Finishing and fortune on Offaly's side as Down's summer slump continues
HY AND MIGHTY; Dylan Hyland of Offaly was in fine form. Pic: Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Offaly opened the Leinster championship with a lifeless display that saw Laois roll them over in Tullamore, while Down began their championship in 2026 with a sensational win over Donegal in Letterkenny, franking the form that saw the Mourne men win the Division Three league title while Offaly went 0-for-7 in the Spring.
This evening, people will ask the question, how could this eight-point win for the Midlanders have happened, and the answer is very simple. Offaly were efficient in front of goal, Down scored 23 points and left at least as much again behind them.
The wide count of 11 for Down and five for the home side only tells a fraction of the story, as it was when it came to finishing goals and when converting two-pointers that Offaly showed a ruthless edge.
Dylan Hyland’s penalty was composed on what was a sensational evening for the Raheen sharpshooter, Shane Tierney produced a gorgeous dinked finish past Ronan Burns for his green flag, and Offaly’s luck was definitely in for the clinching third goal late on.
Daire McDaid put what should have been a straightforward point chance off the post, and once the rebound fell to Diarmuid Egan, the defender hammered the ball inside the near post to confirm the win.
Kyle Higgins had a goal chance blocked while Hyland and Tierney were denied by a superb Down double save late in the first half, but at the other end it was a tale of woe in front of the net for Down.
Conor Laverty’s side used their movement and pace well to open up the Offaly defence and set up Pearse McPolin for an emphatic finish to the net in the ninth minute, but from then on it all went haywire in goalscoring situations.
Tom Close had a punched effort cleared off the line, McPolin tried to get a fingertip touch on a floated handpass at the far post but didn’t quite get there, Caolan Mooney was one-on-one with Conor Melia and hit wide early in the second half, Odhran Murdock blasted one wide just as the goal was opening up for him and when Pat Havern hit the crossbar late in the game, it looked like it would have been easier for the big full forward to score than miss from the edge of the small square.
Based on their ability to create chances, Down will still be a team that everyone will want to avoid in Monday’s draw for round three, but Offaly are right back in the conversation as potential competition winners now after backing up their superb away win against Clare last time out.
Their efficiency for the opening half hour was off the charts, with 2-12 on the board before they hit a wide. Hyland, Jordan Hayes and Keith O’Neill rained over two-point chances from distance, Hyland converted the penalty that was awarded for Cormac Egan getting bundled over as he drove through on goal, while O’Neill did well to set up Tierney’s clever finish.
The 25 minutes either side of half-time saw Down take over, turning a 2-12 to 1-6 deficit into a level game as they outscored Offaly by 0-12 to 0-3.
Ronan Burns stroked over a free from outside the arc just before half time with Havern on target from play after the turnaround, but it was Down’s strength and power under the kickout and their slick running game that really powered their revival. Eamon Brown and John McGeough both pointed shortly after coming off the bench to underline their depth, and while Offaly didn’t have many wides, they did miss the target with three glorious chances from inside 25 metres.
Crucially, they weren’t punished, and Dylan Hyland carried them back into a commanding lead with some exceptional shooting, including two outside-of-the-boot strikes from distance and a free kick from just inside the sideline, all into the breeze.
Havern hitting the crossbar from no distance and McDaid’s equally egregious shot into the woodwork turning into the match-clinching goal felt like a fitting finale, given what we had seen up to then.
D Hyland (1-11, 1-0 pen, 3tp, 0-2f), S Tierney (1-3), J Hayes (0-5, 2tp), K O’Neill (0-3, 1tp), D Egan (1-0).
P Havern (0-5, 1tp, 0-3f), P McPolin (1-0), R Burns (0-3, 1tpf, 0-1 45), S Annett (0-2), C Doherty (0-2), T Close (0-2), C Mooney (0-1), D Guinness (0-1), R Magill (0-1), C Rogers (0-1), J McGeough (0-1), E Brown (0-1).
Conor Melia; Shane O’Toole Greene, David Dempsey, Lee Pearson; Marcas Dalton, Cormac Egan, Diarmuid Egan; Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes; Kyle Higgins, Nathan Poland, Aaron Leavy; Keith O’Neill, Shane Tierney, Dylan Hyland.
Harry Plunkett for Poland (41), Rory Egan for Higgins (55), Daire McDaid for Dalton (57), Jack Bryant for Tierney (57), Cathal Ryan for C Egan (63)
Ronan Burns; Callum Rogers, Peter Feganm Finn McElroy; Ryan Magill, Pearse McPolin, Pierce Laverty; Odhran Murdock, Tom Close; Miceal Rooney, Ceilum Doherty, Daniel Guinness; Caolan Mooney, Pat Havern, Shane Annett.
Ruairí McCormack for McPolin (half-time), Patrick Brooks for McElroy (46), John McGeough for Close (48), Eamon Brown for Rooney (53), Barry O’Hagan for Magill (57)
Conor Lane (Cork).
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