Flying Cork end Offaly's season with ruthless demolition job
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final
OFFALY supporters made the short journey to Semple Stadium in Thurles far more in hope than expectation on Sunday and they saw their worse nightmare unfold as Cork had them beaten very early in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final.
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final
Cork 6-25
Offaly 2-11
Travelling in their thousands, Offaly fans were under no illusions that their victory prospects were far closer to the nil than the good but the small thread they were hanging onto was snapped off by a lethal Cork side in double quick side.
The first requirement here is to go easy on an Offaly squad who deserve huge credit for what they have done this year and since 2021 when they were still in the Christy Ring Cup. Making steady progress up the ranks, it was a huge achievement to finish third in the Leinster championship this year and make the All-Ireland quarter-final. They have worked so hard, are clearly a work in progress and this result does not define them.
There will be brighter days ahead but the second requirement here is to be honest and Offaly were a country mile off the levels needed to be a true top tier team and contend for All-Ireland honours. It was a very difficult watch as Cork went for the jugular early, had Offaly beaten by the quarter way mark and could begin making preparations for their All-Ireland semi-final against Galway by half time when they led by 5-14 to 0-6.
There was no hiding place for Offaly as Cork ruthlessly put them to the sword. We knew that Cork had a decided physicality advantage and power and pace to burn throughout their team. However, the difference in efficiency and clinical hurling also stood out here as Cork made few mistakes and almost everything they touched turned to gold in the first half, in particular. Offaly by contrast just couldn't get going as players were blocked down and the ball didn't always stick at the first attempt.
Cork gave a master class in the first half and Offaly had no answer. To have any chance, Offaly needed to shut up shop early on, keep out goals, hang in there and try and be somewhat in contention heading into the last twenty minutes.
We knew Cork would go for them early on and try and end the game with quick goals. Unfortunately for Offaly that is exactly what happened and they had 1-2 on the board before Eoghan Cahill got Offaly's first point with a sixth minute '65'. The goal was scored by Alan Walsh when he out out in front of a hesitant Liam Hoare in the fourth minute.
With referee Sean Stack forced to go to hawkeye way too often in the first half, it was all very stop start but there was nothing sluggish about the way Cork attacked – it tells its own story that the the half time announcement that hawkeye would not be used in the second half led to one of the biggest cheers of the day. The winners were 1-7 to 0-2 clear when Brian Hayes got their second goal in the 15th minute with a goal that summed up Offaly's day – Brian Duignan was blocked down in attack and Cork swept forward in a devastating attack.
Alan Walsh got his second goal seconds later and with a 3-7 to 0-2 lead, it was all over. Shane Barrett got a stunning goal in the 27th minute as Cork led by 4-13 to 0-4 after 30 minutes. They could easily have had six or seven goals and the fifth arrived courtesy of Brian Hayes deep in injury time.
The second half did not get much worse for Offaly but there was little consolation in this as Cork effectively eased off the pedal, stopped playing to an extent and coasted through the motions for the final quarter plus.
Their sixth goal arrived in the 37th minute through Brian Hayes and with a 6-15 to 0-7 lead, this was the signal for Cork to start emptying their bench.
Offaly did the same as Cork led by 6-19 to 0-8 after 46 minutes and it drifted out very harmlessly from here. As Cork visibly relaxed, Offaly had a brief purple patch that yielded 2-2 without reply between the 51st and 58th minutes. Oisin Kelly did well off the bench and he got through for a 51st minute goal. The Belmont man also set up Adam Screeney for a lovely goal two minutes later as Offaly got the gap back to 6-20 to 2-10.
There was very little to report, very little to see from here to the final whistle as Cork managed to get five of the last six points, without expending much energy – and hitting wides that that they had not been doing in the first half, adding six to their tally in one spell. They resisted any temptation to really try and destroy Offaly and unlike their league meeting earlier in the spring when they hunted goals right to the final whistle, they didn't do that here – and if they had Offaly would have had to take it on the chin as you just can't expect any quarter from a side with All-Ireland ambitions at this stage of the season.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Brian Hayes (Cork): Cork had contenders all over the field and it was a really impressive display by them. The choice is a man who was on the field for just 43 minutes but scored three goals in that time, set up other scores and was fouled for frees. Brian Hayes was a great target at full forward and with Alan Walsh and Alan Connolly excellent each side of him, it was a difficult afternoon for the Offaly full back line.
