Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Round Two
Galway 2-25 Offaly 1-14
By Kevin Egan at Glenisk O’Connor Park
Galway put their Leinster championship campaign back on course with a comprehensive win over Offaly, achieved largely on the back of an outstanding performance from Cathal Mannion.
For Offaly, the optimism that followed their strong showing in Parnell Park will have dissipated, as they failed entirely in their bid to raise a gallop in front of 10,073 supporters in their first home Leinster SHC game since an equally dismal showing against Wexford seven years ago.
They got the start they wanted through an early Killian Sampson goal, but from the throw in, they were shipping water in the full-back line.
Colm Molloy’s introduction for his championship debut was a late change to the starting 15 and the diminutive corner-forward wasted no time in making his mark, firing over three points in the first 10 minutes, leading to his marker Pádraig Cantwell being called ashore with 21 minutes played.
Then there was Mannion, whose main early contribution was to pounce on a misplaced Mark Troy puckout to fire the ball under the goalie for Galway’s first goal.
The Tribesmen moved four clear before a brace of frees and a majestic Charlie Mitchell point cut the gap to the minimum and got the crowd into the game by the 15 minute mark, but from then until half-time it was one-way traffic.
Daithí Burke’s return to full back made a strong impact as he controlled that key position, with Pádraic Mannion and TJ Brennan also dominant in the wing-back berths. However it was Mannion who really ran the show, converting his own scores and also dropping outfield to orchestrate play for the Tribesmen.
There was a stroke of luck to their second goal as he dropped in a ’65 and it deflected off Donal Shirley’s hurl past Mark Troy for a second Galway goal, but Offaly were handed another lifeline when the sides sparked off one another going into the dressing room at half-time, and Daithí Burke was shown a straight red card by James Owens after the two teams emerged from the dressing rooms.
It could have been more. Troy made two stunning saves to deny Mannion further goals, initially from a 20 metre piledriver and then again when Molloy collected the rebound and was dragged to the ground for a penalty.
Instead of seizing the advantage with their extra man, Offaly scored just two points in the third quarter, and by then Galway were out of sight. Their most egregious miss was when Cillian Kiely fired wide from close-range after being put through by Mitchell, but between frees and open play, plenty more went abegging. Even the introduction of Adam Screeney for his first senior action of the year couldn’t rouse the crowd, as only Mannion’s brilliance illuminated another flat encounter.
He added to his tally and set up more opportunities for Concannon, Molloy and Brennan, but the dull pace of the contest started to infect the rest of the Galway team too, with the Tribesmen adding eight final quarter wides when they could have put a gulf between the teams.
As it stands, they got the result they needed, but the sense that they have ground to make up on Kilkenny – at least – will remain.
Scorers for Galway: Cathal Mannion 2-8 (1-0 65, 3fs), Colm Molloy 0-5, Brian Concannon 0-3, TJ Brennan 0-3, Conor Whelan 0-2, David Burke 0-1, Tiernan Killeen 0-1, Cianán Fahy 0-1, John Fleming 0-1.
Scorers for Offaly: Brian Duignan 0-5 (4fsf), Killian Sampson 1-1, Adam Screeney 0-3 (2fs), Charlie Mitchell 0-2, Dan Ravenhill 0-2 (0-1f), Oisín Kelly 0-1.
Glaway: Darach Fahy; Fintan Burke, Daithí Burke, Darren Morrissey; Pádraic Mannion, Gavin Lee, TJ Brennan; Cianán Fahy, David Burke; John Fleming, Tiernan Killeen, Conor Whelan; Brian Concannon, Cathal Mannion, Colm Molloy.
Subs: Tom Monaghan for Killeen (33), Conor Cooney for Fleming (55), Donal O’Shea for Molloy (60), Seán Linnane for David Burke (62), Ronan Glennon for C Mannion (68).
Offaly: Mark Troy; Pádraig Cantwell, Ciarán Burke, Ben Conneely; Ross Ravenhill, Donal Shirley, Jason Sampson; Cathal King, David King; Killian Sampson, Daniel Bourke, Oisín Kelly; Dan Ravenhill, Brian Duignan, Charlie Mitchell.
Subs: Cillian Kiely for J Sampson (21), James Mahon for Cantwell (24), Adam Screeney for D King (42), Eoin Burke for Kiely (48), Colin Spain for Conneely (62).
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
