ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION ONE Offaly 2-15 Wexford 1-16:SUMMERTIME BEGINS – at least for Offaly hurling it does. After surviving what was essentially a relegation showdown here in Tullamore they can look forward to the championship, practically safe in the knowledge their Division One status is assured again for next year.
For Wexford, summertime still seems a long way off. It’s getting lonely at the bottom: they’ll almost certainly need to claim three points from their remaining two games – against Cork and Tipperary – to avoid the drop back to Division Two. Even if they win one, and Offaly lose their last two – against Waterford and Kilkenny – it will come down to this head-to-head, which Offaly only narrowly claimed as their own.
Indeed with the clock moving into injury-time it seemed a draw would prove the likely and perhaps fair result. Then Darren Stamp, the Wexford captain, was whistled back for overcarrying, giving Offaly the chance of a match-winning free. Although it lay some 100 metres directly out from the goal, Shane Dooley saw his shot drop just over the Wexford crossbar. To seal the deal Dooley hit another amazing free moments later, this one from some 65 metres out, next to the sideline. He finished with 1-10.
“It was a pressure free, for sure, but if you wanted anyone standing over a free like that it would be Shane,” said Offaly manager Joe Dooley – thus heaping worthy praise on his son.
Offaly had played the last 10 minutes with 14 men, with Colin Egan dismissed for a second bookable offence, yet had rode out considerable pressure from Wexford over that closing period.
Indeed Wexford were guilty of seven wides in the second half; had any one of those being converted they might have well sealed the deal themselves.
It was that close throughout: they were level seven times in the first half alone, and the advantage swayed back and forth throughout the second half. Wexford gained the first notable edge first on 38 minutes when Jim Berry finished off a close-range shot into the net, before Offaly did likewise three minutes later through Derek Molloy, set up by Joe Bergin.
Dooley tagged on a free, and with that Offaly were three points clear. Given the high stakes Wexford rallied again, a couple of big scores from Harry Kehoe and PJ Nolan helping bring them level – but just not over the finish line.
“When we went down to 14 men it wasn’t easy. But the lads dug deep. We were fierce determined today, and I think as the ground gets better we hurl better. So I’m delighted for the lads. We worked hard and got what we deserved,” said boss Dooley.
“It is tough to get out of Division Two. Potentially if we lost today and did not stay up, there are fellows that might not hurl Division One again, just because of a small bit of misfortune. But I am sure that the higher authorities will be looking at it in due course.”
For Wexford manager Colm Bonnar there was a brave face even in defeat. Relegation is not yet certain, at least not in his mind.
“We need to get ourselves back up again. We are playing Cork in Wexford Park next Sunday. It is a case that we need to keep fighting until the very last league game and then we look at the league board and see where we are positioned.
“Obviously, it does put us in a more difficult situation now. This was a vital game because of the head-to-head rule. We had a couple of bad wides, and periods to get back level or go one point ahead. . . . To be fair to Offaly they took their chance.”
A puck of the ball, really, between Division One and Division Two, and yet what a great divide as the result of it.
OFFALY: J Dempsey; S Egan, D Kenny, D Franks; M Verney, R Hanniffy, D Morkan; C Mahon, D Hayden; B Carroll, G Healion (0-1), D Molloy (1-1); D Currams, J Bergin (0-2), S Dooley (1-10, 0-8 frees, 0-1 65). Subs: C Egan (0-1) for Currams (11 mins), M Cordial for Carroll (64 mins), J Mulrooney for Molloy (70 mins).
WEXFORD: N Carton; P Roche (0-1, free), M O'Hanlon, K Rossiter; L Prendergast, D Stamp, C Kenny; D Redmond (0-3), H Kehoe (0-1); PJ Nolan (0-3), E Quigley, S Banville (0-1); R Jacob (0-3), T Waters, J Berry (1-4, 0-4 frees). Subs: C Farrell for Quigley (48 mins), B Doyle for Waters (54 mins), M Jacob for Banville (64 mins).
Referee: A Stapleton(Laois).
