Flying Offaly end terrific league campaign on spectacular high with great league final win

A NATIONAL Football League campaign that absolutely no one anticipated just a few weeks ago in January ended on a spectacular high when Offaly held on for a richly deserved win over Kildare in a thrilling Division 3 final in Croke Park on Sunday.

National Football League Division 3 final

Offaly 2-17

Kildare 1-18

Playing some scintillating attacking football for extended periods, their ability to cut through the Kildare defence and convert their chances earned them a win that was not simple.

It was a second win in a few weeks over Kildare and it sends Offaly into their championship campaign with their confidence sky high.

Any suggestions that Offaly might hold anything back with one eye on the championship was dispelled right from the throw in. With promotion secured, this was a free shot for Offaly to an extent but their attitude was exemplary and the players looked fit and hungry, moving much better than they had in Clare the previous Sunday, when promotion was secured almost in spite of themselves.

It almost unravelled against Clare but Offaly played with a much greater sense of freedom here with the wide open spaces in Croke Park suiting their flying young players. It was just great to see them playing such exciting, enterprising football and Offaly have made an amazing turnaround from last season's Tailteann Cup horror show.

Some of the football played by Offaly warmed the heart in the first half as they led by 1-10 to 0-10 at the break with Kildare also contributing very well to a really entertaining shootout.

Jack Bryant was magnificent in the first half, blasting home a sensational goal in the 3^rd minute to give Offaly a 1-0 to 0-1 lead and adding three further points – he also had a goal shot blocked and was wide with a two point attempt that he was fully entitled to go for as he ran the Kildare full back line ragged.

Once again Offaly took their opponents on at great pace, waiting for gaps and then racing through them as Cathal Flynn and Keith O'Neill scored quality points from this after Kildare had levelled it up at 0-4 to 1-1 after 10 minutes.

Offaly led by 1-5 to 0-5 when Kildare had their best spell in the first half, scoring four on the trot to lead by 0-9 to 1-5 after 24 minutes.

Offaly did very well to arrest the decline with corner back Daire McDaid settling them with a hard worked point. James McGrath put Kildare back in front but Offaly finished the half very well as Jordan Hayes got a two pointer and Bryant and a flying Keith O'Neill added points for that interval lead.

Jack McEvoy's point pushed Offaly four clear within seconds of the restart but they then coughed up a soft goal to bring Kildare back into it in the 37^th minute – Paddy Dunican coming for but not collecting a high ball and corner back Harry O'Neill scrambling the break into the net. Dunican made real amends three minutes later with a great point blank save from sub Darragh Kirwan and that very much cancelled it out.

The second half was not as open as the first as Offaly played it a bit more cagey, holding onto the ball more and not going through the gaps while Kildare did what Kildare teams invariably do, kicking some poor wides. They did get an edge on midfield in the second half as Offaly struggled to win primary possession and relied on breaks or players bursting up from deep.

It was a draw match, 1-14 each after 53 minutes and very much up for grabs. It was Offaly who really went for it with Keith O'Neill floating over another lovely point and then Cormac Egan breaking through for a delightful 58^th minute goal.

O'Neill and Cormac Egan added points and with a 2-17 to 1-14 lead and nine minutes left, it looked all over. They almost threw it away as a number of players went into empty and were clearly out on their feet. The Offaly management were very slow about introducing subs and almost paid a dear price for this – they only brought on Ruari McNamee and Aaron Leavy with three minutes left and fresh legs were called for a few minutes earlier as players were not able to collect breaking balls or go by players the way they had been. This was in contrast to Kildare who brought in two at half time and had their full quota in before the hour mark – it was a definite factor in them getting back into it when they were on the ropes and it would have taken very little more to have broken their spirit and put them to bed.

Cathal Flynn almost got in for a goal on the 64^th minute, just losing control at the last second – Offaly's ability to create goal chances throughout was a big factor in their win and they could very easily have ended up with four or five whereas most of Kildare's play inside the Offaly 50 metre line was well telegraphed,

Offaly lived on their wits a bit late on and in the wind up were a little bit lucky to get away with it. Three Darragh Kirwan points, two frees, brought the gap back to two with three minutes left and a two pointer would have forced extra time. Having turned down several shooting opportunities in this zone in both halves, it was asking a lot of the Kildare forwards to get one when they had to and Alex Beirne's shot almost on the hooter floated predictably wide. Full credit to the Offaly defence for their discipline as a free would have represented a better chance for Kildare than open play and they worked hard not to concede that – goalie Cian Burke had got a two point free for them in the first half and would have fancied another shot at one.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Jack Bryant (Offaly): Keith O'Neill got the TG4 man of the match and you can't argue with that as he scored four sensational points and his movement and quality on the ball just took the breath away. The Clonbullogue man has had a sensational league and he made an absolutely pivotal contribution here, really taking Kildare on.