There weren't many Offaly players who will want to view this game again. They tried hard but the scoreline doesn't lie and there was no hiding place for them on the Semple Stadium pitch. The only thing Offaly can do is lick their wounds for a few days, bring the curtain down on the season with a couple of days of socialising or whatever they want to do, get ready for the club season and go again for the county team.
THE SCORERS
Cork: Brian Hayes 3-0, Alan Connolly 0-7 (5f and 1 '65'), Alan Walsh 2-1, Shane Barrett 1-3, Brian Roche, Darragh Fitzgibbon (1f), Diarmuid Healy and Seamus Harnedy 0-2 each, Sean O'Donoghue, Eoin Downey, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman, Robbie O'Flynn, William Buckley 0-1 each.
Offaly: Adam Screeney 1-3 (1f and 1 '65'), Oisin Kelly 1-0, Brian Duignan 0-3, Eoghan Cahill 0-2 (1 '65' and 1f), Liam Hoare, Ter Guinan, Dan Bourke 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
OFFALY: Liam Hoare (Carrig-Riverstown); Ciaran Burke (Durrow), Ben Conneely (St Rynagh's), Patrick Taaffe (Belmont); Ross Ravenhill (Durrow), Killian Sampson (Shinrone), Ter Guinan (Kilcormac-Killoughey); Dan Ravenhill (Durrow), Cathal King (Carrig-Riverstown); Shane Rigney (St Rynagh's), Conor Doyle (Clara), Dan Bourke (Durrow); Eoghan Cahill (Birr), Brian Duignan (Durrow), Adam Screeney (Kilcormac-Killoughey). Subs – Ruari Kelly (Lusmagh) for Ross Ravenhill (HT), Oisin Kelly (Belmont) for Rigney (40m), Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey) for Dan Ravenill (47m), Eoin Burke (Coolderry) for Cahill (50m), Luke Watkins (Shinrone) for Doyle (65m).
CORK; Patrick Collins; Niall O'Leary, Damien Cahalane, Sean O'Donoghue; Eoin Downey, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Brian Roche, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Hugh O'Connor, Shane Barrett, Diarmuid Healy; Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes, Alan Walsh. Subs – William Buckley for Walsh (43m), Barry Walsh for Hayes (43m), Seamus Harnedy for Roche (51m), Robbie O'Flynn for Fitzgibbon (51m), Ger Millerick for Coleman (57m).
Referee – Sean Stack, Dublin.
REFEREE WATCH
Sean Stack ended up under scrutiny through no real fault of his own in the first half as hawkeye was consulted way too frequently, leading to over five minutes of injury time. It took too long for a hawkeye decision and it was nowhere as efficient as Croke Park where it is almost instant.
It was farcical at times. Brian Duignan had a shot waved wide in the 21st minute and Cork had attacked with Darragh Fitzgibbon pointing before hawkeye was consulted for Duignan's strike – a point was eventually given and Fitzgibbon's one had to be ruled out. Stack was not helped by his umpires who seemed a bit too happy to call for hawkeye rather than make a decision while one also gave a Cork shot wide before a '65' was awarded after intervention by a linesman. Thankfully the half time decision was made to dispense with hawkeye for the second half.
Apart from all that, Stack refereed it very well and was not a factor at all in the result.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
There was no one big game defining score and once Offaly started conceding quick goals, the show was up for them. Cork's second goal in the 15th minute from Brian Hayes put them 2-7 to 0-2 ahead and all optimism evaporated from the Offaly support.
VENUE WATCH
There was a terrific atmosphere in Thurles before and at Semple Stadium for this game. 40,185 spectators were present and with the sun shining, it was just a special occasion, even if the one sided nature of the game deflated the mood of the Offaly contingent and even dampened Cork's enthusiasm as there was no real joy to be got from such an easy win.
WHAT'S NEXT
Cork go into the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway.
STATISTICS
Wides: Offaly – 12 (7 in first half); Cork – 15 (6 in first half).
Yellow cards: Cork – 1 (Hugh O'Connor); Offaly – 1 (Ruari Kelly).
Black cards: 0
Red cards: 0