellent return. It could have been bigger but some clear limitations also showed up in them. There were times when their touch was sloppy and their shooting, some of it under miminal pressure, was poor occasionally. They were also guilty of some poor options at times, not taking handy points and they will be facing a very different Offaly in the final. However, they won't be picking holes in a win of this magnitude and will be thrilled to be in the final – it will be interesting to see how they perform against a full strength Offaly team firing on all cylinders in a high stakes knockout game.

As expected, the selected Offaly team were not at the races in the first half, and apart from that, they did not give the impression of a side at full tilt.

Carlow led by 0-16 to 0-6 at half time and could have been even further ahead. Chris Nolan had the ball in the net after six minutes but it was pulled back for an earlier free and Martin Kavanagh pointed to make it 0-3 to 0-0. Martin Kavanagh also had a good chance before the interval but drew a good save from Eamonn Cleary while Carlow also missed a few decent point chances.

Carlow hit the ground runnng from the start and had six points on the board before Shane Dooley opened Offaly's account with a tenth minute free. The home side added another three points before Dara Maher got Offaly's first point from play in the 16th minute. Wing back Maher got two points from play in the first half while their only other points from play were from Shane Dooley and John Murphy, their best score of the half after he delightfully made space.

Carlow were 0-12 to 0-3 up after 21 minutes and by half time, had extended their advantage to ten – and that was a perfectly accurate reflection of the way the first half went.

Offaly got the first two points of the second half but Carlow then responded with three and Conor Keohoe's goal put them 14 points ahead. Offaly neither had a team on the field or the desire to do a whole ot avout it and it is telling that they didn't introduce first team players on the subs bench, apart from David King and Jack Clancy, who both came in during the last quarter.

MATCHANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Martin Kavanagh (Carlow): After a comparatively quiet first half, Martin Kavanagh really cut loose in the second half, getting some excellent points from play. He oozed class while Kevin McDonald and Diarmuid Byrne also impressed for them. James Doyle had an excellent first half and Paddy Boland's ability to win high ball will have been noted by Offaly.

THE SCORERS

Carlow: Martin Kavanagh 0-14 (7f and 1 '65'), Chris Nolan 0-5 (1f and 1 sideline), Conor Kehoe 1-1, James Doyle 0-3, Paddy Boland 0-2, Kevn McDonald, Fiachra Fitzpatrick, John Michael Nolan and Jon Nolan 0-1 each.

Offaly: Shane Dooley 0-7 (4f), Dara Maher 0-2, James Nally, Paddy Delaney, Liam Langton, John Murphy and Eimhin Kelly 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Eamonn Cleary (Shinrone); Conor Hardiman (Kinnitty), Ben Conneely (St Rynagh's), James Nally (Belmont); Dara Maher (Shinrone), Killian Sampson (Shinrone), Eoghan Parlon (Coolderry); Paddy Delaney (Kinnitty), Jack Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Liam Langton (Clodiagh Gaels), Joey Keenaghan (Clodiagh Gaels), Conor Langton (Clodiagh Gaels); Cathal O'Meara (Clara), Shane Dooley (Tullamore), John Murphy (Ballinamere). Subs –Eimhin Kelly (Lumagh) for O'Meara (HT), Paddy Clancy (Belmont) for Sampson (HT), David King (Coolderry) for Conor Langton (52m), Jack Clancy (Belmont) for Screeney (65m),

CARLOW: Brian Tracey; Paul Doyle, Conor Lawlor, Jack McCullagh; Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Diarmuid Byrne, Jack Kavanagh; Conor Kehoe, Kevin McDonald; Jon Nolan, Martin Kavanagh, James Doyle; John Michael Nolan, Paddy Boland, Chris Nolan. Subs – Fiach O'Toole for Kehoe (60m), Niall Bolger for Doyle (62m), Richard Coady for John Michael Nolan (65m), Jack Treacy for Chris Nolan (67m), Paudie O'Shea for Kavanagh (69m),

Referee – Chris Mooney, Dublin.

REFEREE WATCH

Chris Mooney drew the ire of Carlow supporters when not allowing a sixth minute Chris Nolan goal but he clearly had the whistle blown for an earlier foul just before Nolan got clear – Mooney was right here and Carlow would also have complained if Nolan hadn't scored and the free wasn't given. The Dubliner man had a good game. There were no big flashpoints and he handled things well.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

There was no big moment as such and from the start, the only issue was Carlow's winning margin. Fiachra Fitzpatrick got a fine point to put them six points to no score ahead after nine minutes and at that stage, everyone in Dr Cullen Park knew the outcome.

VENUE WATCH

Offaly supporters were scrutinising the venue much more closely than normal with the Leinster U-20 hurling final here in Carlow on Wednesday evening – Offaly U-20 hurling manager Leo O'Connor and several of his players were also here, getting a taste of the venue. There was a small crowd here from Offaly as you would expect with their Joe McDonagh Cup final secure but supporters would definitely want to travel early. With a crowd of over 8,000 expected, the approach roads will be busy and parking close to the ground will be at a premium – you are better to be three quarters of an hour early than 10 minutes late. The pitch itself is quite compact for hurling and while it was in decent enough condition, it certainly wasn't brilliant.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly play Carlow in the final on May 27.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly - 14 (5 in first half); Carlow - (18 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 0; Carlow – 1 (Jack Kavanagh).

Red cards: 0