Jack Bryant was my selection. His tour-de-force in the first half as he scored 1-3 got Offaly going. He was so hungry and so good on the ball. He wasn't as prominent in the second half and visibly tired inside the last ten minutes but he continued to get on the ball and do the simple things so effectively. It was great to see Bryant perform at this level. He was very good in Clare but had been off the boil a small bit in the earlier games. He was almost very good in a few of them but it didn't quite happen and his confidence had been dented. He stuck with it and has now come good – there were times in games when he was a bit shot shy and finishing is one of his great strengths which he showed here - Kildare brought wing back David Hyland back to curb Bryant in the second half.

Bryant had not been playing at the same level as some of his other 2021 All-Ireland U-20 attacking heroes, Keith O'Neill, Cormac Egan and Cathal Flynn but he got up there here. Egan and Flynn were super once again with Egan at his sensational best in defence while Shane Tierney put in another great hard working shift up front, bursting free to provide an option for raiding players at all times – his superb two pointer to put Offaly three clear in the 48^th minute was one of the most important scores of the afternoon.

There was a great work ethic from Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes and Kyle Higgins in the midfield sector. Even when the hard running took its toll late on and they couldn't win high ball, they continued to block runs and track players, ensuring Kildare players were not racing forward on their own.

Aidan Bracken was rock solid in a defence where Rory Egan turned in a terrific second half and Offaly did very little wrong over the 70 minutes.

THE SCORERS

Offaly: Jack Bryant 1-3, Cormac Egan 1-1, Keith O'Neill 0-4, Dylan Hyland (1f), Jordan Hayes (2p) and Shane Tierney (2p) 0-2 each,, Daire McDaid, Jack McEvoy and Cathal Flynn 0-1 each.

Kildare: Alex Beirne 0-5 (3f), Darragh Kirwan 0-3 (2f), Harry O'Neill 1-0, James McGrath and Cian Burke (2p free) 0-2 each, Ryan Houlihan, Callum Bolton, Colm Dalton, Niall Kelly, Paddy McDermott, Darragh Swords 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Paddy Dunican (Shamrocks); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), Aidan Bracken (Ballycommon); Daire McDaid (Tullamore); Rory Egan (Edenderry). John Furlong (Tullamore), Cormac Egan (Tullamore); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry); Kyle Higgins (Ferbane), Cathal Flynn (Ferbane), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue); Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks), Shane Tierney (Daingean). Subs – Ruari McNamee (Rhode) for Hyland (67m), Aaron Leavy (Tullamore) for McEvoy (67m).

KILDARE: Cian Burke; Harry O'Neill, Mick O'Grady, Brian Byrne; Ryan Houlihan, James McGrath, David Hyland; Kevin Feely, Colm Dalton; Cathal Haughney, Callum Bolton, Jack McKevitt; Ryan Sinkey, Alex Beirne, Niall Kelly. Subs – Paddy McDermott for Haughney (25m), Darragh Kirwan for McKevitt (HT), Darragh Swords for Sinkey (48m), Kevin Flynn for O'Grady (53m), Ryan Burke for Houlihan (57m),

Referee – Kieran Eanetta (Tyrone).

REFEREE WATCH

Kieran Eanetta had a good game and was fair but some of the flaws in the new rules was evident here. Advantage can go on a long time and this benefited both sides while the ball can be brought forward a long way for not handing it back or getting out of the way – and there are times when the punishment does not fit the crime, with Jack McEvoy suffering for this in one first half free. There was a couple of times when he allowed Darragh Kirwan steal yards beyond his mark from frees and there is no point in putting down a white line if you aren't going to enforce it.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Offaly's looked way more likely to score goals the whole day, having a few blocked shots in addition to the two they got. While Jack Bryant's spectacular early strike was the best score of the day, Cormac Egan's second half finish was hugely important and gave them the cushion to win it.

VENUE WATCH

It was great for Offaly to get an opportunity to play in Croke Park and the Sunday fixture suited supporters a lot more than a Saturday evening one, even if they didn't bring a big crowd. As usual, headquarters was in sparkling condition.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly's attention now turns to championship and Meath or Carlow in two weeks time.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 6 (2 in first half); Kildare - 12 (6 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 0; Kildare – 1 (Ryan Houlihan).

Black cards: 0

Red cards: 0