Offaly cruise into quarter-finals without firing on all cylinders

WITHOUT clicking into top gear or firing anywhere near on all cylinders, Offaly cruised into the quarter-finals of the Leinster U20 Hurling Championship with an all too easy win over Laois in O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.

Leinster U20 Hurling Championship Tier 1 Group 1 Round 2

Offaly 1-25

Laois 0-14

They did what they needed to do here and not a whole lot more but are where they want to be, in a quarter-final against Dublin or a tier two teams and with a few weeks breathing space until it takes place on Monday, May 5.

After a heavy defeat by Galway in Tuesday's opening round, Offaly needed to produce a performance here and the minimum requirement was a win. The win was never in the remotest of dangers and the performance was decent but the impression remains that Offaly have a lot more in the tank and are not doing much more than sauntering along at the moment.

They remain very serious contenders and it will take a very good team to beat them but we are not quite sure where they are at the moment. It may sound strange to sound notes of caution after a convincing 14 point win but their overall intensity levels are not where they were in the group stages last year. The ferocious work rate that made them such a compelling force of nature, setting the county ablaze, has dipped a small bit.

That is okay and they don't need to be producing that yet but it remains to be seen if it can be turned on like a tap in knockout hurling. They probably can turn it on but the evidence of this will become very apparent in May.

They are still exactly where they would have expected. With key players out through injury and others tired after a gruelling league campaign for the seniors, the Galway opener was always likely to end in a defeat. While management will not be saying it out loud, you can't really get away from the feeling that Offaly's sights were set on a quarter-final place from the start and a semi-final would have been a real bonus while they certainly wanted to avoid a preliminary quarter-final.

They have done that without being at their best. That may be a sign of a good team but bad habits can grow and they will have to raise their collective performance levels by 25% in knockout hurling.

Offaly gave Adam Screeney his first start of the year and he played well without being at full tilt before being called ashore in the 41^st minute – his free taking was excellent, he got a great point from play before being called ashore and his presence was a primary reason in Laois opting to play Tom Cuddy as a sweeper. That allowed Offaly to control the game and there was never one second when you thought they would lose it.

Dan Ravenhill was given the afternoon off after injuring his ankle in the dying moments against Galway but he should be okay for the coming weeks for both seniors and U20s while Daniel Hand will be getting closer with every week and Ter Guinan is out with a hamstring injury.

Offaly suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Tipperary in the All-Ireland minor final three years ago and the big plus so far has been the displays of the new additions who didn't feature back then. Patrick Lyons had a sensational game in the attack while Andrew Hogan was way more solid in defence than in Ballinasloe, mopping up some very good ball and James O'Sullivan had another very steady game at the back. Hogan and O'Sullivan were minor last year while another of them, Conor Egan will have done his confidence the world of good with a very well taken late goal – the Shamrocks man started in Galway and one of his claims to fame in the future may be that he was left off for Adam Screeney!! Another newcomer, Darragh Scully also showed up well off the bench and if he can sharpen up on his shooting – he got one point but could have got at least a couple more -, he will be a good option down the road. Eoin Bailey-O'Brien started instead of Dan Ravenhill and got on some good ball as well as scoring a point.

The poverty of Laois' display has to be mentioned here. They were very good at minor three years ago when they beat Wexford and Kilkenny and went toe to toe with Offaly in the Leinster final until falling away in the closing quarter. That final was a fantastic evening's entertainment in Portlaoise but while Offaly have made terrific progress since, Laois have made very little and it looks very much like they have gone into reverse.

They certainly should have been better than they were here but their display allowed Offaly the luxury of being able to operate in third gear for extended portions, with only a handful of players, mainly the less established ones plus Shane Rigney, moving into fourth or fifth gear. Laois hit some very poor wides as well, 14 in all, and failed to ask really serious questions of the favourites.

It was clear almost from the start that Offaly would win with a bit to spare. Laois were competitive early on and were 0-5 to 0-4 behind after ten minutes but Offaly hadn't broken a sweat at this stage – they were making mistakes and not working very hard.

As the half wore on, they got their eye in and moved much better. With Patrick Lyons outstanding and Shane Rigney also doing well outside him, they led by 0-9 to 0-6 after 21 minutes and two Screeney frees and Rigney and Eoin Bailey-O'Brien points pushed the gap out to 0-13 to 0-6 at half time.

Offaly extended their lead to eleven points, 0-19 to 0-8 after 40 minutes and then fell asleep for a few minutes. The decision to take off Screeney in the 41^st minute was a no brainer as he is just back from a long groin injury but it may have sent Laois the message that they felt they had it won. Laois got four points on the trot to make it 0-19 to 0-12 after 49 minutes. Liam Hoare had made a great save from Rick Bannon in the 39^th minute and a goal could have changed things.

