ENTERING the game with high hopes after some very promising group form, Offaly’s hopes of retaining their Leinster Minor Football Championship title were uncermoniously ended by a very decent Meath outfit in O’Connor Park on Tuesday evening.
Leinster Minor Football Championship quarter-final
Meath 5-16
Offaly 0-9
Offaly’s form line had been very good with their group wins over Longford and Westmeath but they came up against strong opponents here, struggling to get their hands on the ball and dominate the midfield sector as they had in the last two games.
The scoreline is hard on Offaly and doesn’t tell the full story of the game. Trailing by six points at half time, they did very well to get themselves back into contention in the second half and were only three points behind, 0-11 to 0-8 with fourteen minutes left. They had momentum and seemed to have a good chance of a great come from behind win but Meath finally got a goal in the 49th minute and the floodgates opened after this.
Meath got 5-5 in the closing quarter, 2-1 of that in injury time and the scoreline doesn’t reflect the way Offaly battled and fought. It looks a lot worse for Offaly than it was but having said that, Meath were the better side on the day by a distance and fully deserve their place in the semi-final.
Offaly worked hard in the first half and left plenty of scores behind them. They were 0-8 to 0-2 behind at the break and could very easily have had 2-5 on the board. Their second point from Sean Monahan in the 14th minute should have been a goal as Meath goalie Cormac Fitzsimons saved from point blank range. Meath attacker Alex Keane got back to deny Darragh Stewart a goal in the 21st minute after the Tullamore man did well to get within sight of the net.
Paddy Burns was also off target with two very scoreable two point frees but Meath also missed their chances, Monahan’s point left Offaly 0-3 to 0-2 behind and Meath got five points in the second quarter but also had ample goal chances as the home defence lived a charmed life.
Harry McGuirk blasted against the cross bar in the 22nd minute while Oran Kenny did very well to deny Niall Smyth a 24th minute goal. Milo Stafford, a nephew of Meath folk hero Brian Stafford, almost punched to the net moments later and Meath could have had it won at half time.
As it was, Offaly were left needing something special to happen. It almost happened for them in the second half but at the end of the day, they just didn’t perform well enough to win it.
They did show great heart and spirit to battle their way back into contention. Paddy Burns’ excellent two point free, as he opted to go outside the arc after a tap and go was blocked, left Offaly 0-11 to 0-8 behind with fifteen minutes left and a snatch and gap raid was possible.
However, they were fortunate to be that close. Niall Smyth and Harry McGuirk were desperately unlucky to hit the crossbar in quick succession in the 32nd/33rd minutes and a goal would have killed Offaly off.
As it was they played their best football after this. They introduced two minor hurlers, Joe Furey and Keith O’Rourke and both made a positive impact. Furey got a good point and O’Rourke made runs into good positions that were not spotted by team mates – he did give a couple of sloppy passes.
Offaly got a run of four points in a row to bring the gap down to 0-10 to 0-6 after 37 minutes and there was an opportunity. Meath got crucial scores to settle them and they finally got the goal that was coming in the 49th minute when Liam O’Donoghue punched Dara Loughran’s delivery to the net.
Offaly’s heads dropped after this and the floodgates opened as Conn Brennan, Loughran, Thomas Proudfoot and Harris Moffatt got in for goals, the last two in injury time and Meath won pulling up in the wind up.
It was a disappointing defeat for Offaly but they can hold their heads high. They weren’t good enough on the day but it wasn’t down to lack of effort or attitude. Instead, Meath were strong in the right sectors, dominated the middle, were the better team and they pulled the trigger when they had to late on.
MATCH ANALYSIS
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MAN OF THE MATCH
Harry McGuirk (Meath): Meath had a lot of excellent performers and the choice is Harry McGuirk, named at centre back but playing at centre forward. He oozed quality, was very composed on the ball and while he only scored two points, he had several assists.
Oran Kenny, James Slevin and Dara Waldron were among Offaly’s better players, Darragh Stewart threatened a big game at times but was guilty of carrying into traffic and Meath were too strong on the day. Their work ethic commanded respect and Offaly found it very hard to get the ball in open space with options – they struggled at midfield and in attack and four points from play was well below what was needed..
THE SCORERS
Meath: Cormac Walsh 0-6 (3f), Thomas Proudfoot, Conn Brennan and Harris Mofatt 1-1 each, Liam O’Donoghue and Dara Loughran 1-0 each, Harry McGuirk and Cormac McKenna 0-2 each, Milo Stafford (’45’), Tomas Dillon and Caolan Comey (f) 0-1 each.
Offaly: Paddy Burns 0-5 (1 x 2pf, 3f), Darragh Stewart, Dara Waldron, Sean Monahan and Joe Furey 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
OFFALY: Ryan Casey (Tullamore); Cormac Staunton (Clodiagh Gaels), Oran Kenny (Ferbane), Jake Conlon (Tullamore); James Slevin (St Rynagh’s) , Cathal Carroll (Erin Rovers), Stephen Murrihy (Tullamore); John Carroll (Clara), Patrick Duffy (Tullamore); Evan Daly (Ballycumber), Darragh Stewart (Tullamore), Jamie Harvey (Tullamore); Dara Waldron (Ferbane), Paddy Burns (Daingean), Sean Monahan (Edenderry). Subs – Keith O’Rourke (Shamrocks) for Daly (HT), Joe Furey (Edenderry) for Monahan (33m), Oliver Goulding (Edenderry) for Harvey (44m),
MEATH: Cormac Fitzsimons; Ben Browne, Tomas Clarke, Niall Rogan; Liam O’Donoghue, John Killoran, Conn Brennan; Tomas Proudfoot, Cormac McKenna; Niall Smyth, Harry McGuirk, Alex Keane; Cormac Walsh, Milo Stafford, Tomas Dillon. Subs – Harry Keating for Killoran (35m), Dara Loughran for Dillon (45m), Caolan Comey for Stafford (54m), Harris Mofatt for Walsh (55m), Leo Kavanagh for O’Donoghue (56m).
Referee – Enda Kelly, Westmeath.
REFEREE WATCH
Enda Kelly handled it well, communicating well with his linesmen and getting most things right. The decision to give Meath a ’45’ in the 43rd minute looked wrong as it seemed to come off a Meath head but it was kicked wide.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Liam O’Donoghue’s 49th minute goal gave them a 1-12 to 0-8 lead, putting the game out of reach of a battling Offaly.
VENUE WATCH
O’Connor Park was the right venue for this rather than Faithful Fields in Kilcormac and the ground was in great order with a decent crowd in attendance.
WHAT’S NEXT
Meath go into the Leinster semi-final.
STATISTICS
Wides: Offaly – 5 (1 in first half); Meath – 8 (5 in first half).
Yellow cards: Offaly – 0; Meath – 1 (John Killoran).
Black cards: 0
Red cards: 0
