Six-goal Cork cruise past Offaly and into another Division 1A hurling league final

Barry Walsh scores a goal. Pic: ©INPHO/David Ribeiro

Cork 6-26 Offaly 0-20

This Allianz Hurling League Division 1A game in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening went true to form, with holders Cork easily qualifying for an Easter Sunday final against Limerick.

Attracting another healthy attendance of 19,653 to Leeside, it was an evening when a comfortable 12-point interval gap translated into an eventual 24-point margin, and Ben O’Connor’s outfit will now go in search of back-to-back league titles.

The Cork starting line-out included 12 of last year’s All-Ireland final team and with strong competition for places, they quickly got into their stride.

Once they got going, there was no stopping them.

2025 All-Star Ciarán Joyce lined out at full-back, while Pádraig Power came off the bench after being absent for over a year due to a ruptured cruciate ligament and grabbed two points much to the delight of the big home following.

After returning from a training block in Portugal and with a pep in their step, three goals in either half did the trick.

There were two each from Brian Hayes and Darragh Fitzgibbon, and one each from Tim O’Mahony and Barry Walsh.

Offaly were already relegated before travelling south, so this was another really tough day at the office for Johnny Kelly’s squad ahead of their Leinster championship opener at home to Dublin in four weeks.

The visitors had the breeze in the first half, but it was Alan Connolly who began the scoring with a pair of frees from distance which were perfectly judged. In the fifth minute Walsh squeezed the sliotar into the far corner of the net after he was put through by Hayes, 1-2 to nil.

Brian Duignan provided the response for Offaly from play, and they would follow with a brace from Adam Screeney - one from a close-in free.

Offaly goalkeeper Liam Hoare pulled off the first of three first-half saves when he denied Hayes in the eighth minute.

Cork got back on track when Walsh was fouled and Connolly converted his third point.

Hayes then made it 1-4 to 0-3.

Offaly narrowed the gap to a single point midway through the half but that was as good as it got for them.

The home side took over for the remainder of the half as they outscored their opponents 2-6 to a single point.

This, despite Hoare saving point-blank from Fitzgibbon and Connolly.

Connolly continued to clip over from placed balls, bringing his first-half total to eight points.

Hoare eventually had to give way when Hayes and Fitzgibbon delivered killer punches in the 35th and 36th minute when they raised green flags in quick succession.

Hayes’ arrived after he latched on to a Hugh O’Connor delivery, while an advancing Fitzgibbon was clinical with his finish.

Cork led at the break 3-10 to 0-7.

Both managers made substitutions at half-time, but for totally different reasons.

And while the teams shared six points in the 10 minutes after the resumption, the gap remained at four clear goals.

A superb Declan Dalton point from the tightest of angles was followed by Cork’s fourth goal in the 45th minute and it was Hayes’s second.

The majors kept coming with captain Fitzgibbon obliged a minute later (his second) and Tim O’Mahony fired the sixth in the 50th minute, 6-16 to 0-11.

Fans could be seen leaving the stadium with 15 minutes remaining.

In the end, it all resulted in an emphatic victory.

Scorers for Cork: D Fitzgibbon (2-2, 0-1 free), A Connolly (0-8 frees), B Hayes (2-1), B Walsh and T O’Mahony (1-0 each), M Coleman (0-3), S Barrett, D Dalton (0-1 free), W Buckley and P Power (0-2 each), E Downey, H O’Connor, B Keating and R O’Flynn (0-1 each).

Scorers for Offaly: A Screeney (0-7, 0-4 frees), D Ravenhill (0-4), B Duignan (0-3), D Bourke (0-2), B Kavanagh, S Bourke, R Ravenhill and J Clancy (0-1 each).

CORK: P Collins; N O'Leary, C Joyce, S O’Donoghue; E Downey, R Downey, M Coleman; T O'Mahony, T O’Connell; D Fitzgibbon (Capt), S Barrett, H O'Connor, B Walsh, A Connolly, B Hayes.

Subs: W Buckley for B Walsh, D Dalton for A Connolly (both half-time), R O’Flynn for B Hayes (48), P Power for D Fitzgibbon (52), B Keating for T O’Mahony (59).

OFFALY: L Hoare; C King, B Conneely, B Kavanagh; R Ravenhill, K Sampson (Capt), D Shirley; E Kelly, D Ravenhill; T Guinan, D Bourke, C Doyle; O Kelly, B Duignan, A Screeney.

Subs: L Nolan for O Kelly, C Spain for E Kelly (both half-time), S Bourke for C King (46), J Clancy for C Doyle (54), E Cahill for T Guinan (63).

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).