Solid defence helped Offaly overcome Westmeath
WIN BUT WORK TO DO: Offaly overcame Westmeath but manager Johnny Kelly has questions for entire team. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor
Both Offaly and Westmeath introduced key players for their first competitive start of 2025 this afternoon in Tullamore, and both men played a key role in a ferociously tight and defensive battle that ultimately put the Faithful County on the brink of promotion, and left Westmeath all but condemned to relegation to Division Two.
“It was probably our most consistent performance of the year and it was a big improvement on our last game against Laois” said Westmeath manager Seoirse Bulfin, though he admitted that in their current situation, coming away empty-handed meant the day was a failure.
Bulfin brought back in Killian Doyle, who shot 14 points and was both the fulcrum around which the Westmeath attack was built, and their key threat from open play. Add in starts for veterans Niall O’Brien and Davy Glennon, and it was obvious that the Lake County knew that they were running out of chances to save their season.
Offaly’s attack was somewhat one-dimensional too, with Brian Duignan putting in another masterclass, though only Oisín Kelly really looked like a threat outside of that.
“We’ve to be thankful to our defence who held solid” said Faithful manager Johnny Kelly.
“But I’d ask questions of the entire team to be honest, we need to hold on to more of the ball up front and help out the lads that are going well up there. But it’s a win, and we’ll move on”.
As with their last game in Croke Park, James Mahon, Donal Shirley and team captain Ciarán Burke all excellent in defence, particularly in the second half. Killian Sampson’s early goal helped Offaly to an early 1-4 to 0-2 lead, before a wind-assisted Westmeath moved 0-14 to 1-9 in front by the interval.
Offaly started the second half with seven points in 12 minutes and then their attack dried up, but at the back they were imperious, conceding just one close range free in 25 minutes.
In this regard, Ben Conneely’s return proved vital. The veteran defender buried his grandfather Michael in the morning, and he came up with several crucial plays while instantly slotting back into a leadership role in the team on what was his first action of 2025.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been playing a match so it was tough, I just about held in there at the end” he said afterwards.
“We had the funeral mass this morning, I had to leave early to get here, but he was a mad GAA man, he would have been angry if I didn’t go to the match today!”
Mark Troy made a crucial save to deny Peter Clarke a goal, and while Killian Doyle hit the target four times in the last ten minutes, late scores from Duignan (three) and Ter Guinan saw Offaly home, and it would now take a remarkable sequence of results for the midlanders to miss out on Division 1A hurling next Spring.
: B Duignan (0-14, 0-10f, 0-1 65), K Sampson (1-0), O Kelly (0-3), D Ravenhill (0-2, 0-1f), D Bourke (0-1), C Spain (0-1), T Guinan (0-1).
: K Doyle 0-14 (0-11f), É Cunneen (0-2), M Cunningham (0-1), D Williams (0-1f), N O’Brien (0-1).
: M Troy; J Mahon, C Burke, B Conneely; R Ravenhill, D Shirley, J Sampson; C King, C Spain; O Kelly, D Bourke, K Sampson; D Ravenhill, C Mitchell, B Duignan.
: D King for J Sampson (half-time), C Kiely for Bourke (57), E Bourke for Dan Ravenhill (66), T Guinan for Mitchell (68).
: C O’Brien; A Ennis, J Bermingham, G Greville; S Williams, R Greville, E Keyes; D Glennon, P Clarke; M Cunningham, K Doyle, N Mitchell; É Cunneen, N O’Brien, D Williams.
: D O’Reilly for Cunningham (52), J Boyle for D Williams, A Craig for Ennis (65), R Keyes for Glennon (68).
: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)
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