At the same time, the gap was always big enough to ensure that Offaly could afford to leak at least one goal and Laois' fate was sealed when Ruardhi Kavanagh was sent off for a second yellow card in the 49^th minute. Patrick Lyons floated over the free and it all had a subdued, anti-climax type feel from here on.

Laois' 13^th and 14^th points sandwiched five Offaly points and Conor Egan's fine 59^th minute goal, when he cut in from the right and tapped to the net as the home side won pulling up.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Patrick Lyons (Offaly): Patrick Lyons was not on the corresponding minor panel three years ago and has been a great addition now. He had a decent game in Galway, scoring two points and stepped up another level here. The Drumcullen man is a new name for supporters and he is working very hard, showing well for the ball. He had an excellent first half in particular, scoring three points and setting up another couple while he continued to work hard and prosper in the second half. He added another four points, three from play and has taken full advantage of his chance to nail down a starting place.

Shane Rigney was also excellent in the attack while Ruari Kelly and Andrew Hogan went well on a full back line where James Mahon was back close to his best after a somewhat subdued display in Ballinasloe. Niall Furlong had some very good spells at midfield and it would take a very foolish man to write off this Offaly side.

THE SCORERS

Offaly: Patrick Lyons (1f) and Adam Screeney (5f and 2 '65s) 0-7 each, Shane Rigney 0-5, Conor Egan 1-0, Brecon Kavanagh, Donal Shirley, Leigh Kavanagh, Niall Furlong, Eoin Bailey-O'Brien and Darragh Scully 0-1 each.

Laois: Jer Quinlan 0-6 (4f and 1 '65')), Rick Bannon and Justin Duggan 0-2 each, Ben Deegan, Cormac Byrne, Cian Hill, Jack Breen 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Liam Hoare (Carrig-Riverstown); Ruari Kelly (Lusmagh), Andrew Hogan (Coolderry), James Mahon (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Donal Shirley (Tubber), Brecon Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey), James O'Sullivan (Shinrone); Leigh Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Niall Furlong (Tullamore); Shane Rigney (St Rynagh's), Cathal Robinson (Kinnitty), Conor Doyle (Clara); Patrick Lyons (Drumcullen), Eoin Bailey-O'Brien (Shinrone), Adam Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey). Subs – Darragh Scully (St Rynagh's) for Screeney (41m), Conor Egan (Shamrocks) for Robinson (44m), Shane Connolly (Coolderry) for Bailey-O'Brien (55m), Ajay Cleary (Coolderry) for Shirley (56m), Gearoid Maher (Shinrone) for Brecon Kavanagh (58m),

LAOIS: Brochan O'Reilly; Cormac Hogan, Joseph Pearson, Oran Gorman; Ciaran Flynn, Eoghan Cuddy, Cian Hill; Evan Cassin, Kevin Byrne; Ruadhri Kavanagh, Jer Quinlan, Rick Bannon; Ross Deegan, Tom Cuddy, Cormac Byrne. Subs – Justin Duggan for Cassin (HT), Jack Breen for Kevin Byrne (44m), Ben Deegan for Cormac Byrne (54m), Ryan Peters for Bannon (61m),

Referee – James McGrath (Westmeath).

SEE NEXT:

https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/gaa/1775519/bleak-underage-year-continues-for-offaly-football-as-minors-face-into-winner-takes-all-showdown-with-laois.html

REFEREE WATCH

James McGrath gave the odd questionable decision but these very much balanced out and he refereed it well overall.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

They were never going to get there but Laois were not fully gone away when Ruaidhri Kavanagh was sent off for a second yellow card in the 49^th minute. Patrick Lyons' free made it 0-20 to 0-12 and Laois heads visibly wilted after that.

VENUE WATCH

The Offaly U20 hurlers have a great bond with supporters but the crowd here was not as big as might have been expected. There has been a huge volume of games later and there is definite fatigue among supporters following both codes. The crowd here was much smaller than Ballinasloe on Tuesday evening and this was to be expected with the stakes comparatively small. O'Connor Park looked well and the game was well hosted.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly go into a quarter-final where they play the winners of Dublin and a second tier team.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly - 10 (6 in first half); Laois - 14 (7 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 0; Laois – 2 (Ruadhri Kavanagh 2).

Red cards: Offaly – 0; Laois – 1 (Ruadhri Kavanagh, 2 yellows).