Longford 1-12 Offaly 4-16
A storming second-half at Croke Park that included three Offaly goals secured the Allianz Football League Division 4 title for the Faithful County as well as draw first blood ahead of the Championship.
The sides meet again in three weeks time in the first round of the Leinster championship and Offaly will take real momentum into that contest after an impressive win.
The Faithful led by four points at half-time but turned on the style after the break to win with 13 to spare.
Graham Guilfoyle picked up the man of the match award and capped his performance with a brilliant third goal for Offaly to wrap up the victory long before the full-time whistle.
Full-back Paul McConway was also on the mark with a goal while William Mulhall crowned his own solid performance with his side’s fourth goal.
Both teams finished with 14 men as Anton Sullivan and Longford's Diarmuid Masterson both picked up their second bookings following a 60th-minute melee.
Longford, ironically, had the edge over Offaly in recent ties, overcoming their midland rivals in both league and the Championship in the last 18 months.
Jack Sheedy's side were three-point victors when the two met most recently in late March in the group stages of Division 4.
But it was Offaly who dominated the opening half here and after opening the scoring with a second-minute Mulhall free they never looked back.
Nigel Dunne doubled the advantage and though the sides would draw level at 0-02 and 0-03 apiece, Dunne's 23rd-minute goal opened up real daylight for the first time.
It was a quality finish from the right of goals at the Hill 16 end though Niall McNamee's industry in creating it was just as significant.
McNamee won a 50-50 aerial catch with his man before playing a clever hand pass over the top to an onrushing Mulhall who fed Dunne.
Longford had plenty of chances at the other end but amassed ten wides in the first half alone.
Francis McGee did grab a brace of scores while centre-back Diarmuid Masterson lofted two over from distance.
But Offaly were good value for their 1-07 to 0-06 interval lead with Dunne already sitting on a 1-02 tally while McNamee scored a fine point too.
The second-half was all about Offaly with goals in the 43rd, 56th and 63rd minutes elevating them to victory and their first piece of silverware since claiming the same title in 2008.
Brian Kavanagh was Longford's talisman after the break and he converted five points with four of those frees. Sub Shane Doyle also netted shortly after his arrival.
But Offaly were far more clinical and impressive to lay down a serious pre-Championship marker.
Offaly: A Mulhall; B Darby, P McConway (1-00), D Brady; J Moloney, J O'Connor, N Darby; G Guilfoyle (1-00), N Smith (0-01); E Carroll, N McNamee (0-04), A Sullivan (0-01); B Allen (0-02, 0-01f), N Dunne (1-03), W Mulhall (1-05, 0-2f).
Subs: P Cunningham for Carroll, N Bracken for Allen, E Rigney for B Darby, C Donohoe for N Darby, K Mullally for W Mulhall, J Evans for McNamee.
Longford: P Collum; D Brady, B O'Farrell, P Foy; CP Smyth, D Masterson (0-02), E Williams; B Gilleran, K Diffley; P McKeon, M Quinn (0-01), R McEntee; R McNerney (0-01, 0-1f), B Kavanagh (0-06, 0-5f), F McGee (0-02, 0-1f).
Subs: S Doyle (1-00) for McKeon, C Farrelly for Williams, A Rowan for Smyth, D Reynolds for McGee, F Battrim for Foy, P Gill for McNerney.
Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh).
