Offaly supporters endured a harrowing day in O’Moore Park today as their senior teams lost to Galway and Kildare by a combined total of 27 points.
Kildare trailed by two points after the first ten minutes of action in the football leg of the double header but from then on they comfortably accounted for their neighbours, dominating the battle for primary possession.
Manager Kieran McGeeney will be disappointed that his charges failed to convert any of four good goal chances that they created, but defensively they were always in control, while nine different players got on to the scoresheet.
Good early scores for Anton Sullivan, Niall Smith and Ken Casey suggested that Offaly were going to make a real contest of this Leinster Championship quarter final, but the gulf in class soon became apparent as the Kildare half back line and midfield started to completely suffocate their direct opponents.
Fast breaking moves out of defence soon resulted in a string of good Kildare chances, while at the edge of the square Tomás O’Connor was a constant threat and he won more than his fair share of high deliveries.
However seven first half wides meant that Offaly were still in with an outside chance at 0-08 to 0-03 behind at half-time, even though they went a full 25 minutes without crossing the Kildare end line, either with a score or a wide.
Kildare midfielder Robert Kelly got the second half underway with another fine score from forty metres out, and while Offaly responded with an Alan McNamee score, they badly needed a goal to energise their challenge.
Their chance came when an incisive fist pass from Anton Sullivan put corner-back Seán Pender in and the Edenderry player gave himself an opening to shoot with a lovely sidestep. However, his strike hit the side netting and from there Kildare went on to take complete control.
Centre-back Ollie Lyons put in a man-of-the-match display using the ball well and taking three points of his own, while John Doyle also showed his class with a couple of very well taken second half points, bringing his total to four.
Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney will be disappointed that his side failed to get a goal and they could have had a penalty when Eoghan O’Flaherty was put in by Tomás O’Connor and looked to be dragged to the ground. Mikey Conway and Padraig O’Neill also had great chances, though Alan Mulhall produced two outstanding saves to deny the Kildare men.
It was all academic, however, as Kildare eased to a comfortable thirteen-point victory and in the process reminded the watching Seamus McEnaney that his Meath team will face a much tougher test in the Leinster semi-final than they did in Tullamore.
For Offaly, tomorrow morning’s qualifier draw awaits.
Kildare: Shane Connolly; Peter Kelly, Michael Foley, Hugh McGrillen; Emmet Bolton, Ollie Lyons(0-03), Morgan O’Flaherty; Robert Kelly (0-01), Padraig O’Neill (0-01); John Doyle (0-04), Mikey Conway (0-05, 0-04 frees 0-01 ‘45), Eoin Doyle; James Kavanagh (0-01), Tomás O’Connor, Eoghan O’Flaherty (0-02).
Subs: Alan Smith (0-01) for Eoin Doyle, Daryl Flynn for Robert Kelly, Padraig Fogarty (0-01) for James Kavanagh, Dermot Earley for John Doyle, Tommy O’Neill for Morgan O’Flaherty.
Offaly: Alan Mulhall; John Moloney, Shane Sullivan, Seán Pender; Brian Darby, Michael Brazil, Eoin Rigney; Alan McNamee (0-01), Ross Brady; Derek Kelly, Anton Sullivan (0-01), Richie Dalton; Niall Smith (0-01), Graham Guilfoyle, Ken Casey (0-03, 0-01 free)
Subs: Niall McNamee for Derek Kelly, Peter Cunningham for Graham Guilfoyle, David Hanlon for John Moloney, Nigel Dunne for Ken Casey, Lorcan Hiney for Eoin Rigney.
Referee: Padraig O’Sullivan (Kerry)
