Improved Kilcormac-Killoughey put down marker as Birr fail to ask tough questions

WITH a gun aimed squarely at their head, Kilcormac-Killoughey finally found form to advance to the semi-finals of the Offaly Senior Hurling Championship in Banagher on Saturday.

Molloy Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 5

Kilcormac-Killoughey 2-24

Birr 0-14

It was easily K-K's best display of the year. They were decent in their win over St Rynagh's in their previous game but raised the bar significantly here and make the semi-finals ahead of St Rynagh's on the head to head rule.

Birr were through to the quarter-finals no matter what happened here and couldn't make the semi-finals but even with nothing tangible to play for, their display was very disappointing. With Coolderry recording an anticpated win over Kinnitty, a win for Birr here would have eliminated the four in a row seeking champions.

You could argue that the time for Birr to beat K-K is in a knockout game but there was an opportunity to evict them and open up the championship for them and everyone else. Birr never went after that, they were a mile off the pace in the first half and only approached championship intensity for an all too brief spell in the second half. There are no repercussions for Birr in defeat but this was a very flat, subdued performance and it was all too easy for K-K to win.

K-K's hunger and work rate was much closer to the levels that has made them such an invincible force in the past three years. You would expect this with their championship aspirations on the line but they still produced a really good display and they are still the team to beat.

They will get stronger too as Adam Screeney was togged out in Banagher, presumably ready to be thrown in if K-K were in panic stations in the closing quarter. As things worked out, there wasn't a remote sense of crisis at any stage in this game and Screeney wasn't used but should be good to go for the semi-final in a month's time.

K-K do have injury worries. Jordan Quinn's season could be over, Ter Guinan went early here and they will be praying this isn't another bad hamstring injury while Daniel Hand was heavily strapped up and went off carrying a leg near the end.

Making the semi-final direct will be a big help to them. Cillian Kiely was a big doubt after getting injured in the win over St Rynagh's but came through the full game and he showed his value as he anchored the defence quite brilliantly.

Kilcormac-Killoughey were outstanding in the first half. Their application and work rate was exactly where it was needed and they had Birr, who welcomed Eoghan Cahill back from injury, on the back foot from the throw in. Playing almost flawless hurling in all sectors and with a healthy spread of scorers, K-K stormed into a 0-8 to 0-1 lead after 12 minutes. The writing was on the wall for Birr that early and they never threatened a revival.

K-K's lead was 0-11 to 0-3 after twenty minutes, 0-16 to 0-8 at half time and it required something extraordinary for Birr to win. Six of Birr's eight first half points came from Eoghan Cahill frees and the overall attacking display by the losers was very substandard.

Birr did briefly threaten a revival in the second half. They worked harder and closed down K-K players quicker. K-K showed fleeting feet of clay and Birr had the gap down to five on four different occasions, 0-16 to 0-11, 0-17 to 0-12, 0-18 to 0-13 and 0-19 to 0-14.

It was a five point game heading into the closing ten minutes and a goal would have made it very interesting but Birr didn't truly go after the game. Instead, they never scored again after the 48th minute and they didn't raise a whimper as they died a death late on.

K-K controlled the closing minutes with impressively efficiency. They were 0-23 to 0-14 ahead and had it won when Peter Geraghty stroked home a fantastic goal in the 56th minute. Sub Oisin Mahon scrambled home their second two minutes into injury time and the way K-K's hunger seems to be coming back will have been noted by everyone else.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey): For the second game in a row it boils down to a choice between Cillian Kiely and Colin Spain and for the second time, the selection is the same. Kiely was outstanding at the heart of the K-K defence, the glue that held it all together but Spain is playing the best club hurling of his young career at the moment. He ran the game from midfield, picking off four quality points but there was so much more to admire. His quick reaction to breaks and deft flicks and passes set up a lot and Spain is currently performing at a very high level.

James Mahon and Leigh Kavanagh were also excellent for K-K while the Geraghty twins, Peter and Thomas took their chances well and Conor Mahon really got the team going with a powerful opening ten minutes, when he put in some bone shaking hits, got the opening two points and turned over Birr players.

Birr now await Sunday's games to discover their quarter-final opponents and manager Barry Whelahan won't need anyone to tell him that this display won't beat anyone.

THE SCORERS

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Daniel Hand 0-6 (4f and 1 '65'), Colin Spain 0-4, Peter Geraghty 1-1, Thomas Geraghty and Conor Mahon 0-3 each, Oisin Mahon 1-0, Lochlann Kavanagh and Leigh Kavanagh 0-2 each, Conor Slevin (f), Cillian Kiely, Damien Kilmartin 0-1 each.

Birr: Eoghan Cahill 0-9 (7f), Darragh Tierney 0-2, Padraic Watkins, Ian Kerin, Luke Nolan 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Brecon Kavanagh, Tom Spain, James Mahon; Ter Guinan, Cillian Kiely, Enda Grogan; Colin Spain, Damien Kilmartin; Daniel Hand, Conor Mahon,Leigh Kavanagh; Peter Geraghty, Thomas Geraghty, Lochlann Kavanagh. Subs – Jack Screeney for Guinan, inj. (10m), Alex Kavanagh for Lochlann Kavanagh (50m), Brian Guinan for Kilmartin (53m).

BIRR: Adam Fitzgerald; Jimmy Irwin, Cormac Kenny, Campbell Boyd; Ben Miller, Padraic Watkins, Colm Mulrooney; Morgan Watkins,, Ian Kerin; Barry Harding, Luke Nolan, Darragh Tierney; Eoghan Cahill, Emmet Nolan, Ailbe Watkins. Subs – Joe Ryan for Boyd (20m), Brendan Murphy for Harding (HT), Lochlann Quinn for Emmet Nolan (39m).

Referee – Adam Kinahan, Clodiagh Gaels.

REFEREE WATCH

Adam Kinahan refereed it well. He was consistent and fair. There were a couple of times when he seemed harsh on steps but these went both ways – Conor Mahon should have got a free in the second half after been taken out of it and Birr got a point in the next attack but again, these went both ways.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

There was no big moment that dictated this game but K-K's final point in the first half showed where their minds were. James Mahon brilliantly dispossessed a Birr player in midfield and passed to Colin Spain who floated over a fantastic point.

VENUE WATCH

Banagher got the two biggest senior hurling games of the year to date this weekend and they are an excellent venue for games. They have superb facilities, take obvious pride in hosting and are masters at managing every aspect of fixtures. It was very noticeable, however, that the premier ground in the county, O'Connor Park in Tullamore was not given either Kilcormac-Killoughey v Birr or Ballinamere v Belmont – and it was an ideal location for either fixture.

There may be financial reasons at play and the gate possibly would be bigger in Banagher than O'Connor Park, where some neutrals from the south mightn't travel, but there should also be a principle involved in putting at least some of those games into the county grounds. It is good to spread them around and there is absolutely no doubt that there was a better atmoshere in Banagher than there would have been in O'Connor Park, where the crowd would have been “lost” but one of these games was worthy of an O'Connor Park setting, which hasn't hosted any senior hurling game yet.

That comment is absolutely no reflection on St Rynagh's Hurling Club, who were great hosts and looking at the crowd here and the atmosphere with everyone in the stand, you could see the merit of playing this one in Banagher.

WHAT'S NEXT

Birr are in the quarter-finals while Kilcormac-Killoughey go to the semi-finals.

STATISTICS

Wides: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 10 (3 in first half); Birr – 10 (3 in first half).

Yellow cards: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 1 (Cillian Kiely; Birr – 3 (Joe Ryan, Luke Nolan, Cormac Kenny).

Red cards: 0