Offaly 0-13 Tipperary 1-16
Tipperary extended their run of league wins to five with a 1-16 to 0-13 victory over Offaly at O’Connor Park in Tullamore, but Eamonn O’Shea will be counting the cost of that triumph with injury and suspension issues.
Kieran Bergin was taken away from the venue in an ambulance after sustaining an injury, while Seamus Callanan is also likely to miss the league semi-final after receiving a straight red card for an off the ball strike.
Callanan’s goal helped Tipp' to a 1-14 to 0-4 half time lead after they played with the aid of a strong breeze, but his dismissal left Offaly with plenty of defensive cover throughout the second half, while Cathal Barrett also joined him on the line after receiving a second yellow card with six minutes to play.
Offaly had their chances to set up a grandstand finish as fouls on Brian Carroll drew one penalty and one close range free late on, but Tipperary keeper Darragh Egan was in imperious form throughout this tie and he was able to deflect both of Shane Dooley’s strikes out to safety.
Some eyebrows were raised when the Faithful County elected to play into the strong breeze after winning the toss, but their decision seemed correct when they opened with far more physicality and intensity than their opponents, setting up several decent chances.
The sides were level at 0-01 each after seven minutes of play, but Tipperary then found their scoring rhythm and opened up for the next quarter of an hour, tacking on six points and the game’s only goal, a stunning strike from Seamus Callanan from a tight angle close to the left corner end line.
Shane Dooley broke Offaly’s drought with a free, but Tipperary continued to pile on the pressure and with Kieran Bergin (midfield) and Brendan Maher (centre forward) both in control of their key diamond position battles, they accumulated a healthy thirteen point half-time lead.
Both players posted three points from play in the tie, which will make Tipperary supporters all the more hopeful regarding Bergin’s injury, sustained early in the second half.
Just two minutes of the second half had elapsed when Callanan was sent-off by referee John Keenan on the advice of his umpire and that appeared to raise the intensity of the game another notch, as the tackles started to fly in with greater vim and vigour.
Ronan Maher appeared to give the visitors a huge lift when he struck an inspirational score from 50 metres out in the 40th minute, the equivalent of 90 metres on a calm day, but that was to be their second last score of the afternoon as the Offaly backs took control of the tie and used their extra man to great effect.
Tipperary too remained in control on the defensive side of the ball and they maintained their double figure lead up until the 58th minute, when points from Stephen Quirke and Shane Dooley inside sixty seconds gave Offaly a little bit of momentum.
The Faithful County badly needed a goal to really put Tipp under any pressure; however, and while they created a couple of good chances from placed balls, they found Darragh Egan too good in the Tipp goal, even when Barrett’s dismissal left them with two extra men for the last six minutes of action.
Brian Carroll had a final opportunity with the last action of the tie, but his close-range strike flew inches over the crossbar, denying him the opportunity to become just the third Offaly player to score a goal in this league campaign.
Offaly: J Dempsey; D King, D Shortt, S Wynne; C Parlon, C Egan, P Camon; S Ryan, B Carroll (0-02); C Kiely, J Bergin (0-02), E Nolan; S Dooley (0-07, 0-03 frees, 0-01 ’65), D Currams, S Quirke (0-02).
Subs: T Carroll for Ryan (31), C Mulrooney for Currams (44)
Tipperary: D Egan; P Stapleton, C O’Mahony, C Barrett; M Breen, Pádraic Maher, R Maher (0-01); J Woodlock, K Bergin (0-03); J Forde (0-01), B Maher (0-03), Patrick Maher; N McGrath (0-01), S Callanan (1-06, 0-04 frees), N O’Meara (0-01).
Subs: S McGrath for Bergin (44), S Bourke for O’Meara (57), C Kenny for Forde (61), Sean Maher for Patrick Maher (69)
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow).
