Leinster SHC Quarter-final/ Offaly 2-23 Laois 1-15: Any notions of a Laois upset dissolved within seconds of the throw-in at Saturday evening's Leinster hurling championship clash. Offaly started their campaign with an 11-point victory, but it so easily could have been a complete annihilation of their midland neighbours.
Laois's victory in the National League condemned Mike McNamara's team to Division Two and also planted the idea that this would be a tight and keenly contested encounter. However, the pace of championship hurling found Laois out.
Offaly's corner forwards Brian Carroll and Damien Murray were in fine form; between them they racked up 1-14.
Some atrocious defending undoubtedly helped, which cannot be put down to the absence of full back Paddy Cuddy as Laois were leaking all over the place. They seemed totally inept when it came to the basic task of clearing the ball downfield.
By the 28th minute they trailed 0-13 to 0-2 due mainly to the accuracy of Carroll and Murray, helped along by two 65s from half back Colm Cassidy.
Darren Rooney, who also lined out for Mick O'Dwyer's footballers against Carlow yesterday, cut a lone figure on the edge of the square but at least he marshalled his man, Joe Brady, with some competence, restricting him to a single score.
In the aftermath, Laois manager Paudie Butler gave an honest account of the performance: "We've gone that yard slower than we were in the league and Offaly went up a step. It's only a step but a step will do it."
The result knocks back any aspirations Laois may have had. James Young's dead-ball accuracy provided 0-11 of their scores and they simply had no response to the Offaly tide.
It's hard to know how good Offaly can become after such a comprehensive win but the potential is there, even without the injured Brian Whelahan and Rory Hanniffy.
Any worries about whether they would carry over any baggage from a poor league campaign were answered within 20 minutes of the throw-in. Young did add four late points before the turn to leave it 0-14 to 0-6 at half-time but any thoughts of a comeback were obliterated early in the second half as Michael Cordial and Gary Hanniffy upped the standard once more.
Carroll got the opening goal in the 44th minute, only for Canice Coonan to reply within seconds with an opportunistic strike for Laois. The goal-scoring blitz came to an end three minutes later when Brendan Murphy's ground stroke found the net.
Thereafter the Laois faithful headed for their cars, so many would have missed Simon Whelahan's point during his late cameo.
The winners of Westmeath and Dublin are next for Offaly but already manager Mike McNamara is eyeing the greatest scalp of all. "The game is all about space and creating space now. On the day we were able to do it but there are a lot more challenges coming up," he said.
"Our target at the start of the year was to break this famous one-horse race out of Leinster. Along the way we stumbled but this today was the championship so we are still on target. Whatever happens in Leinster this year we'll be there at the end. We're going to battle it out to the end."
One player who McNamara will be without is corner back Mick O'Hara, who is going to the United States for the summer. O'Hara, who had a fine match, was standing in for another injured player, Barry Teehan.
OFFALY: 1. B Mullins; 2. M O'Hara, 3. G Oakley, 4. D Franks; 6. K Brady, 5. N Claffey, 7. C Cassidy (0-3, all 65s); 8. M Cordial (0-1), 9. Barry Whelahan; 10. N Coughlan, 11. G Hanniffy (0-1) capt, 12. B Murphy (1-2); 13. B Carroll (1-4), 14. J Brady (0-1), 15. D Murray (0-10, eight frees). Subs: 17. S Whelahan (0-1) for J Brady (46 mins), 18. D Hayden for B Whelahan (60 mins).
LAOIS: 1. K Galvin; 2. C Cuddy, 9. D Rooney, 4. M McEvoy; 5. J Fitzpatrick (0-1), 6. P Cuddy, 7. R Conroy; 8. D Cuddy (0-1) capt, 12. J Walsh; 10. C Coonan (1-0), 11. J Young (0-11, nine frees, one 65, one sideline cut), 19. R Jones (0-1); 13. T Fitzgerald, 14. L Tynan, 15. D Culleton (0-1). Subs: 28. E Meagher for C Coonan (24 mins), 24. C Brophy for Conroy (55 mins), 20. J Dunne for Tynan (57 mins), 27. F Keenan for Meagher (61 mins).
Referee: S McMahon (Clare).
